Easily the Most Brutally Honest Article I’ve Written so Far

Nothing is ever as good or perfect as it seems

AI-generated image of the author

In self-help circles, there are 4 degrees of honesty:

1. Dishonest — “I make zero mistakes. I always win. I’m perma-happy. I’m an absolute G. Absorb my word as gospel, you underlings!”
2. Retrospective honesty — “I’ll be quiet when I fuck up. I’ll share the story and lessons once I bounce back.”
3. Brutal honesty — “I’ve fucked up in the past. I’ll fuck up in the future. I even fucked up today. Here’s what I’ve learned and how I’m fixing things.”
4. Self-cutting honesty — “I’ve fucked up. I AM fucking up. It’s ugly. I want to fix my shit. I hope to do it in public — and share my lessons live.”

So far, my writing’s hovered between degrees 2 and 3.

This one will be a 4th-degree burn.

I’ll lose a bunch of readers, get hate comments, and be dissed as a hypocrite.

But the realest of you will understand — they’re the ones I’m writing this to.

My mom might read this article. My girlfriend will. My nosy neighbors might. My coworkers might. Acquaintances might.