SELF-DECEPTION

The worst of all deceptions is self-deception. Plato

Nobody wants to be called a liar. Being a liar is immoral – this is common knowledge. Then why do we lie to ourselves all the time? “My diet starts tomorrow,” “I will quit smoking next month”, and "I am OK with my job even though I complain about it.”

Self-deceptions, at moderate levels, can temporarily protect you from bad feelings but they present a barrier to living the life you love. To be really happy, you need to learn to be completely honest with yourself. Self-deception is dangerous when it denies truths that are important to face, such as an unhappy relationship, destroying habits, professional standstill.

Job fulfillment is often a key to feeling satisfied with your life. All of us want to feel good about our careers. If you are not getting professional satisfaction from your job and you deny it, you are not different from people who struggle with substance addiction and keep telling themselves: “I can quit anytime I want” or “I wasn’t that drunk last night”. These self-lies do delay the changes you need to make.

Living in self-deception will not lead you to satisfaction. The French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre saw self-deception as an unwillingness to take true responsibility for ourselves. If you feel deep down that what you are doing in your work is not what you want, then you owe it to yourself to explore other options, and it is never too late to do so. And don’t assume that leaving your company, or employer is the only way to get a better job. There may be different opportunities and spaces for career advancement within your current organization. And instead of deceiving yourself in order to remain in your comfort zone, feel accountable for your career and take the following steps: 1. Define what Success looks like for you; 2. Establish goals and a timeline; 3. Seek out feedback; 4. Be open with your manager and 5. Use your network.

If you are not honest about what you want and lie to yourself and make excuses to stay in your comfort zone, you will never know the better version of yourself.

If you would like to dive into the thoughts about your career, please reach out and schedule your free consultation call today.