Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.”
Kahlil Gibran
If you feel you’ve been stuck in a rut for a while, can’t seem to get out of your own way, or experience a ton of procrastination, you’re more than likely guilty of one of five self deceptions.
What is self-deception?
It’s a virtual reality of sorts – a jail cell you place yourself in because you don’t know that there is life outside the cell.
If you’ve ever seen the Truman Show, you’ll understand what it means to live in one reality not realizing there’s something beyond.
In our lives, we subject ourselves to our own limiting reality that keeps us stuck in a perpetual cycle of hopelessness, despair, and anger.
By shining light on how we do that, perhaps we can find a backdoor out.
What are the five ways we keep ourselves stuck or in constant self-sabotage?
Here are the five ultimate self-deceptions:
- You make assumptions about the world you live in. Whether it’s the #metoo movement, or past experiences that lead us to believe that something always works a certain way, we’re limiting our experiences from limitless possibilities. Life doesn’t have to be an all or nothing, always-never, scenario. What is an assumption you have about an area of your life that you can learn to let go of, now?
- You carry beliefs from your past that no longer serve you. If you grew up being told that you weren’t athletic, how has that shaped the way you behave on a daily basis? Who says you’re not athletic – the world, or your inner child? Separate the two.
- To evaluate how far you’ve come, you make comparisons. Termed “keeping up with the Joneses,” this phenomena leaves us feeling lack. What if your life wasn’t a race against others, but a challenge to be your best self every day?
- You adopt other people’s expectations. You identify as a string of things (usually nouns) – dad, brother, sister, mom, friend, daughter, son… etc. These labels come with a hefty price tag – other people’s expectations of how you’re supposed to show up. Let go of expectations, and just do you today.
- Everything needs to line up exactly the way you want it to – you’re guilty of perfectionism. If things aren’t exactly the way you want your life to look, and you have a difficult time letting go, you may struggle with perfectionism. The perfect (pun intended!) antidote? Choose spontaneity and joy.
Which of these five self-deceptions are you guilty of? And: what can you put into your calendar now to act on this new information? Time is of the essence! If you want to get unstuck and move forward, you need to act fast!
Live with intention. Lead with inspiration.