Monday, June 30, 2008

Different Mirrors

I had an interesting experience in a hotel room recently. The mirror over the bathroom vanity seemed to distort my image a bit. It made me look heavier and somehow 'compressed.' Not a particularly flattering 'change' to my appearance. The light over that mirror was also a strange yellow, that highlighted red spots on my face and, well, lets just say it didn't bring out my best features.

There was another mirror in the room. A full length mirror that seemed to portray a more realistic representation of my body. The light over that mirror was also more flattering.

I was struck by how I 'felt' each time I looked in the funky mirror. I would sort of cringe inside. Even though I knew it wasn't a realistic portrayal of what I look like. Part of me 'believed' the mirror. I eventually made a decision to stop looking at myself in that mirror, and to only use the full length mirror to 'check myself out.' :)

It actually reminded me of some of the mental processes that I can sometimes catch myself in. The funky mirror, to me, represented my distorted thinking about myself - be it appearance or abilities/competence. Sometimes I can get stuck in thinking about myself in ways that aren't accurate. If I believe that thinking, I start to 'feel' worse about myself. When I 'get my head on straight' and correct my thinking, I feel better. Just like looking in the funky mirror caused me to 'cringe' and looking in the full length mirror made me feel better.

Distorted thinking, just like a distorted mirror, gives us a false impression of who we really are. If we 'buy in' to the distortion, we live less fully and completely than what we are capable of.

Make sure the mirror you are gazing in to is accurately reflecting your image to you. Be it a physical piece of glass or the mirror in your own mind!

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