If You're Insecure, This Japanese Philosophy Might Help

Recently, as I was listening to music producer Rick Rubin’s audiobook, “The Creative Act: A Way Of Being”, I was really intrigued by his explanation of the Japanese pottery practice called, “Kintsugi”.

Following this practice, when pottery breaks, instead of discarding it or molding it back together, you mend the broken areas with something called “urushi lacquer” that is mixed with powdered gold.

The result of this process is in the photo you see below. It accentuates the mistake, leaving a beautiful, unique design.

Kintsugi is a practice you can apply to not just pottery, but all of your own mistakes and insecurities as well.

Flaws are what make us human. The cracks are what we connect with, and let us know we’re truly living.

Instead of trying to cover up your mistakes, why not transform them into your biggest strengths?

I believe true beauty lies in imperfection. In admitting you have done wrong, you are insecure, and that there will always be parts of you that are harder to accept than others.

That’s what differentiates you from every other piece of pottery (human) out there. But at the same time, that’s also what lets everyone else feel like they can see their own cracks within you, and feel less angst over their own insecurities.

There was a cataclysmic point in my YouTube career where years of video making started to pay off.

Do you know when that was?

When I started making videos opening up about my most painful bouts of depression, heartbreaks, and insecurities.

That’s when my videos really started to make an impact on people, because they started to realize they could own those parts of themselves too, and see their truth.

I get it. This world can be so cold. There are plenty of people who exist who seek to take advantage of your flaws and insecurities, and that has (understandably) made you put up walls so you don’t get hurt again.

But once you tear down your walls, and turn your flaws into gold, they become your greatest power.

And when you say to yourself, “Yes, I am depressed sometimes. I do the wrong thing sometimes. I am inept at this. I am sensitive to this”, and you fully accept that, then no matter how much someone tries to use these things against you, it will be to no avail.

Because gold’s value doesn’t deteriorate when someone else attempts to melt it.

Just like the Japanese have made their pottery’s vulnerabilities their highlights, accentuate your own flaws to harness the beauty in them.

You just might influence somebody else to do the same.

Knowing and Accepting Yourself

It took me years of self reflection, awareness, and acceptance to have the courage to embrace myself, and all of my flaws fully.

But in doing so, I became the type of person that cannot be swayed by almost any sort of setback, failure, or wrong-doing.

I wanted to create a complete resource for you to learn every technique I’ve used to become the most mentally, physically and financially fulfilled I’ve ever been, all while being in an exclusive community that keeps each other accountable every single day.

And that is why I created my self mastery school.

The Ultimate Self Mastery School is a place for those who want to actualize their greatest potential, strengthen their self awareness, build better habits, and develop a fulfilling life.

The school features 14 videos with 15+ worksheets, a guided meditation, and an exclusive community where we all hold each other accountable and give further advice.

It’s a culmination of years of research on behavioral science, psychology, and of course, trial and error from my own life.

And it’s specifically designed for those who want to go deeper than superficial YouTube videos/articles, make close friends who uplift them, and gain a better understanding of themselves.

Being able to actually apply the advice you receive, and get consistent feedback from like-minded people are probably the two most important factors in seeing permanent change.

And I’m guessing you currently feel like you can’t talk to anyone in real life about your struggles with self-development, right?

That’s why our community meets in a group coaching call every other week to make sure we are all staying on the path towards self mastery.

It’s also been an incredible way for everyone to open up about things that they have been going through, have accountability surrounding the habits we are trying to build/remove, and get feedback and advice without judgement.

And because of that, the friendships in there feel genuine.

It’s easily the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever created.

Here's some recent wins from our community:

Watch the intro video on that page to see if the course is right for you.

Hope to see you in there.

Quote of The Week

Thanks for reading, everyone. Hope you enjoy your weekend.

-Cole