Friday, February 12, 2010

Final Gremlin Thoughts

This is the final post about gremlins. We all have them and we all need to deal with them. Take notice of what they are and how they act. When do they show their faces and what are you going to do about it?

I wanted to share with you some final thoughts about gremlins from the book that I have found very helpful when it comes to spotting when your gremlin comes around as well as how to handle them.

The first step is to notice when they are visiting. This should be fairly easy as you hear the phrases you can’t, you must, you shouldn’t, you need, or you don’t deserve that. All of these are clear gremlin statements. Watch for them and know how to address them if they come for that visit.

Now the strategy of how to address them.

The best way to describe strategies is to show how the negative phrases above can and need to be turned into positive action phrases. Let’s take a few and see what we can do.

You need to take ownership of your positive voice. "I can’t" is a negative voice, it puts you down. What if you changed that to "...until now I haven’t been able to do that". Now you have taken ownership. It is about a positive you, not a negative you.

If you catch yourself saying "you need something" you are not taking ownership of it. How about "I want this or that". Again, you have ownership. I want love, I want respect, I want a new fishing pole….just checking to see how many of you are still reading!

So catch your gremlin voice in your: I can't, I shouldn't, I need, I don't deserve, I don't know how...change them to I could if, I should just, I want, I do, I will...take ownership of your voice!

Change the negative phrases and make them yours. Own them. That is what taming your gremlins is about. Ownership of your feelings, thoughts, actions, and self.

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