Inner babble is that stream of speeches, rehearsals, nagging, put-downs, gloating, and other disturbing messages that pass through our brains almost continuously. It isn't the only inner stream of course; others are more organized, more creative, and might even be the source of inspiration now and then.
We each have our own favored patterns of inner babble, and we favor some over others in certain situations. Here are some examples.
- I better not do that. People might think less of me.
- I better do that. If I don't, people might think less of me.
- I better stop doing this. It's too much fun.
- I like this, but I don't deserve it.
- I don't have to do this distasteful task right now. I'll do it later.
- If I do this, the world should reward me.
- I don't have to do this, because the world didn't reward me last time.
- People should behave according to my rules.
- Some parts of my body work, but they need to be larger (smaller).
- Some parts of my body work, but they're in the wrong place.
- I can conceal my physical defects with X.
- I'm an inferior being. Only X can help me.
- X is a shortcut to achieving my dreams.
- I can get X only by giving money to somebody else.
If you're hearing
that success or failure
will follow inevitably,
you probably aren't
thinking logicallyBecause inner babble can be misleading, tiring, and demoralizing, controlling it helps focus your energy on more constructive pursuits. When you suddenly suspect that your thoughts might be inner babble, check for these identifying characteristics:
- Absolute language
- Concepts appear in stark terms: "my body is inferior;" "I have to do this;" "I must never do that." Everything is either good or bad.
- Very little in life is all good, all bad, or always so.
- Promises of certain success or predictions of inevitable doom
- If you're hearing that success or failure will follow inevitably, you probably aren't thinking logically.
- Life just isn't that predictable.
- Unverifiable assertions
- You find yourself hearing things that might be true, but can't be checked. Just how exactly will X help you achieve your dreams?
- Try asking "How?" Often the answer is unavailable.
- Money-based "solutions"
- Purchased "solutions" rarely last, even if they're real. And there's a good chance that the likely vendor is the originator of the babble message.
- Doing what's really needed is much more difficult than spending money, but it has two distinct advantages — it's usually cheaper, and it works.
When we're trying to change, we sometimes see our current behavior as "wrong" or defective, and we can become discouraged if the change is difficult. Beware — changing inner babble can be especially tricky if you get to babbling about your inner babble. Top
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Related articles
More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:
The True Costs of Cubicles
- Although cubicles do provide facility cost savings compared with walled offices, they do so at the price
of product development delays and increased product development costs. Decisions of facilities planners
can have dramatic project schedule impact.
Team-Building Travails
- Team-building is one of the most common forms of team "training." If only it were the most
effective, we'd be in a lot better shape than we are. How can we get more out of the effort we spend
building teams?
In the Groove
- Under stress, we sometimes make choices that we later regret. And we wonder, "Will I ever learn?"
Fortunately, the problem usually isn't a failure to learn. Changing just takes practice.
What Enough to Do Is Like
- Most of us have had way too much to do for so long that "too much to do" has become the new
normal. We've forgotten what "enough to do" feels like. Here are some reminders.
Wacky Words of Wisdom: V
- Adages, aphorisms, and "words of wisdom" are true often enough that we accept them as universal.
They aren't. Here's Part V of some widely held beliefs that mislead us at work.
See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness and Critical Thinking at Work for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 6: Fake Requests for Help
- When a colleague asks for assistance, we can feel validated, even flattered. But not all requests for help are what they seem. The more devious amongst us can be endlessly creative in employing requests for help to achieve devious ends. Available here and by RSS on July 6.
And on July 13: What Do We Actually Know?
- Precision in both writing and speech can be critical in determining the success of collaborations in the modern workplace. Precision is especially important when we distinguish between what we surmise or assume and what we actually know. Available here and by RSS on July 13.
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