Monkey Math! One of Doug’s first modeling gigs…
Doug and I felt good telling our inner critic exactly how we feel. We thought if doing it once feels good, doing it twice will be three times better (monkeys aren’t great at math). There are lots of people who held us back in the past. Others have purposely or maybe unintentionally undermined our dreams or “brought us back to reality”.
An honest letter to these exterior critics would allow us to get out festering emotions and frustrations. We chose not to name our exterior critics and not to send this letter to anyone. We’re trying to become enlightened monkeys… What we write here is for our benefit, and not to attack anyone.
While our letter is not a masterpiece of literary skill, it serves it’s purpose as a means to extract blocked and maybe even poisonous emotions and “truths”…
Dear critics in my life (both past and present),
Who do you think you are? You feel more secure by holding me back. It makes you feel less inadequate if I’m down at the bottom with you. I’m sorry you lack the fundamental parts and/or skills to attain happiness. How dare you try to keep me from being happy just because you aren’t?
I can achieve whatever I choose to do. I am successful ,loving and hold immense value. You suck though. I hate you for what you almost made me… What you did make me for a while. You’re weak, and petty and not very smart. You despised the thought of me being better than you, based on your skewed scale of judgement. You couldn’t tolerate me having my own life, of not being trapped in your depressing little web.
You tried to clip my wings because of fear, because of jealously, because of small mindedness… It didn’t work.
We’re outta here!
John and Doug.
For obvious reasons, we chose not to share this letter with those we had we mind while writing it. The funny part is, many who know us and read it will think we’re talking to them, even if we’re not. That’s OK though. If they feel the letter is directed at them, there must be an underlying reason and they can use a bit of introspection in their lives… Pow! Welcome to monkey enlightenment the hard way… You’re welcome.
Exercise
Who are the exterior critics in your life, both past and present? Think abut how they make you feel. How are they holding you back? What falsehoods have they fed you?
Write them a letter, either collectively or individually, and tell them how you feel. Don’t hold back or moderate yourself. The object of this exercise is to free up blocked emotions and pinpoint “truths” that you hold, that may not really be true.
This is not something to actually share with these critics though. If you start thinking about sharing it, you will edit yourself. Write it for yourself, to the critics, and shake out all the mental pollution that they’ve deposited in you head. Clear it out, recognize it and throw it away…
Doug Does Life 