re you being cheered on? Or put down in life?

I ask because since I was little, I’ve had this really awful voice inside my head that’s in charge of judging and punishing me. Supposedly so that I would do good and be a better person. Unfortunately, keeping this voice intact and in business within me has had some really negative consequences.

What I’ve found is, no one actually performs better when they’re being judged, punished or made miserable. In my experience, it makes them timid of learning and taking the risks necessary in order to get better.

For fear of failing. Feeling bad. Being hurt or let down.

They play safe to avoid “mistakes” rather than doing the things that expand them.

To (hopefully) avoid those middle of the night reviews of “where they ought to be and how they’re not measuring up.”

The problem is there’s nothing inside of us that is encouraging, drawing us forward, supporting us, or cheering us on. Have you noticed?

Take a marathon for example. At a marathon or a race, you’ll see crowds of people cheering the runners along, rooting them on and having water at certain breakpoints. They’ll yell, “You can do it! Keep going!”

But where is that support within you when you need it?

What you have instead is some crappy voice that will evaluate you and make you feel bad.

Again, no one is making anyone feel bad at a race. Because that would be demoralizing and an energy suck. They’d get thrown out!

This is the enormous distinction between the voices in our heads and our inner mentor. This is the basis of what I teach. It’s at the heart of the coaching I do and the programs I offer. It’s what I learned during my 14 years of training in a Zen monastery.

I’m passionate about helping people dismantle the voices that keep them limited, stuck, and in sabotage mode. It excites me to see them put someone inside of them in charge of their lives who is wiser, stronger, kinder and more supportive. Someone I call The Compassionate Mentor.

It’s the grown-up you’ve always wanted to be there with you all throughout life. Guiding you with conscious, compassionate awareness. Cheering you on and helping you succeed.

It’s a beautiful thing!