What is self-image? It is the idea you have about your own abilities, appearance, and personality. Self-image is how you see yourself. This may be how you see yourself physically or your opinion of who and what you are.
“Our self image, strongly held, essentially determines what we become” Maxwell Maltz
It includes:
• What you think you look like
• How you see your persona
• The kind of person you think you are
• What you consider others think of you
• How much you like yourself or you think others like you
• The standing you feel you have in life
Your image can be very positive, giving you confidence in your thoughts, behaviour and actions, or negative, making you doubt your capabilities, performance and thoughts. How you see yourself is vital because this will affect your behaviour, your thinking and how you relate to others.
Having a positive self-image can be really hard, particularly when you have struggled with life’s hardships. I know losing vision in one eye, having then to contend with my disability and poor health for a while really knocked the self-image I felt.
After all our self-image can be majorly influenced by the events and circumstances that affect us. Yet equally our self-image itself can help shape these events. We are free to interpret the events we face in any way we want, often it’s based on our initial response. We can choose to get down by things which of course will diminish our self-image or alternatively to stay strong, meet challenges head on and refuse to get down about them.
I very much believe that life is a choice. Yet the choices we make at any moment won’t feel like choices until it’s too late. I was fortunate in that I quickly noticed how I was letting my health problems knock me down and that my once strong, positive self-image had fallen to an all time low where I was seeing myself as weak, and less able than others.
I couldn’t allow this to continue. As our self-image is a mental picture of ourselves, both as a physical body and an individual, the feelings and images that come up are important. So I had to rebuild the self-image I was now holding on to.
What can you do to improve your self-image? Your starting point is to list things you like about yourself – include appearance, personality, qualities and skills.
The more you actively value your own unique qualities, the more your self-image will improve. It’s essential to see good in yourself, about yourself, appreciating your worth.
“I wish you could see what I see when I look at you.” Allison Pang, A Brush of Darkness
So my suggestion to you is take a few minutes now to write your own description about your better qualities and best characteristics.
• What are you good at?
• What qualities do you have that make you feel good about yourself?
• What are positive things people have said about you?
• What things about you have you been most proud of?
By reminding yourself of the good things about you, seeing your positive qualities will help you to instantly improve your self-image.
Once you’ve created your list put it someplace where you can see it and remind yourself regularly of all your good qualities. So get busy and recall your value and worth, by doing so you will reclaim your personal powers provided by having a positive self-image.
“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt
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I’m sending this in an email to myself. I can’t forget to do this later. I know I have a lot to work on, which is why I’m going for a run today. After that, I will sit down and try this exercise! Thanks again Larry.