Last week, I held my annual “birthday sale” in the Marketing Mentor Shop–but I almost didn’t do it.

As I was writing the email message announcing the sale, I heard voices in my head — yes, I hear them sometimes too — and they were saying totally irrational things, like:

• You just had a sale on Memorial Day.

• No one really wants your stuff.

• There’s too much email already — the message will just get lost.

• Your birthday isn’t important.

Luckily, I had just written a post about the podcast I did with Danny Gregory, in which we talked about his new book, Shut Your Monkey, and brainstormed ideas about exactly how to deal with the inner critic many of us seem to have.

So I knew better than to pay any attention to it.

And it’s a good thing too — it was one of my best one-day sales ever! (Most of the items are still on sale, though no longer for the birthday price.)

* Colorful cupcake party background on blue, courtesy Shutterstock