“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” Joseph Campbell
I remember those days when I felt like I am not worth anything, I am too small to make a difference in someone’s life, I felt like what I know is not enough for me to succeed. This mental state caused me a lot of pain and suffering, and it made me think. “There must be something better than this!” My mind was about to explode from all those thoughts running through my head when something hit me “It’s you!”
You are a reflection of what you think you are so if you want a recognition and success, happiness and balance in life, understand that healthy self-image is the stepping stone to everything. Healthy self-esteem is a result of working on yourself and being aware of your thoughts. Here are 7 ways how to shape a winner’s self-image and fulfill the emptiness inside of you.
1# Shush your negative self-talk
Negative self-talk is one of the most dangerous mind activities. It is a silent, little voice in the back of your head, often very hard to even spot it. You can go through the entire day, taking care of responsibilities, running errands without noticing those passive and negative thoughts. Then one year later, you feel depressed and sad, without truly knowing why.
Start paying more attention to your thoughts and what you focus on. It gives you more control and power. Every time you catch yourself with a negative thought, replace it with a positive one, something you feel grateful for. It’s all about playing with your mind and pushing those positive things up front. Negative self-talk may cause more damage than criticism and judgment from others. Watch out!
2# Embrace your strengths
I bet that if I ask you what your biggest weaknesses are, I can go and make coffee because this is going to be a long conversation. But what about your strengths? Name 10 of your biggest strengths right now. Hard, isn’t it?
This is a great example to see how many of us suffer from the illness called “doubts.” How did we get to the point that seeing our strengths become sort of a head scratcher?
And now, seriously. I want you to write down between 5 to 10 strengths, things you are good at. If you feel that this exercise is difficult for you, then go to your close family and friends and ask them for help. Once you have your list, sit down and brainstorm how you can improve in these areas and become even better than before. Work on yourself like on some important project because being a champion doesn’t just come.
3# Find bad apples
No matter how strong and smart you are, if you keep toxic and poisoned people around you, eventually you will end up on their level. There is a small number of individuals who truly got your back and help you when the shit hits the fan. The rest? Losers who want to see you down or quit.
Make time and look at your surroundings. Stop sugar coding those meaningless relationships. If people can’t be honest and supportive, why do you need them in your life? Constant criticism and discouraging approach will have a tremendous negative impact on your confidence in a long run.
I don’t suggest that you burn all the bridges, but be mindful of those who you let close to you. Open up to only those who you can trust and have some fulfilling conversations with. It will make you feel better, and it will improve your self-image because you'll feel loved.
4# Empower your mind with positivity
How do you feed your mind every day? Are you reading or listening materials on personal development? I know stories where one book changed someone’s life, situations where the person heard one word or phrase, and something clicked in their head and boom. Massive changes were made.
Every positive word you can dump into your head during the day is important. This world is flooded with negativity because many of us don’t want to do the homework. It’s sad to say that majority of people live an unfulfilled life, feeling bad about themselves and that’s why it is very hard for them to move up and achieve success. Boost up your self-image every single day. Read, listen, practice meditation and reconnect with yourself.
5# See yourself as a champion
Before anything else manifest in your life and you achieve your desired self-image, you have to see it before it actually happens. So here comes visualization, one of my favorite mind exercise. Give yourself 5 to 10 minutes every day, close your eyes and visualize yourself. If you have the level of self-esteem you've always wanted to have, how would you walk, how would you look, how would you talk to people, how would you act? Who are you? Then go, and be that person.
Understand that you have the potential and choice to be who you want to be. If guilt prevents you from feeling good, forgive yourself. We aren’t perfect, and we make mistakes. That’s the part of life and learning. Leave the past behind and focus on what positive you can do today.
6# Repeat after me
I would like to close this article with simple affirmation you can do daily to gain more confidence and improve your self-image. I know that only 1 out of 10 people will do it, but that’s up to you. The purpose of this affirmation is to repeat this statement as many times as needed, so your subconscious mind can accept these words and make them a reality.
You can do it in the morning or at night, all you need is a mirror or simply close your eyes and say this: “I am beautiful, I have an unlimited potential within which allows me to accomplish anything in my life. I forgive myself any mistakes I have made in my life and from this point on, I will only say and do good. I will spread kindness and love everywhere I go. I love myself because I deserve love. I respect myself because I deserve respect. I am a magnificent human being.”
That’s it. Simple, isn’t it?
Conclusion
With these last words, I want to encourage you to take care of yourself and your thoughts. Understand that you deserve the best and if you want to score, the first place to start is your mind. Once your mindset is in place, and you feel mentally empowered, you can climb mountains and create this amazing, extraordinary life. Don’t waste your time and start right now!
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XoXo
Silvia