It seems to me that the more people talk to you about a quality they have, the less of it they actually do. Think about people you have met at parties, who try to impress you by going on at length about themselves. Often, what they say is entirely false, a girl who goes on for ages about her compassion and love for humanity is likely a stuck up bitch who could walk past a beggar in 150$ shoes without giving him a dime.

The same goes for those who boast of their intellect, their wealth, the awfulness of their lives, etc. People do this because they are trying to make themselves believe they have the quality they are boasting of; even while they know they are stupid or cruel or dull they try to cover it up with belief borrowed from the people they boast to.

This can be seen on larger scales too. Company mission statements, or in Canada - the 'distinct society' of Quebec. Think of Goths, all rabidly screaming about their individuality.

We all do this, we all lie to ourselves to cover up our bad spots, we say "well, I never liked math" or "it's too early in the morning for me to think". We all try to cover ourselves, and occasionally we believe our own lies. But we cannot improve ourselves this way. To put it bluntly:

We cannot grow and become better at what we suck at, unless we realize we suck.

I know that this has been said before, but it never really hit me until I thought through this, so I hope it helps someone else too.

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