Are you living an honest life or do you lie to yourself? We all tell ourselves we will start our diet on Monday, start exercising more, start spending less or make better choices but are we being honest with ourselves or is it an illusion we are creating to avoid reality.
When we choose dishonesty and delusion, we only see only what we want. The lies we tell ourselves lead us to ignore important things. A life of delusions while great in theory trades in long-term happiness for short-term joy. What happens when we only see what we want to see, is that we end up ignoring things we want to avoid, but those things don’t go away just because we wish them to.
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Five Steps to a More Honest Life
You might find it painful to be honest with yourself at first, but it is a necessary step to live a truthful life. Listed below are five steps you can take today to become more honest with yourself.
1. Admit Your Mistakes
All people make mistakes. It is part of what it is to be human. So why is it so hard for us to admit our mistakes sometimes? Why is it the most difficult aspect of self-honesty? It’s easy to slip into self-protection mode and blame others or make an excuse for a mistake, but it won’t help you build any self-confidence.
True confidence involves our being courageous enough to admit our mistakes and shortcomings. That way we can learn and grow so we won’t make the same mistake again.
2. Accept Your Feelings
Emotions while revealing aren’t reality. Most times, we look at our emotions negatively. For instance, when people say they are stuck in their feelings, but they are an important key to understanding how we interact with the world.
When you look inward to understand why you feel a certain way, you can learn how to manage your emotions and respond accordingly in the future. When you find a level of honesty with yourself, your stress levels will also reduce.
3. Acknowledge that Life Has Good and Bad Moments
Most people are guilty of embracing the good things in life and ignoring the bad. Much like social media, where people post only the good things happening in their life and you never see the hardships they face. This is an illusion, though not reality. It is a bit like sweeping dirt under the mat instead of dealing with it the right way the first time.
We do the same thing in our heads, because it is easier to ignore things than deal with them. However, this won’t solve anything and will just make things worse in the long run. Having an honest and balanced view of yourself will keep you sane.
Related reading: 7 Stress-Reducing Tips
4. Refrain from Over Thinking
It is important not to over-analyze any situation. Don’t create an elaborate story about why bad things always happen to you, just be matter of fact. There is no need to rationalize or intellectualize every single thing in your life, because it is easy to get carried away. Note what is happening, give yourself five minutes to feel your feelings and then move forward. Be realistic, sensible and honest with yourself.
5. Prioritize Self-Reflection
At the end of every day, take time to reflect on how your day went. Ask yourself these questions:
- What went well in my day?
- What needs improvement?
- Did I use my time wisely?
- What stressed me out?
- What made me emotional?
- Where am I stuck?
- What am I grateful for?
- What do I need to let go of?
- What lesson did I learn today?
- What did I do that moved me closer to my goals?
Think about using a journal to record your daily thoughts, a notes app on your phone or keep a notepad beside your bed. Be honest with yourself without being critical or judgmental.
Related reading: 10 Benefits of Journal Writing
The purpose of this exercise isn’t to damage your self-esteem, it is about reflecting on the day to make tomorrow better. When you use reflection to analyze your day, you can learn about yourself, which will allow you to solve problems faster in the future. It allows you to get a better picture of what it takes to improve your life.
Last Words on Living a More Honest Life
Honesty is an important aspect to developing yourself as a person because you can’t grow and develop if you aren’t being honest with yourself. Are you living an honest life?
Take Care
Linda
Feature image from Pixabay.
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