When you’re only delaying the inevitable

Mondays are my Instagram days. 

I map out my content for the week, write my captions, edit my videos, and try to get everything all set so that I can focus on other things the rest of the week.

It’s also usually when I film my videos, a long, drawn-out process that involves first washing and styling my hair, putting on makeup, picking out clothes to wear, then setting up my tripod around my house and property to get all the shots I need, while trying not to get overheated and sweaty in the 95 degree Florida sun.

And so, yesterday morning, after getting up bright and early to make my plan, I was all set to knock out a big day of filming. I had my cute “fall” outfits all picked out, my hair was done, makeup was on, and my phone and wireless mic were all charged up.

Unfortunately my tripod was nowhere to be found. It had vanished.

I looked everywhere. In my suitcase and carry-on. In every cabinet and cupboard in the house. In the garage. The guest house. The barn.

At some point I asked my daughter if she had seen it, since she sometimes borrows it for making TikTok videos, but she said the last time she used it, she put it back in my office.

So I tore my office apart. 

Nothing.

I asked Annie again if she was sure she had put it in there, and she swore she had.

An hour into the search, I was starting to panic, realizing that I had already wasted half my day, and my carefully constructed plan was quickly falling apart.

That’s right when Annie showed up.

“I’m sorry Mom, I broke it,” sobbing so hard, she could hardly get the words out.

 It took me a second to even register what she was saying.

“You broke my tripod? You mean all this time I’ve been looking for it, you knew it was broken and you didn’t say anything?”

She just nodded miserably, tears streaming down her face.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I was scared you’d be mad.”

“Well honey, I’m more mad that you lied to me and let me waste all this time.”

“I know. And I’m so, so sorry.”

And she was. She clearly felt so bad that I didn’t even have the heart to actually get mad, but I explained that if she had told me right when it happened, I could’ve just ordered another one so that I had it when I needed it, but because she didn’t, the thing she had really taken from me was something that I can’t get back—my time.

It was a painful lesson for both of us.

But I think there’s a bigger lesson there too.

Because so often we as adults go through life just like Annie, trying to bury our head in the sand and avoid the inevitable.

Sometimes it’s about our health.

Sometimes it’s our finances.

Sometimes it’s our most important relationships.

It’s almost like we think that if we can just keep lying to ourselves, if we can keep pretending that everything is fine, no one will ever be the wiser. So we keep going through the motions.

But the consequences of lying to ourselves are so much worse than a wasted Monday.

In his classic novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote:

“A man who lies to himself, and believes his own lies, becomes unable to recognize truth, either in himself or in anyone else, and he ends up losing respect for himself and for others. When he has no respect for anyone, he can no longer love, and in him, he yields to his impulses, indulges in the lowest form of pleasure, and behaves in the end like an animal in satisfying his vices. And it all comes from lying—to others and to yourself.”

In other words? Be brave enough to face the truth. Even when it hurts.

Change is scary. And make no mistake—taking action to fix an area of your life that might not actually be going the way you want it to right now will probably feel hard. It could be uncomfortable. It might even be painful.

But the consequences of lying to yourself are always worse.

Because in the end, you’re only delaying the inevitable.

So that’s my challenge for you this week, friend, and it’s a tough one! What little white lies have you been telling yourself lately? What consequences have you been avoiding? And what would happen if you came clean?

Live with purpose, friend, and have a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ruth

This week’s podcast episode…

What’s cooking in my kitchen…

Here’s the recipe I shared this past week:

The latest from my Instagram…

Instagram is my jam! If you’re there too, I’d love to connect with you—find me at @RuthSoukup or @ruthsoukupbiz for online business tips!

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