Never let anyone hear you complain⏤most especially yourself!

Two people sit side by side on a public bench overlooking a lake. It’s the end of the day and the sun is starting to set. The water is still and serene. The clouds are highlighted with splashes of pink, and the sky is a comforting blue. 

One person thinks to themself: “This is so unbelievably beautiful. It’s magical. I love the water. Nothing makes me happy like the water does. I wish I had a house by the water; then I could see skies like this every night. Ug, I’ll never have a house by the water. I’ll probably never even have any house. Good things like that never happen to me. Nothing ever goes my way. Buying a house is too complicated, anyway. There’s five middlemen just waiting to fleece you. People are so corrupt and self-serving. Only a fool would trust someone with that kind of money.” (And so on.)

The other person thinks to themself: “This is so unbelievably beautiful. It’s magical. It feels so good to get out of the apartment. I’ll probably have to work late again tomorrow, but maybe I’ll bring my supper down here afterwards and have a picnic. I’m so lucky to live this close to the lake. I get to see skies like this every night. Maybe when I buy a house, I should get one by the water? Buying a house is complicated, but I’ll find someone to walk me through it. I don’t have to understand every single detail if I can find a realtor I trust. Plus, there’s like five people involved to help with every step.” (And so on.)

Those continuous, private conversations you have with yourself⏤your inner dialogues⏤are like the voices of your very own, personal Board of Directors. They follow you around everywhere you go, offering a running stream of commentary on all of your experiences and advising you … sometimes poorly! Maybe it’s time to take a closer look at who sits on your Board and ask yourself whether they still deserve a seat. If the Peanut Gallery is composed of the wrong people, then you may be getting crummy advice.

If you think of these voices as different facets of yourself, then imagine a Board with the following eight members: Cynical you, Impatient you, Hopeful you, Hardworking you, Distrustful you, Kind you, Doubting you, and Creative you. Some of these members may uplift you and encourage you and some may obstruct and deter you. It’s perfectly within your rights to stage a revolt and fire the unhelpful Board members or carefully limit their speaking time. After all, you are Chairman of the Board!

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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