Last week, we were in a hurry to get out of the door to meet a friend for dinner after a long day of coaching calls, so I quickly changed into a fresh outfit and dashed out.
When I got to the pub, I noticed something flapping under my cardigan. I tried to pull it out to see what it was, then I realised it was the label to the top I had accidentally put on inside out before throwing my cardigan on.
A wave of embarrassment swept over me. I tapped Kev’s knee.
“Kev!” I whispered anxiously, “I’ve got my top on inside out. Do I look like a twat?”
Luckily, he hadn’t noticed. My top was designed in such a way that the only thing that gave my wardrobe malfunction away was the side seams and label.
I realised I was in such a rush before I headed out that I hadn’t even checked the mirror.
That’s not uncommon for me.
I am that woman who’s left the ladies’ loo with her skirt tucked in her pants, and I’ve also casually strutted around a nightclub, thinking I look like the dog’s danglies because I’m turning heads, not realising people are gawping because I have spiked some loo roll with my heels heels, and I’m trailing three metres of it behind me.
I’ve even been stopped in a busy street in London by a very kind woman who asked me if I realised my dress had completely ridden up under my tight-fitting short coat, exposing my arse (which was thankfully ensconced in thick, winter tights).
Yeah, sometimes I need to look in mirrors more.
When I was chatting to a client the other day, I told them regular journalling is very much like looking in the mirror every day.
If you aren’t planning, taking action and reviewing, then you’re far more likely to fall for your own bullshit and convince yourself everything is fine until one day you look in the mirror and realise you have your skirt tucked into the metaphorical pants of life.
Sometimes the journalling process feels hard because you don’t like what you see.
It’s like pulling a favourite outfit out of the wardrobe ready to go to a party and realising all those little treats you’ve been allowing yourself since last time you wore it have added up over time to an extra three inches on your waist, and you have no hope of getting it on.
If you’d been honest with yourself every day and monitored how your life choices have affected your progress, then you’d either have made a plan to cut out the treats or buy a bigger outfit well in advance.
Either is an acceptable, stress-reducing solution.
A real sense of helplessness occurs when you beat yourself because you finally realise you’ve been kidding yourself.
You literally feel like your own worst enemy.
Keeping a regular note of your thoughts and behaviour is the antidote to self-fooling even though it can be as painful at times as looking in the mirror when you know you don’t look your best.
Is it time you got really honest with yourself?
If so, being coached can be a great way to see all the opportunities for improvement without falling into a pit of despair.