Gremlins are those parts that like to trip us up by telling us lies that shake our confidence. You know the kind….”You’ll never be able to….” “This isn’t safe for you….” “Why are you even bothering?” etc etc etc The trick to keeping them in check is to recognize that they are the ones talking. It’s almost like they’re ventriloquists. We mistakenly think we are the ones thinking those thoughts and that the thoughts are true.
Once you recognize there is a gremlin interfering with your self-confidence (Hint: If you lack confidence there is one!) then you can picture the gremlin in cartoon form. Imagine it as this comical looking character following you around whispering crazy things. You might think of Gollum in Lord of the Rings. It’s so much easier to take your authority back from a cartoon!
Another way to think about it is like the Wizard of Oz who had the booming voice that everyone trembled to hear and obeyed carefully until Toto pulled back the curtain revealing a short fat man who was behind a microphone.
Once you have unveiled your gremlin and taken away its authority, you can make sure you leave him outside whenever you have to go do something that calls for courage and confidence.