Conscious

CHAPTER 5Who Is That Person in the Mirror?

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” In Snow White, Grimm's famous fairy tale, the Magic Mirror never lies – much to the Queen's great displeasure. But in life, there's no such thing as a magic mirror. Our mirrors don't always tell the truth.

When we look at ourselves in the mirror and reflect on who we are, some of us only see what we don't want to see: Imperfections, insecurities, and weaknesses. Others of us look into the glass and only see our idealized versions of ourselves: Filled with wisdom, beauty, and morality. Neither perspective takes you to the whole truth. If all you see are flaws, you'll fail to see the potential in yourself. If all you see is good, you'll never be able improve yourself. For your whole story to emerge, you need to look deep into the mirror and become self-aware.

Has a mirror ever lied to you? Have you ever woken up, brushed your teeth, and the person staring back at you had different-colored hair or was 20 pounds thinner? Of course not. But have you ever diligently stared into your rearview mirror and cautiously backed into a telephone pole? Probably. Mirrors have a strange way of confusing us just when we really need to find the truth about ourselves. So a bit of humility will serve us well here.

In the fast, disruptive world, it is too easy to lose our center and become vulnerable to the accelerations around us. If we don't know what is core within us, we are easily blown ...