A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval. (Mark Twain) A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes, but to get into accord with them, for they are legitimately what directs his conduct in the world. (Sigmund Freud) As is our confidence, so is our capacity. (William Hazlitt) Be yourself and think for yourself; and while your conclusions may not be infallible, they will be nearer right than the conclusions forced upon you. (Elbert Hubbard) You are all you really have for sure. What kinds of things do you say to yourself each day that demeans the miracle of you and your life? What are the things you could be saying to yourself that build you up? Can you be truly honest enough to acknowledge that all you have accomplished and not accomplished is a direct result of decisions that you made and actions that you took? When you can really see that you are the source of all that is (and is not) in your life then you will also see that you have much more control over your future than you could possibly imagine. Dwelling in the past is a way to avoid responsibility for moving forward. How long will you cling to those thoughts? Take a look at any of your regrets and resentments. Are any of these issues related to people in your life currently? Are there people with whom you need to have conversations? Are there people you need to thank? Are there people from whom you need to ask forgiveness? Are there people who you need to forgive (include yourself)? Are there things that you could simply choose to let go? Are there new rules for your life that you can develop from looking at your past? Where and how will you record these rules so that you consciously remember that you choose to live by them? List all your talents and unique abilities, do an inventory on yourself. Use a dictionary if you have to. Come up with a list between 50 to 100 items. Sure you can! List the people in your life and next to each name record 5 words that they would most likely use if they were asked to describe you. Your opinion of yourself is only one opinion. If you want to expand this exercise, ask these people for their input. You can try the reverse next to each person write 5 words they would never use to describe you! Make an exhaustive list of the things for which you have absolutely no talent and that will never be included in your list of unique abilities, then laugh a little when you see your list of the things at which you will never be perfect! If all fails, fake it till you make it and take some actions that you already KNOW will lift your opinion of you. A couple of good web sites: www.more-selfesteem.com and www.self-confidence.co.uk |
