Quieting the inner critic.....
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i can't even BEGIN to express how much this challenge  feels like it speaks to me personally. self-esteem and confidence have been, without a doubt, my biggest issue in life. this challenge will easily be the hardest for me to succeed in. LOL - see what i mean! gah!! but seriously, it will be. my inner critic is a big, fat brick wall with roots that run very deep. but i am old enough now to know to approach this, if not with confidence, then maturity and some courage. so hopefully that will help. Phew! but it is NOT going to be fun.
Last edited Jan 27, 2010
  I am right there with you Frisky. This is really a tough challenge - but one I would so love to accomplish. I try to ignore that voice but it can be very, very loud. I'm trying to just be "better". Losing weight, working out, etc. help me to feel better. Maybe just working at being my best will quiet that inner critic... I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else says about this one.
Hi Jessie and everyone!!
Just doing some work and decided to look at the site today. This caught my eye!!
As you know Jess I have an internet biz and Ive always said that the mind acts like a computer. Everything I think or say is the "data" it uses. When I think negatively or talk negatively, it is like downloading a virus or having a corrupted file. I dont run at my best. So to have my computer perform, I have to feed it good & solid info.  To have our life be all it can be. we need to feed our soul the exact same way.
Sometimes after training with you I leave the gym feeling like I didnt give it my all  and I get irritated at myself. But then later that day you will send me a text saying GOOD JOB TODAY!!  So thanks for being my little voice to put a positve message in the place of the negative!
Take Care
Christi
Hi ladies...good to see you !  Negative tapes run constantly through my mind...it's an uphill battle some days.  May I suggest the book "The Secret"?  It's a wonderful little book, quick read and one I go back to again and again to reinforce it's message.  For those of us who don't have an external little voice to help remind us to be positive with ourselves, it's up to us to be our own cheerleader.  Lots of good tips about being more positive in general.  May I also say, Frisky and Debi thanks for your friendship and suport you've given me since our "meeting" in cyberland.  You two are a positive force in my life!  Thanks for keeping me laughing.

PJ
Awww, Peggy that was so sweet. I feel the same way about you! As for that external voice - I just had a great idea - partially from you and Christi too - maybe Jessie could make us a little recording - just saying "Good job today!" I think that might help...
Debi and Peggy!!!

You guys made me laugh!! Yes I am fortunate to have Jessie as my trainer and its wonderful to have that external voice but remember I also pay for it !! LOL
I just have to say you guys have been a serious inspiration for me.  I am a personal trainer in Ct and still struggle with many of the same ol mental games everyone else does! 

This year has been one of the hardest for me and seeing these little pick me ups from Jessie and all of your personal discussions every few days have been so helpful!

Right now I am in the middle of a marathon training program and my brain is playing these exact games that he is talking about.  And as I go for my longest run ever this weekend, I will definitely keep this in mind!

Thanks guys!!
Hey Emily ..... I don't have your cell # so here is my text to you...."YOU'VE TRAINED SO HARD  - YOU WILL DO GREAT THIS WEEKEND !"   Way to go ! 
And Christy LOL ..... TRUE  :-)   Hey, my PMs are free if you ever need encouraging.

 PJ

Emily!! you ARE gonna do great this weekend!! your body is primed and ready to roll, my sista!! and you are going to have a BLAST!!  let us know how it goes!!!! *bumpin up and down in seat* 

and thanks PJ, for that very sweet comment. you know i love you, girl! * cyber squeeze*
and Christy, you are one lucky female. tee hee hee!!
*clears throat* okay, so lets see... i'll take a free pm from Peggy, please, but be sure to super-size it, kay?  and  i'd also like a couple of those "Good job today!" recordings from Jessie. LOL!! oh, and an unsweetened ice tea....

This site is great! I love this discussion and how positive and helpful everyone is. Sometimes without even knowing they are... I've never worked with a personal trainer but I recently finished up some physical therapy after shoulder surgery. My therapists really were a lot like having a personal trainer - the positive feedback from them was almost as important to me as the exercises. I might actually try using a personal trainer at my gym - I know that the extra push would be good for me. But if I don't... I'll have to try to be my own external voice. People already know I'm crazy so talking to myself won't be a problem. LOL!
LOLOL!! you ARE a bit of a nut, Debi, this is true! LOL *winks, then waves hand infatically above head* I'll be your external voice!! i'll be you're external voice!! please! please! can i?  i can be VERY positive when i want to be!! *wags brows at Debi*

*settles down into chair*
ANYHOO... i meant to mention this before; something i found very cool on a show one time. they were doing confidence-boosting exercises for peeps with low self-esteem! i never knew there WERE such things! anyway,  they had a shy person go to the park and introduce himself to tons of people. this helped him overcome his insecurities socially. but another person needed help boosting his confidence in regards to physical activities, so they had him climb a huge rock-climbing wall. these activities did wonders for them and i never forgot about it. perhaps, this could be an avenue some here might like to try. i, personally, think it would be very liberating.  
Last edited Jan 28, 2010
Frisky, I'm definitely an introvert. I always will be. But I can tell you that your exercise does work! I used to wait tables - which pretty much forced me to talk to EVERYONE! It really did get me past that extreme shyness. I'll have to get back to you on the rock climbing wall exercise. 
okay, please dont think i'm a total dork here, but these words have always felt like they're speaking to me, just like Jessie's post does. and i think they tie in perfectly to this specific discussion of the struggles we are all facing, including our battle with self-confidence. i find these words very uplifting and inspirational...

I can almost see it, that dream I am dreaming.
But there's a voice inside my head saying, "You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking, Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction, My faith is shaking.
But I gotta keep trying, gotta keep my head held high.
There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle, sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there, ain't about what's waiting on the other side - It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing, the chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it, but these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong, just keep pushing on...
Last edited Jan 28, 2010
  • Nikki — Jan 28, 2010
  • 14
Jessie, you always have the most encouraging things to say.  I just love it.

I'm a personal trainer who is going through my weight loss journey for a second time.  I could blame it on a bad marriage that ended last year or the fact that five days after my husband filed for divorce my dad passed away.  But the truth is that I made all the decisions that got me to where I am today.  And I'm the one who's going to make the decisions that will get me back to where I want to be.  The most amazing part of all this is that I am the happiest and healthiest that I have ever been.  I just opened my first personal training studio for women (which has been a dream of mine since I started training six years ago) and am feeding off the amazing feeling of helping other women through the same struggles I have been through myself.

Keep up the great work, Jessie!  You truely inspire so many people.  Thank you.
Frisky thanks for sharing, that's really appropriate for this discussion.  Nikki, congratulations on the studio....best of luck with it.  Check your messages.

PJ 
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