New Year, New You: Part 5

Famed surgeon and author, Maxwell Maltz once said, “Self-image sets the boundaries of individual accomplishment.” This is an amazing thought. No one else can put a limitation on what you can accomplish other than you. Even Walt Disney is quoted saying, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” The final key is to change the way we see ourselves, so we can accomplish the goals that we desire to accomplish.

Here are 2 Keys to changing your self-image:

1. Be honest with yourself. How do I see myself? Do I see myself as successful, and capable of doing this? Am I confident in my ability to see the process through? Am I committed to the process to endure what comes my way to accomplish this goal? Am I willing to be vulnerable and ask for help when I need it, or will my pride keep my mouth shut? The answers to these and questions like this will allow you to take a look in the mirror. What you see is simply your starting point to know where you need to go from here.
2. Perception Pyramid: How do others see me? This part of the process can be difficult if you are trying to reestablish trust or build a relationship that is broken. Many times a person can go through the internal process of deciding who they want to be, but they are treated based on their past. My good friend Leonard Wheeler does a great presentation on the Perception Pyramid, where he discusses the cycle and sequence of how our thoughts impact our words, our words impact our actions, and our actions impact how people perceive us. This cycle can also work against us. If we allow other peoples opinion of ourselves to determine our boundaries of what we can or can’t do, we will allow their thoughts, words, and actions to dictate what we do. If we stay true to ourselves, and control our thoughts, words, and actions, over time, people will be able to see the changes we have made because of our consistency.

The only reason we can’t accomplish our goals is if we decide to not do it! Let’s go live our dreams!