There comes a time in any man/woman’s life when they have to look themself in the mirror and realize that who they see is the architect, driver and the only one that can change their situation. As Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung once said: “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” To awaken the greatness in us, one has to look in the mirror instead of focusing on the window. The mirror is a metaphor for personal responsibility/accountability, which requires self-awareness, while the window is a metaphor for the externalities that control our immediate environment. We cannot control the weather, what people do and say to us, how society is shaping up (window), but we sure can do something about how the person we see in the mirror acts and make the necessary changes needed to transform,
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung
Personal transformation is an inside-out job that requires taking personal responsibility for your life. “If you don’t design your life plan, you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” American author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once remarked. The moment you realize that no one is coming to the rescue is when you know you have to bet on yourself, have a plan for your life, and relentlessly execute your goals, one day at a time.
American retired United States Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, and author David Goggins shared his process of staying accountable to himself and his goals with a process he calls the accountability mirror. In his very illuminating book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, Goggins writes:
The ritual was simple. I’d shave my face and scalp every night, get loud, and get real. I set goals, wrote them on Post-It notes, and tagged them to what I now call the Accountability Mirror, because each day I’d hold myself accountable to the goals I’d set. At first my goals involved shaping up my appearance and accomplishing all my chores without having to be asked.
Make your bed like you’re in the military every day!
Pull up your pants!
Shave your head every morning!
Cut the grass!
Wash all dishes!
The Accountability Mirror kept me on point from then on, and though I was still young when this strategy came through me, since then I’ve found it useful for people at any stage in life. You could be on the cusp of retirement, looking to reinvent yourself. Maybe you’re going through a bad break-up or have gained weight. Perhaps you’re permanently disabled, overcoming some other injury, or are just coming to grips with how much of your life you’ve wasted, living without purpose. In each case, that negativity you’re feeling is your internal desire for change, but change doesn’t come easy, and the reason this ritual worked so well for me was because of my tone.
I didn’t dance around and say, “Geez, David, you are not taking your education very seriously. No, I had to own it in the raw because the only way we can change is to be real with ourselves. If you don’t know shit and have never taken school seriously, then say, “I’m dumb!” Tell yourself that you need to get your ass to work because you’re falling behind in life!
“You are giving up instead of getting hard! Tell the truth about the real reasons for your limitations and you will turn that negativity, which is real, into jet fuel. Those odds stacked against you will become a damn runway!”
The Goggin’s accountability mirror ritual is a regimen that I find to be very useful. Telling yourself the truth, telling the only person who can change the course of life the hard truth that no one is coming to the rescue, could help change the direction of your life. The French proverb says, “GOD loves the sailor, but the sailor has to sail himself.” This is not a drill; this is the only chance you’ve got to find your purpose and be of service to the world. Look in the mirror instead of the window, change the things you have control over, and focus less on the things you cannot control, such as the weather or how people behave.
Look in the mirror instead of the window, change the things you have control over, and focus less on the things you cannot control.
Your self-expression allows you to project your self-image from your subconscious onto your outer reality. It plays a key role in the way others perceive and interact with you. The way you show up in the world makes a statement about who you are in that moment. Your self-image can be positive and empowering, giving you confidence and a strong sense of self-esteem. Likewise, it can be negative and disempowering, filling you with self-doubt and uncertainty.
“Ultimately, who you show up as is who you see when you look in the mirror. Your choices and actions will never exceed the image that you hold of yourself in your mind. There’s also nothing standing in the way of you improving that image.”
Meditations
Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt – Inner Wisdom
‘The quieter you become, the more you can hear.’ – Ram Dass
Daily Jay with Jay Shetty – Strengths, and
- Our strengths can be the source of so much fulfilment in our lives; they often connect us to our purpose, yet sometimes, people start to pigeonhole us, and we could start to pigeonhole ourselves. When we view ourselves exclusively through our strengths, it can leave us a bit limited. Strengths means solidifying your strengths and finding ways to work on other areas, too.
It is incredible to play to your strength, but it is even better to expand your repertoire.
- Daily Trip with Jeff Warren – Pleasure
Podcast
- The Blue Zones Expert: 70% of Your Health Is Dictated By This ONE Thing – Jay Shetty Podcast
Languages
- Google, Facebook, Amazon – El poder ilimitado de los consorcios digitales | DW Documental Español
- On N’est Pas Obligé D’etre D’accord : “Fuite des cerveaux: Peut-on stopper l’hémorragie ? Français
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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