We have probably all had the experience at a place of employment – or when handing in a test at school, for that matter – wherein we knew an evaluation was coming and either had no idea of how we were about to do, or did have an idea and it turned out to be the wrong idea altogether. Why does this happen? Well, it happens in part because our self-assessment isn’t very accurate. I believe that most of us tend to be way too harsh with ourselves when it comes to assessing our own performance, but I understand from some academic types I know that today’s college student doesn’t necessarily suffer from the previous generations’ self critical tendencies. If that we moderately true, it would be a good thing, but it’s seldom moderate. I have seen more than a few self analyses on Facebook and other social media sites that, if I didn’t know better, would lead me to think we should order a lot of red capes with a big letter “S” on them. There’s nothing immodest about accurately assessing our abilities and claiming the things we are good at as strengths. The key to doing that effectively is knowing ourselves, which requires the ability to become a witness to our own behavior and attitudes. That’s a skill best developed in meditation, not in the mirror.