If you have tried once, twice, or a hundred times to make financial progress and failed, you are not alone. In fact, inside each and every person is a Saboteur or Inner Critic that under the guise of protecting us, actually prevents us from moving forward not only financially but in our everyday lives.
In order to move forward, we need to identify our Saboteur and the language it uses to hold us back. Let’s look at some of the Saboteur’s language:
- You are not smart enough, good enough, pretty enough, tough enough, etc.
- You are too old, too young, too annoying, too immature, too bossy, too naïve, etc.
- You should; you must; you ought to.
- You can’t; you shouldn’t. Why would you?
- You need to. You have to.
- You don’t deserve it.
You get the gist of its language from these few examples. Think about them and identify those that you hear within yourself or add your own. Now, let’s identify our Saboteur.
- First, instead of listening to the voice that you hear inside your head, imagine it on your shoulder.
- Second, look at it and describe what it looks like to you. Is it ugly? Is it red, blue, green, etc.? Does it have large teeth? Is it hairy or bald?
- Third, give it a name. It can be anything you want. This is your critic.
- Fourth, think about what motivates it. How does it operate?
- Fifth, answer the following questions:
- What is its name?
- What does it look like?
- What are some of the favorite things it likes to say to you?
- What does it value?
- What does it want from you?
- What is its secret fear?
- What do you do that gets it nervous, worked up, or on the alert?
- How does it hijack your values and beliefs?
- Is your Saboteur a crucial part of your life?
- If so, when can it serve you?
- When do you need to shut it up?
Warring inside each of us is a battle between good and evil. It is best summed up by this Cherokee story: – One evening, an Old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
Two Wolves – One evening, an Old Cherokee told his grandson about a debate that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil, it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good, it is joy, love, peace, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”
The grandfather simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Your Saboteur is neither good nor evil. It gains power over us when we listen to its words. Do we want to listen and heed the negative words or do we want to listen to the good words? When we heed the negative words, we are held back by them. We are feeding the wrong wolf. In order to move forward not only financially but in our daily lives, we need to listen to the positive words. We need to take control of Saboteur. Become aware of the negative language and replace those words with positive words. When you start doing this, you will get traction and begin making financial progress.