by Tyrone Harding

Created on: February 21, 2008

The Bible writer, Paul, wrote: "For through the undeserved kindness given to me I tell everyone there among you not to think more of himself than it is necessary to think, but to think so as to have a sound mind, each one as God has distributed to him a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3, NWT) "Have no doubt, leave no doubt!" "Life can be as good or bad as you think it to be." These statements contain very important truths about how our views and attitudes can shape our reality. If we have confidence in our knowledge and abilities in performing a certain task, that is going to give us the motivation to do what we can do well. On the other hand, if there is any twinge of doubt that we can do something, this can create insecurity, and this in turn could create an insecure business environment. It's similar to someone embarking on a journey miles away. If an individual has looked at a map and studied where he or she plans to go, this is going to give them the confidence that they will reach their destination. They are going to be motivated to action. On the other hand, if a person goes on a whim or looks at a map, but doesn't study it closely enough, this can leave him or her with some questions about where they are going. Having an adequate view of our self-image can have a similar affect on our performance in the business world. The more we know about ourselves and our abilities, along with our experience, the more our confidence should be when we navigate the business world. Confidence and courage moves us to action and to perform well.

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a prominent psychologist in the 1940's and 1950's, wrote a book entitled "Psycho-Cybernetics". In it, he described the role that self-image plays in contributing to a person's successes or failures in the workplace and life in general. In the opening chapter of his work, he wrote, "The most important psychologic discovery of this century is the discovery of the "self image". Whether we realize it or not, each of us carries about with us a mental blueprint or picture of ourselves. It has been built up from our own beliefs about ourselves...But most of these beliefs about ourselves have unconsciously been formed from our past experiences, our successes and failures, our humiliations, our triumphs, and the way other people have reacted to us, especially in early childhood." Then, he went on highlight a primary discovery about self image: "All of our actions, feelings, behavior - even our abilities - are always consistent

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