Self-concept is the mental image one has of oneself, and one’s strengths, weaknesses, and status.
Your self-concept impacts your success in life.
Ask yourself the following:
– What signs are you giving out while making decisions in your life – be they major or minor decisions? Are you showing signs of someone who is confident, daring and gutsy? Do you show conviction and feeling in your success pursuit?
The signs you give while making your decisions impact the types of things you will invite.
Your feelings create your reality. When you send positive vibrations to others, you receive positive vibrations. What you can imagine vividly and invite with feeling, you attract in your life. Feelings, positive vibes, and imagination begin the cycle of a winning attitude.
Success begins with your concept of self. In other words, what you believe you are made of. We are not talking about ego, which is the basis of a self-centered attitude and a superiority complex. Instead, we are talking about a winning attitude and positive pride.
What you believe is what becomes reality. Once you create a new belief and reinforce it in every way you can, you start to breathe new life into yourself.
If you do not bet on yourself, no one will bet on you. No one can or will believe in you more than you believe in yourself. When you believe in yourself, the whole world believes in you. Belief in yourself changes the entire landscape. Your demeanor; your voice, and your understanding all change. People begin to respect what you have to say. In their mind, your value will increase.
These feelings are translated into goals, action, and decisions. And thus, your self-concept can help you actualize your potential in three ways:
1. Empowers your commitment – Once you have a positive self-concept, you acquire the confidence to commit. Because only when you believe in something, can you commit on its behalf. And once your commitment is in place, everything falls in line, whether in business or in life. Hence, the first step is to believe and then decide. Self-concept will remain important, followed by a clear direction, and an action plan to set the wheels in motion. Not being decisive reflects uncertainty, lack of confidence, and nervousness. It can weaken your self-belief.
2. Empowers you to choose your path – Your positive self-concept increases your self-awareness. Only a person who is self-aware can choose his path. In other words, you are tooled to choose the level at which you want to play the game.
If you want to play at the top level, then everything you do has to reflect that. If you want to play at the top level, but part of you believes you are not at that level, it will manifest in your behavior. Your own demeanor has to align with that top-level standard. What you feel within you translates into your actions, reactions, and overall behavior. Supreme self-confidence only comes about when you have paid your dues to become better and better every day.
3. Empowers you to envision your success – Success is the product of the interaction of the individual and the environment, as well as grace. If the individual himself lacks a positive self-concept then an important component of that success is shaky. Many people are not clear about what success looks like because they are unsure about their own abilities. Hence, finding focus is difficult. Once you start believing in yourself, your focus improves and your path to success becomes clearer. Then you can decide what great success looks like for you – in the long, as well as short term.