"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself" ~ George Bernard Shaw. Before we start please get a piece of paper and write down the answer to the following questions. What do you think about yourself, what do you think your colleagues and peers think about you? The answers off course will vary from individual to individual and will reflect what you think you radiate and transmit to your associates and peers. Galileo Galilei once said "you cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself". What most of us do not know is that our positive spirit is the adventurer in us. It's just a glimpse of what we are capable of doing. Yourself image is the person you think you are. You are your own creation.
When you carry a low self-image you attract into your life all the experiences and conditions that tell you how poor and pathetic you are. Conversely when you are high in spirits you attract all the experiences telling you how great you are. When you have learned to form mental images of the conditions desired, it will be the easier and quickest way to secure results; if not, results can be accomplished by argument, by the process of convincing yourself absolutely of the truth of your statement. Personal development and success has no room for a negative self-image. Which successful person have you ever seen carrying or putting on a low self-image?
Have a positive mind
"Think positively Whatever, the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve" ~ Napoleon Hill. Life requires us to put on a positive self-image. You see everything begins with your mind. Have you ever noticed that that when you have a positively inclined mind about something the results follow suit? If you have never observed this try to deliberately have a positive conscious mind about something good happening to you today. Believe me just the thought will make you will feel good and act positively. Imagine living in a society with positive minded people. Individuals, who do not talk or act negatively towards each other, well it all starts with one person and that person is you. Creating a positive mind is one sure way of creating a positive self-image.
With a positive self-image even the people around you will be infected with it. This I guess is the only decease you and I would be glad to spread. They will begin to treat you positively. Remember you attract what you think. The more ambitious and positive you think the more you attract those things that you will need to prosper. Yes I agree that you may be distracted by temporal setbacks. But remember they are temporal and they offer us an opportunity to learn and grow from them. Image how boring life would be without challenges? Without having to sweat before sweet comes. Most of us especially the young generation, we want to have sweet before we sweat. We want to cut corners and start enjoying good things where we did not sow, the end result is usually terrible.
I believe that if God intended for us to enjoy everything at the same time he would have done that. But, then that's not the case. That is why he gave us stages in life. First you feed on your mother's milk before you graduate to feeding on solids. You start small and as you learn how to handle small things he increases upon your responsibilities. Some of us though, have remained and have not grown to handle larger responsibilities. This has mainly got to do with our mind set. Do you realise that we all have the same mind? It is the same mind that is in you and me. It is the same mind that has had great inventions. The difference between success and failure is how we have positioned our mind. What mental self-image do you carry in your mind? Having a positive mind set will definitely radiate a positive self-image.
Act positively
They say actions speak louder than words. True to this is how you act in different situations. If you have to build a positive self-image then you have to act accordingly. Even when you have been challenged, be it physically or otherwise. A positive reaction attracts positive results. You cannot create a positive self-image just in your mind without reflecting it. Your outward behaviour is a reflection or a mirror of your inner self. I always say that our outer reaction is an accumulation of our inner image. One always reveals themselves by how they react especially in challenging situations.
Self-image can only be reflected by your actions. Therefore, it is very important to act positively if you have to create a positive self-image. Without action there is no reaction. Imagine all the great inventors did not act on their thoughts, we would not have been privileged to be using computers today later on the internet. Action is the key to every outcome. There would be no outcome without some action and reaction. Personal development requires us to act on the knowledge that we accumulate. I don't know about you but the knowledge I acquire is for sharing with the people I come into contact with including you reading this article. It is no use accumulating knowledge and not acting on it.
The difference between success and failure is the luck of action or acting on the wrong side of the coin. Positive action will surely enhance your self-image. There are many situations that will come your way in life and will require your action. In this instance your actions will be a reflection of your self-image. This is when it matters most, what you feed your mind. If your mind is not well feed it will be revealed. The bible says "as a man thinketh so is he in his heart". Our thoughts are predominantly what we see, hear and read.
"Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny" ~ Frank Outlaw.
Renew your mind
"You shall be transformed by the renewing of your mind" ~ the Bible. Nothing beats the renewing of your mind other than by reading. It is far the best way to renewing your mind. What you feed your mind is very important. From the time you are born to the time you grow up most of your character is as a result of what has been feed to your mind. I will give an example, if you grew up in a home where your parents fought every now and again you will most likely end up doing the same. It may not be your fault but your mind is conditioned that way. That is why it is important to feed your mind with the right stuff. If you are a parent PLEASE DO NOT DO ANYTHING especially with your spouse that sends a wrong self-image in front of your children. Their mind is like a camera they never forget easily; remember that they learn from us. We as parents are responsible for nourishing their fragile minds.
I have given myself a target of reading one personal development and self-growth book every month this is besides the bible off course. I know this is not much of a target but atleast I feed my mind positively. Believe me reading especially the bible, helps to build my self-image. I have always emphasied in my previous articles on the importance of reading. If there is anything that you will not leave with anyone on this earth when you die, it is knowledge not unless you impart it on them. Therefore, when you acquire knowledge it is your choice whether to keep it to yourself or share it. Please don't be self-fish learn to share so as to make this world a better place. I am only saying this to emphasise the need to read. The Bible says "By wisdom the earth's foundation was formed". Wisdom is gained through knowledge and the main source of knowledge is reading. You cannot make a wise decision without having knowledge.
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest" ~ Benjamin Franklin.
Conclusion
Having a positive self-image can greatly accelerate your personal development and success process. We as human beings must always endeavour to improve on our self-image after all we were created in the image of GOD. The more positive your self-image is the more confident you are, carrying about your daily life. This also gives you more confidence in achieving your, written down life's intended purpose. I know that there are many other ways that you can use to help improve your self-image. I would encourage you to take them one step at a time. Always remember that you are not in a race. Personal development is your own race and only move at the pace you set yourself. You are not competing with anyone. Stay blessed and always remember to "standout tall and be counted" thank you.
I write personal development blogs on a part time basis. I am a computer programmer and a student accountant with the association of chartered certified accountants (ACCA). I love to read and enjoy helping and seeing other people succeed. It is very satisfying to help someone and see them move based on your help. I intend to be a full time personal development blogger and coach some day. Visit http://www.insakanet.com for more of my works.
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