Our Self concept is made up of three parts:-

1) Our Self Image

2) Our Self Ideal

3) Our Self Esteem

1) The Self Image

This often defined as the “kind of person we see ourselves as”. Some people may say “Well, I am a shy person. I don’t like talking to strangers”.

This is a very good example because this is something our parents told us not to do from a very young age. Perhaps causing us to believe that all strangers are bad (depending on the intensity and repetition of this statement). At the time this was very good and valid advice but over time this programming becomes a limiting belief which controls our actions and interactions in the world.

The Self Image is also limited by our habit patterns or paradigms. I may see Myself as a poor public speaker. Not because this is true, but because I have not yet developed the habits of a highly effective speaker. If I attend voice training lessons, seek out speaking opportunities and develop my skills as a public speaker, I will begin to change the way I see and feel about myself. This is sadly true because a lot of us are controlled by our present results. We see or perceive ourselves to be weak in a certain area and this makes us feel inferior, creating a self fulfilling cycle. We wait for physical proof that we can do it before we believe we can. We live from the outside, in. There are much better and more reliable ways of changing the Self Image by using imagination and concentration, we begin to see ourselves as a speaker from the inside out. We build a new image of ourselves as great speakers.

The Self Image is an inner representation of how we see ourselves, it is governed by our subconscious mind and we know that the subconscious mind and nervous system cannot tell the difference between what is real and imagined. So we use our imagination to become better at public speaking, or anything for that matter. (This will be discussed in depth in another article specifically on the Self Image).

This brings us to the second part of the Self Concept -

2) Self Ideal

This is the “me” I aspire to be. My ideal personality. The level of success and achievement we expect from ourselves can be determined by our ambition. Also, the kind of influences we have in life will play a role in this. Our Self Ideal is the Self we want others to see in us. It is the part of ourselves that we compare our actual present selves with.

Sometimes we hold on to a Self ideal that no longer serves us. Not because we are not able to achieve that ideal self but perhaps because we have changed our desires and grown into a new different ideal. Sometimes when we are younger, we may aspire to be like someone else whom we see is held in higher regard. As we grow and develop ourselves, it is important to make sure we have a clear mental image of what we want to be like, what we want to do, have and to become. If we hold an image of our ideal selves and we keep seeing that our current results do not stack up well, it negatively influences our Self esteem.

If we have a healthy Self ideal, one which truly reflects our burning desires, we can shape our daily thoughts, feelings, habits around them. Thus bringing ourselves closer to the ideal in every action. When we are congruent in our Self ideal as well as our attitude (Thoughts, feelings and actions) we develop a positive Self esteem.

3) Self Esteem

This is the product of your Self ideal and your Self image. Self esteem is the result of genuinely liking yourself and accepting both your strengths and weaknesses.

If we have a positive Self ideal and our current results (our present Self image) are moving us toward that ideal, we can develop a positive Self esteem. Negative Self esteem develops when our ideal Self and our Self image are very different. We feel that we should be achieving much more with our lives but for some reason we are not. This creates a gap between what we feel we are capable of and what we are actually doing or our present results. Self esteem develops from having a positive regard for ourselves.

Having a healthy Self esteem is vitally important to all of us. Yet, if we do not understand how Self esteem comes about we can struggle and frustrate our selves even more. Let’s focus today on developing unconditional acceptance of ourselves (Self esteem). If we choose a path, let’s be sure that it is our own path and not that of our family, friends or society.

When our goal is set we focus on thinking in the certain way which always brings results. We see ourselves as capable and creative beings, and then we move forward by ensuring that we feel good about ourselves and our new image, and most importantly, we take action to create our new improved lives. The life we really want can be created but we must first know exactly what that ideal life is. We must have a clear mental image of what we want and dwell upon it until becomes fixed in our subconscious minds. Then the habits needed to step into our ideal lives will be developed and our results will change.

With an understanding of the Self concept we are better able to adjust our Self image more in line with our Self ideal and continuously strive to close that gap and in so doing increase our Self esteem.

Ramon Watson is a dynamic Thinking into Results facilitator with Bob Proctor. He is passionate in providing service and giving people more of the means of life. If you want to improve any area of your life contact Ramon on

Cell (+27)73 980 8461

Or email on ramon@livingyourpassion.co.za

So one would naturally think that all it takes to draw what you want into your life, would be to think about the things you want in a way that you already have achieved it right?

But there is more to it than that, although we use our conscious minds during normal waking hours, it is not our conscious mind which dictates our habits and habitual thinking or our emotions and our habitual responses.

It is a mind much, much more powerful than the conscious mind which does these things.

The subconscious

Or that part of the mind which is below the conscious.

Another way of looking at it is the mind which is subject or under the control of the conscious mind.

All you need to do to get the results you want is to give your subconscious mind the feeling that you already have the thing you want.

Once your subconscious mind is convinced that you have it, it will bring the object to you in one of the ways of the universe.

Turn over your request for whatever you want in absolute faith in a relaxed and expectant mood and your subconscious mind will do the rest.

Your subconscious mind will not respond, if you force.

It responds to ideas that are accepted by your conscious mind, and if your imagination (or mental images) are in alignment with you desires, your subconscious will act on it.

Give your subconscious mind a direct and unambiguous goal to seek and conclude with certainty that there is a solution and that you will find it.

According to your belief it is done unto you.

Decree, health, happiness, financial freedom and you will have it.

But remember the only way to access the subconscious mind is by relaxing and allowing the conscious mind to quiet down.

Be specific, get a clear mental picture of the desired result,the happy ending and dwell on this image with all your emotions and focus.

Your new image must be felt subjectively.

Your conscious mind will try and get in your way, just sidestep any doubts and believe that it is.

Belief – to accept something as true.

The universe responds to your feeling.

Through relaxation you allow the kinetic energy behind the idea to take over and bring it into creation.

Law of reversed effort, when your desires and imagination are in conflict.

Your imagination will gain the advantage.

Mental force will always be futile.

The subconscious mind will accept the stronger of the dominant thoughts in the mind.

Think of a mental block in a an examination room.

The unison of conscious and subconscious mind will allow the manifestation of what you want.

Think about your life the way you want it , FEEL that you have already achieved it, let the emotions sink in. ACT with your whole mind focused only on the result you want. Do every action with the absolute faith that your goal is already yours and do each small action in a successful way.

What will you choose to create?

To your success!

Mainstream doctors today have only one tool with which to heal patients and that is medicine, or chemicals. This only treats the symptom of an underlying problem, which has its root cause in the mind. Most of us have no idea what our mind is or how it works. This diagram will make it clear.

For simplicity sake we say the mind is made up of two parts, the conscious and the subconscious.We also have a body. In the diagram the mind is larger than the body. We do this to emphasize that the body is an instrument of the mind.Whatever is happening in the mind will be expressed through the body, through behavior.

The conscious mind is the thinking, educated mind. This is where our ability to choose what to think starts.
Our conscious mind accounts for roughly 5 % of our mind power.
The lower half of the mind is the subconscious mind. This is the feeling or emotional mind. This is the part of mind which stores everything we’ve ever experienced. It stores our self image, beliefs, conditioned habits and patterns and our memories.

School crams things into our conscious minds and if we can repeat them we pass but that doesn’t help us much in the real world. In the real world you only get rewarded for what you do, not what you know. What we need to learn is how to condition ourselves to adopt habits that are productive. We need to change our paradigm. The paradigm is a group of habits. These paradigms determine our results.

So our conscious mind thinks and it thinks in pictures. Just think of a pink elephant.
Our subconscious mind is like a recorder, so whatever we habitually think and feel intensely will be impressed on the subconscious. Whatever is impressed on the subconscious will be expressed in the body. Feeling is Vibration. Feelings are always expressed through the body as actions and our habitual action (paradigms) create our results.

If you want to know what you have been thinking about, simply take a look at your results they never lie.
If you don’t like what you see, you simply need to tune into another frequency. Develop an image of what you want. Get excited and inspired  about your new image and see how this changes your habits and ultimately your results.

Feel free to comment or request to be a part of my mastermind groups by sending an email to ramon@livingyourpassion.co.za