Tips for Training Gremlins — Please Help.
Do you ever get ready to do something great, and suddenly everything seems to go to hell? Things fall apart and those voices in your head, well, they get really loud.
That’s happening with some of us who are gathering for Soulsisters ‘09 this weekend. We are workin’ on it! But I’m sure you have ideas about what to do too. So here’s a re-post fromthe Soulsisters blog – ‘cuz we need Magpie Girl readers to add to our Giant Pool of Wisdom. Can you help? ……
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So I’ve heard through my Twitter and email that our Gremlins are chattering away at us and they aren’t being very nice. Gremlins, for those of you new readers our there, are the little voices in our heads who tell us un-true things. Most of the time they are trying to help, but they are a little mis-guided. But sometimes they are just downright being nasty.
According to Jen Lee, she of the Lovebombers–a group which was the inspiration for Soulsisters–the Gremlins like to get chatty right before we gather up with other powerful, creative women. And one of the things they like to say best is:
”You don’t belong here and nobody is going to like you.”
Yeah, you’re right back in Jr. High. Sucks.
So what can we do about it? I like to build my Gremlins a house where they can sit down and have a nice Gin and Tonic and SHUT UP ALREADY. I also write down all the things they are saying to me and put those quotes away for them. That way the Gremlins know I’m listening to them and sometimes quieten down. It also helps to say a little affirmation. My Gremlins are pretty silly, so I like the silly affirmation from Bill Smiley (was that his name?) on SNL:
”I’m loveable, I’m capable, and doggonit, people like me!”
When all else fails call a Soulsister and ask her to tell you *8Things that are Great about You. (She won’t mind, honest.) And remember, if your Gremlins are talking a blue streak, it’s a sure sign that something good is trying to get itself born.
Are your Gremlins coming out? (They also like to mess with your relationship with your significant other; sneeze on your children so they get strep throat right before you leave; and pour sugar in your carburetor.) What are your Gremlins up to? What are your tricks for dealing with the pesky little buggers? How can we help?
3 comments
stuart smalley on snl…!!! i write…and write til my gremlins don’t fit on my ‘page’ anymore! i write big…i write small…i write in circles til i get dizzy. little lighthearted ’somethings’ about me, or my children, or my garden, or my artwork…seems to work for me. taking photos helps too…of anything and everything that makes me smile. not sure how i found this spot…but, i like!
Haha…you’re cracking me up! I think my Gremlins are telling me that even though I do good work, I suck because my house is a mess and my sleep schedule’s all screwed up, and I’m sleeping on the couch while my kids are playing. And then somehow I don’t want to *leave* the messy house or *wake up*…ever or *play* with my adorable children. Those gremlins. They have an ironic sense of humor.
I love you Rachelle. My gremlins were acting up this past week and I realized the same records from my sophmore year in high school were replaying themselves. I am going to work on making peace with them:)
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