Being - Growing Up
If life is not to become a mere charade, a person must constantly strive to recognize their true position at any given moment. This is not just important—it is vital. yet it is also one of the most difficult tasks, and unless one knows how to do it, it is impossible to even begin.
So, how can it be done?
The answer is simple: begin now—this very instant.
However, experience suggests that most people will interpret "this instant" as "sometime within the next two days when it feels convenient." They will call it a good start, but of course, that will not do.
NOW is NOW.
Measuring Yourself: Best vs. Worst
A person can never be accurately measured by their best moments, for the simple reason that their best is only a flash—a temporary state that does not define their true level. Instead, we must begin with the worst that is appearing at this very moment. This process must be repeated frequently to observe whether what was "worst" last week is truly the lowest point—because this week, it may be much worse. Only through this constant reassessment can one gain an accurate picture of where they truly stand.
Your "worst" is the baseline beneath which you will not sink.
Thus, an early exercise in Emin work is to establish clear "will have" and "won't have" boundaries—personal standards that define what you will accept and what you will refuse within yourself. However, these boundaries should not be fixed at just one level—they must be established across three levels of self-awareness and development.
Two Axioms of Growth
Your best, or possible best, will always be controlled by your worst.
The lower your worst, the lower your best.
It must be so.
No matter how high one reaches, their best is always being pulled down by the gravity of their worst. Even when a person momentarily operates at the highest frequency, this peak state does not yet have the velocity, intensity, or power to escape the magnetic pull of its lowest state. Understanding this truth reveals much about the inner struggles of personal growth.
How Others See You: The Illusion of Familiarity
A crucial realization is that people become numb to their own worst traits—they self-drug and become dulled to their lowest aspects while choosing to focus on their best. But others do not experience them in the same way. Those around you become numb to your best (through familiarity) but highly attuned to your worst. And no matter how much one protests, this is simply how things are.
Why People Recognize Your Good Points
In general, people only acknowledge another's good points when they are forced to do so. Why? Because admitting someone else's virtue or excellence presents a psychological challenge:
If they do not acknowledge your good traits, they risk feeling petty or envious.
If they do, they may feel pressured by society's expectations, fearing that others will judge them as small-minded if they refuse to recognize the goodness in another.
But let us return to our worst because that is what truly matters. Not just the worst that you show—but the worst that you hide. This hidden worst is something only you know, and even your closest friends have no true idea of the depths of it.
Facing the Truth About Yourself
There is much to understand in all this. Consider this: Have you realized that your constant effort to always be at your best is, in fact, an attempt to escape your worst? If so, you must also recognize that even you dislike and detest yourself at some level. Of course, you will never admit it—and woe to anyone who dares to tell you something you already know about yourself!
But the truth remains.
The Paradox of Growth: When Best Becomes Worst
Do you see that since joining the Emin, you have developed an entirely new "best"—one that you have been able to sustain for long periods? And, do you realize that because of this new majority in you, what once were flashes of your best have now become your worst?
The Ultimate Challenge: Abandoning the Old Worst
Now that you have a stronger foundation, why not take the next step? Abandon your former worst altogether! Make your current best your new baseline—the new "worst" you will no longer sink below.
It's remarkably simple. Here's the instruction:
For one month, forget that you ever lived before.
Take a chance.
No one will object—will they?
You will, however, need to push yourself and make extra effort. But understand this: You have never been so close to winning.
Don't miss it!