How Does One Define Self?

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

The concept of one’s self image can and does have a major impact on how much we enjoy and expand life. As I mentioned in previous articles virtually all of us have been influenced or in many cases restricted when it comes understanding our own self worth. Now I’m not a psychologist and don’t pretend to be an expert in this field, but I can share with you, what I have learned is so important about one’s self-esteem.
Our self-confidence hinges highly on what we have been taught we can and must believe. All too often there have been limitations with regard to such knowledge and your true potential because of the low self-esteem of those whom believe they know better.
Together with three other gentlemen I participated in the design and development of a unique business conference limited to forty people, many of whom were competitors and yet also members of this same business association. Now up to that time, for the better part of 15 years, I had been teaching small business owners how to deal with the issues they were to face as they managed and grew their business.
What I discovered and learned from so many of them was their fears and lack of self-confidence was having a substantial impact upon them. Another way of explaining this is that these people’s self-esteem had been significantly impacted by the realization that they were being watched or observed, by others in a negative manner.
As a result of our research in preparation for this business conference we also learned that the self worth and self-esteem of one’s employees can have a very detrimental effect on an employer’s success. Team building and success can definitely be impacted when you can all do a true self-assessment, regarding your abilities, your recognition and compliance with the value and needs of your clients.
So where does one go from here? How about beginning with a true evaluation of yourself, your true potential and where you are now? Once you can understand and appreciate how such a self-assessment can benefit you, ask yourself whom else you could share this idea with. Think in terms of friends, and acquaintances, such as employees (if you have a business) but also, perhaps most important of all, family members, especially children. Also if you can do this much, you can and will find numerous opportunities to expand life!