Rick Carson, back in 1983, wrote a book named; Taming Your Gremlin. (Revised, 2003) As he so aptly named, the Gremlin is the voice in your head that gets in your way of moving forward and getting things done. This book is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. In this article, I will go over the basics of the Gremlin and how you can begin to help to shut it up. Oh, and just reading this article is a great first step.

SO, WHAT IS THE GREMLIN

As I said before, it is the voice in your head. The one you hear all day long from morning to night. The Gremlin has no interest in you growing or questioning the messages he communicates with you. I would imagine that you have a sense of what those messages are. They are always negative…always. You will never find the Gremlin saying, “You look awesome today, go out and have a great day.” Most likely, you would hear the opposite, “Stay in, there is nothing for you out there, plus you don’t look so good.” The Gremlin’s voice gnaws at you. Any insecurity you have is the Gremlin.

WHY DO WE LISTEN TO THE GREMLIN

What choice do we have? We do really do not have any frame of reference for living without it. As we grow older, we certainly have a greater understanding that listening to that voice is not the right move. But the power the Gremlin has over us is massive. It is not as easy to become aware of it and then say, “No, thank you.” I am sure that you can think back to many instances where you wanted to do something, but the Gremlin swooped in, and the next thing you know, instead of cleaning your basement, you are on the couch, exhausted, fondling the remote control. That gives you an idea of the hold the Gremlin has over you.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Everyone you have ever met or not…everyone in the entire world has a Gremlin. Yes, everyone. Oprah? Has one. Steve Jobs? Had one. The Dalai Lama? Has one. It makes no difference how successful, intelligent, good-looking, etc. The Gremlin is not picky. If you are alive…he is there.

CAN I KILL IT?

Killing it? Not so much of an option. It is pretty much a built-in feature, unfortunately. However, you can temper it and even ignore it. There are tools out there to learn. There is hope!

YOU AND YOUR GREMLIN

The Gremlin puts doubts in your mind and makes you question your choices. It feeds your insecurities and fears. As expressed prior, you think you want to do something, and then the Gremlin comes in and works hard to get you to stay put. It is a highly complex relationship. The Gremlin’s motivation is to protect your inner child. It does not have a purpose beyond that. It does not grow or evolve in any way. To keep your inner child safe, you need to stay the same. Doing anything that could seem to better yourself does not compute with the Gremlin. Yes, even something simple, such as doing laundry. Why? Not so sure about that.
The more you become aware of the presence of your Gremlin, the more aware you are of the messages it relays to you, the stronger you will become.

Having trouble getting out of your own way? Want to learn how to put a muzzle on your Gremlin? Schedule your Free, no-strings-attached session today.