The Critic's Tricks

Your inner critic uses rhetorical tricks that make distorted messages feel true.

Selective evidence: It replays the one presentation that flopped and ignores the dozens that went well.

Moving goalposts: Achieve something, and it raises the bar. "Sure, you got promoted, but at a real company you would never make it."

Comparison traps: It compares your inside to everyone else's outside — your doubt against their polished surface.

Catastrophizing: A minor slip becomes a disaster. Forgot to reply to an email? "Your career is going to suffer."

Once you spot the tricks, the critic's power erodes. It thrives on operating undetected.