How to Match Your Self-Image to Your Goals

“Finally, I feel respected,” an executive said.  She loved leading a global business. But she had often felt unvalidated and under-appreciated by the senior leadership at her firm.

Although she put in long hours, over time this pattern of feeling unrecognised took a toll on her.

When she came to me as a coaching client, she was feeling discouraged. She knew she could be doing much better.

I told her about self-image and she got to work. Within a year she was recognized for her achievements with an impressive promotion.

What is self-image?

Self-image is a mental picture that you have of yourself. It's a blue-print for the kind of person you are. It's subconscious and you may not be aware how much it controls you. Your current self-image has gotten you to where you are today. But if you've hit a roadblock in your professional advancement, then your current self-image is probably holding you back.

When clients come to me and know they can be doing better, this is what I recommend:

1. Take 100% responsibility for yourself and your results.
2. Get crystal clear about your goals and what you want to achieve.
3. Re-evaluate your current thinking and self-image: identify patterns that no longer serve you. 
4. Identify and research your future self (with a new self-image) who is achieving your goals.
5. Step into your future self now.

Let's go over these steps one by one:

1. Take 100% responsibility for yourself and your results.  It's vital that you stop complaining, blaming or making excuses. Being a victim will never result in the success you want.

2. Get crystal clear about your goals and what you want to achieve. Ask yourself: what do I really, really want? What are my 12-month goals?

And, if you work for an organization, be sure your goals align with your organization's goals.

3. Re-evaluate your current thinking and self-image: identify patterns that no longer serve you. Look at your results. What do your results tell you about your current self-image? What thoughts and beliefs are holding you back?

4. Identify and research your future self (with a new self-image) who is achieving your goals.
Imagine who you must become to achieve your goals. Reflect on or research people you admire who have qualities you'd like to adopt for yourself. Write about your future self in as much detail as you can. (for support here, check out my free 3-part masterclass: Your High Performing Self-Image)

5. Step into your future self now. Start thinking, feeling and acting like your future self. Your subconscious mind can't distinguish between what's real and what's imagined, therefore be sure to mentally rehearse your future self, as well. This will plant the right seeds into the fertile soil of your subconscious mind.

 Match Your Self-Image to Your Goals

“Finally, I feel respected,” my client, an executive, said.

How did she achieve this? She created a new self-image for herself. She became clear about her goals and who she needed to become - her future self.  And she got to work. She earned the respect and validation from her colleagues she deserved.

As Dr Maxwell Maltz, one of the pioneers in the science and psychology once said, "The most important discovery of all is that you can change your self-image. And when you do, you change your life."

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