Go on a Comparison Cleanse

What do I mean by that? How much time do you spend comparing yourself – to other people, to your own standards, to where you think you should be?  This is crippling, and can result in getting stuck or judging yourself harshly. Comparison gives our Inner Bully a field day!

Lately I’ve been calling the circle of inner criticism the Inner Bullies. You know, those voices that run 24/7, All Criticism All the Time?  It’s that radio station that’s tuned to K-FUK. We all have it, and for some of us it’s very loud. To this crew, nothing is ever good enough, others are doing better, I’m not performing up to par no matter how well I’m doing, and on and on it goes, ad nauseum.

I’ve taken on a 30 day Comparison Cleanse, designed to eliminate this imprint of self judgment. It comes from all the negative messages learned so early in life from so many sources.  Stopping this is a powerful decision and practice.

Here’s the cleanse:  every time you become aware of comparing yourself to someone or something, switch to gratitude. Be grateful that you’ve just been shown another place to thank you inner guidance for wanting you to be better. Then give that critic another job. Turn them into a talent scout, with the assignment to find inspiration in what or who they’ve brought to mind for you. 

For example, I’m having a lot of spiritual warrioress energy, similar to Kali or Artemis, both of who are archetypes for clear and strong feminine energy, balanced with masculine energy. Competitive urges can come up, whether it’s in my morning Boot Camp workouts (who else but Artemis or Kali would even consider Boot Camp??) or when I see someone having amazing success in their life or business. It’s easy to see that my work with my vision doesn’t measure up to what Marianne Williamson or Barbara Walters are doing.

Instead of minimizing myself, I ask the critic to tell me what can inspire me about the person or situation and to be on the lookout for others who can inspire me. Giving them a job keeps them busy elsewhere, so they can make less mischief. And they become my Inner Advocate and Talent Scout.

Let me know how this works out for you!