Facing the truth and accepting our limitations increases positive energy.

While it’s true that we require positive energy @on the path to full engagement, we should not take this to mean that we should deny or suppress our negative feelings. Instead, we should strive to consciously manage them.

Understandably, many of us tend to avoid the truth at times in order to protect ourselves from the pain of negative emotions. In the long run, however, this can actually decrease our energy levels.

For example, if we receive negative feedback on the work we’ve done, many of us choose to ignore or dismiss this criticism as simply “wrong” rather than actually looking into the criticism for any insights that might help us improve.

In fact, avoiding the truth in this way consumes a lot of energy due to the mental effort it requires. Although ignoring criticism protects your self-esteem in the short-term, in the long-term you’ll be destined to repeat the same mistakes and therefore have to face criticism every time you submit your work. Therefore, whenever you force yourself to ignore criticism, you squander your precious energy.

On the other hand, being honest with ourselves and open to improvement helps us build positive energy. Often, this is difficult because people believe that the way they see a situation is the “absolute truth,” thus preventing themselves from accepting criticism.

Instead, we should accept that our viewpoint is only one of many and might not necessarily be the best. Adopting this approach allows us to learn from others and improve ourselves.

Being honest with ourselves also means accepting self-criticism. Ask yourself how closely your behavior correlates to your values and how consistent you are with your priorities, and don’t be afraid to give honest answers!

If you identify a performance barrier, such as a bad work/life balance or a poor attitude towards your work, then admit it so that you can figure out how to overcome it.