So, I’m here again. Like always, I have missed this space. Been really busy settling down in a new life, yeah,
so many things are new to me right now. Details on that will come soon. But I
have been fine. Trust you are doing good too.
I will be sharing a piece I
had to do for a friend’s online platform. I have removed and added a few things.
Enjoy it and please, share your thoughts. Have a
nice week ahead.
***
Nothing makes one fulfilled than when
one sees oneself for who one really is. And also the bonus feeling that comes
with such perception of oneself: the desire to get better. A lot about us is
tied to our self-image.
The problem with self-image for many
people is that they have only viewed themselves the way people or circumstances
have defined them. We live in a world where measures with which one can be
weighed abound all around. Each day goes by with at least a person placing you
on their scale. And boom! Right before you is (or are, as the case may be) what
Tom or Jerry think (s) you are.
In such world, it becomes necessary
that one’s self-image be at an all-time high. I have suffered pangs from
emotional distress and esteem deficiency issues on account of how I found myself
being viewed by people. Depending on one’s space, tens or hundreds of pairs of
eyes view one every single day. For me, it is the latter. How do I drag myself
into seeing me the way those other persons (hundreds!) do? I think doing that
can only amount to a lifetime of worry and consequently, back-to-back dissatisfaction.
However, here is what I have come to
discover, I am me. I can’t be anything else but me. What I see about me is what
I am. That, by the way, does not mean I am almost-God or anything that captures
such wrong belief.
As many as the factors that can be
responsible for a negative or poor self-image can be, they are the least of the
issues this piece will bother itself about. Rather, let’s have some of the ways
one can boost one’s self-image as our focus:
Here we go:
Remember you are unique
You are
you, different from anyone else. Stop comparing yourself with others.
Know
you and your Purpose
You are what God has made you. When you
have an understanding of this, you see a true image of you. God sees you only
in the light of what He has put in you; what He has sent you to do here and the
provisions He has made for you. Jesus needed nobody to tell Him who He is. No
wonder He could assertively tell the devil He is the Lord while He was being
tempted. He walked and worked in the understanding of His purpose too. Do you
know yourself? And your purpose?
Grow ear-filters
I discovered at a point in my life what
I hear about me does a lot, too much even, to me. It definitely will disturb or
delight me anyway. However, I have also come to realise that both comments
could come from the most insincere hearts. Mark these: don’t be too disturbed
by the negative ones; beware also of the joy that wells in you when you are
lauded. Difficult? The next point will address the difficulty.
Be deliberate about surrounding
yourself with positive people
Choose to be around those that are
willing to see you get better. Not every person around you is worthy company. Positive
people want to see you conquer your demons, always. That you are mileages from
that point doesn’t matter to them. It takes a positive person to see beyond the
‘current obvious’ and to offer the right comments. Remember the scriptural
twelve spies?
Focus more on your strengths
This does not in any way imply that you
neglect your weaknesses and have them puncture your progress wheel continually.
While you work at dealing with your weaknesses, can you take some more time to
appreciate and maximise your strengths?
I remember Mike Murdock making a
reference to how this works in his book, The
Law of Recognition. Here is how he describes it:
Marilyn
Hickey, my long-time friend, shared an interesting experience. She had just
returned from China…China has the greatest Ping-Pong players on earth. So, she
asked the master Mentors of their champions how they handled the weaknesses of
their protégés. They explained that they ignore them, choosing rather to spend
all of their teaching time on developing their dominant trait or gift to its
highest level possible. They explained that if the dominant strength of a
player received total focus, it would compensate for any weakness elsewhere in
their form.
Read, listen…just develop
Feed
on materials that will help you develop in your sphere of interest. Books,
podcasts and other such materials are always around us, maximise them. Your
dexterity in addressing issues in your sphere has a way of boosting how you
view yourself. There is a consequential approval and confidence that comes with
studying.
Dress well
One of
those things that help boost your self-image is the way you are dressed. One
special way of making people come to terms with their newly acquired statuses
in scriptures is to have them decked in special apparels. Remember Joseph and
the prodigal son. While you dress like the king and queen that you are, don’t
forget to be moderate. Look good and you’ll definitely feel good about you.
Prepare for contingencies
Your self-image is
enhanced when eventualities come and you can handle them without giving away a
sweat drop. It took a Joseph to save Egypt and surrounding nations during a
seven-year drought. Be your own Joseph. SAVE! You can never be displeased with
yourself for doing so.
