“What you ultimately get out of life is usually a direct reflection of how you see yourself.”

I was hoping you could take a minute or two to think through that statement because the responsibility taken significantly affects the journey forward.

Personal perception/ responsibility is usually one of the first areas I work on with new clients…do they understand how they see themselves?

I look at this so I can better understand the individual, and when I do, I look for three distinctly different approaches:

i. Those that are less than confident
i. Those that are highly confident (both real and perceived)
ii. Those that are neither, but confidence is influenced by situation or external influence

With the first two, it is not that I want to average out the level of true belief, but more of the fact; I want their confidence, to be honest, to be based on fact and not on fiction or perception.

For some, this journey is challenging, very hard. They want to see their circumstance change to improve their results. They may not want to change themselves to improve their circumstance.

I work with them so that they bare their soul, not necessarily to me. Still, more to themselves and once the self-protection approach is slowly removed, we can start to work on why they should see themselves in a certain way and by doing so, I can then begin to show them what real advantage this will bring.

Right now, this may sound like a process of psychology, yet in real terms, it is, like most things I do, about coming back to the beginning of the food chain, returning to a set of foundations, or putting it in its simplest form…it’s about going back to basics.

In this part of the evolutionary process, we work through some essential steps around building self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem.

To give you some idea of the things we work on, here are five areas for you to consider. But as you do, remember that we have gone back to rebuild foundations.

1.Open yourself to new learning.
Don’t buy the same magazines, read the same newspapers, work through the same blog postings, or listen to the same podcasts.

Expose yourself to new and different!

2.Take the time to get it right
Time and patience will not guarantee a result, but without them, your chances for success are significantly reduced. The one thing everyone is short of is time. But here is the thing: If you don’t have time to be patient and do it right the first time, where will you find the time when you have to do it again?

And even if you do find the time, will you have the confidence or belief to have another crack at it?

3.Walk tall, be proud
How you carry yourself speaks volumes to yourself and others. It is a window into who you are and what you are about. I don’t mean for you to walk around with a strut. But I believe in the power of head up, shoulders back, moving your arms and having a smile on your face.

4.You are you, and I am me
And that is OK for both of us. But if you spend all your time worrying about what others are doing or comparing yourself to someone else, then you will not be able to devote time to yourself. Spending time on you is a far greater cause than comparing yourself to someone else.
However, if you need to compare against somebody, compare the current you to the old you and see the reason to continue evolving.

5.Balance your approach
Demand great things of yourself, but at the same time, be open and honest, be authentic, and deal in facts. Be kind and considerate, and in the end, work at being everything you can.

And in doing so, watch and be excited as…

The Journey Continues!