My Inner Voice is Bilingual

[Avoiding Distractions - VI]

We’ve all heard the inner voice that is self-critical. We’ve all tried to block out the nit-picking of how to look or think or act or write or speak. All that negative self-talk beats us up. Tears us down.

But that voice is bilingual, you know.

Its native language is self-criticism.

Its second language is distraction.

“I wonder what’s happening on Twitter?”
“I should call some friends.”
“Did the Falcons win? What was Matt Ryan’s quarterback rating?”
“I should search for my next vacation destination.”
“I wonder what the Yelp rating is for the new Vietnamese restaurant down the street?”

While the negative voice beats us up, the distracting voice trips us up.
Both seem to have similar goals: keeping us from what we know we should (and can!) do.