Gremlins
by Lynn Cutts
I don't know how familiar
you are with Richard Carson's concept of the Gremlin, so here's a brief explanation.
First of all, we all
have Gremlins. They are the little (or not so little) voices that nag
at us all the time. Sometimes they try hard to keep us safe, to not try
new things. Sometimes, they tell us that whatever it is we are doing,
it's not good enough, fast enough, clever enough . . . Gremlins also are
those intrusive little thoughts that tell us we should be doing something
else. They're real good at getting us trapped between a rock and a hard
place, at least in our own minds, and love putting us in a "damned
if you do, damned if you don't" sort of bind.
Our Gremlins are always
present, but sometimes they are a lot louder than other times. Often,
they like to disguise their message as really coming from ourselves. So
the first thing to do in learning to deal with your Gremlins is to learn
how to distinguish their voices from yours. Here are some clues:
You might have a Gremlin
present when:
- When your thoughts
are running around in circles.
- When you can't
win, no matter what.
- When it is more
important to do things for others than to take care of yourself.
- When you are creatively
blocked.
- When nothing is
fun.
- When everything
you are doing is wrong.
- When you're operating
from "should" instead of "could" or "have to"
instead of "choose to."
- When you are arguing
with yourself.
- When your "to
do" list keeps growing, and everything on it is top
priority.
- When you're awake
and worrying at 3:00 AM. And 3:30 AM. And 4:00 AM.
- When you're nagging
yourself to death.
- When you're worrying
about a million things at once, and not taking action on any of them.
- When you feel as
if you are under incredible time pressure and will
never get anything done on time. When every decision or option is stupid.
- When you can't
focus.
- When you can see
only one choice.
- When you know that
everyone else is doing everything else better than you ever will.
- When you're afraid
to try something new.
- When you only hear
the criticism and not the praise. Or when you discount the praise.
(My personal Gremlin
was really acting up when I wrote this, so I'm pretty sure it's accurate.)
When does your Gremlin show up? See if you can notice him
(or her, or it, or them) at least fifteen times this week,
and email me with your discoveries.
For a much more detailed
explanation of Gremlins, and how to tame them, read Richard Carson's book,
Taming Your Gremlin, available from Manage You Muse.
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