How Your Self-Perception Can Cause Or Hinder Your Success

When you wake up in the morning what is your first thought?

Let me make that more specific. What is your first thought about yourself? When you look in the mirror throughout the day what crosses your mind? When you bend over to tie your shoelace or pick something up, do you consider the way that position makes you look?

When you see what other people see about you does it make you wince, or smile?

Do the words and thoughts that you use to describe yourself build you up, or do they drag you down? When it comes to your self-image and the way you perceive yourself, there are always two sides to the story.

This popular illusion, first depicted in the 1800’s, proves just how easy it is to see things differently to what others do. Do you see a young woman or an old lady?

Let’s take this idea even further – it’s not just about what others see in you. The truth is that the thoughts and ideas you hold about yourself, when repeated to yourself over time, can be powerful enough to change the way you come across to others. We’ve all seen someone who is significantly overweight, or not especially ‘beautiful’ by conventional standards, and yet somehow manages to carry an aura of sexiness and confidence wherever they go.

Now think about this –

Have you ever had a friend complain to you about a body part they hate or whinge that they’re having a fat day and you’ve told them they’re crazy? Here’s an even crazier thought – couldn’t it be possible that you see yourself differently to what others do? That the things you dislike most about your body or personality go unnoticed by those around you? Or are maybe even admired by other people?

If you’re thinking that how you feel about your body is more important than what others think, well then you’d be right. When it comes down to it, working hard to achieve your BodyIncredible really is all about what you want. So long as this doesn’t mean that you don’t realize just how great you already are.

How others might kill to have your broad shoulders, or your big bust, or your small bust, or your womanly curves, or your muscular legs. How there’s people out there who just wish they could have the happy-go-lucky attitude that you exhibit, or are desperate to know what it’s like to just be happy in their own company. I guarantee you that you have something that someone else wants, and I have to tell you it’s a darn shame if you’re so caught up in what you don’t have or who you aren’t, that you don’t embrace the good that others see in you.

Get Lost In Being You

So what do you see in the mirror in the morning? What do you think when you glimpse your reflection in a store window or at the gym? When you notice your stomach sitting heavier than you’d like above your waistband? Next time, before you give yourself that mental dressing-down or guilt-trip, take just a moment to consider what others might see in you.

Who knows – you may find you’ve already got a whole lot more of your Body Incredible than what you realize.

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