Below is a Q&A with Della Temple, author of Tame Your Inner Critic: Find Peace & Contentment to Live Your Life on Purpose
1. Your title talks about two important things – taming the inner critic and finding and living a life of purpose and meaning. Tell me more about why you choose to write about these topics.
My inner critic used to pretty much run my life. It held me back from doing many of the things I really wanted to do. It told me I was too unprepared, too opinionated, and just not good enough. In fact, I had grown so used to the incessant negativity that I really believed I was deficient in some way.
I had read about the body’s energy system and had a hunch that greater understanding of auras, chakras, and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and bodily reactions would lead to the peace and contentment I craved. So I enrolled in a beginner’s program at Boulder Psychic Institute. As I did the work, my inner critic stopped nagging me. I wanted to write about my experience to help others find their own inner peace and contentment.
The first half of this book contains techniques designed to get your inner critic under control. The second half of the book concentrates on how to live a life full of meaning and joy. And finally, in the last chapter, the reader will put all the pieces together to discover their true life purpose and how to share that gift with the world.
2. Your book is full of exercises and meditations. Why did you choose this format?
For me, the best way of learning is through practice. So I wrote the book as more of a working handbook with tools, meditations, and thought-provoking exercises intended to get the creative juices flowing. I suggest that the reader set aside a quiet place to do the meditations and exercises in each chapter. They may choose to record their progress in a journal, or they may find the Tame Your Inner Critic Workbook helpful. Either way, I encourage the reader to take their time as they walk this path of discovery. The journey itself can be just as transformational as the final destination.
3. Most of us have tried to tame our inner voice at one time or another. What did you find worked for you?
Thoughts and feelings are energy and through our energetic body, (our aura and chakras) we exchange energy (thoughts, feelings and emotions) with the people in our lives. As an example, when we think of someone, we transmit some of our energy from our aura into theirs. When a parent worries about a child, they may be sending a mixture of love, concern, and judgment energy into their child’s aura. A boss or a co-worker may send us a little bit of criticism energy mixed in with their morning hello. These outside energies combine with our own internal truths. Soon we are unable to tell one from the other, so we accept it all, as a right, accurate and exact portrayal of who we truly are. This I believe is the genesis of the inner critic. The judgments, criticisms and displeasure we feel about ourselves is energy we’ve unconsciously absorbed from the people in our lives.
4. How then do you remove this energy that we’ve absorbed from others?
There are many fun ways to remove the thoughts and feeling of other people from your space. In fact, energy is fairly easy to move once you recognize it and choose to get rid of it. Grounding to the earth, filling in with energies more in alignment with your true essence, blowing it up, or tapping it out, are all techniques that are explained more fully in the book.
5. You’ve incorporated a lot of information in this book. What do you hope your readers take away from Tame Your Inner Critic?
I call reading this book a journey of discovery – uncovering clues to who you truly are and the gift you are meant to share with the world. Often the inner critic stops us from exploring those parts of ourselves. The inner critic tries to keep us small, corralled in the world of “have to” and “shoulds”. But we are much more. We are spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body, and I hope the reader comes away feeling inspired to live their life their way, full of inner peace, grace, and self-love.
6. Where can I get your book and workbook?
Amazon, of course, plus Barnes & Noble, Books a Million and many other online outlets carry the book. Or you can call your local bookstore and ask them to order it.