The Mirror Test: Making Peace with Hard Choices

There are moments in life when logic fails you. When the stakes are high, emotions run deep, and no option feels right.

I’ve faced those moments — and one of them changed my life.

It was late afternoon. I was sitting on the ground, my back against the front left tire of my FBI vehicle, staring into the woods and wrestling with a failing marriage (my doing) and a decision I had to make.

It felt heavy. The kind of heavy where the silence itself feels loud.

As I sat there, paralyzed by what felt like two impossible paths, a question surfaced — a question that’s guided me through several of life’s hardest decisions since.

I call it The Mirror Test.

The Mirror Test

The question is simple:

Not comfort. Not pride. Not the path that looks best on paper.

Peace.

This isn’t a rational decision-making framework — you can’t spreadsheet your way to peace.

But it is a deeply honest one.

It forces you to weigh decisions not by what’s easiest or most logical, but by what will let you look yourself in the eye years later, knowing you acted with integrity, faith, and courage.

That afternoon by the car, the answer couldn't have been more clear.

It was then I felt something shift. A calmness — a peace — that I believe only comes from God washed over me. I didn’t have all the answers, but I had clarity and conviction.

How to Use the Mirror Test

You don’t have to face a life-altering crossroads to use this framework. You can apply it to nearly any decision that tests your integrity or values.

Here’s how:

1. Project yourself forward. Imagine your future self, five or ten years from now. Picture that person looking in the mirror and thinking about this decision.

2. Explore consequences. Think or journal about what life would look like if I take Path A, what about Path B?

3. Ask yourself honestly. Which path will allow you to have peace with yourself- no matter the outcome?

4. Move with conviction. Once you find peace in your decision, commit fully. Let that peace become your compass.

The Bottom Line

The Mirror Test won’t guarantee an easy road. But it will ensure you take the one that leads to peace — not regret.

When faced with your next fork in the road, ask yourself: If I look myself in the mirror ten years from now, which path will give me peace?

Then listen and move forward with confidence.

Peace over pride. Faith over fear.

Don’t settle. Be relentless.

— Hunter