If you can look back at who you were a few years ago without cringing, you might not be growing. We’ve all been there: a "memory" pops up on your phone, or you find an old journal entry, and your first instinct is to bury your head in your hands.
When you feel embarrassed by your past self, it’s because your current taste, values, or skills have outpaced your old ones [1, 2]. You aren’t that person anymore, which is why their actions feel so foreign and awkward to you now. If you still thought your 2015 haircuts or "edgy" status updates were cool, it would mean you haven’t learned anything since then. The "Past-Self" Trap 9 : Looking Back... Is Embarrassing
Instead of running from the cringe, try leaning into these three perspectives: If you can look back at who you
Most of us view our past mistakes as permanent stains on our character. We think, "How could I have been so clueless?" The reality is that you were doing the best you could with the tools and information you had at the time [3]. You didn't know then what you know now—and that’s okay. How to Reframe the Embarrassment You aren’t that person anymore, which is why
Everything—from relationships to careers—has a learning curve. You had to be the "embarrassing beginner" to become the "composed expert" [2, 3].