Or are you an ostrich with your head stuck in the proverbial sand?

There’s a reason so many idioms about “facing the facts” exist: Sometimes, it’s really, really hard to do!

But as Eric Barker so astutely observed in his recent post, “4 harsh truths that will make you a better person,” denial is a just a form of existential procrastination – and ignoring reality won’t serve you well in your personal or professional life.

Thankfully, “harsh truths” are a little less painful to face when you view them in the proper context. Below, we’ve summarized a few takeaways from Eric’s article, which make taking off your rose-colored glasses a bit easier:

Harsh truth #1: You are going to die.

You know this – but do you keep it in mind as you set your priorities and plan your activities? Instead of being depressed about the fact that you’ll eventually return to dust, use your mortality as a motivator. Remind yourself of the fact that you have about 30,000 mornings in your entire life. Make the most of every single one.

Harsh truth #2: Anything that’s worth doing takes substantial effort.

What do you want to do well? What do you want to truly be an expert in? If you want to be great at something, you can’t expect to just put in the time; you have to put in “deliberate practice,” which involves identifying your weaknesses, and then working incredibly hard to overcome them. An unexpected benefit of deliberate practice? According to one eight-decade study cited in Eric’s article, people who work harder actually live longer (which should make you feel a little better about harsh truth #1).

Harsh truth #3: You’ll never be perfectly happy.

Your brain just isn’t wired for it! In fact, the anticipation of happiness is incredibly strong, but true pleasure is not long-lasting. That doesn’t mean your life will be awful; it just means that you shouldn’t expect nonstop bliss. Instead of pursuing perfect happiness, work on creating happy moments. Accept that there will be imperfection, messiness and sadness in your life, too, and that you’ll work through those in pursuit of more happy times.

Harsh truth #4: People will disappoint you.

Again and again. Does that mean you should never trust someone? Never let down your guard and develop meaningful relationships? Never rely on another person for help? Nope, nope and nope. It means that you shouldn’t let the occasional disappointment shake your faith in humanity. Nobody is perfect, including you. As long as the good in a relationship outweighs the bad, focus on the happiness a person brings you and forgive them when they let you down.

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