It’s Day 1 of our Win from Within series here on The Reality Hub, and I’m thankful you’re reading this. This is the beginning of a journey you’d always refer to as life-defining.
Today’s post is meant to give you a headstart into the rest of your life. I am confident that you are surely on the highway to your next level of success and influence!
What Do You Think of Yourself?
“We all will act consistently with our views of who we truly are, whether that view is accurate or not.” – Tony Robbins
What would it look like if your life turns out as you wish? It’ll be beautiful, wouldn’t it? Of course! But the sad truth most people need to understand is this: Wishes don’t win, actions do! Every time! But truly, your actions are greatly influenced by one subtle but powerful entity – your thoughts.
Who am I? Am I good enough? Do people like me? Am I the right person for this? Can I do that? How will I appear? What would others think of me? Am I ready enough? Do I qualify? Will it ever happen? Life-defining questions! Throughout your life, most of your answers to these questions will be to yourself. And that is where the danger is; over time, these answers get deeply ingrained into your subconscious, and thus become a hardened part of your being. They form the foundation of your self-belief. Subsequently, all your experiences – events, happenings, and encounters with people – will only affirm what you think of yourself. Thus, your interpretation of these events will always be in the direction of your self-belief.
What you think of yourself greatly affects what you think of, and how you see, your world. In the words of John C. Maxwell, “how you see yourself determines how you see others.” Your perception of yourself – which stems from your thought life – is the determining factor of your actions and inaction. It decides your relationships with others, and your responses to situations, and even affects how you interpret situations. What you think of yourself goes a long way to decide whether or not you’ll even pursue your life’s purpose, or forfeit it for a lesser life.
Self-Awareness
“I think, therefore I am.” – Rene Descartes
“Your ability is constant, but how much of it you use depends upon the identity you have of yourself.” – Tony Robbins
What you consider possible or impossible are rarely dependent on your capabilities, but a large function of what you think of yourself. For example, if you feel certain that you are an outgoing, outrageous person, you’ll tap the resources of behavior that match your identity. Whether you see yourself as a “loser” or a “winner,” will instantly shape which capabilities you access. To be self-aware is to be knowledgeable of who you really are. It’s the knowledge of your true self, minus all your wishes, ambitions, and clouded judgement. To be self-aware is to be well-informed of your ideal value as an individual; to be well-informed of what makes you, you. To be self-aware is to believe that you have something within you that can bless future generations. It is believing and knowing that you have everything you need to fulfill your life’s purpose.
Self-awareness is about
- Recognizing your Value
You are extraordinary. There is no one like you. You are the only you that was ever created.
- Recognizing and releasing your potential
You were created to solve a problem no one else can, and that is your potential. As such, you have been endowed with characteristics which will enhance your achievement of this task. In the words of Dr. Myles Munroe,
No man is born to live or die unto himself. God gave you the wealth of your potential – your abilities, gifts, talents, energies, creativity, ideas, aspirations, and desires – for the blessing of future generations. You bear the responsibility to activate, release, and deposit them. The next generation needs the treasures of your potential. Think of the many inventions, books, songs, works of art, and great accomplishments others in past generations have left for you. Even as their treasures have become your blessings, so your treasures must become your children’s unborn children’s blessings. Deliver your potential to inspire the children of our world to release theirs.
To be self-aware is to believe that you are capable of much more than you have already done.
- Recognizing what’s holding you back
One true mark of our humanity is limitation. We all possess limitations. There are some which you need to accept. You have no control over your place of birth, birth characteristics, or your year of birth. Also, no one has any control over how his life begins. Whiles some limitations are fixed, there are others we can alter, and yet others you have full control over. You have full control over the thoughts you think, the decisions you make, the actions you take, and your interpretation of situations. You are not limited by your experiences as much as you are by your interpretation of those experiences. What’s holding you back is really what you think of yourself. As aptly asserted by Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can or you can’t you’re probably right.”
- Believing in yourself
I believe in You. And I want you to succeed. I want you to thrive in success and influence. Nevertheless, much can’t be done if you don’t believe in yourself, too. Self-belief is indispensable in the success equation. To be successful, You must believe in yourself. Regardless of what the past has presented to you, you have the chance to rewrite your story. I hope you write a good one.
It’ll take time. Don’t give up.
Self-awareness takes time. Yet, it is a journey worth taking – it will form the foundation for your greatness. Over the years, my experiences have exposed to me what great orator I could become. However, even my mum would have failed to believe it if she was told about this ten years ago. My mum expressed her utter surprise when she had news of my decision to run political campaigns in college. She actually recalled to the family, how secluded and quiet I was even at age 12.
Growing up, however, I was privileged to be engaged in certain public gatherings which heightened my confidence. To mention a few, I represented my primary school at a quiz competition, I was chosen as master of ceremony for a Talented Kids event; my Dad also pushed me out of those limiting shells when he tasked me to be leading family meetings and events as first born. All these are experiences which have taken well over a decade to push me this high.
Before you go…
If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. – Thomas Edison.
Be intentional about self-awareness. Be conscious of your actions and reactions from today. Don’t just go through life; grow through life. Expose yourself to different experiences and people. Observe your responses to the different experiences. Take note of them.
Make the rest of your life the best of your life! Make a commitment to embark on the journey of self-awareness today. Your redefinition just began!
The Reality Hub 