Self-image is the key to human personality and behavior. Self-image defines the boundaries of individual accomplishment; defines what you can and cannot be; determines the way you think, the way you behave, and the way you perform every activity.
Your self-image is formed by the beliefs held in your sub-conscious mind. The beliefs comprise a belief system that includes all the beliefs you possess about everything in your life – work, education, family, religion, what you read, write, sing, dance, your parents, dress, speech, etc.
You cannot see your self-image, even though your wear it like a coat. But everyone sees it. Behavior and performance is the physical manifestation of self-image; your appearance is a presentation of self-image – hair, clothes, walk, voice inflection, and the world forms its opinion of you primarily from the opinion you have about yourself. You are responsible for how you are received (accepted) by others.
You must accept responsibility for your self-image. Self-image is either a catalyst or a brake. It either propels or holds back.
Self-image is projected by 7% speech, 38% voice (tone inflection), and 55% body language, facial expression, general posture, and body movements. Your emotional disposition affects all three areas.
Self-esteem is the emotional component of self-image, and is the core of human personality. It is the most critical element affecting all performance. Self-esteem is always true to the image you hold in your mind – the person you keep telling yourself you are. Self-image affects your mental attitude.
Attitude is the habitual manner of acting, feeling, and thinking that shows your dispositions, opinions, and beliefs about life. Eighty-five percent of accomplishment comes from attitude and 15% is due to aptitude and abilities. Winners are made, not born. The winner is in you. You are responsible for drawing it out. You already possess the ability to excel in at least one area of your life.
- The dominant force in your existence is the thinking you are engaged in.
- You are empowered to create your own reality.
- There is some benefit in every adversity.
- Each one of your beliefs is a choice.
- You are never defeated until you accept defeat as a reality, and decide to stop trying.
- The only limitations on what you can accomplish in your life are those you impose on yourself.
- There can be no great success without great commitment to a definite purpose fired by a determined desire.
- You need the support and cooperation of other people to achieve any worthwhile goal.
- It should be self-evident that if you harbor any failure thoughts, then all your endeavors will result in failure.
- The rewards you receive in life come as a result of your performance, not your potential. Your self-image determines your performance.
- There is never a storm so violent that it is not followed by the sunlight.
- Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.
Our physical actions are simply the outward manifestation of our inner thoughts. This recognizes the universal truth that we are and will become that which dominates your thoughts. People have in their lives today exactly what they keep telling their mind they want. All that you accomplish, or fail to accomplish, in life is a direct result of the images you hold in your mind.
Do you limit your actions to have no more success than you unknowingly believe you deserve and are comfortable? We often get the results we subconsciously believe we deserve. Our self-image defines our comfort zone.
What do you really believe? Do your actions show you believe you deserve better in every area of your life? If they do not why not? Is it possible that the world we live in encourages us to deny better? It is not a matter of doing better than others do. It is a matter of doing better in the present and the future than what we have done in the past and in the present. Old programming of self-defeat or self-limits must be purged, and new programming put in its place. Do not drive with the parking brake on!
A positive, strong affirmed self-image is vital to realizing the power locked inside your mind. Self-image is a key component in building belief. What we do mirrors what we believe. If you passionately believe in something, you will be compelled to make it happen.
A healthy self-image is the difference between thinking BIG and thinking small. Self-image acts as either a multiplying or a dividing factor, and combines with other key factors of success you possess to produce performance.
We always create a self-image according to the basic beliefs we have about our abilities, the world, and ourselves. The beliefs are based on conscious decisions we made about ourselves and what we are capable of achieving. The decisions are repeated to our subconscious.
Become more aware of your inner communications – what you see and say to yourself because of daily events and work to control it. From these experiences, the mind constructs a picture of who we are. Once an idea or belief about ourselves goes into this picture, it becomes “true” as far as we personally are concerned. We do not question its validity, but the subconscious mind begins to act on it just as if it were true. A human being always acts, feels, and performs in accordance with what he images to be true about himself and his environment.
The self-image is important for two reasons:
- All your actions, feelings, behavior – even your abilities – are always consistent with this self-image. You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be. The self-image is the foundation upon which your entire personality rests.
- The self-image is changeable. One is never too old or too young to change their self-image.
At least ninety-five percent of people have their lives blighted by feelings of inferiority to some extent, and feelings of serious inferiority handicap millions.
Feelings of inferiority originate from inaccurate thinking that produces negative conclusions drawn from evaluation of facts and experiences. We judge ourselves and measure ourselves, not against our own norm, but against some other individual’s norm. We let someone else define our reality. We conclude that we are not worthy and do not deserve success and happiness.
- Laziness and hypochondria are indications of undervalued self worth.
- Things turn out best for those that make the best of the way things turn out.
Modify, change, or reverse behavior (habits) by simply making a conscious decision, and then practicing or acting out the new behavior with constant watchfulness and practice until the new behavior pattern is thoroughly learned in 21 days.
Self –image is realized in identity. Identity is the image we have of ourselves. Israel identifies itself with the temple in Jerusalem. Christians identify themselves with the cross. Companies have a brand or logo that identifies them. Think about your identity. Who are you? How do you see yourself? Can you describe yourself with only a few words?
We are all unique, unrepeatable, miracles of God, and we should live our lives in that realization. There will never be another person like you. It is that uniqueness that gives life value. We should revel in the knowledge that we are one-of-a-kind – not regret it, or accept someone else’s opinion of us as superior to our own opinion. It is self-image that controls our reaction to external stimulus.
Do you limit your actions to have not more than the success you unknowingly believe you deserve and are comfortable with? We often get the results we subconsciously believe we deserve.
What do you really believe? Do your actions show you believe you deserve better in every area of your life? Is it possible that the world we grew up in encourages us to deny better? It is not a matter of doing better than others do. It is a matter of doing better in the present and the future that we have done in the past. The old programming of self-defeat or self-limits must be purged, and new programming put in its place. We must learn to drive without the parking brake on.
What we believe is reflected in what we do. We choose what we believe. We are responsible for what we believe. We are in charge of what to believe and not to believe. The reality of life is made up of beliefs, and life is nothing until we decide what we believe.
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