EP6 - The Value of the Ugly Mirror: Embracing Imperfection and Finding Gratitude

SEASON 2, EP 6 - The Harsh Truth: The Value of The Ugly Mirror

What happens when life holds up a mirror and reflects back truths we’d rather not face? In this episode, we dive into the concept of "ugly mirrors"—those raw, uncomfortable moments that challenge us to see our flaws and confront our imperfections. I’ll share how these tough reflections can become powerful opportunities for growth. From moments of discomfort to profound self-realizations, we’ll explore how perspective can shift everything, even in the face of our most difficult truths.

 

In This Episode, We Cover:

• The concept of "ugly mirrors" in our lives and the uncomfortable truths they reveal.

• How confronting these truths can lead to personal growth and self-awareness.

• The importance of perspective and how different "mirrors" can show us different sides of ourselves.

• Practical tips for navigating the emotions that arise when facing our imperfections.

• Finding gratitude for the lessons learned through life's challenges.

 

If today’s episode resonated with you, take the next step and join The Toolkit – a free resource to help you deepen your self-discovery: https://courses.soulcarehealing.com.au/thetoolkit

 

Timestamps / Chapter Markers

00:22 The Value of the Ugly Mirror

00:39 The Ugly Mirrors in Life

01:25 A Mortifying Moment

02:19 A Lesson in Perspective

03:02 Shine the Ugly Mirror on Your Life

03:38 What's Giving Me the Shits?

04:05 Expose It for What It Is

04:59 Sit With the Spotlight on the Ugly Mirror

05:19 What Do I Need to Do, Fix, Soothe, or Walk Away From?

05:34 Stand in Adversity

06:28 Do You Need to Pluck It or Accept It?

06:39 The Value of the Ugly Mirror

 

Resources & Links:

• Soul Care Healing Website: http://soulcarehealing.com.au/

• Soul Care Healing Instagram: http://instagram.com/soulcarehealing_

• Soul Care Healing Facebook: http://facebook.com/soulcarehealing

• Email us at: [e-mail]

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:13):
Hello. Hello and welcome back, souls for another episode of our podcast. Today I want to talk about the value of the Ugly Mirror.
now in our adult life, there are the good mirrors. They are the things that show us exactly as we want things to be seen.
They're the ones where it's like front end and not too close, where things are not too confronting and it's all a bit safe.

(00:38):
Then there are the ugly mirrors.
These are the mirrors that show us the things we wish we didn't know. Like, let's take, for instance, the mirror in the deli above you. The one that shows the bull patch or the thinning you didn't know you had. Or the gray heads that are poking through in your regrowth. Or the wise guys, that really strange cleavage look staring back at you, and they look like they're hanging down on the ground.

(01:01):
Then there's the car rearview mirror. The one where the sun hits in just the right way. It exposes everything.
I personally feel like every mirror pretty much above you should be smashed into a million pieces.
But let's talk about the value of it. So recently, when I was in my car and I was putting my seatbelt on, I looked up in the mirror and the sun hit my face in just the right spot.

(01:25):
And lo and behold, I was mortified. There was two chin hairs growing out of my chin. One somehow semi show off hair that was like an inch and a half long out of my neck. And out of my nose, there was three black hairs that I swear I didn't invite to the party, and I just thought, Holy shit!

(01:51):
Who is this hairy chick staring down in front of me? When did that happen? How long is that monster been there for?
I knew that I'd had multiple conversations with people that day. No one had told me about them. Equally, they hadn't seen them or they'd seen them. And they’d just thought,
we won't go there today. She'll figure that out in due course.
And I couldn't believe that these hairs were staring back at me. And of course, I just wanted to get rid of them instantly, but I couldn't. I just had to know that they're there, festering until I could get home again.

(02:19):
The issue was, is that The bathroom mirror had showed me in one light. Fresh faced, bright teeth, hair looking, semi put together. And yet this other mirror showed a different side of me. And I thought, This is a lesson in perspective that you can see the same person, but through two different lenses get totally different interpretations.

(02:44):
And then that got me thinking about, well, I probably am lucky that the ugly mirror showed these things that I wish other people didn't have access to know about me. And then as I thought about that through perspective, I was thinking,
is there anything in my life that needs the ugly mirror shined on it, where it just needs just the right amount of light and spotlight to show that maybe things aren't quite as I think they are.

(03:14):
And that always takes me on a journey of reflection, a journey of, well, what are the things that I'm finding irritating at this moment, and what do I need to practice? Or how do I need to change the view to change the perspective? It doesn't mean that I was going hunting and looking for things to be wrong. It was just okay.

(03:38):
What's giving me the shits in life at the moment?
we can sense what we might be going through, like a little bit of irritation and we can go, okay, is this something that's niggling away from me because it has a purpose? Is there a lesson I need to learn in this, or is this something I can just let go and ask myself?
My life motto what this even matter in the end?
And as I went through this, and I thought about a couple of things that had been giving me the shits lately, I just thought, okay, this is my time to shine the ugly mirror on it, let the sun catch it and expose it for what it is.

(04:07):
And when it came back to even little things, like I mentioned on that retreat,
About how sore my body was when I hadn't exercised for a long time. The accountability was like, right, okay, let's book into that place that you brought ten passes to
six months ago that you still have not booked into.
So the Ugly mirror showed that I'd made a commitment to something that I hadn't quite followed through.

(04:31):
Also explain that why when I took the stairs at the hospital, I got really puffed
and I could have just gone, oh, why did I have to put stairs there instead of going, why can't I match that?
How am I contributing to not being able to do the things that I really should be able to do, or that I really could do? If I put any time and attention and focus on it.
and I suppose my takeaway from that whole chin hair, neck hair, nose hair scenario is the silver lining

(04:59):
that I can sit with the spotlight on the ugly mirror
and without chastising, without
judging, without blaming. I can have a little bit about what the fuck moment,
but I can catch it and be curious to it and lean into it and then go, okay, what do I need to do here?
What do I need to fix? What do I need to soothe, or do I need to walk away from?

(05:23):
And that leads me down the road to gratitude.
Now I am grateful for that ugly mirror.
I will bravely and boldly flick down that visor and look.
I will stand in that adversity that that ugly mirror is putting me into.
I'll be a little bit uncomfortable for a little bit. I'll, packet, I'll feel into it and then I'll just do what needs to get done.

(05:47):
And I will know that time marches forward.
Those hairs will be back.
They will be a reminder that time moves on.
So I'm going to take the tweezers, and I'm going to have a couple of pairs in my house because maybe I'm just getting to that age, folks, where I just start sprouting shit from weird places.

(06:09):
I thought that wasn't going to be for another ten years.
Time marches on.
So take a time. Have a look in the mirror. Have a look where those bad boys are growing out of. In places that you didn't even know was growing in. Check in on yourself, reflect, unpack, feel and come to that solution based ending.
Do you need to pluck it?

(06:31):
Whatever it is?
Do you need to just live with it? Whatever it is? Do you need to just accept it? Whatever it is?
And that is the value of the ugly mirror. I hope one day you can enjoy it, or at least not be as terrified of it and have such a moment like I did. Good luck to you.

(06:52):
And thanks for listening to another episode.
And that is all for today folks. I feel so grateful and blessed to be able to share these stories with you and to bring us together as a community. I'm Gayle Wilson and this is So Kate's podcast, naked. You can find further resources at my website, silk healing.com today here.

(07:13):
These resources are designed to support you and your family as you experience big emotions through this journey back to empowerment, healing and self connection.
Don't forget to follow and subscribe so that you can get notifications on the next episode as it lands.
Take care and just be kind to yourself.