How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults

“How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”

~Benjamin Franklin Franklin’s quote presents us with the very common and very difficult idea of self-awareness.  I am always amazed that when we point a finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at ourselves.  In psychotherapy, one goal is to understand the tension between the contribution of others and our own defensive avoidance to look at our own stuff.  “C-c-c-c-courage!,” whimpers the Cowardly Lion, as he approaches the Dark Forest in The Wizard of Oz. He was afraid of the dark and lacked the courage to move forward. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Courage is defined as: “mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.”  Facing the dark forest in our lives requires a lot of Courage to look at ourselves and move forward!  The journey towards self-awareness is part of the psychotherapeutic experience.