Unsolicited Advice

Hyperbole:  Extreme overstatement or exaggeration.

At the meeting this morning I spoke of my tendency to beat myself up.  I was way over the top in my description - way, way over the top.  It is my style.  It is as close to lying that I can get and not be labeled a liar.  I was so far over the top that I was pretty sure everyone knew that I was making most of the shit up.

Now, to be honest about it, I am hard on myself and I have a long history of self-flagellation.  It's kind of a hobby.  I find it amusing to say non-amusing things about myself.  I'm not nearly as hard on myself as I was when I was drinking and I don't dwell on it overly much any more.  A lot of the people at the meeting know me and my love of the black art of bullshit.

Nonetheless, I received a call from a new guy who has reached out to me a couple of times.  He asked me if I wanted some unsolicited advice.

"Absolutely," I said, wondering if there is any other kind.  Nobody is harder on me than me so I'm never worried about what someone else might say.  It generally is a lot kinder than what I'm telling my own self.

He proceeded to give me some helpful tips and exercises on how to not be so hard on myself.  I listened bemusedly.  He said some good stuff which I might have tried had I indeed been hard on myself which I had not.

There's a point here somewhere.  See if you can find it, then report back to me.  I'm genuinely curious.