Are You “Living For Your Fictional Self?”

Photo by ROMAN ODINTSOV

Be comfortable with yourself. Stop trying to avoid yourself. It is not going to work. Because you can’t get away from yourself, from your mind, from your body, and from your soul. Other people can get away from you, but you cannot get away from yourself.

Since you can’t get away from yourself, then what are you going to do to reconnect with yourself, with your inner world?

Phillip C. McGraw says, “Living for your fictional self, whether it is a totally dominant force or just a partial one, is a dangerous state of being that diverts, absorbs, and robs your life energy.” Do not deceive yourself. When things are not going well for you, do not hide it. If you hide it, you are not deceiving others, you are deceiving yourself. You are stealing from your own life. You are crushing your own growth, your own success. Life is precious. Do not do that to yourself.

Your life matters. Start living it. Stop believing in where you were yesterday. Stop thinking about what didn’t go your way. It is a waste of your precious time to focus your attention on things that are no longer with you. Learn to let go. Letting go leads to freedom. When you let go of things that are eating you alive, you will attract better things, life-giving things into your life.

Do not fake it till you live it. Live it till you fake it. Do not fake your life. Be you, no matter what. Be comfortable living with yourself. If you cannot live with yourself, then where are you going to go?

How To Focus On Your Own Growth

Photo by Lukas

Growth is the only evidence of life.”- John Henry Newman

“Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no higher investment.”- Stephen Covey

“Growth is just awareness of more and more.”- Elizabeth Goudge

“Growth for the sake of growth is a cancerous madness.”- Edward Abbey

If you want to grow, go where no one is going. If you want to grow in your life, go where you are scared to go. And do not be scared when you are faced with problems. When you are faced with a problem, face it with your heart. Because problems bring growth. In his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams, Deepak chopra writes, “You can look at every problem you have in your life as an opportunity for some greater benefit. You can stay alert to opportunities by being grounded in the wisdom of uncertainty. When your preparedness meets opportunity, the solution will spontaneously appear.” When you see a problem, learn from it. It is not going to destroy you. Instead, it will make you better. It will bring out the best in you.

“Life is a test. It is only a test.”- Richard Carlson

The only way to learn from a problem is to see it as a test. If not, you will not be able to attack it. According to Richard Carlson, “When you look at life and its many challenges- as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches. If, on the other hand, you see each new issue you face as a serious battle that must be won in order to survive, you’re probably in for a very rocky journey.” When you face a problem, think about what you can learn from it. Do not focus on the stress. Instead of focusing on the stress, why not not focus on the process.

“Rather than struggling with your issue, see if there is something you can learn from it.”- Richard Carlson

If you want to grow, you must challenge yourself. You must have the courage to deal with your problems. Why is that? Because you are not going to grow without solving hard problems. Remember, the world is looking for courageous people to solve hard problems, not for weak people. Because it takes courage to win. If your courage is not big enough, you can develop it. And the right time to start is now.