While we all understand the importance of eating healthy, exercising and dieting, very few realize that changing our self-image is just as important to leading a healthy lifestyle.   How you think and feel about yourself goes a long way to bringing happiness and success into your life and in order to change your self-image – just as you give your body a workout – you need to give your mind a work-out too.

The first step you need to take is to determine what exactly it is you would like to be and what you are already good at or enjoy doing.  You might say you are good at sports, poetry and spending time with friends.  The one thing you don’t want to do is create a list of things that you don’t like about yourself. This pencil and paper exercise would only make you feel inadequate and hinder your ability to change yourself and your self-image.  By focusing on the good in yourself, you will be able to quickly change your self-image into something that you are proud of.

Visualization and affirmations can help you to realize just how great you already are.  See yourself doing and becoming everything that you originally wrote down.  Repeat positive affirmations throughout the day to help the new way of thinking sink in and develop your new positive outlook.  By vividly imagining this new you, your mind will retrain until you understand that all the things you visualize are true.

Consider keeping a journal
During this process you will benefit from keeping a journal about your transformation, you will be able to look back on it and this will help to strengthen your self-image and reinforce the new you.  As part of my own personal self-image development, I found that keeping a journal really helped me not only track my progress but it truly created a release for me to pour out my feelings and emotions throughout the process.  It is important that you let your past go and think only about the future and the new you, you will develop your new self-image more rapidly by focusing on what you are achieving and have yet to achieve.

Goals will get you there
You can help yourself mold a positive self-image if you set attainable goals for yourself and then strive to reach them.  Giving yourself something to work towards creates success in your life – a vital part of reshaping your self-image.  Set goals for yourself in any area you wish, work, personal, health, fitness and then go for it.  Set yourself a realistic time in which to accomplish each goal and give yourself praise when you get there.  Make a list of potential challenges you might face during your transformation and develop an action to persevere through those challenges.   It is always a good job to keep a risk management plan to protect the valuable asset “YOU”.

How you choose to change your self-image is entirely up to you, there are no limitations to what you are able to achieve if you set your mind to it and are determined to work towards reaching the desired goal. If you stray from the path leading you there, then don’t be put off and discouraged, get back on track and carry on with determination.  Remember your positive self-talk as well as daily affirmations and don’t be afraid to use these tools to get you through the process.  Good Luck and know that you have a Fan and Advocate cheering you along the way “ME”.  Feel free to reach out to me for inspiration and to share your progress.

You are committing yourself to working hard to achieve what you want. Plan on what you will do when you finally reach your ultimate goal, you should aim to give yourself a special treat, you deserve it. Make sure that it is something which you can set your mind on during the tough times, keeping it in mind will give you an incentive that it will completely worthwhile.