59
You may feel something underneath like:
“ If we are seen, we will be judged.”“ If we change, we will be alone.”
That is your Guardian Mind talking. That is the belief it is guarding.
3. ONCE YOU SEE THE FALSE PERCEPTION, ANCHOR IN THE TRUTH:
For example:
“ Being seen might feel risky, but disappearing is hurting me more.”“ The people who are truly mine can handle my growth.”
You are not sugarcoating. You are telling the truth from a larger perspective.
Then, take one tiny action that aligns with that larger truth- send the message, apply, say yes, say no, share the thing. The point is not to feel fearless. The point is to move from your truth while your Guardian Mind is still nervous. This how you show yourself you are actually not in danger.
Turning Toward Yourself
When you start working with the inner critic this way, something shifts.
You stop seeing it as proof that you are broken and start seeing it as a dashboard light- a sign that your Guardian Mind just hit an old belief about safety, worth, or visibility. You listen, you learn what it is afraid of, and then you choose from a deeper place.
There will be moments when your Inner Critic screams at you to sit down and stay quiet. That is right where an old script can end and the next version of you begins. If you choose it.
The Guardian Mind will have its opinions. The inner critic will offer commentary.
But now you know what they are, and you know they are not the ones in charge. That is the moment the inner critic stops defining who you are and starts revealing where your power is waiting- this is when it becomes your friend.
CAROLYN PHINNEY – Carolyn Phinney, author of Give a Shift: The No-BS Self-Coaching Guide to Creating Lasting Change, is a transformational coach, Firewalk Instructor, and founder of Powerful You. She guides people through subconscious rescripting to reclaim power, break generational patterns, and live lives that feel aligned, honest, and boldly self-led. Creator of the SHIFT Method, she leads coaching, retreats, certification trainings, and breakthrough events nationwide.
WISDOM & SELF-GROWTH
59