A Deeper Look in the Mirror

Have you taken a look in the mirror lately? We’re not talking about looking for the latest wrinkle or being concerned about the dark circles under the eyes. Have you taken a good look at the person you see in that mirror, and wondering if just maybe you could do a little work on the inside? After all, our outer selves are merely reflections of our inner selves.

Most of us are pretty sharp when it comes to noticing other people’s imperfections and faults, but not always about our own. Some folks have the mistaken idea that people with high self-esteem think that they are perfect. But the truth is that high self-esteem people don’t think they are anywhere near perfect. However, they are continuously looking for ways they can improve.

It is people whose self-esteem is shaky who are threatened by looking at their imperfections and weaknesses. They don’t want to know about their problems, because then they may have to actually do something about them. Unfortunately, they don’t feel highly effective when it comes to solving problems.

People with high self-esteem know that awareness of a problem is the first step toward solving it. However, they don’t get bogged down in the problem. They have a clear vision of what it will look like when the problem is fixed, and that is what they keep uppermost in their minds. They don’t beat themselves up when they make mistakes. Instead, they use mistakes as learning opportunities, and grow from them.

Also, these folks are used to taking a personal inventory. They feel competent and capable when it comes to doing what needs to be done to improve themselves and their behavior. Even when they are not sure exactly how they will accomplish the growth, they don’t let that stop them. They are confident that they can find a way…and they usually do.

As difficult as it may seem, at first, there is immense value when we take an honest look at ourselves. So, gather up your courage and take that look in the mirror. If you don’t like what you see, you do have the power to change it.