If happiness comes from within, then why does it seem so difficult for so many people to find contentment with themselves? Often times it is because they have been conditioned over time to believe in the negative image they have of themselves. Poor self esteem and personal insecurities haunt many people. Self concept or self identity comes from persistent assessment of ones self, however, too many times this assessment is based on the false perceptions and distorted images. Over time, the distorted image becomes reality.
A fear of failure or fear of not succeeding in life can also be a major stumbling stone in self esteem issues. While many women believe this thought absurd, the reality remains that women are more self critical when it comes to their self ratings of success than in any other aspect of their lives. When holding on to the thought that success needs to be the starting point for happiness, that happiness is rarely found.
The self-esteem issues and fear of failure may be the only two things that are standing between you and your life of happiness. But, in order to bridge that gap, you must first recognize that these are the reasons you are unhappy and try to focus on improving that self-esteem and those fears of taking risks and succeeding. Once those are overcome, a healthy self image will follow.
Improving one self needs to incorporate a mental, physical and emotionally sound life. Asking yourself some of the hardest question can often open up those mental blocks between you and happiness. What areas of your life make you the most unhappy? What areas in life do you wish were different? What areas in your life need the greatest change to meet your definition of success? Is that definition one that can be attained in reality?
Physical self improvement is usually easy to identify but difficult to achieve. While some self-improvement requires you to undergo a physical transformation (like loosing or gaining weight), other require you to simply accept the body you have-and often that is the more difficult task. When we condition ourselves to believe in a set standard of beauty for which we ourselves do not fit, it makes self-acceptance a trying task. However, it is a necessary task in order to achieve happiness.
Emotionally, many of us have been scarred at some point and this in turn leads to a need for self-improvement. Psychologist and Psychiatrist make a living off of emotionally distraught people. Often times, emotional distress leads to our negative physical self-image as well. Recognizing the source of ones emotional turmoil is the key to improving ones self image. Addressing emotional barriers is a sensitive subject yet it is imperative in order to improve upon ones character.
Self improvement is also and, actually, always mental. The mental side of life is the one that can connect all others together to produce the happiness we desire. Without mental focus on the real meaning of life, the achievements of life will mean nothing and the bar will be set so high that the failure to meet the expectations will result in even lower levels of happiness.
A happy mind, soul, heart and self are all needed for overall life happiness. Improving oneself for the better can lead to an improved love of the world around us. It is believed that once the unsuccessful person stops trying to be successful, success knocks on the door.
You must log in to post a comment.