When your inner critic is not helping

“I’m too fat to ride”

“I will never ride well enough to canter”

“I am not smart enough to support people training their horse”

“I’ll never be as good as those riders”

“I’ll never know enough to look after my own horse”

Hey guys, it’s Sarah here. At one point or another, those exact words have filtered through my head.

And let’s be honest, I’m sure you have had your own version of inner critiques that have, at some stage, plagued you with doubt.

Here’s the hard truth: our inner critic is there to protect us. They are voices that are designed, in some way, to help us avoid pain, mostly the pain of failure.

Here’s another hard truth: the inner critic isn’t always right. In fact, it often isn’t. But that deep seated doubt that we can’t escape can have us believing different, so it becomes our reality.

So what can we do when our inner critic is in full swing and inhibiting our ability to move forward?

The best thing when can do is acknowledge it, understand it, and then refute it. Think of it as an internal debate, where your desires are keyed to win each and every time.

I’m too fat to ride?

Ok, I am overweight, I acknoweledge that. But there are some horses that can handle my weight with no problem, so I will look for those horses to ride while I get assistance to lose that excess weight (and yes, when I was asked by my coach why I wanted to lose weight, I told her I wanted to put less weight on my horses back).

And I did.

I’ll never ride well enough to canter?

How do you know - I’ve never tried! But I know that I have a fear of injuring myself falling off the horse (and the risk is higher due to a long term back issue). So, I will understand what it feels like to canter. I will work on having good balance and seat in the other paces - then I will try. And when I try, it is ok if it is not perfect - I can practice a little bit at a time.

And I did.

I am not smart enough to support people training their horses

Well, I certainly don’t have that background. I’m not an instructor. BUT, I have spent the last 6 years training horses with Katie, and I have picked up more than a thing or two. I wont always have the answer but I am willing to support other people by providing insight from my own experiences, while supporting Katie as she supports others. While doing that, I will learn, and then I can share more.

And I do.

Do you see how that works? The desire has become your own personal internal cheerleader. GO YOU!

Acknowledge the statement, understand the fear, and counter it with logic driven by desire.

Let me know how that works for you.

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