Jim's Gems: Look for Self-Improvement

Most of us are quick to perceive imperfections and faults in others; however, most of us can be blind to our own shortcomings. 

We’ve written previously about high self-esteem people. Some of the feedback we’ve received indicate that many people have the mistaken idea that people with high self-esteem think that they are perfect. Actually most people with high self-esteem know they aren’t perfect and are always looking for ways to improve themselves.

It is people whose self-esteem is weak who seem to be threatened by looking at their imperfections and weaknesses. These people generally don't want to fully realize their weaknesses because then they may have to actually do something about them.  Furthermore, they don't feel very confident or effective when it comes to resolving their shortcomings.

People with high levels of self-esteem realize they need to treat any weakness or imperfection as a problem, so they realize that awareness is the first step toward solving it. They don't, however, get bogged down in the problem. Instead, they create a clear vision of what it will look like when the problem is fixed, and that is what they keep uppermost in their minds. Furthermore, they don't get down on themselves up when they make mistakes. They use their mistakes as valuable learning opportunities.

High-esteem people are regularly making personal assessments.  They feel competent and capable when it comes to doing what needs to be done to improve themselves and, consequently, their behavior. They are not always sure how they will do it, but they don’t let that deter them because they have the confidence that they will find a way to the solution.

Take an honest assessment of yourself and don’t be shy about asking others whose opinion you value.  If you don't like the assessment, you have the power to change it.  Acknowledging your weaknesses is just the beginning of the improvement journey. The real change results from taking action because the only way change takes place is by your action!

Think about it.