I've said it before but I was reminded again: the first rule of personal growth is that it is always going to get worse before it gets better. I've identified a behavior I want to stop, but I haven't identified the thoughts, feelings, and decisions that precede the behavior. 1/
It seems inevitable that the same (unexamined) setup occurs soon after identifying the behavior. This time, though, as soon as I do the thing again I know I messed up. This feels worse than before.
The good news is that this time I'm paying attention. I can reply the thoughts, feelings, actions, and beliefs that led to the behavior. I can set up logic to inject into the sequence for next time. But it still feels worse than before. 3/
The second law of personal growth is that even if I felt at the end of my rope before, even if I didn't think I could take things getting worse, I can take it. Better times are ahead. 4/
The mistake I make is to resist this process, to argue myself out of changing "because I can't take it" or "because it's not so bad". I've never had a positive experience avoiding growth. It'll be worse tomorrow. I'd better get started today. end/
