When we are able to observe ourselves as if from the perspective of an external witness, we are able to speed up our growth and personal development. In this episode, Kate shares tips on how to develop this inner power of self-observation.

Without the ability to observe ourselves clearly, we cannot gain enough perspective to determine whether we have the skills we need to accomplish our goals or whether we are being the person we want to be. Developing our internal self-observer is a crucial stage in personal development.

Most of us first develop the ability to observe ourselves as a response to criticism and feedback about our mistakes and tend to develop a strong inner critic before we develop our inner witness. The inner witness serves a more neutral function, seeing us simply as we are without emotional content. The inner witness is pure acceptance of what is at this moment. 

Unlike our inner critic, our inner witness never judges us as less worthy of love for our faults or because of our mistakes. Our inner witness accepts us unconditionally.

And, because the inner witness does not see us without emotional content, it can neutrally assess when we fall short of our aspirations and be with us as we work to learn from our mistakes.

Cultivating our inner witness enables us to hold compassionate, non-judgmental space for ourselves. The inner witness allows us to nurture ourselves and coach ourselves to be better.

In this episode, Kate discusses why the inner witness is crucial for healthy relationships at home and at work and teaches some tools for developing this part of yourself.