What happens when you take a long hard look in the mirror and you see something you don’t want to see? While I could very well be talking about that 10 pounds you don’t actually need to lose or that new hair cut you can’t seem to style, we both know I’m talking about looking at who you are.

We all want for something and while it’s erroneous to believe that shifting circumstances will bring happiness or peace of mind, most of us live as though this is true. Grasping for that moment over there when things will be better is just part of this humanity gig.

But if we’re actually going to take this life seriously, not thrash through it in a state of reaction, numbing out and unconsciously banging our head against the wall of ‘life coming at you’, we need to be a little skillful about how we play.

It takes a lot of courage to really look at yourself. Truly. Because if you really look, there are going to be parts you don’t like. It may be beliefs you hold that keep you all wrapped up and closed. It might be behaviours that hurt the people you most care about. Perhaps you have an idea of who you’d like become or what you’d like to accomplish and you feel like you keep fumbling or f**king up.

Once we start looking, and then start trying to do something about it…there’s usually more and more to confront. It can be tempting to go blind. It’s way easier to do that thing you’ve been doing for years and years, even if it’s slowly killing you, than it is to try something new and stick to it. It’s easier to be blind, to escape, to tell yourself stories to justify not stepping up or forward.

It’s much more difficult to meet yourself, to confront the dark stuff, share your brightness and to risk looking like a fool when stepping into who you know you ought to be.

But what the hell else are you going to do?