Ways to Create Spaciousness

Lots of us tend to rush headlong into what’s next. But what would it be like to create a kind of intentional spaciousness? This is not a squishy place, but rather a place filled with air and light and breath. What might happen if you intentionally slow everything down and ask yourself, “What do I want to do or be next?” A different quality comes alive with this question—one that contains desire, yes, but also trust and a belief that something will arise if I just quiet myself and let it.

If you say to yourself, “What do I want to do or be next?” invariably there will be other voices vying for attention. Some of these are likely to be critical in nature, “shoulds” or judgmental in some way, or diversions. Some of these objections or diversions might be necessary or true to some degree. You might hear: “I need the money, so

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Awareness & the Self-Critical Voice

The Self-Critical Voice

As part of the launch of the Embodied Creative website, I encouraged your questions. The first one I received is a juicy one, so I wanted to spend some writing time on it in the hopes that it speaks to many of you as well. Here it is:

How can one minimize or eliminate the self-critical self?

Such a good question. Such a place of grappling, for both writers and non-writers.

I’ve often found that the self-critical voice appears as I’m expanding my repertoire. Deciding to claim some new territory, new ground. As if the critical voice is saying: Oh no, why don’t you just stay small/safe/inside yourself? And then the litany can begin — if you go there, you’ll be ridiculed/be seen as not smart enough/go broke …, etc. It’s never very pretty, where this voice sends me. Or likely, you.

So, I encourage you to try these three steps in confronting that self-critical

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