Your inner critic holds the secret to your success.
Mastery of the Inner Critic as revealed in the story of Scheherazad
Do you really want to know the secret of your success? I will tell you a secret about yourself that you may not have realized. If I myself had known this secret when I started in life, it would have improved my life and saved me a lot of suffering. And maybe, because he was young and dumb, he wouldn’t have listened. So, you are the judge. Will you listen or will you put it aside and pay no more attention? See what you are about to hear!
May these words benefit those of you who have ears to hear and eyes to see. This secret is disguised in one of Scheherazad’s stories from 1001 Arabian Nights. She tells of a poor old fisherman who goes out one day to cast his net over the water four times, and four times only. The first time he cast the net, he pulled up the remains of a donkey. The second time around he hit a pitcher full of dirt. The third time he caught shards of pottery and glass. The fourth time he called on the name of God and cast the net.
When he pulled out his net this time, he found a bronze vessel with a lid that had Solomon’s seal on it. The Fisherman was very happy, since he could sell the pitcher for money. He too was curious and removed the lid with his knife. A puff of smoke came out of the jar from which a genie appeared. The fisherman was scared at first and then realized that the genie might grant him some wishes to free him from the bottle.
Facing the Ultimate Fear and Anxiety: Death!
But to his surprise, the Genie asked him to indicate the way he wanted to die. Flustered and in great fear and anxiety, the fisherman quickly said, “I thought that an honorable genius like you would be grateful for this release.” The Genie said that for the first 500 years he would have been truly grateful. And even for the next 500 years he would have bestowed the person who freed him with great wealth. And for the next 500 years he would have granted her 3 wishes, but still no one came. However, after 2000 years, he was enraged that no one came, so he swore that we would give the person who freed him a choice of death.
Now the fisherman was really scared and desperately began to call on the Higher Powers. Almost immediately, he was struck by an idea. He decided to challenge the Genie by telling him, “This is some kind of trick. You really couldn’t have gotten out of that bottle!” The Genie replied, “This is not a trick, and I will prove it.”
He went back into the bottle. The fisherman then quickly put the cap back on the bottle. This time the fisherman had caught the attention of the Genie. The Genie now addressed the fisherman with much more respect. “I can see that I have underestimated you and that you are a very capable and honorable man. If you release me, I will agree to grant you your wishes.”
The fisherman was not so sure and said: “Before, you were willing to take my life. What assurance do I have that you will keep your word?” The Genie replied, “Once I give my word, I’m bound by my word. If I don’t keep my holy word, worse things can happen to me than getting stuck in a bottle.” The fisherman decided to take his word for it and released him. And this time the Genie fulfilled his pact with the fisherman and with great gratitude granted him many wishes.
Your inner critic is trapped like a genie in a bottle.
And now you may be wondering, what does this story have to do with the secret of your success? The answer is quite simple and profound. The genius, the inner child and the inner critic are very alike and are all aspects of the subconscious mind. They have been threatened and trapped by all the duties, duties, assumptions and better, believing that some kind of punishment will ensue if he/she does not “obey” them. The subconscious remembers these experiences and acts as if they were real, because the subconscious does not distinguish fact from fiction.
The inner critic has been given the job of protecting you and will overdo it, not knowing how relevant these perceptions are to your current experience. So until you can free your inner critic from this prison, he/she will remain trapped and not be very happy about it, just like the Genie in our story.
Your inner critic is not to blame
Have you experienced this inner critic who tries to protect you by being critical, but actually ends up holding you back and shutting you down? It’s not really the Inner Critic’s fault. He/She has been taught by people from his/her past, such as parents, mentors, and authority figures who didn’t know any better. they in turn were taught by others, who were taught by others, who were taught by others from the beginning.
So what do you do about it now? The answer is that your personal Genie or Inner Critic in the Bottle is still open to suggestions and you can command it to grant your wishes and provide you with the support you need and want. This happens as a result of the intimate conversations you have with yourself. You CAN learn to guide this Genie to be your best friend and encourage him. Once you learn the language of your inner critic, you will have access to the power of your subconscious mind. This inner critic can and will be transformed, and it will seem quite miraculous compared to the experience of everyday life.
Your inner critic MAY be guided to help you
What would it be like to always be supported in a positive and constructive way? What would it have been like growing up being encouraged by words like, “I’m so happy you were born,” “I love you,” “I’m so proud of you,” “Let’s help you learn from your mistakes,” “I know you can do it,” “I will be with you till the end”. His inner critic can be guided to help you with creative ideas, a valuable support that will help you overcome his fear and anxiety and achieve his continued success.
When you find yourself being internally criticized or admonished, try saying to yourself, “Why are you criticizing me?” And wait for the answer. It will go something like this: “I’m just trying to help you. You won’t listen to me any other way.” Or, “This is the only way I know of to help you.” There will be justifications or even words like: “I know what is best for you.” Or, “You don’t know anything. I always have to tell you what to do, because you just won’t listen. What’s wrong with you?”
When you’re used to hearing these words, they can be quite intimidating. However, when you realize that you are listening to a brainwashed inner child pretending to be an authority, you may realize that the child does not really know what he is talking about or where all this is coming from. Therefore, you must be kind and tell this adult child that he has copied those people from the past without knowing why. And, as a result, he’s been on autopilot ever since. In this way you become the true authority, guide and mentor. You become the Magician. With this proper direction, eventually your inner genius will always be ready to help you in a much more positive way than ever before.
And now you have the secret. Resistance is useless. Your inner critic will be transformed. So call your friend and foe. Beyond all hopes and beyond all fears, I ask that the Genie appear now!