43 NOVEMBER 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Stop Bullying Yourself and Silence Your Inner Critic In my last article, I wrote about the power of suggestion. I said that when our subconscious mind is exposed to a constantly repeated message, it is going to penetrate unless we are cognizant of it. Becoming conscious of indoctrinating media messages is important, but recognizing your own internal propaganda is even more so. Whether positive or negative, your self-talk is continually feeding your subconscious mind with the power of suggestion. Our thoughts control our feelings. For many of us, those thoughts are negative, and changing them takes some effort. But first, you have to become aware of it. Most likely, you did not create the core beliefs causing your self-talk. Those beliefs were developed in your early youth. Back then, your parents were your primary authority figures, and because your very life depended on them, you hung on to every word. To this day, they still retain authority over you via your inner dialogue. On the whole, your parents were passing on wisdom to help you survive in the world, but they may have also passed on to you their own insecurities and fears. Bad Experiences Can Spawn Negative Thoughts - Negative self-talk doesn’t always originate in childhood. Bad things happen to us all the time that can rattle our confidence and cause self-doubt to rear its ugly head. Perhaps you were injured participating in an activity you enjoy; or maybe you worked hard on a new idea which was summarily shot down by your boss. Even a minor auto accident can dash your driving dexterity for weeks. Your inner voice starts telling you, “I’m not good enough.” or “I’ll get hurt again if I try that.” A few years into my becoming an avid mountain biker, I developed some skill at tackling the man-made obstacles on the trails. One of my favorite trails would switch directions every other day to give riders some variety - except I always rode on the same day of the week. Then one time, I went on a different day, and got to go in the other direction. One of the obstacles was a narrow 18-inch-wide wooden bridge over a fallen tree and a small rocky ravine. At its highest point, the bridge was about nine feet off the ground. There was a slight dogleg turn at the top of the bridge which I had handled with aplomb every time I rode over it - except the day when I went in the opposite direction. I misjudged the turn (which was the reverse of what I was used to) and my front wheel went off the bridge. Fortunately, I had the prescience of mind to thrust myself off the bike while the back wheel was still on the bridge, which propelled me over the rocks in the ravine (where my bike fell) and I landed on the hard dirt ground instead. My injuries were two skinned knees and a bruised elbow, but if I had stayed on my bike I would’ve broken bones or gotten killed. Over the next month, I did force myself to ride over that bridge two more times - in the original direction - Wilson continued on page 44
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