Always Be Honest With Yourself

Examining the concept of self-honesty we're reminded that it's a vital part of mental health, personal growth, and authentic relationships. Coming fast headfirst into the world of self-awareness, self-honesty is what separates us from our true selves, according to Sedikides et al. In their 2014 study. Known for its capacity to influence emotional regulation and decision-making, this self-knowledge can only be achieved by facing the mirror, warts and all.

Research has also made it clear that a culture of self-deception is not good for mental well-being, in fact a 2020 study in the *Journal of Personality and Social Psychology* found that folks who spin themselves a yarn about their lives are significantly more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. On the flip side, squaring up to the truth of our emotions and shortcomings is something that will give us a boost in the long run and help us get a handle on life.

Ken in Central Park. Enjoying life.

Authenticity in interpersonal relationships is basically guaranteed if we can muster up the courage to be honest with ourselves. Brené Brown is famous for saying that it’s our openness and authenticity that breeds trust and deep human connection. Well-known psychologists, Brown and others like Carol Dweck’s take the same view. A relationship based on self-honesty gives people the space to be more expansive, feel deeper empathy, and sort out any arguments they have. We experience cognitive dissonance, a discomfort that's alleviated by self-honesty, as demonstrated by Festinger’s theory back in '57, when we hold conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

Take public figures, for instance, James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, teaches us the value of self-reflection, and the best way to achieve this is to outstrip oneself, beating out previous performances.

In therapeutic settings, cognitive behavioral therapy employs the technique of confronting self-false beliefs and takes the painless path, and through these, creates beneficial changes in our actions. Research has shown that this approach is highly effective, particularly in treating anxiety and depression, and stresses the importance of self-honesty in the healing process, according to Hofmann et al. In '12.

These statistics are quite staggering. The American Psychological Association’s claim that roughly 75% of us cheat on ourselves in day-to-day life is something we can’t ignore. Coming out of this, we have to look at the end results and think if the price of self-deception is really worth it.

As discovered by UC Berkeley, an incredible 89% of people found that living a genuine, authentic life, catapults them to happiness and life satisfaction. True self-awareness and reflection stands as a testament to our willingness to engage in genuine self-assessment and commit to an authentic life, when navigating the noise-filled world around us.

Coming from various corners of the literature, we're reminded that B. Brown's 2012 book 'Daring Greatly' is the one of the best books, and laid down the foundation, but also building off that, in 2006 'Mindset' by C. Dweck, changed the rules, and introduced the term 'cognitive dissonance', a concept that L. Festinger in his 1957 book 'A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance' nailed.

Psychologist Hofmann, Asnaani, Vonk, Sawyer, and Hinton surveyed the literature in 2012 and demonstrated the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in their study 'The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses’ for the journal ‘Cognitive Therapy and Research’.

The authors in ‘Trump, Brexit and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash’ by Inglehart and Norris, Harvard Kennedy School Working Paper published in 2020. The journey towards self-knowledge, is encapsulated by Sedikides and his colleagues in ‘Self-Awareness and Self-Development’ Journal of Personality ‘82.3. -2014, An area also investigated by the American Psychological Association's report on Self-Deception published. The University of California Berkeley in 2021 investigated Authenticity: Its Impact on happiness, Life Satisfaction.

This complete trip through the area of being honest with yourself has one result,.

Be Strong Enough To Let Go And Wise Enough To Wait For What You Deserve.

Encouraging people to think about their own life, personality and what makes them tick, and then taking that journey towards a closer bond with themselves and a more authentic way of living.