Self Image: The Key To Your Potential

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Introduction

What you think, you become.

Our mind believes what we feed it. So, it becomes important to put the right and positive stuff there.

The most important thing that reflects in all our decisions and choices is how we perceive ourselves to be; our self-image.

When it comes to achieving great things in life, a positive self-image plays the most vital role. Hard work and perseverance become secondary because unless you have confidence that you can do it, you cannot do it.

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What is self-image?

Self image is the mental picture of how a person views himself; the virtues, the opinions, the beliefs and everything that makes him who he is.

Self image doesn't necessarily have to be accurate. Many a times the image a person forms of himself is far from reality. If a person is not confident enough his self image can be a product of everything that he has been told or everything others think of him. Sometimes a person lives in a bubble, not knowing who he actually is. He has no idea of his own strengths and weaknesses. Here is when things get difficult because for a peaceful and successful life a person must have a clear self image.

You build your self image according to your accomplishments and failures and this self image keeps changing with time and lessons.

Your self image should not be a by-product of what others think of you but the reflection of who you are.

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Reasons for poor self-image

Failures and criticism make us captious of ourselves. We lose our self-confidence and self-esteem. We develop a negative image of ourselves, centring all our attention to all the reasons we cannot succeed. We put all our energy on the negative side, thus constructing a poor self-image. The mind tends to perceive this image to be true and all are outputs become negative and failure-filled.

Read more about low self esteem: The consequences of low self esteem

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Positive self-image

To build a confident personality one must have a positive self-image and vice versa. To change your reality, you must change your outlook towards everything including yourself. If you see yourself in a negative light, as a person who is not good enough and incapable of achieving things this is how things will turn out to be. So, you should change the way you feel about yourself before you set out to change your reality. A positive self-image helps to unleash your true potential. When you are confident about your calibre and talents it becomes easy to follow the path of hard work.

Besides being important, a positive self-image is difficult to develop. You need to go through fire and water but once you become confident about yourself no obstacle is big enough.

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How to develop a positive self-image?

Small steps every day lead to big achievements. Similarly, you can create a strong self-image by practising simple steps daily. Just a few changes to lead you to a positive self-image.

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These simple tricks can help you to create a good self-image:

1) Appreciate your efforts: Don't always criticise yourself for not making it through. Learn to appreciate yourself for small things that you managed to do. This will help you feel good about yourself and you will feel motivated to give the best of you.

2) Be optimistic: Don't always look out for flaws in yourself. Imagine yourself achieving what you want to. Always be optimistic while you talk about the future or about yourself. Your subconscious mind records it and tries to bring it into reality.

3) Use affirmations: Instead of always doubting or being negative, affirm that everything will go good. Say things like "It is going to be a good day", " I'm going to make it", "I can do this". All these affirmations will fill you with positivity and every task will seem easier than before.

4) Don't fear fears: Don't sit back because of your fears, crush them instead. Focus your mind on how great it would be when you emerge out successfully instead of focusing on how miserable it would be if you fail. Keep faith in your abilities and God, fears will diminish gradually.

5) Smile more: How you feel externally is very much related to how you will feel internally. Try to always feel happy instead of gloomy. It will automatically uplift your mood and you will feel good about yourself.

6) Write down all your good traits: We all focus more on the faults. Have a look on that list when you feel too critical about yourself. It will help you feel confident in yourself. This confidence will let you explore the different talents that you had long forgotten about.

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These may seem easy to practice but when you go down to do them, you'll realise they are toilsome. But you can do it through perseverance and resilience.Gradually you will become habitual and it won't appear that difficult to practice. Soon you'll make it on the other side.