Mirror, Mirror on the wall


“The mirror is a powerful tool because it forces you to deal with yourself on a deeper level.”~Mickalene Thomas

When was the last time you studied your reflection in the mirror? What did you really see? I'm not talking about the cursory glance we take in the morning as we brush our teeth or as we apply makeup and glam up for the day. What I have in mind is a soul searching look into the depth of your soul through your eyes. 

In Can’t Hurt Me, David Goggins writes: “I didn’t like who I saw starring back.” He had just got a letter from school saying unless his grades and attendance improved, he was not going to graduate. And if he didn’t graduate, he’d have to forget about the US Army career he really wanted to pursue. His conversation with the man in the mirror was the beginning of his realization that his future was up to him. He got himself where he was and he had to take himself to his ideal. Today, David is a retired Navy Seal, an ultra marathon runner and public speaker. He has an intriguing story of pulling himself from the dumps, and there was no fluff or candy on the journey up. Focus, pain, perseverance, resilience, accountability, and much more is what it takes. And he’s still at it, because to arrive is to be dead.

For the Accountability Mirror exercise, you’ll need a mirror, a pen and a post it pad. Look into the mirror and ask the one who looks back what their insecurities, dreams and goals are. As the answers come, write them down on the post it notes and stick them up on the sides of the mirror. Write the good, the bad, and the ugly. Are you lazy? Are you talented in some area but not doing your best? Have you been spinning a tale about having done all there is to do but know deep down you have not gone the distance? Write it down. Is it time to finally do something about that issue that's been pending? Write it down.

Sylvia Earle says, “Hold up a mirror and ask yourself what you are capable of doing, and what you really care about. Then take the initiative – don’t wait for someone else to ask you to act.” I agree. Before you go out and ask someone else to hold you accountable, are you able to face yourself and be accountable to you? At the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with you. Are you truthful and honest with yourself or are you pulling wool over your eyes? Can you be trusted to keep your word to yourself?

Coming clean about the 'here and now' and identifying your 'there and then' enables you to see the distance between the two points and come up with a realistic assessment of your problem and the strategy you would need to bridge the two points. Be clear about the effort, commitment and discipline it will take and be prepared to pay the price to go from A to B. This is the power of the mirror exercise in identifying and moving your life’s mountains. 

Are you willing to face your mirror today? 

Really look into the mirror?

What do you see there: the fairest of them all or you, as you know yourself to be?

 

“Don’t be sorry for the truth. A harsh truth is less damaging than a tender lie, and the worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.” ~Dianna Hardy

 

One of my favourite David Goggins’ interviews with Lewis Howes, listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMgMASVsA9Y.

 

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