When you start taking conscious action in your life, and begin to make choices based on the life you WANT to live, don’t be surprised if you hear a chorus of negative voices.
I call them Saboteurs. We all have our own versions of their songs in our heads.
Saboteurs are sneaky. They slip in through the backdoor in our minds and elbow their way to center stage to take and transform a good day into one filled with doubt, insecurity, and overwhelm.
Here’s the thing: You have probably heard their voices for as long as you can remember. They’ve always serenaded you with negative thoughts, comments, and beliefs, and pushed out any glimmer of hope that your life will ever change.
The Saboteurs are so loud that they drown out your TRUE Voice: The one that knows how magnificent we are.
Your True Voice wants you to go after your dreams and make your mark on the world.
Your True Voice is a whisper and is easily drowned out. And if you ignore it for too long, it goes silent so that the Saboteurs’ voices are the only ones you hear.
Imagine Your True Voice is a beautiful gemstone sitting at the base of a mountain, twinkling in the sunlight. No matter what angle you look at it from, it’s gorgeous. It can’t help but shine. Then, out of nowhere, ordinary rocks start rolling down the mountain, piling on top of your gemstone. Eventually, the rocks completely cover up the gem.
It’s still there, of course. It’s simply hidden underneath all the rocks.
The Saboteurs love to dim our light. They like to keep us right where we are.
I recently had the honor of meeting and hearing a speech by the incomparable Sally Field when she spoke at a Women & Power conference. A portion of her speech focused on this very topic.
She admitted that she still hears these voices. When she said this, I thought: “No way! You’re Sally Field! You have won 2 Academy Awards, 3 Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, 1 Screen Actors Guild award, and have had an astonishing career that has spanned 47 years!”
This was such an AHA moment for me. My realization from listening to her was twofold. First, it doesn’t matter how much success you have how famous you are, or how much money you have, dealing with these voices can be a lifelong process. Second, the realization that I’m okay. There is nothing wrong with me. I don’t need to beat myself up because I haven’t “conquered” the Saboteurs. Phew! What a relief!
I have done an incredible amount of self-work, which has helped me discover, step into, and own my power, and allowed me to pursue what my true purpose is. I somehow thought that through that process, the negative thoughts would magically disappear and it would be smooth sailing.
Now I know that’s probably not going to happen. And after listening to Sally Field, I now know that it’s okay.
The recourse is to learn how to deal with them when they show up in your head.
Here are the Top 3 Fixes that work for me:
One – Set an intention at the start of your day to remain positive. What this really does is make you more conscious throughout the day. You will be more aware when those negative voices come in. When they do, remind yourself of your intention— “Today I am going to remain positive.”
Two – Acknowledge them. I know I know… but trust me on this. I literally had a Saboteur sneak in yesterday to try to take me into a crazy negative spiral. I simply said, “ I hear you and you are not in control, I am.” I know how weird this sounds, but it really worked. When you take back control, the voice has nowhere to go but away!
Three – Have a “Come in and get me” partner. Find someone you can call or go see who KNOWS the real you. He or she knows you are fabulous and wonderful. This person is a sort of lifeline to your True Voice. When you get covered over by the rocks, your lifeline can move them aside so that you can realign with your TRUE Voice and shine.
Do you struggle with the voices of the Saboteur? Are you ready to uncover your True Voice and shine, the way you were intended to?
Try these steps and let us know how you do! Your wisdom and comments will help others too!
