Feb/Mar 2026 Aspire Magazine FULL Issue | Page 58

Mind, it becomes something else- information.

The critic shows you where your Guardian Mind still believes growth equals danger and which beliefs are ready to be updated.

You do not have to love the voice to use what it shows you. You just have to stop taking it as truth.

Working with your inner critic and Guardian Mind is not about fighting them. Fighting usually makes them louder. This is about changing your relationship with them.

Instead of collapsing when the critic speaks, you can get curious.

Instead of“ The critic is talking, so I must be wrong,” you move toward:

“ My Inner Critic is talking, which means my Guardian Mind is scared. Something in me thinks this is unsafe. What belief is it guarding, and is that still true for me now?”

You do not need a complicated method here. You can start with three questions.

Next time your inner critic pipes up, try this:

1. WRITE THE LINE.

Capture one sentence it is throwing at you.

“ You are not ready.”“ You will fail.”

Seeing it on paper separates it from“ me” and turns it into something you can look at.

2. ASK YOUR GUARDIAN MIND WHAT IT IS AFRAID OF.

Literally ask yourself:

“ What is it trying to protect me from?”“ What do I think will happen if I move forward?”

That shift alone starts to give you your power back.