How to silence the inner critic

A Five Minute Friday musing on the muse and the inner critic.


GO.

I'm standing here at my computer staring at a blinking curser. 

How many writers have written that? 

Well, it's true for me today. Five Minute Friday is supposed to be all about silencing the inner critic and writing for five minutes straight. No edits. No fancy reworking, etc.

Silencing the inner critic. 

He is loud today.

"Everyone has already said it already. There is nothing new under the sun to write about. There are 127 people just on this link up ahead of you. They've covered it just fine thank you."

So, I guess I'm just going to start typing to break that inner critic. By moving my fingers across my keyboard and focusing on that blank sheet of white in front of me, I'm breaking him down. I'm actually staring him down in the face and proving him wrong!

I do actually have things to say. Okay, most of them are not profound. I've never been published outside of my couple of blogs even tho I want to be some day.

But, in the mean time, writing for me is a practice. 

And, 

a practice must be practiced whether the muse is on duty or not. 

The silence of my mind must be broken with words and work poured out on the page. 

I will continue to do this. 

That inner critic will not win. He will not have the final say. In the end, I will be heard. And, for each time I silence him, I will have broken his hold over me that much more.

STOP.



Thanks for stopping by today, friend! Nothing profound. Just words on the page. Hope you're encouraged to silence that inner critic and do the art you were meant to live out!

{Today's Five Minute Friday prompt is "break"} Linked up at Kate Motaung's blog! Come on over and read what others wrote on this prompt!

~Anne

P.S. Not sure why my inner critic is a male. (?)

To be real

Today I'm linking up with other writers at Kate Motaung's blog for Five Minute Friday. A flash mob of writers who write for 5 minutes straight just for the fun of the craft. Silencing the inner critic for just five minutes can be a challenge, but many succeed! Come on over and check out what other writers have written on the prompt, "real". 




I've had a chance to look over the past several years of my life and I can kind of see a divide. 

There were several years that I wasn't sure of who I was. Because of being an extreme compliant people-pleaser, I tried to make myself into someone that would please whomever I happened to be with. This began in early childhood and unfortunately well into adulthood.

Something happened in my late 30's to change all that. A health crisis made me stand up and take a good hard look at myself and to ask myself if I was being true to ME. to who God made me to be and to ask myself the questions like


Who are you, really?
Do you know?
Who do you want people to think you are?
Are you being real?
Are you being true to yourself?
Do people know the real you?

Maybe I didn't ask these questions outright, but I began devouring any book I could get my hands on on the topic of discovering the real me. I would come home from my local library with an armload of self help books. Books that had titles like 


How to say yes in a world that says no. 

How to say no in a world that wants you to always say yes. 


(Yes, I made those both up because I don't remember any specific titles right now!) I'm being real.


How about you? 

Do you know the real you? Do others know the real you? 

Or do they know a pretend you that is trying to please everyone around them.


I tell you what. You might ruffle some feathers when you try to peel off the mask and become the real you.

But, in the end, be strong.
It will be totally worth it.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, friend! I'd love to hear your comments about being "real".
Blessings to you!

~Anne

When you think you have a plan

I'm linking up today with the fabulous Five Minute Friday tribe of writers at Kate Motaung's blog. We write for five minutes straight. No fancy editing. Just sharing straight from the heart. Anyone can join in. Go to her blog to check things out! Today's prompt is plan.


GO.

Three years ago I had a plan. I was sure it was a God-ordained plan because there were signposts along the way.

My plan was to take steps to go to grad school out in Washington state. I applied.
Got accepted.
Got my husband's support and approval.
He looked for a job in Seattle so we could move from Iowa.

Two years later, no job in Seattle had surfaced. 
What to do?
We were empty nesters and didn't feel we could just pack up and leave with no income. Some people do that. Not us.

Our plans changed when my husband got a different position in the company he was already working in.
A position he liked.

I questioned God.
Why?
When?

Washington State

How come this didn't work out for me? This plan that I thought you were in, God! 

This plan I thought you dropped into my head and my heart.

I still don't have answers about the grad school thing.
I have no idea if I will go now, but i have changed my plan. Hopefully to coincide with his. 

And, I've started to rethink why I wanted so badly to go to grad school to be a counselor and I've come up with an answer. 

It's because I want to be a healer. I want to help folks heal emotionally. To get underneath some health issues to what negativity might be causing pain.

And, if I have that as my plan it leaves the way wide open for how God might want to accomplish that through me.

He's already doing that, I'm discovering. Through my writing, relationships and art. I'm grateful.

STOP.

Thanks for stopping by today, friend!
Do you have a plan you thought was a good one that didn't materialize?
I'd love to hear your story.

Keep standing on your own two feet

I'm linking up today with the fabulous Five Minute Friday tribe of writers at Kate Motaung's blog. We write for five minutes straight. No fancy editing. Just sharing straight from the heart. Anyone can join in. Go to her blog to check things out! Today's prompt is "gather".


Hi You.
Yes, you. 
You know who you are, and I want to tell you I see what you did there. 

I saw how you gathered up your courage on that night and showed up rather than hide. 
That's been a common theme for you, but you resisted.
You showed up.

That's brave.
I'm proud of you.

You show up even when you know you might not receive the affirmation that you crave. 
You've learned that you don't need that to survive. You now know who is your redeemer and vindicator. 
You know who's made things right for you, and who will continue to fight for you.
But, it's you who needed to step into the arena to see what you're made of.

You needed to get up
sign up
stand up
show up.

And, you did.

I'm proud of you. 

In fact, everyday I'm for you and proud of the person you've become.
I'd say don't change, but I'm actually going to say KEEP CHANGING.

Without change we grow stagnant.

Change assures growth.
Growth turns into maturity.
Maturity morphs into strength.

It is through strength that you can keep standing on your own two feet on your own solid ground.

Keep standing.
Keep walking.
Keep changing.
I'm right here beside you and I always will be.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, friend!
Blessings to you for a restful weekend.

~Anne