The Key to Your Success- Your Self-Image

I was listening to the CD program "Psychology of Winning" by Denis Waitley and I became inspired to write about the importance of Self-Image.

One of the most, if not thee most important element of success is having a positive and empowering Self-Image. Successful people see themselves as winners, go-getters, high achievers, worthy of glory, etc etc. And their mental images of themselves usually manifest themselves in the individuals behaviors.


This is the Heart of Sport Psychology. Everything else is more of a band-aid fix (it helps, but it will not solve the problem). 1st order change.

1st Order Change vs. 2nd Order Change- 2nd order change is systems oriented. Attacking your Self-Image is a 2nd order change (which is always most desirable).

No other factor is as crucial to your success as your Self-Image. -Coach Mike Tulley
Self-Efficacy is an individuals belief that he/she can successfully complete a specific task.

To a high degree, the greater Self-Efficacy (or Confidence) a person has, the more likely a person is to achieve that which they set out for.

A prerequisite for this confidence or self-efficacy is a belief that one is capable of doing big things. This is tied into a person's Self-Image.

In Sport-Performance Psychology, I believe the first step to success is to see exactly how you view yourself.

Successful people know that life is a self-fulfilling prophecy- If you believe something is true, you tend to act in a way to make it exactly so.

This is THE SECRET.


The steps to Sport-Performance Psychology

Step 1: Determine your Self-Image (As detailed and honestly as possible)

Step 2: Determine your Goal(s)

Step 3: Determine the Self-Image you will need to have in order to achieve your Goal(s).
(Ask someone who has achieved those goals already, if your stuck)

Step 4: Determine the all the blocks (both internal & external, but mainly, internal) to getting to the empowering Self-Image.

Step 5: Work daily on instilling the empowering Self-Image, and removing the negative parts of your original Self-Image.


How to improve your Self-Image-

*Make a List of your Empowering Self-Image (Not necessarily how you see yourself, but rather how you WANT to see yourself).

*Make another List next to this list and title it "Evidence." Every time you act in accordance to this new Self-Image, you need to document it on this paper(s). You refer to this list often, to remind yourself that YOU ARE the way you want to be. YOU EMBODY this empowering Self-Image.


I was asked before how do you improve your Self-Image of you really don't feel good about yourself.

The answer may come as a shocker, but you need to begin with BLIND FAITH.

This may be a very difficult thing to have right away, but it is the first step on the ladder of success.

You have to begin believing simply because you choose to.

[This in a sense, mirrors Albert Ellis, father of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy in psychology, and his idea of Unconditionally Accepting yourself, simply because you choose to.

If this is hard, I would recommend turning to a Higher Power. Your religion can be just the catalyst you are looking for because it so well rooted in us since birth and usually just accepted as fact, without question.

It's no surprise that most of the highly successful people have a strong belief in God, and they'll openly thank Him after accomplishing their goals.

These people have TRUE CONFIDENCE that their faith will overcome all. Whether their success is due to the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy or Divine Intervention goes beyond the scope of this blog.

What IS certain is FAITH can help a person compete fearlessly, confidently, and with a sense of serenity unlike any other.

For more information on Spiritual Motivation from Christianity and Judaism (Hebrew Scripture or Old Testament), see my Spiritual Blog: GZ-God and Church, under Motivational words from God.
http://www.gzchristian.blogspot.com/

Question of the day: If your Self-Image is based on your very beliefs about the world at large, how easy will it be to shake it?

Answer: Not easy at all!