Self Image

You can't afford to think small.

I’m not saying that because it’s cute.

It’s vital that you understand the importance of self-image if you want positive outcomes.

You see, whatever image you have of yourself becomes self-fulfilling.

You act in accordance with the beliefs you hold to be true.

By indulging a negative self-image and keeping your dreams small, you are wasting the machinery and opportunity you have to make a difference and experience beauty.

- “I can’t build a business” → you won’t

- “I fuck up relationships” → you will

- “I’m not an athletic person” → you never will be

Choosing a limiting mental position is an insult to life itself. So tragic.

And you think: “I never chose this. I just am this way.”

Sure, you didn’t sit down and consciously decide to hold yourself back.

These limiting beliefs have built up over the years as a result of certain experiences and how you interpreted them (with or without being aware of it), and they got reinforced the more you acted in alignment with them.

Most of the time, people aren’t even conscious of this process. They just accept whatever enters their mind as truth without evaluating the idea.

Please—take a step back and adopt a more critical eye for your thoughts.

You need to understand that when it comes to “facts” about your personality, this shit isn’t math. It’s not 2 + 2 = 4 every time.

You may have this belief that you’re a shy, quiet person who sits in the back and doesn’t say much. And if you ever feel called to speak your mind, this narrative about your shyness holds you back from doing so.

If you were to let go of this arbitrary barrier you set for yourself, and just said “I’m the type of person who goes first and always speaks their mind,” your behavior would eventually change. (I experienced this exact shift in 10th grade.)

Whatever you believe is the truth about who you are becomes the truth in reality.

Once you become aware of this fact—that the story you have about yourself is your choice—

the question no longer becomes, “Is this true?” but rather, “Does this serve me?”

If you’re not actively working to cultivate a strong conviction—if you’re not listening to lectures or reading books or talking to people that expand your mind and the scope of ambition, that bolster a sense of strength and capability and resilience—

then you are choosing to stay small.

This isn’t just about you feeling good or bad about yourself.

Adopting a negative self-image is ethically and morally wrong.

You have the ability to create so much joy, happiness, progress, change, and greatness. You can be a source of strength for your friends, family, and community. You can be in wonderful health and be a source of abundance in the world—

and you’re choosing to believe otherwise.

The fuck is that?

It’s an uncomfortable shift. You’re attached to your wonderful limitations. They keep you safe and in your familiar mediocrity.

But my guess is you don’t wanna stay there.

You gotta start the shift.

Push the edges. Clear out the self-pity and sob stories and the struggle olympics.

Stop telling yourself depressing, lame shit—and stop listening to it.

Imagine who you want to be. Write it down. Find people who have the same message.

And drill all that shit into your brain with relentless force.

Who you are, what you’re meant for—that’s a story you tell yourself.

Choose a story that feels grand, beautiful, and whatever else you want it to be.

You’ll never run out of ways to grow or serve.

You will never exhaust your potential in this lifetime.

So think bigger.

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PS: Practices I Use

- I read my “vision” document every morning, which describes the life and characteristics I’m working toward from the perspective of my 22-year-old self—who already has it. Write what you want with no fear, and read that shit.

- I listen to tapes when I’m walking, driving, lifting—recordings that hammer in ideas and attitudes conducive to wealth, strength, and ambition. We pick up our self-concept from what we’re told, taught, or see. In the digital age, you can choose who and what you listen to. Get into physical and digital spaces with optimism and big goals.

- Fill your mind with movies, books, music, and images that make you feel good, excited, aligned. Save all your favorite things somewhere easily accessible, and keep a clear conduit between your attention and what you love.

- Ruthlessly avoid and eliminate sources of negativity and distraction in your life.