Stop Lying to YOURSELF Once and for All! Look the Truth in the Eyes!
From time to time, it's all right to block out a few things, to gloss over others, or to view them through the kaleidoscope of highly subjective perception. Nobody leads the perfect life, at least not if you tie it to demands and goals that are not actually your own. Lying to ourselves doesn't help us. It's unproductive, leads nowhere, and leaves us dwelling in place when we could be growing and blossoming.
Unfortunately, growth almost always involves pain. And of necessity, we have to say goodbye to one or two untruths if we want to move forward. Of the following 6 lies, you should heed this advice today rather than tomorrow. They'll only slow you down and prevent you from reaching your full potential.
1. I'm not good enough
For the job, for the man, for fulfilling a dream. It's amazing how little good we have to say about ourselves. Here we are dealing with negative beliefs. These come from childhood and adolescence or a destructive relationship and were instilled in us at some point by someone. No one comes up with the idea of not being able to do something on their own.
The opinion of not being pretty or smart enough for an endeavor has to come from somewhere. In a quiet minute, think about the self-flagellating sayings that keep running through your head. Do they apply to your appearance, your abilities, your character? Think about who put this nonsense, and nothing else, into your head. It helps to write down these stupid sayings on a piece of paper, even if it takes a little effort.
Write down all the negative things that have been said to you since you were in the sandbox. Then turn the tables and rephrase those caustic comments in a positive way. "You can't do that" then becomes, "I can do that very well" and "You don't have the nerve for that" becomes "I can achieve anything I want". This technique creates a positive mindset over time.
2. It's too late for that
As long as there are octogenarians catching up on their university degrees, couples in retirement homes walking down the aisle, and centenarian Iris Apfel is still one of the most popular models in the fashion industry, we can confidently consider age relative. Many careers these days don't start until the mid-40s or even later. What is it that you want?
A trip around the world, an education, a completely new start in your career? Everything is possible, you just have to find your niche and the way to get there. There are so many ways to get to your goals today. Always remember. The current estimated average life expectancy is 83 years for women and 79 years for men. Death is really the only deadline that is relevant.
3. People can be changed
No, they can't. There is exactly one person for whom this can work, and that person is you. Don't make the fatal mistake of thinking a partner can be educated or tweaked. They won't stop cheating, drinking or gambling, or relegate their hobbies and friends to the sidelines because of you. And those who don't take the truth too seriously won't suddenly do so at your side either. You are not the fairy godmother who can conjure a golden carriage out of a pumpkin. The sooner you admit this truth to yourself, the better.
4. I can't be happy yet
Why not? What is missing to be happy? One of the greatest sins of humanity is to always focus only on those things that it does not have. Beauty, the ideal weight, the dream partner, the career: there will always be a sore spot in our lives that separates it from the perfect. And that's the way it has to be.
Why else would we torture ourselves out of bed every morning when the alarm clock rings? We need desires and goals that are yet to be achieved, otherwise we might as well just sit down in the graveyard and wait our turn. So why not be here now and instantly happy? Think carefully about how many beautiful things are in your life now.
How many victories have you won, small and great, and how many stages on your course have you successfully completed? Focus on the good in your world, not on the few blank spots on your own personal map.
5. Everything that is not perfect is failed
Again, the utopia of perfect is our undoing. Instead of honoring the effort and time spent baking a cake or preparing a presentation, we focus on the flaws and weaknesses. It certainly doesn't hurt to have high standards in some areas of life. A brain surgeon, for example, would do well to declare perfectionism a guiding principle.
But in daily life, there are so many things that we succeed at, but that we can't chalk up as a success because they're just not perfect. One of the world's brightest minds, physicist Stephen Hawking, once said in an interview: "One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. There is no such thing as perfection. Without imperfection, neither it nor I would exist."
6. I lack willpower.
"I'm too weak," "my discipline isn't up to it," "I've always been too comfortable to do it," "I can't last that long." Does any of this sound familiar? This is your inner sloth talking to you and he is quite vocal and has the exact stamina you think you don't have.
Again, we are just dealing with a belief system from the past, perhaps with an upbringing in which impatience was the order of the day. Telling the child that he or she won't last anyway is a convenient excuse to nip some ambitions in the bud. If you're really convinced you don't have enough grit in you, start with a little discipline challenge.
If you don't do it already, start by making your bed in the morning for 14 days before you leave the house or go about your routine. Do it and after 14 days consider the next level. After all, discipline can be trained, just like a six-pack or good manners. Everything that can be learned can be done.
Today's Conclusion: Don't get in your own way.
Life lies are excuses that want to keep us in our comfort zone. They are convenient and within our grasp at all times. We've told them to ourselves so many times that we unreservedly accept them as truth. But there are countless exciting and touching success stories that teach us that anything we set our minds to is possible.
Human willpower, coupled with the power of visualization and positive thinking, makes for an unbeatable combination. The only thing that can get in the way of this wave of euphoria and drive is a negative attitude. That's it for today.