Posts tagged Job

Our self-image has been created on the basis of how we compare ourselves to other people and also by what others think, as opposed to accepting ourselves and feeling good about who we are. Do you know of anyone who has been a victim of teasing or name calling? How has this affected the well being of that person today?

Often, our self-image is formed at an early age, and it is important to understand that our self-image is often dictated by our environment and we conform to other people’s beliefs. We are influenced by our parents, too. In our youth, we are not equipped with the tools to understand that we have the ability to decide how we see our self and to ignore the opinions of others.

If our self-image is based on comparing ourselves to others or by what others say or think about us, it can affect us in three ways: lack of confidence, making bad decisions or choices, and low self-esteem. A bad self-image can lead to lack of confidence, so we make bad decisions or choices, which lowers our self-esteem. Our low self-esteem further deteriorates our confidence, which leads to more bad decisions or choices, which leave us feeling worse. This feeling can be paralyzing, which fosters helplessness and hopelessness. We see no way out. We feel trapped. We are victims.

Perhaps you can relate: your relationship, job or business failed, and your self-image and self-confidence takes a nose dive. Don’t beat yourself up about it, and don’t think that you can’t do anything about it. No matter what you have done or what choices you made, it doesn’t mean your life is over. There is no sense beating ourselves up over mistakes of the past. There are no such things as mistakes, only lessons. I love what Joe Vitale says in his book, “The Key.” Joe tells us to be grateful for where we are now and for our experiences; if we did not have those experiences, we would not grow. As I reflect, I realize how my self-image led to my lack of self confidence which led me to make decisions that resulted in bad choices.

Many women struggle with self-image and insecurity. Some women have based their self-worth around taking care of their family. Others base it on their looks, and they will go to extreme measures to try and measure up with that level of what men or society says is acceptable. They’ve lost touch with their true identity because they look for others to tell them how they look or how they feel. So there are a lot of women out there who are insecure in their relationships. They don’t feel as though they are good enough, and I believe that has everything to do with self-image and early mental conditioning. When women have abdicated their own identity to what others think and say, they tend to be very insecure in their relationships. They pick the wrong men for all the wrong reasons. They “settle” because they don’t feel as though they are good enough to have a really terrific guy.

Until we take responsibility for everything in our life, good and bad decisions, it is difficult to escape feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The good news is if you want to change, you can. Where there is a will, there is a way.