Thoughts On ... SELF IMAGE

"Self Image" is on my mind. 

Your current self image determines the level of your performance in life.

You ALWAYS act according to the way you see yourself.
Your ACTIONS reveal the way you perceive yourself, what you believe about yourself.

Many people quietly suffer from ''Low self image' or Inferiority Complex'- which stems from comparing yourself with others. If you think about it, that's rather dumb because there's really NO BASIS for comparing yourself with any other human being on earth - each person is unique, different.

Get over the fact that just as others are better than you in certain areas, you are better than others in certain areas. It's a fact of life. Else this would be one boring place to live. We're different so let's stop this madness of comparing ourselves with others.

Let us focus on valuing and appreciating ourselves as we are, on our way to becoming better versions of ourselves (life is a journey and should be one of constant improvement, not stagnation...)

When you have a healthy esteem of yourself, you are confident in all you do, you are free from the fear of making mistakes, fear of criticism, fear of man (what do they think of me), fear of rejection. Life truly becomes FUN! PLUS, your actions (which correspond to your self image), steer you in the direction of your goals, so life is successful too.

How You SHOULD See Yourself
The moment it dawns on you what it means that YOU were created in the image and likeness of God Almighty (YAH), your self image takes a quantum leap.

Matter of fact you should just stop reading right there and think about it for a second.

Say after me "I am made in the image and likeness of God Almighty" - try that statement on for size and let me know it feels, cos it's the TRUTH.

YOU - you were not an accident.
You're not here by mistake.
You are a masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made, by the Master Creator of the entire Universe - in HIS IMAGE & LIKENESS.

You're one of a kind - God's kind!

How dare you think little of yourself?
How dare you give a hoot as to what anyone else thinks about you?
How dare you let others belittle you?
Don't you dare forget this TRUTH about yourself, ever again!

You marvel at the wonders of creation, great and small:
- The mighty ocean waves
- The glorious sun as it rises and sets
- The intricate detail on the wings of a butterfly, the wisdom of the ant
- The beauty of the flowers, different types
- The tall proud trees lining the roads
- The majestic lion and other beasts
- And on and on and on - every other work of creation amazes and impresses you...


Yet you do not marvel at the one creation that surpasses ALL of the above - YOU.


YOU are the crowning glory of God's creation.
YOU top everything He ever crafted. I mean, after He made you, He just had to take a break so He could sit back and admire you. Then He said 'yup, they're all that!'
He didn't make any other creature IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS, but YOU, He did!

You oughta take a good look at yourself in the mirror and say out loud - I am fearfully and wonderfully made! I am God's masterpiece! I really AM "all that"!

Your old programming will probably squirm and resist this new programming when you start to speak and think this way, but persist in this and it will become habit.


Who Has Fed You Lies About Yourself?
Why have you believed lies about yourself?
What or who has made you FORGET Whose you are?

Regardless of how you have been treated, (and remember, your past DOES NOT EQUAL your future)  regardless of the lies you've grown to believe about yourself - NOTHING changes the fact that YOU ARE made in the IMAGE AND LIKENESS of Yah.

Now of course you need to read The Book (Scripture, aka 'old testament') to find out what it says about you. Cos when you read The Book you will learn what it says about The One in whose image you've been made, see. Then you'll realise that 'hey if He's like that, and I'm made in His image, it means I'm like that too!'

Saturate your mind with the words of Scripture - the greatest 'Personal Development' and 'Success Manual' in existence - and there's just no way you will come out with a poor self image. It's not possible. What you think about, expands and becomes your reality. So think about who you really are, according to the Creator's Manual. Not according to anyone else.

This is not some pollyana-ish nonsense - this is stuff that WORKS.
It's not rah-rah BS. It's real life stuff. Whether or not you believe it doesn't change facts.  So you might as well get with the program and start seeing yourself - not as man says you are, but as your very Maker says you are.

This is the key to unstoppable confidence (not arrogance, mind.)
This is the key to excellence and distinction in every area of your life.


Make No Apologies For Being All That!
You ARE all that and a big salad bowl!
You are NOT your mistakes, so don't beat yourself up - acknowledge them, learn from them, pick yourself up and move the heck on!

Remember, your self image is what determines your behaviour, your level of play in the game of life, and the sort of results you get as a result.  That's just the way things are.

You sabotage yourself when you are not true to yourself.
So if you wish to act differently for the long term, cultivate a self image based on who you really are. Know thyself.
Then to your own self, be true.

When you begin to live up to your true image, the image and likeness of your Maker, when you begin to experience the results of this way of living, when excellence and success begin to chase you down as a result of your (actions based on your new, improved/improving, and authentic) self-image, you're going to attract haters.

That's alright though - folks are entitled to their own opinions (opinions are like noses anyway - everyone's got one, and they all have a couple of holes in them!) - so let the haters continue to hate (though the smart ones will figure that they too are made in Yah's image, and seek to see themselves in that light too, with great results also!)

Don't ever apologise for your success and unstoppable confidence when you begin to walk true to your real self image. Stand tall, be proud of who you are. Better yet be proud of WHOSE you are.


According to Nelson Mandela...
I leave you with a quote from the great Nelson Mandela:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-- Nelson Mandela"