SEEKING VALUE IN LIFE

What have you decided about yourself?

Where did you get the self-concept that you currently have?

Who did you listen to growing up?

Who do you listen to now?

These are all critical questions - your self image is the key to everything that you experience about life. It is the collection of ideas that you have come to accept about who you are - about your self worth - about your value as a person.

The set of beliefs that forms self image - the collection of ideas that you have accepted whether true or not - becomes the filter through which all perception and thought must pass. You literally view the world through the lens of self image, coloring perception with who you think yourself to be, even altering perception to fit your beliefs.

For example, you cannot accept a compliment that you do not agree with. If someone says, "You are really intelligent," you will reject the compliment unless you agree.

At the same time, you cannot be criticized unless you agree. If someone says, "You are really dumb," you will accept the criticism to the degree that you already believe it to be true.

Add to this the fact that you will tend to seek out experiences and people that produce the affirmation of your self image - low self image people surround themselves with people and events that tend to confirm their image of self. High self image people do the same thing. Hence the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

You begin to build a better self image in the following way:

1. Become aware of how self image works - you build it yourself.
2. Decide to build a positive self image.
3. Continually affirm your qualities; refuse to focus on negatives.
4. Seek to learn new things - expand your horizons in areas that interest you.
5. Make it clear to your friends, family and associates that you will not engage in negative talk, belittling others, or gossip.
6. Begin each day with quiet time - meditation, journaling, prayer.
7. Identify positive people in your life and cultivate connection with them.
8. Read inspirational books, listen to beautiful music, fill your life with beauty.
9. Do something positive and nurturing for yourself on a regular basis.

When you begin to nurture a positive relationship with yourself, then your relationships with others will flourish. Some relationships may fall away, because people in your life may not be willing or able to accept you with a positive self image, but others will bloom and new people will show up who connect at a more positive level.

So assess your self image level, find where it can be raised, and decide to do what it takes to elevate your inner self. You will never regret it.

Love and Light,
Rev. Lockard