Ethan Kross: How To Tame Your Inner Critic

Do you have a voice in your head that operates like an inner critic & saboteur – one that undermines your success by calling you a loser or a failure, one that insists you’ll never be any good at something (e.g. math, relationships, golf, et al), or one that asserts that you’re somehow unworthy as a human?

According to award-winning psychologist & professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross Business School, Ethan Kross, you’re not alone. We all have an inner voice that, at times, strives to bring us down – one that, left unchecked, will provide a running negative commentary & spiral us downward into deep pain & distress.

If you’re wondering why we even have a voice in our head, Kross says it actually evolved for a purpose, to help keep us safe. It helps us solve problems, reflect on past experiences, plan for the future & maintain a rich inner life.

But when we’re facing a stressful task, & looking for an inner supporter to say, “You can do this,” the unsupportive critic often shows up instead & announces that we will miss the putt, blow the speech or lose the sale.

In his new national bestseller, “Chatter: The Voice In Our Head, Why It Matters & How To Harness It, Kross explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves, &introduces  groundbreaking tools we can use to tame that inner critic of ours, & never again fold under pressure.

These tools – all based on Kross’s remarkable research – are immediately available to us when we need them — in the words we use to think about ourselves, in the photos & trinkets we have on our desk, by imagining what we would say to a friend who has the same problem as us, by introducing mind-clearing rituals or just by spending time in nature.

All of the myriad tools that Kross presents in “Chatter” give us the power to change the most important conversations we have every day: the ones we have with ourselves.

And this podcast is devoted to explaining how you can mitigate all of the noise you hear in your head, & make your inner voice a friend – & no longer the harsh judge it often is today.

By Mark C. Crowley

Mark C. Crowley is the author of Lead From The Heart: Transformational Leadership For The 21st Century which has been taught in 11 American universities. He is a global speaker, leadership consultant and thought leader on the topics of workplace culture and employee engagement.