The other day, I was scrolling through Youtube and came across a video along the lines of "What To Do When You're Too Lazy To Keep Up With Your Habits". I showed it to my brother and, in a self deprecating manner, said, "Look, Youtube is trying to shade me."

It was supposed to be a joke, but he took this opportunity to roast me.

In short, he said that I always say I want to be this improved person and I want to do all these things for myself but I never put the work in.

I sat there in silence for a bit, not knowing what to say. I think I ended up responding with, "Damn tell me how you really feel" and laughed it off, but it really got me thinking. My first instinct was to convince myself he was just being mean, but it quickly clicked that he was actually telling the truth.

I realized I never wanted to admit it to myself. I was being lazy. I kept making up excuses in my head for why I wasn't taking the steps to achieve my goals and become the person I wanted to be instead owning up to my laziness. Having someone close to be lay it out in front of my face, brutally honest and devoid of a coating of sugar, brought this realization to the forefront of my mind.

Having this conversation with my brother pushed me to think about how I was living. If he didn't straight up say I was lazy, it might have taken weeks more of this cycle to come to terms with it. I have not been putting the work in and I have been blaming it on every other factor but what it truly is.

I think everyone needs someone in their life to be brutally honest with them. I would rather have someone tell me what they see when they look at me than lie about it and tell me I'm doing great when I'm actually not. If someone close to you can say what you never could say to yourself, they can help you come closer to making positive change.

My brother helped me evaluate where I'm at in my life by telling it how it is. It might have hurt at first, but I am thankful for the feedback he gave me. I'm more motivated to be better and actually start working to be the person I want to be.

Tough love can be exactly the push you need to get on the right path, even if you initially don't want to hear it.