Under attack by the Inner Critic
Monday, January 11, 2010 at 03:48PM 
Hey, did you see that? Today it's 01-11-10. Lovely symmetry, and in binary code too!
To set a positive mindset for 2010, here's an article on How to Manage Your Inner Critic from the Harvard Business weekly -- it challenges you to face your unproductive self-critical inner voice (your "Gremlins", in coaching lingo).
See, they even talk about the squishy stuff of difficult emotions in our respected business publications!
I see it as a clear acknowledgement that, amongst other things, we humans are emotional creatures and a validation of so much of the groundwork that I do initially to help my clients clear the path to good outcomes in our coaching relationships.
This human "emotionalness" was eloquently demonstrated to me when our lovely South African au pair left us this morning to return to the motherland -- her time was up. All weekend, I walked around with a knotted stomach, feeling like my world was being disturbed. And my poor daughter was distraught at losing a beloved companion.
As we've been through this several times (it's a price we pay for the au pair program, but it's more than counterbalanced by the education my daughter gets with her "foreign" child care providers and the cultural exchange we as a family benefit from), I know we'll settle back into a routine.
I also know my personal commentary is slightly off topic, but I'm once again reminded, as a business coach, of the power of our emotions to impact how we do or don't cope with the stuff of work and life!
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And btw, should anyone out there in your readership want to dive more deeply into this topic, Rick Carson's book, Taming Your Gremlin, is not only great for coaches but is a must-have for many docs, therapists, and other health care providers. It has been a life saver for many of us:)