Last week, my inner critic piped up again.

I was dreaming about the possibilities for my business, and how I can deeply serve my clients who have a powerful story to tell. 

This happens every time I take a step outside my comfort zone.

It asks me the same question over and over:

"Who do you think you are??

We all struggle with the voice of our inner critic, so that's why I hopped on Facebook Live to chat about Three Easy Steps you can take to quiet your inner critic.

The number one job of the inner critic is this: TO PROTECT YOU. It doesn't understand subtleties. All it knows is SURVIVAL. 

So you have to work with it. Coax it a little. Then it will back down and you can move forward with being awesome.

Then, follow these three steps:

1. THANK IT for wanting to protect you.  We all like to be appreciated. Our inner critic is no different.
   
   
2. Tell it YOU'VE GOT THIS. You're an adult now, and you've spent much of your life acquiring tools to take care of yourself and your inner child (who also gets really scared when you step out of your comfort zone).
   
   
3. Give it an ALTERNATE JOB ASSIGNMENT. Tell it to count the leaves on the tree outside your window. Or to count rocks in the driveway. Something, ANYTHING to keep it busy, so you can focus on stepping into your awesomeness.

I asked my viewers to share some of their ideas, here's a sampling:

• Collect shells on the beach.
• Take a hike while I'm busy being awesome.
• Count backwards by 3 from 1002!
• Clean my clutter!

What about YOU? I'd love to hear your alternate job assignments for your Inner Critic.
Please share in the comments below!

And if you'd like some extra help taming your inner critic, there's still time to sign up for coaching in 2016. I have limited slots open for entrepreneurial women who want a safe, supportive space to write their powerful story to share on their website, from the stage, or in a book. This could be your next big adventure! Consider it an early year-end gift for yourself and your business. 

​Happy October, and welcome to my very first Facebook Live video! 
 
It's all about the power of sharing our story. 
 
We all have a story, right?  Every person I meet has overcome at least one major setback in life, and has courageously made it through to the other side.
  
I encourage you to give some thought to how your experience of overcoming setback changed your life. What did you learn? How did you make meaning from it? How might your experience benefit others?
 
It's time to own your story.
 
We live in crazy times, and I personally believe that beaming our light more brightly is needed now. There are so many things you can do as an outgrowth of your personal experience: write a book, build a business, create a piece of art, or simply acknowledge your journey and offer encouragement to someone who needs it.
 
Can you trust your calling 5% more than you listen to your fear?
 
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. In honor of this, I am offering the Kindle version of my book, What I Gave to the Fire, for free this month. If you or someone you know has experienced pregnancy loss, I wrote this book for you. 
 
There's a link in the side bar. So go forth and download your free copy. And please feel free to spread the word!

​I’ve made it my life’s work to help people flesh out their transformative stories so they can thrive and help others do the same. Find out more about that here.