Are You Lying to Yourself?
“The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.”
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Is there a divide between what you say you’re committed to and what you’re actually committed to? Know how to tell? Look at your life! (And be ruthlessly honest.)
For example, let’s say you insist that you’re committed to enjoying your life, but you spend the majority of your days following doubts and negative thoughts down suffering bunny holes and worrying about the future. Committed to joy: true or false?
Or, maybe you assert up and down that you are committed to nurturing your creativity, but you haven’t structured your life and routines in such a way that allows even a little time for creative expression. Committed: true or false?
Or, you swear you are committed to good health, but you don’t prioritize moving your body and can’t resist inhaling the entire sleeve of Oreos once it’s opened. Committed: true or false?
One of my coaching mentors once put it to me like this: when commitment and actions are aligned, there is a congruence between what you say, who you are, and how you show up in the world. We’re not talking perfect calibration. No such thing. (And we aren’t dismissing the fact that trauma and/or repressed emotion might be contributing to blocked action.) But when commitment and actions are aligned, it looks like a straight line:
When we say we are committed but our actions don’t back it up, it looks more like this with “horse shit” in the middle:
Obviously, what we’re committed to evolves and changes over time as our values shift. Sometimes radically. Mine have.
The question is: does your life right now align with what you say you value and are committed to? If not, what do you value? And what’s something small you can do today, this week, this month, or this year to bring your life into closer alignment? Give yourself the gift of time to reflect and take baby steps with authentic action. Otherwise, you may find yourself with the nagging sensation that you’re living someone else’s life.
And who needs that horse shit 🐴💩?
KB
