A mirror reflects your appearance, we often use them to inspect ourselves for flaws which upon identification we later correct. Before I leave the house I check my reflection to ensure I look presentable, if I don't like something about my appearance I change it and then return to the mirror to inspect once again. Mirrors ensure our appearance is up to the standard we have set for ourselves. They help us see the parts of ourselves that we admire but also the parts we dislike.
Mirrors are not just pieces of reflecting glass they can also be people.
There are some people in my life who I can call mirrors. People who see me for who I am, the ugliness and the beauty. There are those who point out the entitlement in my emotional outbursts and the self-pity in my complaints. These people have seen, dare I say almost all of me and they have not withheld back in relaying the hard truths. My mirrors equip me for the world, through their words of understanding and deep encouragement they affirm me in private, they may not know it but their honesty has contributed so much to who I am today.
We have a tendency to become self-centred, we find it easy to make excuses for ourselves because we our biased, our mirrors counteract this. They see us from an outsider's perspective also with the necessary insider knowledge to be empathetic. At times you may feel the urge to run away from your mirror, at times it may seem like your mirror is always against you and is bursting your bubble but know that they are essential in building you up. Your mirrors reflect what you cannot see and they allow you to make adjustments. Know that they may not always be right, but their input is worth taking into consideration.
I am what I am today because of my mirrors who approach me with love and correct me with compassion.
Know that where there are mirrors there are also the, as I like to term 'cheerleaders'. Their goal is to cheer you on whether you are winning or losing, they call you beautiful whether there's food in your teeth or not. They cannot call out your flaws because it is not in their nature to do so, they cannot be honest because they fear your reaction. Cheerleaders in times of distress can often feel like better company than mirrors, but know that correction from a place of love is worth more than superficial praise.
There is a place for both, but know how to distinguish between the two, honesty from close ones is of great value to anyone who wishes to change for the better.
