Growing confidence and befriending your voice of doubt takes some training and a sense of humor.  The exercise for day #3 of the 30-day Blog Rock Star Challenge is to share 10 fun things about me; so here are my 10.

• I was 46 before I had my first pedicure
• I love to grow lettuce in pots in my backyard. It completely satisfies my inner survivalist.
• I climbed 14,410 ft. Mt Rainier when I was 45.
• I will go out of my way to run thru a sprinkler on a hot day.
• Freedom is my #1 Core Value – making my own decisions and being fully accountable for the success or failure of those decisions.
• I love watching Battle Bots with my husband on Friday nights (totally geeky).
• My first pet was a turtle named Turtsie.  My creativity got off to a slow start.
• My favorite thing at Christmas is to lie under the tree and look up thru the branches at all of the lights.
• I love, love, love red licorice.
• I danced with the Hippo Ballerinas in the Disneyland Parade when I was 40.

This blog started out fun… and then I noticed I was getting more concerned about what readers would think about my fun facts rather than authentically sharing what fun means to me.  Really!!  Who cares?

Well someone does care – so let me introduce you to miss nasty pants.  This is the affectionate name I have given to my internal voice of doubt.  And she cares!  Maybe you have that voice too.

Don’t get me wrong!  I’m grateful for miss nasty pants.  She has kept me (and our species) safe and certain and at the top of the food chain for thousands of years.  However, when it comes to writing blogs her input isn’t very helpful.

So in the theme of FUN here are five playful and powerful ways to work with your internal voice of doubt.

1. Remember to say thank you. She is just doing her job to keep you safe and help you avoid anything new or uncertain.  Her dedication to this job is unwavering and has brought you to exactly where you are in life.  Thank you.
2. Remind her that most of the time you’re not really in danger and that she might be over-reacting.  In my case, nobody on Facebook is going to see me as dinner as they once did on the Serengeti.
3. Assure her that she is welcome to return to offer another opinion (she will anyway) but it will be just that – an opinion.  And if you do not accept her viewpoint she will have to be quiet again.
4. Remind her that her warnings and worry can’t prevent the past but they sure can destroy today and the future.
5. And only after remembering each of the four points, carefully ask her what she has to share? You may be surprised that when you acknowledge (not agree with) miss nasty pants, she quiets right down.

Befriending your voice of doubt takes some training and a sense of humor.  For most of my life I just wanted her to GO AWAY!   I wanted to stop thinking THOSE thoughts!  That strategy didn’t work for me and it’s probably not working for you.  She’s here to stay.

That’s why she now has a name.  This way I can see her for exactly what she is:

The dinosaur in my brain dressed in pink bloomers is just trying to keep me alive.

I would love to hear if you have given your internal voice of doubt a name.

Please share what happens when you say thank you rather than go away!