3 Ways to Silence Your Inner Voice and Realize All Your Dreams
The inner dialogue, negative self-talk, or the inner voice.
The concept goes by many names, but whatever you choose to call it, it can be a destructive force that holds you back from getting what you want, whether it’s a small or medium-sized goal or a life-long dream.
If you ever hope to accomplish your goals, you’ll need to learn how to silence your inner voice and get to a point where it can no longer hold you back.
Evidence is conclusive that your self-talk has a direct bearing on your performance.– Zig Ziglar
As dangerous and damaging as the internal dialogue can be, it’s very difficult to uncover.
That’s because it hides away in our subconscious mind, where it can do its bidding by replaying the same damaging self-talk over and over again until it becomes a deep-seated belief.
Because of this, the methods for working through this inner voice are almost always a long-term effort. Each of the techniques below can be used together or separately:
1. Make friends with yourself through mindfulness meditation
This is the most straightforward strategy of all. For that reason, it needs a little disclaimer: it’s a tough path.
It involves using a regular mindfulness meditation practice to gain progressively more clarity over time, which will begin to uncover the inner dialogue and “bring it to the surface” so to speak. And this process of bringing it to the surface usually offers all the healing necessary.
The difficulty with this method is, you’re brought face-to-face with your limiting beliefs -- and these are often directly connected with past challenges, tragedy, trauma, and so on.
This is my preferred path, but if the idea of facing certain past experiences so directly is difficult to imagine right now, the next two strategies might be more your speed.
2. Use affirmations to proactively influence your negative self-talk
On the opposite end, instead of directly confronting your inner voice, you can work to actively influence it by creating a new dialogue. And you do that with affirmations, something that Tony Robbins is well-known to employ.
I know what you might be thinking-- affirmations are cheesy and they don’t work. I understand and I thought the same way about everything from affirmations to vision boards myself. However, it turns out most of these cheesy methods actually work quite effectively if you put an honest effort into them.
Affirmations in particular are great for gradually replacing our negative self-talk because you’re essentially taking back control of the inner dialogue and influencing it in your favor. By repeating statements such as “I’m confident. I’m a hard worker. I believe in myself.” (and feeling the emotions connected with these statements -- this is critical) over time you actually begin to believe them.
3. Use this simple trick for boosting confidence and let action do the talking
If the two previous strategies aren’t a fit for you, this simple confidence booster could be the perfect method.
This strategy doesn’t seek to attack the inner voice directly or indirectly, but rather seeks to change our mind about ourselves and instill progressively greater confidence through action itself.
The trick is this:
Action leads to the confidence that we can take more action.
Let me explain. By you taking action, even something small and insignificant like doing the laundry or making a phone call you’ve been putting off, you generate the energy and motivation to take more action.
You can then use this energy to take action on something bigger, and bigger, and bigger until you’ve progressively built up the confidence to start taking great strides towards your chosen goal or dream.
By doing so, you prove to yourself that you are smart enough, strong enough, good enough, and powerful enough. It doesn’t even matter what you do, just proving yourself that you can do something gives you the confidence to do other things.
The inner dialogue is a mysterious and powerful force, one which affects the way we live our life on a deep level. But you’re not hopeless to live under its rule forever.
No matter which strategy you prefer, there’s much you can do to start reconfiguring your inner dialogue and silencing your negative self-talk for good.
Use these strategies to rewrite the script of your life and realize your dreams -- one step at a time.
Military Dad Defends His 4 Little Daughters When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Military Dad of 4 Daughters Defends His Girls When Strangers Make This Rude Remark
Austin von Letkemann is the military officer strangers feel "sorry" for — and the reason is infuriating.
Whenever the devoted father leaves the house with his four children, strangers can't help but notice the officer in uniform is holding hands with 4 adorable little girls. They will tell the traditionally "masculine" and "all American" dad they feel sorry for him, because he has no sons. This dad makes one thing very clear: They are his daughters, they aren't a burden.
In a passionate video, von Letkemann took to Instagram to share with his followers that the only thing that's "difficult" about being a girl dad — is clapping back to these sexist remarks over and over again.
They Mock His Daughters To Their Face
When strangers approach Austin von Letkemann and his four daughters, they don't always realize that their comments are being overheard. They seem oblivious to the fact that his girls understand every word. Von Letkemann describes how people will approach him and, without thinking, make remarks like "I'm sorry" or even joke about his lack of sons. What they don't realize is that these comments, intended to be light-hearted or humorous, can be deeply hurtful to his daughters. These strangers are not just disrespecting von Letkemann's choices as a father; they're also sending a message to his daughters that their presence is something to be pitied. It’s a message that von Letkemann won't stand for, and he's speaking out to defend his girls from these insensitive remarksSaying "Get Your Shotgun" Isn't Funny — It's Sexist
Another common comment that Austin von Letkemann encounters is the old "better get your shotgun ready" trope, often delivered with a smirk or a wink. This line is typically intended to suggest that a father with daughters should be on high alert to protect them from potential "suitors," implying that they are objects to be guarded rather than individuals with agency.
Von Letkemann finds this line of thinking outdated and sexist. In his viral Instagram video, he points out that these jokes are not just stale — they're damaging.
By suggesting that his daughters require armed protection, the joke reinforces the idea that women are inherently vulnerable and need to be shielded from men. Von Letkemann argues that instead of promoting this narrative, society should focus on teaching respect and consent, challenging these sexist tropes at their source.
Watch Austin von Letkemann's Video:
"If I Had A Fifth Child, I'd HOPE It Was A Girl" — One Dad's Message For Other Parents
Despite the constant remarks about his lack of sons, Austin von Letkemann is clear: He wouldn't trade his daughters for anything.
In fact, he told his Instagram followers that if he were to have a fifth child, he would hope for another girl. This declaration isn't just about doubling down on his pride in his family — it's a pointed response to those who see fathering daughters as a misfortune.
Von Letkemann's stance is a powerful one, rejecting the notion that a family is incomplete without sons. He encourages others to question the assumptions behind these comments and to appreciate the joy and fulfillment that his daughters bring. By sharing his story, von Letkemann hopes to create a more inclusive perspective on fatherhood, one that values daughters just as much as sons.