Hear The Truth, Even When It Hurts.

This past year, I have realized a common theme amongst many men (and my past self).

Many of you prefer to live by a good lie rather than accepting a bad truth.

As a kid, I had a hard time hearing negative opinions on how I did things. I preferred to spend time on my own, running away from feeling judged. It was intimidating to be around people who are bold and have harsh opinions. So I always looked for lying friends.

Accepting the lies and living a normal quiet life holds you back from fulfilling your goals in life. You are hiding from the reality of your situation and pretending that everything is okay when it isn’t.

There are many different lies that people tell themselves. Some of the most common ones include:

• “I’m not good enough”

• “I can’t do this”

• “Everyone is out to get me”

• “It’s not my fault”

You can achieve nothing with this type of mindset. Changing it will massively improve your capabilities in relationships, business, and friends. You will develop your self and skills at an amazingly fast pace.

Here are 4 ways to do this:

1) Self Accountability

Self-accountability means taking responsibility for your actions and behaviors without blaming others. It means you’re fulfilling your obligations, tasks, and goals without excuses. And, if an unexpected challenge comes your way, being accountable means you can focus on a solution without pointing fingers.  

You must hold yourself accountable all the time, in every problem you face. Analyze the situation, and see what you could've done better. Eliminating excuses and actually fixing problems one by one, will get you way ahead of others.

2) Negative Feedback

Throughout your life, you’ll always get feedback in some form or another, and it will likely highlight both what you do well and what you should improve on. It’s a key part of professional growth, this can be extremely valuable for advancing your skills.

Regardless of the nature of the feedback, the way you receive and respond to it will go a long way in coming up as a confident, competent, strong man. Check the feedback you've been given and implement it moving forward.

Here are some reactions you must avoid if you want to dig yourself out and emerge with strength and poise.

• Getting defensive

• Over-apologizing

• Reacting on impulse

• Dwelling on it

Analyze everything you get, be honest with yourself and filter everything that isn't genuinely true. As for the rest, figure out ways on how to improve in them and that's how you take advantage of such negative truth.

3) Self-Reflection

Self-reflection builds self-awareness, but only through intention and dedication. This means you must press “pause” on your life and sift through your thoughts and interactions.

You must think and ponder the meaning of your circumstances, emotions, and motivations. Start implementing this strategy and with discipline, it will become a habit.

Doing this regularly will allow you to gain perspective on what matters.

In Summary

Now that you know how important the truth is, and why you shouldn't run away from it, it's your responsibility to start taking action. Take all that negative truth that you've heard, treat it as a challenge and fix the issues mentioned. Don't let emotions get to you, be logical about most things in life.

I wish you success, joy, and unlimited accomplishments in this one life that we each get.