Image Credit: © Wendkuni
Everyone who is successful knows the vital role that self-image plays in the achievement of success. I’m not talking about conceit or a super-inflated ego, but a wholesome self-respect, a positive self-image that recognises human potential.
Your Own Personal Glass Ceiling
Your personality is made up from numerous ideas you have about yourself that are more or less consistent. When you encounter an idea that you consider to be inconsistent from those that you have already accepted, you will reject that idea. At the heart of all the ideas that form your personality is your concept of self. You hold a unified, fairly well crystallised set of propositions that form your self-identification. The self-image seems to act as an invisible ceiling above which people never rise. The self-image seems to define the limits of what one can realistically expect to achieve or what is possible in the real world.
Your self-image can be compared to a thermostat. When the temperature falls below or rises above the set mark by a couple of degrees it kicks in to bring the temperature back into the “comfort zone”. Your self-image does the same thing. It maintains conditions around you to keep them compatible with your picture of yourself. When conditions deviate slightly to either side of the setting on your self-image thermostat, it brings into play all of your subconscious beliefs and attitudes that immediately go to work to alter conditions in the environment so that they will be consistent with your self-image.
Self-Image Snowballs
People who harbour a negative self-image filter every decision through it, and the negative self-image becomes a motivation block. They live a life weighted down with doubt, convinced that they are entitled to very little and capable of even less. As a result they refuse to reach very high. Their self-image thermostat automatically turns them off. Sadly, people who rate themselves too low almost always have a great deal of potential for success. They just fail to see it.
And it snowballs… the more you keep hold of a negative self-image, the more negative it becomes.
People who harbour a positive self-image filter every decision through it, and the positive self-image becomes a motivation fuel. They live a life full of confidence and success, convinced they can achieve whatever they set out to achieve. As a result they refuse to aim low. Their self-image thermostat automatically turns them on to greatness.
And it snowballs… the more you keep hold of a positive self-image, the more positive it becomes.
Self-Image Barriers
One of the barriers to a healthy self-image is the fact that most of us have been taught that self-love is wrong. This fallacy is the result of a faulty definition of humility and the confused idea that self-love is the same as selfishness. This is a tragic error. The world’s great religions teach that we should love our neighbours as ourselves. Not more than ourselves, or instead of ourselves, but as ourselves. Respect yourself. You have a right to live and occupy space in the world. True humility is the awesome recognition of the gift of potential given to you and acceptance of your responsibility to use and develop it.
If you see no evidence in yourself of talents, it is because you have not probed sufficiently to find them. Creativity and talent are discovered by desire, not by age or experience alone. Success begins with an appreciation of your potential and a recognition of the importance of the unique role you play in life. External positive thinking is not enough. For example, you may say to yourself: “today I will work more effectively”. But your statement will produce no change in behaviour until you first deal with the reasons for your past level of performance. Positive growth cannot take place if you hold generally negative feelings about yourself. You must choose to feel worthy and significant. When you do, your actions will reflect your self-image, and you will live that role from your heart. Others around you will then accept and endorse your actions. You build strongest when you build from within.
Strengthening Your Self-Image
Your self-image plays an important part in the degree of success or achievement you attain. Anything you can do to strengthen your self-image adds to your potential for success. Because it is so important to your success, strengthening your positive self-image deserves whatever time and effort is required to produce the growth you want.
The basis of a positive self-image is self-knowledge. People with a negative self-image actually know very little about themselves. They have adopted some false ideas about their own worth or their own abilities and have discounted any evidence that points to their own self-worth. Spend some time in reflection and introspection. You will be amazed to discover the abundance of potential you possess.
Personal growth is easier if you value yourself as a person. Learn the importance of accepting yourself as you are now with all your strengths and weaknesses, with your assets and liabilities. Self-acceptance is merely recognition of what you have become so far in your life as a result of your heredity, your experiences, and your reactions to those factors. Accepting yourself does not mean that you have reached your highest capacity for growth or that you are satisfied to remain as you are now. In fact, self-acceptance makes if possible for you to move forward in personal growth and development.
A positive self-image based on acceptance of who you are and who you plan to become makes it easier for you to handle the various life experiences that might otherwise prove upsetting. When you believe in your value as a person, you will not be upset if someone criticises your performance. For example, salespeople who fail to close sales will not feel personally rejected or diminished, but will realise that their prospects have merely chosen not to buy the product or service. Employees who are angrily reprimanded for errors will understand that the criticism was directed at the performance of their work, not at their value as human beings.
Love And Respect
Learn to love and respect yourself. When you love yourself, you are able to give love to those who need you. Self-love allows you to be true to your ideals, to discover and use your potential, and to have pride in who you are and what you do.
A positive self-image, love and respect for yourself come before you achieve your goals. You love your children from the day of their birth… long before you discover what potential they possess and what achievements they will attain. It is only in such a climate of love and acceptance that your children are able to mature and grow. In the same way, love and respect yourself as you are now. Give yourself a positive climate in which to grow and develop. You will then be able to become the person you want to be. You will attain your ideal self -image.
Till next time…
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Excellent Post Steve
I love this point you made “People who harbour a negative self-image filter every decision through it, and the negative self-image becomes a motivation block.” It sums up everything perfectly. You’re view of yourself filters your view of the world.
It comes down to focus – which we’ve talked about before. Whatever you focus on determines your reality. If you focus on a negative self-image you’ll never reach and achieve those things in life you want more than anything else. Change your self-image and beliefs about yourself. Make your world a more positive place.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..Be a beginner =-.
Absolutely, Ben! I could not have said it better myself.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Always a pleasure, mate.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Always great being here
.-= Ben´s last blog ..Be a beginner =-.
I love using the glass ceiling to describe self-limiting beliefs. It is usually saying that someone else is limiting your possibilities which is bull most of the time. I am going to remember this the next time somebody whines about women and the glass ceiling.
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..Change you can believe in =-.
Hey Ralph!
And it is even worse when that someone else is yourself.
Thanks for stopping by, mate. Always a pleasure to see you here.
Oh, and congratulations on not landing in my spam bucket this time
Kind regards,
Steve.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Hey Folks!
I’ve just read a great article about self-esteem that I think ties in nicely with this article. I recommend you go have a read.
Twitter: SteveYoungs
Steve,
A great post; I love your comparison with a thermostat. Paul McKenna is his book’ “I can make you rich” uses the same analogy. Explain if we want to increase our wealth we turn up the thermostat.
On the other side of that and referring to our heating system thermostat; the unfortunate thing is if our thermostat is set too low, the boiler won’t even ‘fire up’. Just like our self image!
Thank you for sharing.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul!
First up, welcome to my little corner of the Internet.
Yes, we need to be vigilant to ensure that our pilot light never goes out. And I think if that ever happens to someone we love or care about, we need to tread very carefully indeed. A person who is there is most likely in need of some professional help and/or medication. I’ve been there myself. It’s a scary, lonely place.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Paul. Always a pleasure to see a new face in my comments section.
Kind regards,
Steve.
Twitter: SteveYoungs