Let’s Get Real Here
It is impossible to behave in accordance with our values all the time. There is
often a gap between who we say we are, who we want to be, and how we act during any given day. Our behaviors reveal our character, yet sometimes we can behave in ways that are nasty, or lazy, or contrary to our values.
Not facing the truth about oneself is a major reason people fail to carry
through on their goals.
Here is the dilemma: facing the truth brings up unpleasant and uncomfortable
feelings such as guilt, anger, frustration, envy, sadness, greed, and
insecurity.
At the most basic level, we deceive ourselves in order to protect our
self-esteem—our image of who we are or wish to be. Self-deception is unconscious and automatic.
Instead of looking for excuses, look for what makes a task such as exercise,
better eating, or spending time with your family worthwhile. Remember your true values. Once you make the emotional connection to why these tasks matter to you, you tap into the energy and passion that is already there within you.
The solution, as eloquently stated by James Hillman, is in “…the moral
recognition that these parts of me are burdensome and intolerable and must
change, and the loving, laughing acceptance which takes them just as they are, joyfully, forever. ”
The full 1,000 word article includes the following concepts:
Why Self-deception?
Our Own Department of Defense
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Freeing up Passion
Recommended Reading
Here is the order link:
a. Text Version, 1-000 word article, full reprint rights $57 click HERE
All word lengths are approximate.