"Silenzio, Bruno!"

Last week, I cozied up with my boys and tuned into the latest Disney Plus release, Luca. I expected a feel-good family film, but was pleasantly surprised at the brilliant life coaching lesson packed inside. 

The main character, Luca (like most of us) struggles throughout the film with his inner critic, telling himself that he shouldn’t or couldn’t do this or that. 

Luca’s friend, Alberto, is able to identify his internal struggle, and shares a clever strategy he uses to squash that jerk. 

In a particular moment of hesitation, Alberto explains to Luca, “You have a Bruno in your head. Don’t listen to stupid Bruno. Silenzio, Bruno!”

My first thought was, “Man. Not a good day to be a Bruno.”

But there is so much truth and power in this lesson. 

The fact is, we  all have this inner critic. 

Sometimes, like Luca, they hold us back from launching into an adventure. 

Sometimes they make us feel like we don’t belong where we are (imposters syndrome). 

Sometimes they cause us to ‘should’ on ourselves (“I should do __[this]__. I shouldn’t do __[that]__.” 

And WAY too often, they lead us to shut down ideas or possibilities before they even get to see the light of day.

Try this: 

Named it to tame it. What might happen if, like Luca, you named your inner critic? And, in your own way, told them to ‘stand down’? 

Then, the next time that  jerk shows up on the scene, trying to steal your confidence or naysay your dreams, bust out your “SILENZIO, BRUNO!” mantra and take your power back. 

Shed the should. 
Explore ‘what if.’ 
Chase the adventure. 

Find joy in the journey, my friends, 
Coach Darci