Today I’m going to talk about something that is close to my heart. I try to maintain integrity in this area as much as I can because it is literally the “fountain of life”. I know that if I begin to wander from this principle I could easily deceive myself and derail my own success. So, I try to be open and honest especially when it comes to this. I’m talking about self-evaluation.
I can tell you from experience that it’s EASY to ignore feedback that doesn’t align with how you see yourself. It’s easy to excuse your bad behavior or dismiss your constant shortcomings. Why? Because we judge ourselves based on our intentions not our actions. It’s a form of self-protection. This can be good if we are real with ourselves and acknowledge the good and bad of what we do and who we are. However, if we choose to only acknowledge the good things we do and our good intentions rejecting the other side of us that isn’t always “good” we run the risk of deceiving ourselves.
I want to challenge you to invest in yourself by first, being honest in your self-examination. I know that you value integrity, but do you practice it? I know that you appreciate quality work and a hard work ethic, but do you work hard, or are you constantly checking your social media accounts to ensure that you’re in the loop? Are you challenging yourself to go the extra mile, or do you only expect people to go the extra mile for you? I don’t want you to tell me the answer to these questions; I’m simply asking to help you find a starting place for your sober self-evaluation. No human can give you a test to determine whether you’re being honest with yourself or not. Only you can dig deep enough to figure that out.
You see, the truth is that talking will never replace doing. In order to see results you have to start working. It is a principle in life! Tell me, how do trees come into fruition? Someone has to put in work. Someone has to till the soil, plant a seed for the specific type of tree they want to grow, and then care for it. They need to nourish it with water and sunlight, things which are conducive to producing the results they want. Well, WE are the same way! If you want to build an empire or develop yourself, you have to identify exactly what it is that you want to develop within yourself and then start working towards it, not merely talk about it.
Honesty with yourself is the foundation of personal development. You are capable of accomplishing ANYTHING you dream about, you just have to be ready to back it up consistent action and integrity. Until next time,
