We all have that voice in our head, that little gremlin that whispers sweet nothing's into our ear like “You're not good enough”, “You'll never be able to do that” or my personal favourite “What were you thinking?”

We've all been there, and it's a tough battle to try to silence that inner critic. But what if I told you that the first step to getting rid of your gremlin is to… wait for it… give it a voice! That's right, in order to get rid of your inner critic, you need to draw it out, name it and give it a personality. Once you do that, you can start to see it for what it really is — an annoyance that is trying to hold you back from achieving your full potential.

So how do you go about drawing out your gremlin?

The first step is to identify when your gremlin speaks up. Is it when you're trying something new? Is it when you're feeling vulnerable? Or is it when you're doubting yourself? Once you've identified when your gremlin speaks up, the next step is to give it a voice. This can be literal — giving it a name and speaking out loud — or figurative — writing down what it says in a journal.

Once you've given your gremlin a voice, the next step is to start calling it out on its bullshit. When it tells you that you're not good enough, remind yourself of all the times you've proved it wrong.

When it tells you that you'll never be able to do something, remind yourself of all the times you've achieved things you never thought were possible. And when it tells you that what were you thinking?, well… sometimes we need our gremlins to remind us of our mistakes so we don't make them again!

Conclusion:

The best way to get rid of your inner critic is to draw it out, name it and give it a personality. Once you do that, you can start to see it for what it really is — an annoyance that is trying to hold you back from achieving your full potential.

So don't let your gremlin get the best of you — call its bluff and show it who's boss!