Let go of your “pseudo-self”

❗ Today’s tip: Ask yourself, “What would be important to me even if no one noticed?”

Last week, we asked you to share what you don’t miss right now. (You can see some of the answers on Forge’s Instagram.) For many, it was clarifying: an exercise in realizing what you can cut.

We’re in a clarifying moment in more ways than one. Right now is a chance to to drop the cover of what the therapist Kathleen Smith calls your “pseudo-self” — the one motivated by praise and external validation — and to think more honestly about who you truly are.

In Smith’s words: “While we’re in this strange, stripped-down time, it’s worth asking yourself, ‘What do I miss out on when I’m pretending to have it together?’ You can carry the answer with you long after this is over.”

✍️ We want to hear from you. What feels essential to you, just for you, away from the attention of other people? Send us an email at forge@medium.com and let us know what came to mind, and we’ll feature some of our favorite answers on Forge’s Instagram.

📚 More from Forge on finding what’s important:

Write a List of Your Values and Everything Else Will Follow
Read more >>

How Automating My Useless Decisions Helps Me Focus on What Matters
Read more >>

What Is ‘Enough’?
Read more >>

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