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Self-Improvement Is Just Anxiety In Disguise
The goal isn’t to be better. The goal is to be free. And the path to freedom is awareness and acceptance, not improvement.
“You know you’re bringing all the same energy to running that you used to bring to drinking, right?”
“Oh, of course,” I said, like I knew what he meant but I didn’t have a fucking clue.
How could you even compare these two things? I mean one is objectively good for you and one is objectively bad, right?
Not exactly.
Some of the most anxious people I have ever met are also the highest achievers. Some of the least anxious (and most content, by the way) drink 6 beers a day. The difference isn’t in what they do but rather, in why they do it.
Sometimes, self-improvement is just a smokescreen for anxiety.
Self-Improvement Is Rooted In Not Feeling Good Enough
I used to maintain a list. #1 on that list every time, no matter how many times I rewrote it, was to quit drinking. Every day, I’d ruminate on it. I’d plan. I’d fantasize about how my life would be once I did it.
