If we’re honest with ourselves we’ll all be familiar with the concept of those niggling little voices we sometimes hear in our head.
You know the ones that say things like “you don’t deserve to do well” or “you’ll never get that job” or “you’re awful at public speaking”.
I’d challenge anybody to say they’ve not heard them from time to time. And I’d argue that what are commonly known as our ‘gremlins’ are, for many of us, a major inhibitor to achieving our true potential.
My advice for silencing those chatty little monsters whispering in our ears comes in two parts: firstly to ‘name’ those gremlins and then to ‘re-frame’ them.
For most of us the power of simply working out what our gremlins are and naming them can’t be understated.
If those gremlins are not immediately obvious, it’s worth taking out a piece of paper and privately jotting down some recent lost opportunities. Then write down what you may have said to yourself at the time. The themes that emerge will instantly be recognisable as gremlins.
After completing this exercise you should know exactly what gremlins you’re working with; the next step is to quieten them down by re-framing what they are saying to you.
For example, using the examples from above we could say instead “I will fulfil my potential in life”, “I’ll get the job that’s right for me” and “I’m happy with the way I speak in public”.
You’ll notice that by re-framing the limiting self beliefs the gremlins are silenced as they can’t argue their point of view against your new way of viewing the world.
The trick is to set out to please yourself, not what you think the world expects from you.
When you can do this, you will have well and truly banished your gremlins, and be able to enjoy the world without that extra bit of weight on your shoulder.
Peter Welch is head of sales and distribution at Bridgewater Equity Release
