America Ferrara wrote a “New York Times” essay about defeating her inner critic, and, you GO GIRL!

Given the fact that we’re all human, bouts of self-doubt and feelings of insecurity will come and go. That’s nothing to fear, though. If anything, it should propel us to move forward with more determination than ever! Need a burst of inspo? America Ferrara has the goods.

In a piece for the New York Times entitled How a Triathlon Helped America Ferrara Defy Her Inner Critic, Ferrara explained how conquering challenging events help defeat those pesky inner demons.

In the op-ed, she recalls the time she’d just won an Emmy, and how — in what should have been a moment of celebration — she felt like she didn’t deserve success. She hurried off the stage as soon as possible, feeling like an imposter.

She went on to write that when she initially decided to sign up for a triathalon, she truly felt like she was out of her depths and as if there was no way she would ever succeed.

"When my husband decided he was going to join [my friend] in the next triathlon, the voice returned with a vengeance: Don’t even think about it, America! You’re the fat kid. The procrastinator. The quitter. You have cellulite. YOU ARE NOT A TRIATHLETE!"

But then came…

"'O.K., I’ll do it!' I yelled the words desperately."

When she found herself chanting a private monologue that criticized her athletic performance (so badly that friends were noticing her behavior), she made a big change and decided to “rewrite” her inner dialogue during training sessions.

"As I approached the last leg of my lap, and the sensation that I might throw up or pass out began to rise, I dug out my inner Beyoncé. I began to chant: I’m a survivor. I’m not gone give up. I’ma keep running, ’cause a winner don’t quit on herself!"

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Ferrara emphasizes how painful it is to train and compete in a triathlon, but how it was all worth the physical and mental struggle.

"My shoulder, my lungs, my legs — my whole body ached. But for the first time, I didn’t feel beaten down at the end of a run. I felt like a badass."

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She also says that she started to understand the little voice in her head that had always told her she wasn’t good enough.

"I began to have a real conversation with my mean, scared voice. I even began to understand her fear. She’d only wanted to save me from humiliation and failure. She was protecting me the best way she knew how, and I learned to appreciate that, even if I no longer required her services."

She went onto say,

"On the day of the race, I only had two goals: (1) finish and (2) stay positive. I am proud to say that I accomplished both. I didn’t just complete a triathlon. For five months, I showed up to defend myself against a scared and angry voice. In the end, I didn’t eradicate her. But I had transformed her."

YESSSSSSSSSSSSS. We are so incredibly inspired by Ferrara’s words, and so grateful she chose to share them. You can read the full essay here.