The Inner Mean Girl Cleanse

A couple of weeks ago, an email came through my box announcing the 40 Day Inner Mean Girl Cleanse. Like most of you, I have an Inner Mean Girl or two (or 12!) that sometimes keep me from taking action toward my dreams. Or even spending time developing them, so that I actually know what my dreams are. My Inner Mean Girls tell me everything from “You’re too old to pursue your dreams” to “So-and-so is prettier than you” to “No one will want to buy that” — and lots of things in between. They more-than-occasionally keep me from completing what I start and from even starting some things. They are always quick with an “I told you so” or “What else did you expect?” whenever things go less than perfectly. In other words, my Inner Mean Girls are alive and well, and living in my head and heart.

One area that I really struggle with is my creativity. My Inner Mean Girls, obviously, don’t have a nice thing to say about my artistic abilities or expression. While I know that some people really connect with my work, all they know is that not everyone does. They choose to focus on the people who think my work is “interesting” — a polite way to tell an artist that you don’t get it. They remind me constantly of what I can’t do, rather than finding pleasure in what I can do. Sometimes, they just take all the joy out of creating and playing with my materials.

So when I saw that Amy Ahlers and Christine Arylo were hosting an 40 day challenge to help women cleanse their system of six toxic habits of the Inner Mean Girl, I knew I wanted to be part of it. On the one hand, I am so ready to start following my dreams and live out loud; on the other, I’m a slave to all that my Inner Mean Girl has to say about me. It’s kind of shocking to realize just how negative she can be, since I generally try to be a fairly positive person.

So, for the next 40 days, I’ll be steeped in this project. I’ll be working with Amy, Christine, several other experts — and a bunch of other women — to shift six of the toxic habits that are weighing me down to habits that strengthen me, that fuel me instead of draining me. Today, I spent 45 minutes on the launch call with SARK and felt lightened and buoyed by the experience. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

If you have an issue with your Inner Mean Girls, why don’t you join us? It’s not too late, and the cleanse is free!