humor and the inner critic

Recently, in supportive conversations, colleagues and I have related about situations in which we feel like ”Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney.” In the comedy classic from Saturday Night Live, McCartney is a guest on The Chris Farley Show, a skit portraying Farley as a talk show host.  

Chris asks Sir Paul a variety of questions that inspire basically one-word answers.  Throughout the interview Chris fidgets, plays with his notes, runs on with his thoughts and seems to squander the opportunity, and then beats himself up about it. His anxiety is visible and the performance is an outward display of his character’s, and maybe Farley's own, inner tumult.  Who of us hasn’t been Chris Farley interviewing Paul McCartney at least once in our life? This sketch captures the experience of self-doubt through Farley’s comedic genius and McCartney’s good humor. 

What is the consequence of listening to our doubts?  One of them is to think more about what we are putting out than what we are taking in.  To focus more on what we are saying than what is being said to us. We miss the chance to connect, even to our dreams and those we adore. Then we doubt ourselves even more when we later realize what we have have lost.      

How do we listen to our internal dialog without letting it take over? How do we hang with our conscience and not be self-conscious?  It is not so much about shutting those voices out, but clarifying and appreciating what they express to us and being able to project our full, conscious, selves. 

It is fun to imagine how, if we were in Chris’s shoes, we would rephrase his interview. Of course, it wouldn’t be a comedy classic, but it would be a good exercise. It might also be a nice tribute to a talent lost too soon.  So you know how Chris Farley gave us a funny, emotional, pop-culture touchstone that promotes self-awareness?  Is that true?  

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