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Self-honesty: The best self-help
“Being honest with oneself is a good exercise.”
- Sigmund Freud
I’m not sure about you, but I have trouble being honest with myself at times. It typically occurs when I set out to make improvements in different areas of my life. I may set lofty goals or unrealistic deadlines that make me feel ambitious at first. Eventually, I end up feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated, knowing I cannot possibly accomplish everything I set out to do in the timeframe I allotted myself. I will usually end up abandoning my plans or make a half-hearted attempt to salvage what I started, leaving me feeling the agony of self-defeat.
I recently recognized how I get myself into these situations. It starts with visions of grandeur. I lay out the best case scenario without considering all of the competing variables at play. Life happens while we are busy making others plans. I also do not take into consideration my shortcomings. I sometimes struggle with anxiety, procrastination and overcommitting my time. While I am able to recognize these things after the fact, I forget to factor them in while I am conjuring up my master plans to help heal the world.
I now understand more clearly how having self-awareness is so important while I am making plans and setting deadlines. Sure, I feel great when I am in the ideation and planning stage, while…
