A tool for when your inner critic takes the mic... We all have that voice in our heads that is, quite frankly, a jerk. Sometimes it's just being a jerk. Other times, it may be pointing out something worth considering. That doesn't mean you have to accept the way it's talking to you. When you catch your inner critic being mean, try what I call "The Friend Test." The Friend Test Catch it. Notice when you're being harder on yourself than you would be with someone else. Ask it. "