Knowing is better than not knowing. I keep reminding myself of this when I learn things that I don’t want to learn. There is a process that happens when I discover something I don’t like such as discovering something I perceive as “negative” about my self, another person or a situation.

Really! Who wants to discover that their spouse is having and affair – nobody! But wouldn’t you rather know than not know?

Who wants to live a life of deceit, whether you are deceiving yourself or someone else is deceiving you? Again, I suggest nobody.

Here is the most recent discovery that I struggled with.

RECOGNITION

I attended a Date With Destiny seminar put on by Tony Robbins in December 2014 and realized that at times, “I am selfish”.

DENIAL

Yuck! I hate that I discovered that I am selfish. I don’t want to be selfish, I fumed to myself. If I am selfish, then I can’t be generous, I argued. But then I asked, “Is that true?”

ACCEPTANCE

My second insight was realizing that I can be both selfish and generous.

REALIZATION

Since I am a giver by nature, it is probably good that I am selfish sometimes. The problem is that if I think that “being selfish at any time is bad”, then I will try to deny that part of me and not be conscious of when I am being selfish.

Knowing is always better than not knowing. I can not think of a time when I discovered something that I initially did not like, that I would rather continue to go on blindly pretending I don’t know.

How about you? What have you discovered that initially you resisted? Did you subsequently have a second insight that helped you to accept the first insight?

I wish everyone many insights in 2015 because the only way to personal empowerment is by learning and growing. This is how we grow our emotional muscles and develop emotional fitness.