Uncomfortability Challenge #1: Feedback

This challenge was honestly more uncomfortable than I realized. Asking the people you care about to give you harsh and truthful critizism makes your ego afraid. I started having second doubts about asking for feedback but realized that growth would be impossible without hearing your faults. I picked some meaningful people in my life ( I could not add many more without risking complication in subject focus). Let's just jump straight into it.

So the first feedback I recieved from my close friend and future teeth toucher Yalis.

After recieving this information I can be sure to say that this is sometimes true. I crack alot of jokes to lighten the mood but occasionally I'll feel clownlike in my demeanor. Finding the balance between being serious and being silly is something I've always struggled with, however I have improved significantly from last year in that regard. This also illuminates self-esteem issues which have manifested themselves in my mind over the years. In my attempts to be serious I mistake the moods of others and get into pointless conflicts. The solution to me is clear, practice mindfulness and work on humbling my ego whilst uprooting the negative thought patterns that lead me to be so locked in my head.

So now onto to my next piece of feedback. My mother.

This conversation took place in person, but she didn't have much to say in terms of improvement. She mentioned that she was concerned about my views of women due to my liking of some of the Tate brothers' content. However, I eased these concerns by explaining that I love women and have the utmost respect for them. My family is full of powerful women (my mother included) who have shown nothing but compassion and the courage to persevere.

Uncomfortable as it may be, the feedback I recieved is greatly appreciated.

The unexamined life is not worth living. -Socrates

Seeing oneself can be remarkably challenging. While a physical mirror reflects the outer self, gazing into the mental mirror presents an entirely different set of obstacles. Removing the elaborate self-image constructed by the ego, and peering into what is authentically real, demands profound introspection.

Pause for a moment to cease deceiving yourself. Refrain from gaslighting your own mind into embracing a skewed narrative of reality, dismissing problems as if they were mere illusions. This is the moment when you rationalize, claiming that certain flaws aren't significant or asserting that you can maintain good health even at 300 pounds, despite having an average height. I've personally fallen into this trap more times than I can recount. As humans, we are inherently drawn to the path of least resistance. However, it's when we permit this inclination to reign unchecked by logic that it evolves into a substantial issue.

The key to making proper decisions is mindfulness. This is something I will touch upon in the next article.