On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Quiet That Inner Voice of Doubt

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How to Quiet That Inner Voice of Doubt We all have experienced, at one time or another, that tiny voice inside our head that tells us we cant do something or that were failures. But once we start listening to that tiny voice, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If that voice tells you, for example, that you wontgive a successful presentation, then you may decide not to even try to prepare and you actually give a rotten presentation. Beverly Flaxington, behavioral expert and career coach, says she often has heard from successful professionals that those inner voices plague them with doubt, anxiety and stress. That may be surprising because if youre successful, what do you have to be worried about? What I see is that people will often hear their mothers voice, or a teachers voice, who criticized them in their childhood and they may have never gotten over that, she says. Its much easier for them to fall into old habits and believe that theyre going to fail. Flaxington teaches such professionals how to practice positive self-talk that can turn that nasty little voice into one that is an inner cheerleader. Its not a Pollyanna outlook , she stresses, but rather one that looks at the reality of the situation and turns thatdefeatist voice into one that is positive or at least neutral. For example, lets say the boss walks by your desk and hes in a bad mood. He doesnt say hello to you, and your inner voice begins to say you (see more here)