BUILDING SELF-IMAGE
Image: Kem Weber, Vanity with Mirror, 1934
Personal power is a currency in and of itself and through Jim Rohn’s talk, titled “The 10 Powers to Be Great”—we cover the seventh power on his list: image.
Jim makes note that there are two distinct sides to image: how others see you, and how you see yourself. He says, “If people can see you… in control of your life, your future, your destiny, in control of the situation… that kind of image is powerful. It helps to win the day, it attracts other people. People want to be around [those] who are in control, that are powerful—and know how to use their power and are influential—but know how to use their influence.”
Power, influence—these are big concepts. But power isn't inherently good or bad, it's how we use it in the world. When wielded responsibly and intentionally, it creates impactful, profound and inspiring changes for ourselves and others
So, how does this connect with image? Because when we step into our power through self-trust and building confidence,we radiate from the inside out. This radiance is visceral beyond what we see, which is why image goes deeper than looks. There is a real formula to finessing this kind of radiance from building self-trust, the key ingredient to personal power, which not only makes us feel confident in ourselves, but invites others to believe in and trust us as well. And as we build all these inner energy reserves, we can show up evening bigger in the world and turn dreams to reality.
When Jim speaks of being in “control" of our future, it does not mean gripping onto expectations or craving perfectionism, but choosing intention and curiosity. It’s about co-creating with life, instead of becoming reactionary to things. This is a life-changing skill. It is the art of the Projection, which we devote an entire week to every month in the Benshen.co course.
While focusing on our “image” we are not seeking external validation or approval as the architects of this image, but instead we use these energy building techniques to ultimately trust ourselves. This is the most powerful form of confidence.
As Jim reminds us, how we appear to OURSELVES is the ultimate importance: “[When you believe in yourself], it’s the image that says if it needs to be learned, you could learn it. If there’s a book that needs to be mastered, you could master it. If there’s a skill that needs to be learned, why couldn’t you get busy now and learn that skill? That kind of self-image of 'I am continually trying my best to be the best I can’, because one of the most important places you have to look is into the future, yes, into the past, yes, you’ve got to look around, yes, but one of the most important places you have to look is in the MIRROR.“
This connects back to one of our absolute favorite videos, where the incomparable Carla Harris shares how you can confidently change your projection by stepping into the most empowered version of ourselves. In this newsletter, we will unpack the tools to change how each of us show up in the world, so that we can powerfully spin dreams to reality.
"[The] kind of self-image of, ‘I am continually trying my best to be the best I can,’ because one of the most important places you have to look is into the future, yes, into the past, yes, you’ve got to look around, yes, but one of the most important places you have to look is in the MIRROR.
How I appear to others is important, but how I appear to myself is the ultimate importance.”
— JIM ROHN
Image: Original Sin, Ferdinand Cacnio
EXERCISE:
STEPPING INTO “WHAT IF”
One of the biggest obstacles is the discrepancy between who we think we are today versus who we want to be. It can feel like that person isn’t even remotely like us and therefore our dreams feel even more far off and ungrounded. HOWEVER, before anything can be a tangible, concrete THING, it is first a thought and we have the power to create the reality we want by showing up as the person who is ready to receive it.
This is about shifting our personal projection by going within and pulling out elements of who we innately are, to prepare us to take on this 2.0 version of life we’re aiming to call in. Because ultimately before anything can become a tangible concrete THING in our world, it must first be a thought. In this great TikTok, Jamie Sea explains that our words and thoughts start the “germination process” of taking our ideas from the energetic world and into the physical world. “Once a thought, then a thing,” she says. The self doubt that naturally comes up for us, is as Jamie describes it, like yanking the seed out of the soil before it has a chance to germinate—and this is where the power of how we phrase things comes in. Instead of sabotaging our chances to shift out of what IS into what WILL BE, we can tack onto our visions the phrase “what if”—implementing possibility into what we want.
For example, as Jamie share, “WHAT IF I got three new clients this month?”
Exercise: Write down ONE “what if” phrase that feels like a step towards your greater Vision. Once you’ve identified the “what if,” then take the time to figure out how a person who attains this vision would show up in the world. Can you implement those characteristics into your day-to-day? From there, we can see how we’re able to cultivate our evolved self-image by drawing on traits we already have within ourselves. This creates the framework that brings what we WANT into fruition. The trick then of course, is to do it consistently and build the muscle to foster self-trust and personal power.
"The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself."
— BEYONCÉ
Image: Sade by Graham Smith