Your Self-Image

When you picture yourself in your mind, is that really who you are and what you look like, or is it who you SHOULD be and what you SHOULD look like? I think of myself as energetic, outdoorsy and thin, but what I had become was a fat, sloppy, couch potato. You need to make a list of characteristics that describe the real you, the you that you should be. These characteristics should not be unrealistic, or those belonging to someone else, but rather, how you think of yourself.

Once you begin behaving the way you should, you will feel much happier about yourself. This is a good barometer. If you are not on the right track, you will continue to feel angry with and disappointed in yourself.

The mind is a very powerful thing. My brother told himself, and everyone else, for years that he didn't like chocolate, and he never eats it. But he did, once upon a time, love the stuff. I've had a little trouble, however, upholding my self-image of being neat. I think it's because I look around my house and don't really, can't really, believe it. YOU MUST BELIEVE WHAT YOU ARE TELLING YOURSELF.


My self-image is as follows:

I am thin
I like exercise/I am active and outdoorsy
I am well-groomed/I take care of my nails and always look my best
I don't like to sit around
I am smart/I study every day
I am neat and organized/I clean my house every day

I made up a schedule to follow, so that I could spend a little time each day doing something to encourage each idea on the list. Of course, I was rather ambitious, and as I am working, and have recently gotten married as well, I have been slacking off a little in some areas.

It's up to you to decide who you are and to live up to your image. It will give you confidence and help you to feel good about yourself. I used to hate the way I looked. I felt trapped in someone else's body. I thought that every time someone looked at me, they must be as disgusted by me as I was. I started walking with my shoulders hunched and my chin tucked in, so I looked like I had a double chin. When I saw my mother after following this plan for five months, she said that my whole personality had changed. I was more outgoing and energetic and happier.



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