Hi bSmart ladies and women who are new to this community!
I wanted to share my own follow-up to "Chapter 1: The Inner Critic" from 'Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead.'
For years, my inner critic was:
3. Ostensibly, the voice of reason.
4. The voice of 'You aren't Ready Yet'
And to be honest, I'm still not sure if I'm being strategic or with taking additional and thorough preparations with my goals. For example, with bSmart, I didn't go out and tell the world I created an online mentorship and networking community. Instead, I've spent 5-6 years getting feedback on the technology and programs to figure out the best way to offer this to women.
In some respects, this aligns with Tara's (the author) chapter on leaping, but at times I wondered if I've held myself back. For example, should I be fundraising instead of self-funding? Should I be paying for PR and marketing?
It's hard to know whether you're being strategic or holding yourself back by requiring more preparation, more education, more crossing of t's and dotting of i's.
What do the women in this community think is an appropriate balance for leaping versus being prepared and strategic?
Are women in particular holding themselves back either from nature or nurture by being over-prepared for their goals?
What "Inner Critic" voice do you identify with the most?
1. Harsh, rude, mean
2. Binary
3. Ostensible, the voice of reason.
4. The voice of 'You aren't Ready Yet'
5. The voice of 'You aren't good at math / negotiating / technical stuff."
6. The voice of body-perfectionism
7. The tape.
8. A broken record.
9. Irrational but persistent
10 The one-two punch.
11. The inner critic may take inspiration from critical people in your life.
To get the conversation started, I'm tagging
Michelle Hoppe-Long Amanda McNaught Mary Bemis Anna Mariash Jessica Li Ursula Choi Diane Im Angelina Eimannsberger Amanda Sannella Gwendolyn Crafts Amanda Wowk Anne Whiting Yirou Yu Tracy Kim Jacqui Gabriella Bower Nina Wanda Schell Gonzalez Courtnie Weber Lilly Pianin