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"I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to underestimate one's self is as much a departure from the truth as to exaggerate one's own powers."

This succinct quote from Sherlock Holmes, a character who always created a strong impression upon whoever he met, can be related to the importance of solid foundations when building up self image.

Before you go about the all important process of projecting an image with the aim of making a professional impact you need to establish a strong sense of how you view yourself.

THE SELF IMAGE

Reality.

Ideally we are always improving ourselves in various ways. To do this we must not only expand skill sets and develop positive traits but identify problems and weaknesses.

Most people make one of two mistakes at this vital foundational stage; either they focus exclusively on what they don't have or they focus exclusively on what they do have. In the former case the problem is insecurity and in the latter case it is arrogance. These are two traits which would have a highly negative impact if communicated to other people, particularly in a business environment.

It's likely that you may lean to one side or the other in terms of how you view yourself. Often the reason for taking a poor view of yourself is low confidence and the reason for taking a higher view of oneself is due to being all too aware of existing problems but not wanting to have to admit to them.

When building up your self image, it's important to be accurate. Bear in mind that if you don't like something about yourself the best way to change it is to see the problem AS a problem and not as something you have to get used to. If there is a lot you wish to change, take a deep breath and don't be overwhelmed, you'll get there, but you may not get there overnight.

Once you have built up your accurate portrayal of where you are now, identify how you can improve yourself and your abilities and form a plan to develop and grow. Start a cycle of self improvement that never stops. Constantly reassess your skills and weaknesses, can your skills be improved? Can your weaknesses be minimised?

Perfection Myth.

Whilst it is a good attitude to be the best that you can be and to constantly be working on yourself it's essential to stay realistic even when you are being idealistic. Avoid being down on yourself because you aren't perfect.

The chances are that you often hear people say things like "well I can't

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