Debunking Inner Voice Myths
Learning is a pleasurable experience, on which I put a great
amount of value. Recently I spent a day at a conference, well-known speakers,
about self-development. Apart for the usual “ra-ra-buy-my-products” sales talk
in between, it was a good conference, with much learning on offer. However, one
thing did stand out as peculiar - How WRONG people are about self-talk!
Big name speakers’ focused and famous for self-development
tripped, stumbled and thumbs-sucked their way through the subject of the inner
voice. Self-Talk, Voice(s) inside your head, Mind Murmurs, Mind Mutter (My personal
favourite) – call it what you will – Is a simple, straight forward and dynamic
part of our mental make-up that can be harnessed to heighten our success as
individuals.
For years, personal development teachers have told us to
ignore, shout down at, bully, sabotage and silence the inner voice. In all
honesty, I have never met a single person that can out talk, our smart or out
patience the inner mind mutter. It can’t be done! It just cannot be done.
Folks! It is time for a 180 degree turn around in thinking about Mind Mutter!
This article serves to debunk some myths and establish some fundamental
truths about Mind Mutter. I would like to put it out there and allow people
access to the truth about a powerful and beneficial inner mechanism to help us
achieve and live the life we desire. Let’s look at some of the basic truths
around Mind Mutter:
Basic Truth 1: Mind Mutter is our voice. It comes from us,
our own minds, our own understanding. To clash or fight against Mind Mutter
would divide the house against itself, and we all know what that will bring. Mind
Mutter is NOT THE ENEMY. Mind Mutter is A FRIEND, and needs to be harnessed and
embraced. Current observations and studies I am conducting indicate that
conflict with Mind Mutter results in a false sense of pride and achievement,
lulling people into an arrogant space they call success. It will be short
lived.
Basic Truth 2: Silencing Mind Mutter other than through
negotiation is IMPOSSIBLE! You can shout your personal affirmations as loud as
you like to drown out the nagging negative voices in your head. They will just
wait till you are tired, stressed and worn out. Mind Mutter can be a still
small voice that chips away at your pseudo-armour. There is only one way to get
the Mind Mutter to stem the tide of insults – through negotiation.
Basic Truth 3: When you tell people to go with gut instinct –
you are in fact telling them to go with their Mind Mutter! HELLO! You cannot separate
the two concepts. They are part of the same system. As in Basic Truth 1 – a house
divided against its self will cause the house to fall.
Basic Truth 4: Mind Mutter is you! Really! Mind Mutter is the collective voice of all the
beliefs that you hold as true. Mind Mutter guides you according to the beliefs
that YOU hold as true. Telling Mind Mutter to shut up is telling your own life experiences,
gut instinct – to shut up.
Basic Truth 5: Mind Mutter has your best interests at heart!
Yes, REALLY! As in Basic Truth 1; Mind Mutter is your friend. It doesn’t want
to see you hurt, doesn’t want you to come second, want the best for you! Mind
Mutter is a devilish advocate though, and will say what it has to in order to
get you to cooperate. This is where the confusion about the intent of Mind
Mutter sets in. That derogatory voice can sound like a care-giver that moaned
and complained, or a nasty teacher that broke you down. The truth is -
Basic Truth 6: Mind Mutter will do and say whatever it takes
to get you to cooperate. Really! Mind Mutter will sabotage your efforts, will
strike you with fear, and make you fumble the ball – WHATEVER IT TAKES FOR YOU
TO COOPERATE. This can be harsh and extreme at times. But, if you consider that
Mind Mutter has your best interests at heart, you will take the time to uncover
the intension behind the objections raised by Mind Mutter.
In my lectures and counselling sessions, I teach people to
cooperate with Mind Mutter. Engaging with Mind Mutter helps uncover deep rooted
beliefs that evoke fear, past experiences that destabilize self-worth and
personal value.
Recently a lady sitting in my office wanted to quit smoking.
We discussed the value of smoking for her and she discovered that smoking gave
her time and space for herself. Just to sit and reflect, to gather her wits and
refocus her mind. She decided she didn’t need to smoke in order to do those
things. We talked through an exercise for her to regain her personal “me time”
without having to use cigarettes as an excuse My only input was that when she
felt the need or cravings to smoke, that was in fact the Mind Mutter telling
her that it was time to exercise her “own space, own time”. Every time the
cravings prompted her, she did the exercise to enter the “me time”. Weeks
later, and after much personal stress she is a non-smoker, handling the issues
in her life with calm and confidence and in cooperation with her personal Mind Mutter.
What information we have had up to now about the inner voice
hasn’t worked, so maybe it is time to re-think Mind Mutter. I know embracing
the Mind Mutter is 180 degree turn around in the thinking about the inner
voice. That is what I want to encourage. Embracing Mind Mutter is the message I want to share. My personal experience has been that I achieve greater calm, with mental
and emotional stability, when I embrace Mind Mutter and use the prompts and
cues set by the internal system that has my best interests at heart. Isn’t it
time you did the same?
I am currently writing a book: MIND MUTTER MATTERS – Harnessing
the great power of the Inner Voice. Would you like to pre-order a copy of the
book? Please click here and fill in the
form. PRE-SALES ORDER FORM FOR MIND MUTTER MATTERS. You will then be notified once the book is
launched.
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