A teacher, a joke, and the belief underneath it
“Just look at the idiot in front of you.”
That’s what a teacher said about himself, mid-class.
At the end, he said: what a failure.
He’d forgotten to sign the participation certificates. That was the offense.
Everything Before That Moment
Everything before that moment had been excellent. Engaging, generous, more content than promised. The certificates themselves were a surprise — a small detail that showed he actually cared about the people in the room.
He had overdelivered at every step. Probably more than most teachers in his position would have.
And he couldn’t see it.
In ninety minutes, I lost count of how many times he talked down to himself like that.
A Pattern, Not a One-Off
I also heard another man say it to himself on a daily basis — “idiot.” Always delivered with a laugh. It still left something heavy in the air.
Self-deprecating humor lands easy. It gets a laugh. Which is exactly why it goes unnoticed — it’s surfacing something real and dressing it as a joke. The belief underneath gets spoken, heard, and reinforced. Again.
What Are Yours
What are the words you reach for, out loud or just in your head?
I messed up again. Of course this didn’t go well. What an idiot. I always f*** it up. What a loser.
Mine was “what a loser.”
I traced it back to where it started. Did the work to clear it at the root.
It doesn’t come back anymore. And on the rare occasion something tries to echo it, there’s nothing underneath for it to attach to.
This Week
Notice them. And notice what happens in your body when you say them.
Does your jaw tighten? Do your shoulders drop? Is there a small wave of nausea?
You might be surprised by how loud that internal chatter actually is.
If something in this piece is landing — the conversation is free.
Cristina Girleanu
RTT® Practitioner · Spirit Release Facilitator · Rahanni Celestial Healer
