Here are 21 uncomfortable truths about life and human nature.
If you take them seriously, they’ll change the way you see the world.
#1 You keep comparing yourself to people around you, or the ones you see online, and it always makes you feel worse.
The funny part is, the people you envy are probably doing the exact same thing. They’re looking at someone else and making themselves feel bad, too.
#2 Striving to please people always backfires. They’ll start taking you for granted, and you’ll end up resenting them for it.
#3 When you complain, you suffer twice: From the problem itself and your reaction to it. Make a conscious choice not to add that second layer of pain.
#4 If everyone agrees with you, you’re not thinking clearly.
You’re probably just echoing what people already believe.
You’re avoiding friction. And where there’s no friction, there’s no pressure to rethink your views. So if you’re not being doubted or criticized, you’re not growing. You’re just performing.
#5 What you admire in others is usually what you wish you had in yourself. Those are the qualities you should start building.
#6 Pride is the enemy of progress because it can make us blind to honest feedback. What happens is that we ignore those small mistakes or flaws, and eventually they compound into massive failures.
#7 Pain strips away all the lies you’ve told yourself. It forces you to confront who you are and what you truly want.
Obviously, you don’t like painful situations, unless you’re a masochist, but when you inevitably face them, learn to recognize the insights.
#8 Challenging situations are valuable because they strip away the masks people wear. In moments of pressure, people reveal their true character, and what you see then is the most honest picture you will ever get.
#9 An enemy can be a better teacher than a friend because they expose your weaknesses. Now, I’m not saying to “love your enemy”. Of course, you need to destroy them. But use that information to strengthen the very places they attack.
#10 You’re less rational than you think. Emotions and biases often guide your choices. So if you don’t cultivate focus and discipline, then you’ll become like that character in Groundhog Day. You’ll be trapped in a loop, reliving the same mistakes over and over.
If you haven’t watched that movie, do yourself a favor and watch it.
#11 Desperation makes you see doors where there are only walls. When you’re suffering, it’s tempting to act with urgency, to make the pain stop. But that will cloud your judgment. You’ll make poor decisions or become easy prey to con men.
#12 You cannot escape the law of cause and effect. Every choice you make plants a seed, and sooner or later, you will face the harvest, whether good or bad.
A delayed result may trick you into thinking you have escaped the consequences, but you haven’t. That is why you must see reality clearly and remain consistent in doing the work.
#13 The truth will never set you free if you refuse to act on it. Knowledge that you do not apply is no different from ignorance.
#14 If someone is constantly bad-mouthing others, it means they’re a miserable person. Because if you’re truly comfortable with yourself, you don’t need to judge. You don’t even care that a person made a mistake or looked a little off.
So ask yourself: Is it worth getting angry at someone that pitiful?
#15 Never admire people so much that you forget about their flaws, because after all, they’re humans.
But don’t underestimate them either, or you’ll miss the strengths and virtues they possess.
#16 Time does not change you. Time does not heal you. It simply goes on.
You can be just as lost 10 years from now as you are today, only with less energy and fewer opportunities. So don’t waste your life waiting to feel ready or hoping the situation will eventually sort itself out.
What can actually help you is this:
- Define the real problem you’re facing
- Decide what needs to be done, even if it’s hard
- Do it repeatedly without waiting to feel motivated.
#17 What you ignore in times of peace can destroy you in times of crisis. When life is going well, enjoy it, but also keep learning and sharpening your skills. That way, when chaos eventually arrives, you’ll be ready to face it.
#18 When you reject reality, you’re guaranteed to lose because it is what it is. You know, it’s like trying to argue with gravity; You can deny it all you want, but if you jump, you’ll still hit the ground.
Now you have a choice: You can cling to comforting lies, or you can face reality, no matter how painful it can be.
I want to close this article with 3 of my favorite quotes:
“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened”
– Montaigne
The brain’s main job is to keep us alive, so it constantly scans for danger. It creates worst-case scenarios to prepare us, but most of these never come true, because most of them are a product of irrational beliefs. As a result, we end up tormenting ourselves with fears that exist only in our heads.
“Your worst sin is that you have destroyed and betrayed yourself for nothing.”
– Dostoevsky
One of the greatest mistakes we can make is betraying ourselves.
We often abandon our values, silence our conscience, or live in ways that go against who we truly are. And the saddest part is that we do it for nothing… We do it out of fear, pride, or to get the approval of others.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone”
– Pascal
We are addicted to distraction because being alone can reveal too much. It makes us face the emotions we’ve buried, the fears we have avoided, and the rigid beliefs we cling to.
But if you find the courage to sit still and face those inner realities, you save yourself from a lot of unnecessary suffering.
