Unleashing Your Inner Power

A Confrontation With The Inner Critic

The book presents an exploration of the inner critic, whose voices often restrict individuals. It offers valuable strategies to confront and triumph over it, triggering personal growth and self-empowerment.

Reframing Fear

Fear, commonly perceived as a hindrance, is reframed. It instead encourages readers to see fear as a natural and vital element of embracing risks and nurturing growth.

Powerful Communication

Guidance on effective and powerful communication is provided, emphasizing the critical role of effectively utilizing one's voice.

Embracing Change

The conclusion underscores the importance of becoming agents of change. It also ends with an encouraging insight on managing new motherhood and the pursuit of bigger goals.

Unlocking Potential with 'Playing Big'

Encouraging Potential

Tara Mohr's 'Playing Big' delivers practical tools to help you rise above self-doubt and step into your potential. It's not just about confidence and self-worth, but about recognizing your own potential and making a mark in the world.

Practical Guidance

The book serves as a roadmap for those uncertain about their next steps. It offers real-life stories and guidelines to inspire your journey, emphasizing personal growth and empowerment.

More than Personal Development

Beyond personal development, 'Playing Big' pushes to empower women and challenge societal norms. It shines a light on biases that hold women back and encourages readers to unleash their rightful legacy.

A Game Changer

Well endorsed for its transformative influence, 'Playing Big' is recommended for its potential to change lives. Step up, face your fears, and embrace your destiny with this incisive read.

Unlocking Significant Potential

Embracing Nontraditional Success

Playing Big is a practical guide that urges women to move beyond self-doubt, valuing personal freedom and aspirations over traditional success indicators like wealth or fame. It empowers women to use their voices to fix broken systems, rather than conforming to them. The ideas are illustrated using real-life examples from coaching sessions, indicating that too often, capable women undermine their own potential for joy and fulfillment.

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Fear

The book provides useful techniques to help women break free from self-doubt, listen to their inner mentor, confront fears, and disregard both criticism and praise. These skills stimulate women's progress towards their goals, tackling common obstacles such as fear and an overreliance on validation. The emphasis is not on fighting for positions in flawed systems, but on using one's voice to reshape those systems.

Real Women, Real Challenges

Stories are shared of women, like Nisha, Elizabeth, and Cynthia, each with unique gifts and powerful ideas, but hampered by self-doubt and underconfidence. Despite their significant potential, their path to contribution remains restricted. The book encourages such women to disregard societal conditioning and embrace their inner mentor and unique callings instead.

Silencing the Inner Critic

Taming Self-Doubt

Women often grapple with a nagging inner critic, an innate voice of self-doubt. This hidden adversary often hinders their attempts at playing bigger or attaining their goals. A deep-rooted desire for public speaking, treated with over caution and self-doubt, provides a vivid example of this inner critic at work.

The Cost and Counter

This prominent self-doubt restricts women from exploring their full potential. However, the silver lining here is that getting the better off this internal antagonist can be learned and practiced. Mohr introduces the idea of 'Inner Critic 101 Training' aiming to help women overcome their uncertainties.

Taming the Inner Critic

Detangling Inner Critic's Influence

Mohr introduces the idea of the inner critic, advising people to journal their thoughts in order to understand better its beliefs and cues. Consideration is also given to the role external and cultural impacts play in shaping our self-talk.

Personifying the Inner Critic

In dealing with the inner critic, Mohr advocates for characterizing it, giving it a name and physical traits. This method is shown to work through instances of two women, who found effective ways of distancing themselves from their inner critics after personifying them.

The Power in Dismissing the Inner Critic

Furthermore, by actively writing a dismissal note to our inner critic, we make strides in halting its influence over us. Mohr pushes for reflection on times where motivation stemmed from places other than self-doubt or fear as an empowering practice.

Harnessing The Inner Mentor

Discovering the Inner Mentor

In 'Playing Big', we meet the 'inner mentor', an internal voice offering wisdom, free from fear or insecurity. We're introduced to a unique visualization exercise, imagining ourselves 20 years ahead. Our future selves act as these internal mentors, aiding decision-making.

Power of Visualization Exercise

The author's own experiences reveal how this exercise can facilitate positive life changes. The exercise has also helped other women discover their own inner mentors, empowering them to deal with obstacles, chase their ambitions, and make decisions confidently.

The Journey of Transformation

From fear to confidence, from self-doubt to bold action – we learn how the inner mentor becomes an accessible tool for personal growth. This inner guide helps embracing life challenges and encourages us to play big roles in life and work.

Unlocking the Inner Mentor

Exploring Mentor's Daily Rituals

Unlock your personal growth by tapping into your inner mentor's voice. Try journaling about their daily routines and financial practices. It's a way to understand new perspective and gain remarkable insights.

Probing the Self-Care Routine

Unravel how your inner mentor handles physical health and emotional well-being. How they approach exercise, face health challenges, and their self-care practices could be a wellspring of personal improvement.

Emulating Mentor's Environment and Relationships

Dress like your inner mentor and see how your approach to the day changes. Altering your environment or taking their viewpoint in relationships can also cultivate personal evolution.

Understanding Fear and Embracing Authenticity

Two faces of Fear

There are two kinds of fear mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Pachad, which is an anxiety of self-created or envisioned dangers. On the contrary, Yirah is a sensation of being in sacred presence, existing in an expanded space, and possessing greater vitality.

Wrestling with Fear

Women commonly struggle with both Pachad and Yirah. They confront these fears while stepping nto their true selves, acknowledging authenticity and shedding inhibitions.

Methods to master Fear

There are fifteen practices to work through fear with confidence and vigor. These practices include discovering one's inner guide, accepting love, being inquisitive, and seeing what hides at fear's finish line.

Breaking Free from External Validation

Struggles with Feedback Addiction

Mohr describes her obsessive reliance on praise and harsh dread of criticism. This dependence hampered her creative expression and left her feeling inadequate when recognition was missing. This fear of not meeting expectations caused her to halt her writing for several years.

The Recovery Path

Things took a turn when Mohr decided to write not for the approval of others, but for her own gratification. This shift in perspective powered her reconnection with creativity and encouraged her writing passion once more. This suggests the importance of self-motivated expression, instead of seeking external affirmation.

Personal Reactions to Praise and Criticism

Mohr examines varied reactions to validation and critique, using the examples of Deb, Rachel, and Mandy in their respective professions. Deb feared criticism so much she hesitated to start her much-needed program, Rachel quit what she loved because of negative feedback, while Mandy’s drive to incorporate all feedback impacted her effectiveness and diluted her vision.

Transforming Feedback Relationship

Handling Praise and Criticism

Your relationship with praise and criticism can be affected by many things. Notably, some women feel a strong need to be liked. Being overly concerned with others' opinions or prioritizing other's feelings more than their personal experience can negatively impact this relationship.

Interpreting Feedback

Interesting thing about feedback is that it says more about the person giving it than the one receiving it. Taking only the useful parts and discarding the rest is the strategic way of incorporating feedback.

Learning from Role Models

Accepting criticism is a part of playing big and achieving big things. Inspirational individuals who faced criticism head-on, yet continued with their mission serve as leading examples. Reflecting on your own painful experiences of praise and criticism can help you to overcome fears and recognize what matters to you most.

Unlocking Women's Potential in Workplaces

School Success and Career Challenges

While women's academic accomplishments are impressive, they often face difficulties transferring these skills to the workplace. Habits such as obedience towards authority, over-planning, depending on external knowledge, and concentrating on work without showcasing it can restrict women's career progress.

Moving Past Conventional Habits

Overcoming such obstacles calls for women to question authority, learn to improvise, trust their internal wisdom, and highlight their achievements. Women must determine the right authorities to follow, form alliances with like-minded people, and capitalize on situations requiring on-the-go decision making.

Emphasizing Self Reliance and Visibility

Women need to rely more on their personal knowledge and insights than external sources. They must learn to effectively communicate their successes and find a balance between self-promotion and peer perception. Women should champion their accomplishments and strengths without downplaying their value.

Conquering Self-Hindrance

Common Hindering Tactics

Tara Mohr discovers various strategies used by women to stop themselves from achieving their full potential. These include putting tasks in a rigid sequence and brainstorming without audience feedback. Likewise, adding excessive complexities and continually polishing work reveals insecurity. Additionally, there's the habit of garnering others' opinions to avoid expressing personal viewpoints.

Unnecessarily Delaying Achievements

Other self-sabotaging behaviors acknowledged encompass the refusal to share personal experiences and the perpetual need for more education before commencing any significant action. Mohr highlights that there's no set order to effectively follow personal goals, urging women to choose the most straightforward path towards achievement.

Real-Life Stories

Mohr illustrates her points through real-life experiences, such as Hannah who initially thought she needed to be fluent in Japanese before job hunting and Lena who sought audience feedback for her children's book about the human brain. Mohr also recalls her misplaced reluctance to incorporate her personal experiences when creating an anthology. Upon reflection, this was a lost opportunity to connect deeper with her readers.

Embrace the Leap

Step towards Greatness

Introducing the concept of 'leaping', Mohr defines this as a transformative antidote to playing safe. Everyone must dare to take immediate action towards aspirations that can be achieved within two weeks, stepping out of comfort zones and touching bases with the audience coveted. Learning is a core goal behind each leap.

Examples in Action

Women have exemplified leaping in various fields, from setting up gourmet food markets to starting meditation practices and publishing memoirs. These leaps foster swift learning and bring joy, imbuing meaning into actions and positively altering self-perception.

Resistance and Rewards

Leaping invokes feelings of vulnerability with the looming fear of failure and initial feedback, often causing resistance. However, embracing leaps aids course correction, producing more fruitful results in the longer term.

Addressing self-undermining habits

Unraveling Female Speech Habits

Tara Mohr uncovers the impact of certain female speech habits on their self-image. Habits such as using words like 'just,' 'actually,' 'kind of,' and 'almost' or unnecessarily apologizing can potentially undermine their presence. These emerged from the societal expectation of likability versus competence placed on women.

Steps Towards Change

Mohr proposes a systematic approach towards modifying these negative traits. The process includes focusing on one habit at a time, having a support system, recording their own speech, and thoughtful written communication. Conveying both warmth and competence is key to overcoming the constructed likability-competency barrier.

Embracing Life's Callings

Discovering Life's True Purpose

Life's true purpose often comes in the form of callings. Tara Mohr, in her book 'Playing Big', emphasizes on the importance of these callings. They're more than just a desire. They're a passionate urgency to make a difference in this world, to contribute to something good. It could be mentoring, launching a business, or even dabbling in the arts.

Finding Meaning in Frustration

Callings are not always grand visions or world-changing ideas. They can originate from frustration and pain. Their size or duration don't matter, as Krish McBride, a social worker, learned when she felt compelled to influence legislation for the betterment of foster kids. It was not a grand mission she envisioned, just a calling she couldn't ignore.

Embrace the Journey, Not the Destination

It's essential to embrace the journey of pursuing your calling, regardless of the constraints or challenges. Feelings of insufficiency or worries about the size of the task should not deter from responding to the call. Recognizing these threads of purpose contributes towards fulfilling the larger calling of 'Playing Big'.

Revamping Goal-Pursuit Tactics

Transforming Struggles Into Triumphs

The intertwined stories of Madeline and Caitlin reveal two different strategies to achieve professional dreams. The struggles of Madeline, who solely relied on self-discipline, contrast Caitlin's successful venture launched with strategic planning and effective support systems.

Adapting Personal Experiences into Theory

Mohr's personal journey towards overcoming emotional overeating presents a convincing case for replacing self-discipline with self-compassion and practical help. Her experience advances a feasible alternative for behavior change.

Debunking Self-Discipline Myths

The book refutes common misconceptions about self-discipline and willpower. Emphasizing the effectiveness of self-compassion over shame and guilt in motivation, it offers strategies to turn goals into a joyful gifting process rather than a burdensome should-do task.

Mapping Success Strategies

It concludes with six practical strategies to ease goal achievement, highlighting the role of supportive champions, accountability sources, and a collaborative approach towards larger forces.

Unlocking Inner Potential

Unlocking Gift-Goals Through Journaling

Mohr’s work encourages using journaling prompts as a way to explore gift-goals that bring satisfaction. By seriously considering what brings us joy, we can distinguish these desired goals from the influences of perfectionism, societal expectations and self-doubt.

Finding Authentic Aspirations

To further unearth true goals, Mohr proposes reflecting on inner callings and childhood self. Individuals can gain valuable insights from these reflections, helping separate imposed expectations from personal ambitions.

Enabling Progress Towards Goals

In conjunction to identifying personal goals, the text encourages individuals to tap into a larger force for good and to recognize personal strengths. By doing so, a supportive environment is created, making the path towards goals less daunting.

Embracing Transformation

Power of Revisiting Concepts

Tara Mohr's program, Playing Big, witnessed a notable reenrollment rate of 75%. Many participants found previously irrelevant topics now holding crucial significance in their current challenges. This shows the progressive nature of the course’s concepts requiring time for complete integration.

Navigating Inner Challenges

As participants persist with the course, they tackle inner critic flare-ups and are better at course-correction. This journey fosters a stronger bond with their inner mentor focusing on an authentic life.

The Unique Role of Women

Playing big, for women, means not just achieving success but living in alignment with their dreams and catalyzing positive changes. This approach transcends typical system participation, affects substantial transformation, and contradicts the norm.

Countering Status Quo

Mohr suggests that women are instrumental in transitioning from a male-dominated world to a balanced society. Upholding authenticity and bringing forth revolutionary ideas can help subvert the established system. Tara believes that women hold solutions for major global problems and taking action helps manifest these solutions and instigate change.

Balancing Creativity and Motherhood

Striking a Balance

The writer elucidates her journey of creating this book while embracing motherhood. Meeting the curiosities of other women about how being a mother would influence her work, she confesses that becoming a mother reshaped everything, while retaining her perspective around playing big.

Changing Notions

Despite the conventional thought around work-family tension, she discovered the smooth coexistence of being a dedicated mother and professional. She embraced motherhood as an integral part of her being, trusting her intuition and challenging her doubts head-on.

Shared Leadership

A recurring theme in her narrative is the aspiration for a future where leadership responsibilities are divided equally between men and women. She worked for women to participate more, aiming to create a balanced world for her son and everyone.

Expressing Gratitude: A Heartfelt Approach

Appreciation for Comrades and Guides

In her work, Mohr displays immense gratitude for the alumnae of the Playing Big program. She highly values their shared stories and feedback, making a significant impact on her.

An Ode to the Professional Connection

Mohr gives credit to her professional team, research assistants, and the Coaches Training Institute. Their considerable contributions, she indicates, have been invaluable to her journey and the creation of her work.

Acknowledging the Female Force

Mohr deeply appreciates the women in her life, recognizing that their strength, wisdom, and resilience have been a source of inspiration and support. She extends this acknowledgement to mentors who have guided her on her path.

Tribute to the Home Front

Moher never fails to express her profound love and gratitude towards her family. Her husband’s love and her son’s very existence, in particular, bring her immeasurable joy and motivation. She wishes for her son to remain true to himself, always playing big.

Battling Fear and Empowering Growth

The Impact of Stress

The strain from long-term stress can lead to numerous health issues. It's crucial to manage and mitigate it for the sake of our well-being.

Quiet Your Inner Critic

For blossoming personal growth, silencing your inner critic is necessary. Embrace your strengths rather than focusing on self-doubt.

Listening to Inner Wisdom

Making astute decisions often requires the guidance of our inner wisdom. Listen actively and you'll make wiser choices.

Fear's Role in Development

Fear, if unchecked, can stagnate personal development. One needs to confront and overcome fear for growing personally.

Praise, Criticism and Perception

Our perception of self is influenced greatly by praise and criticism. Handle them wisely to maintain a robust self-image.

Challenges Faced by Women

Women encounter numerous hurdles in education and professional settings. Efforts to overcome these are essential.

Importance of Communication

Effective communication is key to success, both personally and professionally. It's a skill one must always work on.

The Need for Self-Compassion

Self-compassion helps us deal with guilt and fosters healthier choices. Treat yourself kindly!

Simplicity and Success

Making things easier and simpler often leads to better outcomes. It's a principle to live by for achieving success.