In this motivational monologue, the speaker recounts a formative experience from a 4th‑grade school play where a teacher publicly criticized her selection as lead, creating a deep wound that fueled a lifelong fear of criticism. That fear caused her to hold back from applying for jobs, pursuing her passion for coaching, and stepping boldly into opportunities well into her 30s. Through self‑examination she identified the origin of the wound, likens the situation to watching a football game from the sidelines, and concludes that critics are easier to judge than to act. She urges listeners to journal about why they are holding back, to confront their inner critics, and to act based on personal conviction rather than external judgment. The talk ends with a call for viewers to share their own stories and begin the process of overcoming their inner critics.
Chapters
Hi guys, good morning. I just wanted to talk to you today about a common theme that seems to be coming up among people I'm working with, and that is the critics in life. So I don't know if you're like me, but there's been times in my life when I held myself back. Maybe I didn't apply for a specific job because I was afraid I wasn't worthy, or I didn't step out into my passion, which is coaching people, because I was afraid to be criticized. You know, I was, I was just in so much fear of that. I was afraid that people would think, what is she doing? She isn't good enough for this. I was afraid that people would criticize me because people would say, which was said to me, it was said to me, Why don't you get a real job? What are you doing? Like, this isn't gonna, you know, do anything for your life. And I just remained in a lot of fear. And, you know, for me, I had to do a lot of self-examination. And what I realized was back in the 4th grade when I was about 10 or 11, I had— we had this school play and I was really excited about it. And I auditioned and I gave it my all. And You know, at that point when I was 10 or 11, I didn't know that I was supposed to hold back because no one had told me that yet. So I just went boldly to this audition and, um, you know, afterwards we— the class got together and they voted on who would be the leading role. And I got that leading role and I was really excited for about 2 seconds until the teacher got up in front of the entire class And he proceeded to say how disappointed he was. He said that he was disappointed in the class's choice, that it should be a— it should have been a choice made upon talent rather than popularity. So, wow, I was really, really wounded in that moment. I all of a sudden had a ton of fear, and I felt like I wasn't good enough, that as if something I had done was wrong. Um, and you know what, I carried that with me. That was when I was 10 or 11, and I carried that well into my 30s. Um, I judged a lot of things in my 20s, you know, in my life. I would just be— I would be so deeply wounded remembering that, that I thought, you know, someone was going to stand up in front of everyone and, and put me down. And You know, so I would hold myself back. I was— I would be afraid of putting myself out there too much. I was afraid of being too bold. I was just so afraid of being criticized because that event wounded me so deeply that every time I would think about stepping out boldly into my faith or stepping out boldly into something I really cared about, I was reminded of that wound, and it held me back for years and years and years. And you know what I learned through the process of self-discovery and just, you know, really diving into those feelings and just getting past that? It was really, really hard. That wound was still there. It hurt. It was scary. But you know what I learned through all of that? That it's worth it. You know, I always think about like a football game. You know, I'm a big football fan and it's easy for me to sit at home in the comfort of my living room and judge the wide receiver or judge the quarterback and say, man, you should have made that pass, or you could have caught that, you know. But how easy is it for me to sit back in my living room and, and judge how someone is performing? You know, I can easily stand on the sidelines and judge those people who are in the arena. But you know what I've learned? If you're bold enough to step out and be in the game, and you're bold enough to step out and be in that arena, then don't listen to the people who aren't. That is— it was a huge realization for me because I realized, you know, it's, it's so much easier for people to sit back and judge what I'm doing and criticize. And you know what? So what if they do? I'm no longer interested in those people's opinions because, you know, this is me. This is my personal experience. And at the end of the day, it's not what they're saying, they're telling me to do, that's going to bring me joy and satisfaction and personal accomplishment. It's what I'm doing and what I know is right in my heart. So I just want to ask you today, what is it? Why are you holding back? I think it would be very valuable, sit down with a piece of paper and a pen And just journal about it. You know, I encourage you to just journal about it. Say right at the top of the page, why am I holding back? And then just just write. Continue to write until you know you really get down to your deep truths. And I I know it's hard. I know it's painful. And I know that a lot of us out there have some really deeply rooted fears and insecurity. But you know what? I want to encourage you today to bring that to light. I want to encourage you today to examine it and say, wow, that's really interesting. You know, and then you'll have the information to, to move forward. Having that knowledge about yourself and your fears is very, very powerful. So I just want to encourage you to do that today. Yeah, feel free to comment below on any experiences you have. You know, I love hearing stories about other people's experiences. So if you have a story similar to mine, and my 5th grade teacher, please share it. I would love to hear it, and I would love to encourage you along the way. Thanks, guys.
