This self-image becomes a golden key to living a better life because of two important discoveries:
1. All your actions, feelings, behavior-even your abilities-are always consistent with this self-image.
In short, you will "act like" the sort of person you conceive yourself to be. Not only this, but you literally cannot act otherwise, in spite of all your conscious efforts or will power. The man who conceives himself to be a "failure-type-person" will find some way to fail, in spite of all his good intentions, or his will power, even if opportunity is literally dumped in his lap. The person who conceives himself to be a victim of injustice, one "who was meant to suffer," will invariably find
circumstances to verify his opinions.
The self-image is a "premise," a base, or a foundation upon which your entire personality, your behavior, and even your circumstances are built. because of this our experiences seem to verify, and thereby strengthen our self-images, and a vicious or a beneficent cycle, as the case may be, is set up.
For example, a schoolboy who sees himself as an "F" type student, or one who is "dumb in mathematics," will invariably find that his report card bears him out. He then has "proof." A young girl who has an image of herself as a sort of person nobody likes will find indeed that she is avoided at the school dance. She literally invites rejection. Her woe-begone expression, her hang-dog manner, her anxiousness to please, or perhaps her unconscious hostility towards those she anticipates will affront her-all act to drive away those whom she would attract. In the same manner, a salesman or a businessman will also find that his actual experinces tend to "prove" his self-image is correct.
2. The self-image can be changed. Numerous case histories have shown that one is never too young nor too old to change his self-image and thereby start to live a new life.
One of the reasons it has seemed so difficult for a person to change his habits, his personality, or his way of life, has that heretofore nearly all efforts at change have been directed to the circumference of the self, so to speak, rather than to the center. Numerous patients have said to me something like the following: "If you are talking about positive thinking,' I've tried that before, and it just doesn't work for me." However, a little questioning invariably brings out that these individuals have employed "positive thinking," or attempting to employ it, either upon particular external circumstances, or upon some particular habit or character defect ("I will get that job." "I will be more calm and relaxed in the future." "This business venture will turn out right for me," etc.) But they had never thought to change their thinking of the "self" which was to accomplish these things.
In short, you will "act like" the sort of person you conceive yourself to be. Not only this, but you literally cannot act otherwise, in spite of all your conscious efforts or will power. The man who conceives himself to be a "failure-type-person" will find some way to fail, in spite of all his good intentions, or his will power, even if opportunity is literally dumped in his lap. The person who conceives himself to be a victim of injustice, one "who was meant to suffer," will invariably find
circumstances to verify his opinions.
The self-image is a "premise," a base, or a foundation upon which your entire personality, your behavior, and even your circumstances are built. because of this our experiences seem to verify, and thereby strengthen our self-images, and a vicious or a beneficent cycle, as the case may be, is set up.
For example, a schoolboy who sees himself as an "F" type student, or one who is "dumb in mathematics," will invariably find that his report card bears him out. He then has "proof." A young girl who has an image of herself as a sort of person nobody likes will find indeed that she is avoided at the school dance. She literally invites rejection. Her woe-begone expression, her hang-dog manner, her anxiousness to please, or perhaps her unconscious hostility towards those she anticipates will affront her-all act to drive away those whom she would attract. In the same manner, a salesman or a businessman will also find that his actual experinces tend to "prove" his self-image is correct.
2. The self-image can be changed. Numerous case histories have shown that one is never too young nor too old to change his self-image and thereby start to live a new life.
One of the reasons it has seemed so difficult for a person to change his habits, his personality, or his way of life, has that heretofore nearly all efforts at change have been directed to the circumference of the self, so to speak, rather than to the center. Numerous patients have said to me something like the following: "If you are talking about positive thinking,' I've tried that before, and it just doesn't work for me." However, a little questioning invariably brings out that these individuals have employed "positive thinking," or attempting to employ it, either upon particular external circumstances, or upon some particular habit or character defect ("I will get that job." "I will be more calm and relaxed in the future." "This business venture will turn out right for me," etc.) But they had never thought to change their thinking of the "self" which was to accomplish these things.
