I love to read and I read about a book a week, anything from spiritual to weight loss to fiction to business to steamy romances. Most books I pass along, but I have two bookshelves of my keepers. These are my go to books. One of my go to books is called Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson. I love the rest of the title, A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way. Isn’t that a great statement? I can’t tell you how many times I have been my own road block to success.
This book is a simple, practical read. Very easy to apply and understand. I would even recommend it to teenagers who are growing into themselves to help them with self-reflection, monitoring and change. So what’s it all about? It’s about tuning in to what you believe about yourself, whether it’s true or not. Being aware of the messaging you repeatedly think about who you are. The negative thoughts and messages we send from our brains to our hearts can be limiting and damaging to ourselves and those around us. I love the books depiction of this negative messaging, a nasty, sneaky little gremlin. This gremlin trips up even our best of intentions. Just when we’re feeling good about ourselves, the gremlin creeps up, maybe even drawing on a bad experience from our childhood and whammo, puts us back in our place. That ugly little gremlin tells us we’re not enough. Good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, thin enough, energetic enough, young enough, wealthy enough-perfect enough. We’re not a good parent, partner, son/daughter, friend, church-goer, co-worker. It taunts us to go ahead and try, but you’re not going to succeed.
But we can AND WILL succeed in whatever we’re trying to accomplish if only we could get control of those gremlins. The book not only talks about being aware of our gremlins, but gives ways to control and eliminate them. My favorite visual of the book is squashing the gremlins. Bam- squash those life draining gremlins- dead! Stop them in their tracks!
Last night, as I was watching my favorite ABC line up, The Middle, Suburgatory and Modern Family, I was reminded of just how quickly those gremlins can arise from the dead. If you haven’t seen Suburgatory, it is a show designed to poke fun at just how ridiculous our society has become. It’s set in a cookie cutter wealthy neighborhood suburb of NYC. The characters are over the top. Plastic surgery is the norm, money and country club living is a must and the writers really over-emphasize stereo types. The whole notion of the show is ludicrous, but it’s so ludicrous, it’s funny. I’ve been watching the show since it aired, but last night, I found myself comparing me to Dallas (Cheryl Hines) one of the main characters in the show. Dallas is a size nothing, with a surgically enhanced body and face, Chiclet white teeth, a fake and bake tan, with long blonde (extensions) hair. She’s always dressed to the nines and sporting some fabulous jewelry. Usually I find Dallas endearing and comical. But last night she brought out my gremlins.
I began to think negatively about myself. I’m not…good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, thin enough, energetic enough, young enough, wealthy enough-perfect enough…
But here’s the good news people, something I am proud to write, I squashed those gremlins like a bug. One of the greatest things about the human mind is our power to change our thoughts and actions. I WAS NOT going to let those gremlins make me feel less than. I was aware of the gremlin, I acknowledged the gremlin and then, I dismissed the gremlin. I WILL NOT let anyone, or anything make me feel less than. I AM enough.
If the creator of the universe thinks you’re enough, be still and accept it, you ARE enough. Don’t let your gremlins be a road block to your success.
Make the choice, commit to the choice and continue with courage.
Hugs and friendship,
Tara
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