Can you beat the cringe test?

The “Old Photo Effect” of Personal Growth

Have you ever seen an old photo of yourself and immediately recoiled at it? Overcome by the shock of seeing that… ew! Words can’t even seem to describe how you feel about that person.

“There’s no way this could be me, right?” you plea.

Kill it with fire!

Of course, I’m not here to talk about old photos.

Let’s talk about personal development:

The secret to a happy and fulfilling life is constantly striving to become your best version. However, it’s hard to see if you’re getting better day-by-day, especially because growth doesn’t usually feel good, not at the moment at least.

So, how do you know you’re really getting better?

Meet the Cringe Test

I’m not sure if I came up with this or simply can’t remember where I heard it, but the Cringe Test is a great way to see if how well you’re doing.

Here’s the question to think about:

Can you look back at who you were a year ago and cringe at your younger self?

(Looks put aside for this)

If you can look back and think “Man, I was such a loser compared to how I am today!” that’s a sign of how far you’ve come. It’s a feeling you should feel at times. Ironically, this kind of shame is nothing to be ashamed about.

Why use the cringe test?

Simple, in order to pass 2 things need to have happened:

1. Being able to see the constant shows you and your mindset have changed. You wouldn’t recognize the difference if you were still the same person.

2. If you cringe because you dislike your former self, but hate it even more because it’s exactly who you are now, that’s a good indicator. It’s a moment of critical self reflection and (hopefully) a wakeup call!

In situation 1, keep following your path of growth.

In situation 2, scroll to the action steps below.

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Master the basics before even thinking of getting fancy!

Simple principles repeated over long periods of time is what creates the results you’re looking to get in your life!

Don’t Set Goals! Do This Instead:

Brand spanking new from YouTube!

In this video I make the case that goal setting is mostly meaningless! Instead, I’m talking about the 4 key elements you NEED in order to make achieving a goal possible.

These 4 are the difference between Setting and Getting goals!

Future Pacing the Cringe Test

If you’re not where you want to be in your life and in your personal development journey, this section is for you my friend!

With the cringe test above, we looked back to last year.

For this exercise, we’re looking forward instead.

It helps to take out a pen and a piece of paper as you're going through this exercise. Writing things down always gives a huge advantage of clarity compared to the many thoughts swiveling around in your mind.

With the pen ready, start with asking and answering questions like:

• What is it that I’m unhappy with about myself?

• What traits would I love to change about myself?

• Why can’t I seem to make the changes I want to make?

• What limiting beliefs am I holding that might not be true?

• Are there people or things around me constantly that prevent my growth?

• How would I feel if this cycle continued for 3 more years?

As a quick warning:

You’re not going to like this process!

What you’re doing is exposing yourself to some of the negative feelings and thoughts that your mind is generally repressing. It’s not a pleasant process, but as I said earlier:

Growth doesn’t usually feel pleasant!

Phase 2:

This first part of the exercise is by far the hardest, emotionally at least.

For the second part, I’d like you to focus on the next 6 - 12 months.

Ask yourself:

What would need to happen for me to not even recognize myself in a year from now (in a good way)?

You can break it down further:

• What does that version of myself look like?

• Act like?

• Think like?

• What skills does that version have?

• What traits have been developed?

• What change are you most proud of?

When you project yourself out into the future, it gives you clarity of what to do in the present. Take a look at the things you’re writing down and begin TODAY to start bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Make your present self look like a pleb compared to your future self.