Anybody who has coached with me knows the word “gremlin.” They are the niggling, nasty inner voices that induce fear, shame or any array of negative thoughts about ourselves. There is usually a shaming gremlin voice that accompanies a judgment about oneself or adding to a negative experience in one’s personal or business life.
Gremlins are defense mechanisms designed to protect us from former bad experiences and possible future rejections. They live in the subconscious mind. If we have negative messages in our subconscious and they have caused us pain, we will adapt our behavior, our beliefs around avoiding those circumstances and/or outcomes.
Subconscious belief systems were designed and developed to keep you safe, when you were a child. This often unnamed power, our subconscious mind, is basically indiscriminate in the way that it accepts information. It has in its evolutionary history a groove for the fight or flight response. In this 21st century, we no longer have to worry about lions, tigers and bears, (at least not in America) but we do concern ourselves with the basic emotional desires: to be accepted and loved; and to avoid pain, humiliation or rejection.
It is possible to identify these old beliefs through the simple act of noticing and increasing your awareness about your thoughts. Just by bringing them out into the open, their hold will dissipate.
Some common gremlin conversation tidbits are:
1.
You’ll never be able to do that….
2.They will never listen to me…..
3.I should… shouldn’t…..
4.I can’t…..
What does it take to realize each of our total potentials? Why do we sometimes succeed and at other times find only disappointing results? If this is happening for you, dig a little deeper and pull out those gremlin beliefs that could be in the way. Remember they were dropped into your indiscriminate subconscious years ago for a purpose that might not exist anymore. These defense mechanisms often defeat our own best interests.
Ignorant of subconscious/conscious dynamics, we can be our worst enemies. The fact is, every time we tell ourselves something “I am good,” the subconscious replies to the conscious with “Really! Good at what?” Even when the behavior we desire is something as simple as success in our work place, these subliminal beliefs come into play. What may be viewed as outside circumstances is in truth, inner conflict.
Once the defenses of the gremlin are exposed, you can put new information into your subconscious. Because it is a storehouse, it doesn’t need a lot of analysis or long explanations of why it should be put there. No, it just needs to be a positive repetitive message placed in your brain for the sole purpose of designing a new groove. By noticing the gremlin’s groove and the dead end thud it brings to your spirit, you can choose to create a new message of self-worth, courage, playfulness, faith and risk.
These are all innate qualities of being human.
It has been proven that it takes a minimum of 21 days for a repetitive message to take hold in the subconscious. This is often the time frame given to people who start exercise or diet programs. Do something consistently until it becomes a habit. What makes a habit? The subconscious taking over the job so we don’t have to think about it anymore. Then the subconscious mind can offer up a different perception to inform consciously made decisions.
One day you act differently, because you are thinking differently. Gentle nudges from the inner mind, just like those that are intuitive begin to guide one’s choices. One day there just seems to be more positive than negative information in the subconscious, changing old inner beliefs and the view of the world around us.
I encourage you to catch those thoughts that throw a blanket on your dreams and desires. Take a look at them. Are they serving a purpose? Are they helping you move forward in life? If they aren’t, then think of some that could help you.
Simple affirmative phrases said repetitively are guaranteed to help you change your attitude and your life. You know you have a good affirmation when there is an emotional response to it. The more emotionally laden the affirmation, the deeper and quicker it gets assimilated into you subconscious.
Try saying, “I am good.” Feel the inner response…Is there a balking of a gremlin voice? Is there a smirking arrogance that comes up to shoot that simple phrase down? Now try saying it as if you know it to be true. “I AM good.” Do you notice a calmer more quiet tone of recognition?
Grasping the feeling of being affirmed is the work involved here. As you repeat the affirmations, you will notice a difference as the subconscious takes hold of the message. Each time you say it to yourself or read it, there will be slight shift of perception until one day you notice that you really thinking differently about yourself or a situation you are presented with.
The best part of this is there is nothing to lose with trying it out. The only requirement is time and noticing. Be persistent in your noticing and consistent with your affirmations and I can promise you there will be changes.
