Self Esteem

How Do You See You?

by Laura Interval

The world will see you how you see yourself.

That’s good news. That means that you determine how the world sees you. That sounds simple. Ok… so, here’s the not so good news. Most of us don’t have a clear vision of ourselves. Most of us don’t have a strong, specific self-image. And if you can’t see yourself clearly . . . well, the world can’t either.

Take this quick visualization test:

Close your eyes and picture yourself doing something that you love to do. Visualize yourself engaging in an activity that makes you feel good about yourself, something you know you are good at. Take just a moment; see the picture in your mind’s eye. Relax and breathe, enjoy the image for a minute, noticing a few of the details.

When you are satisfied with the picture… open your eyes and come back into the present.

What did you see?:

Was it difficult for you to connect with a vision of you in motion?
Were you able to see yourself clearly?
How big was your image: did your image seem close or far away in the distance?
How bright and vibrant was your picture?

Your self-image is dependent on your self-esteem.

Your self-esteem is dependent on how you see yourself internally. So, in order to take the world by storm, in order to make sure we get what we want, our internal images must reflect our intentions. It’s vital that our internal representations of ourselves are confident and clear.

Therapists and NLP practitioners have determined that:

- People with high self-esteem see themselves clearly as well formed individuals and the picture is large, bright and vibrant.
- People with medium self-esteem see themselves as well formed individuals but the picture is dim and distant.
- People with medium low self-esteem see a large, bright and vibrant image but the self-image is distorted.
- People with very low self-esteem see a distorted self-image that is dim and distant.

The great thing about this technique is that therapists have also determined that changing your vision will change your self-image.

Here’s the key:

Make sure you are clear and specific about your activity. What are you good at? What makes you feel strong? Get specific about what you are doing.

Bring your vision of yourself close and make it big.

See the picture in bright, vibrant colors.

Try your vision again now, with these adjustments.Continue to work on the vision until you can see clearly yourself radiant and vivid.

Do you feel any different seeing this new scene?

I certainly do. And I use this technique anytime I find myself in the “dumps”. It’s amazing how feeling low can have such a huge effect on you and the world around you. It’s a snowball. You feel low, your negative thoughts begin, which create negative energy in your body, which then attracts more negative energy from the Universe and …. no wonder “nothing is going right”. You’re thinking it’s a bad day, you’re slumping your shoulders, you feel a cold coming on, but you don’t understand why you’re not getting everything you want? Make no mistake; the world is seeing you just as you are seeing you. So, best to change the view.

Your self-image not only teaches the world how to see you, but also how to treat you. It will treat you no better than you treat yourself. So, when you visualize yourself, get a clear vision of you at your best. I like to think of it as “Super Me”… my favorite comic book character. It is me at my best, doing what I love, and the world is responding accordingly. This bolsters my self-esteem, inspiring me to treat myself well, motivating me to continue to ask for what I want and teaching the world that I deserve it. That is one positive vision.

Crank your self-esteem lever onto high... and let the positive snowball begin. You have to see who you are before you can expect the world to get it right. A clear, positive vision will give you positive thoughts which will give you a strong, positive body which will attract more positive energy and show the world how to see you.

related articles:
Believing In Yourself - No More Can'ts

Your Success Vision

Creative Visualization


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