The Strength of Denial

November is here! And that means it’s time to bring on the festivities. Devouring food, not shaving, baby placing, and of course, being all in all thankful. Family and friends are usually in the top two. And sometimes pumpkin pie.

But even more importantly, I think you should be thankful for the lies you tell yourself.

“Everything is my delusion!”

People harp on the truth a lot. But if there’s anything I learned from my years of teaching, it’s that the truth doesn’t really matter. This is going to be helpful. That is something you need to remember. These are things you shouldn’t ever do.

And then there’s BS advice that’s always thrown around like: it’s okay to make mistakes.

In all those instances, the truth is rendered meaningless if the mind and body aren’t receptive to the message.

Let’s use a more physical example. Many of you have seen some form of this image passed around online.

Perspective is everything, and we let false pretenses tell us we’re lacking. We’re not good enough. And in the worst case, we start to believe that we will never be good enough.

But your perspective is yours to shape. Instead of believing in lies that hold you back, why not scoop up some lies that keep you going?

Using that bodybuilder image from above, if we take it, flip it, and reverse it, that’s the viewpoint I’d want to have. That’s the kind of self-image and esteem I’d want to give to my past self.

Arrogance and cockiness brings in a whole slew of problems too, sure. But it’s also way more likely you take action and try something worth a damn.

If the truth brings you down, deny it. Fight it. Babe Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” But I say, it’s way harder to beat someone who lives a lie– a delusion that says “I will never lose”.