Articles 1 min read

Where do you keep your Gremlins? by Jardena London

Gremlins are the little voices that sabotage your efforts to succeed.  They tell you that you’re not good enough, you’ll never succeed, basically, they keep you on the safe path.  Today we are focusing specifically on how your Gremlins accompany you through your day.

If you’ve seen the movie “A Beautiful Mind” about John Nash, he struggled with paranoid schizophrenia.  As he started to learn to manage the disease, his gremlins no longer controlled him, but they walked alongside him about 50 feet away.  

We all have Gremlins.  Yes, even you. I didn’t think I had any, but if you pay attention eventually they’ll show themselves.  The question is where are they walking in relation to you?

Are you Gremlins driving the car?  In “A Beautiful Mind” at the beginning of the movie his Gremlins were driving the car.  They were telling him what to do and he was listening. In this case, he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, but it illustrates what many people experience.  When your gremlin tells you that you’re not good enough to go for that dream job, do you obey?

Are your Gremlins walking in front of you?  When your Gremlins walk in front of you, everyone you meet is encountering your Gremlin instead of interacting with you.  What does that mean to your relationships? It could mean that your friends are managing your gremlin instead of dealing directly with you.  When you feel you have to be careful what you say around someone, you’re managing their gremlin.

Are your Gremlins walking alongside you?  When you get to know your gremlins and have them under some control, you can still hear them but you don’t pay them much mind.  You are saying to them “Yes, I hear you little gremlin, thank you for reminding me to be careful, but I’m good.”

Are your Gremlins safely strapped in a stroller?  The ultimate gremlin management is when your gremlins are safely strapped in a stroller.  They are so cute, you take them on walks and admire them, but you don’t take direction from them.

Where do you keep your gremlins? Let us know!

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