What If?

Okay, so, here is something I don't understand....

I know we all have limiting voices in our  minds/heads, telling us why we 'can't' (or shouldn't) do all sorts of things....but my question is, why in the world do we listen??

I mean, let's think about this for a minute....

Who ever told us that we're imperfect, or somehow limited in some way? Who ever told us that we couldn't go after something we want and actually get it? Who ever told us that, if we tried at something new, we probably wouldn't be any good at it? Who told us that we're not talented enough, good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, tall enough, skinny enough, or any of the other millions of 'enough's' that we always seem to fall short of?

I have a very dear friend who happens to be an incredible musician - but, somehow, he has allowed himself to believe that he's 'just not a good guitar player.' (He IS a good guitar player, by the way - an incredible one actually, but good luck telling him that!)

I see this happen time and time - and time - again...we suddenly develop a passion or level of excitement for something we think we'd like to try. Maybe someone has inspired or encouraged us to finally sign up for that painting class we always wanted to take. We register for the class, buy whatever materials we need, show up on time (or maybe even a little early because we are THAT excited!) and, as soon as we pick up that brush, the voices start...

'What am I doing here? I'm not an artist!'
'I've never held a paintbrush in my life. I don't have the slightest idea what I'm doing.'
'I'll never be any good at this. I should just quit now.'
'What made me ever think I could do this?'

The list goes on and on...that voice is relentless in making sure that we don't forget just how inadequate, imperfect and limited we really are. It won't stop until it has convinced us that we really don't belong there. That voice will do everything it can to get us to put that paintbrush down and just go home.

Do we ever stop to ask where that voice comes from? Or, even more importantly, do we ever stop to ask why in the world we EVER entertain what that voice is saying?? I mean, who ever told us we have to buy into all that limited, negative thinking anyway?

What if just for a moment, we stopped listening to that voice altogether? What if, just for a second, we opened ourselves up to the possibility that the voice we've been listening to for so long, is wrong? What if that voice is, not only wrong, but is actually lying to us - on purpose - in an effort to distract or derail us from what we're actually being called or guided to do?

No matter where this voice has come from - whether it has come from well-meaning parents who tried to protect us from life's disappointments by warning us not to get our hopes up about things, maybe it was our 3rd grade teacher who told us we'd never be able to sing, maybe it was a fellow student who told us we were ugly - no matter where that voice has come from, we are completely free to NOT listen to it any time we want. We simply need not buy into it. We are ALWAYS free to make another choice.

So, the next time that voice rears its ugly head and tries to make you second guess yourself (and/or your talent), please feel free to question it - or, better yet, just not listen to it at all.

Much love always,
~Jen