How's Your Image? - 2

I’ll just go ahead and continue from where I left off in the last post.

3. Wish Image: Remember the beginning of the year when we made resolutions & goals? I made a couple. I didn’t do quite so bad this year. In fact, I did pretty good. My resolutions and goals this year brought me a little closer to becoming the kind of woman I wish I was. It hasn’t been easy but every time I make a mistake, I retrace my steps, try to correct my mistakes and then I forge ahead. During the middle of the year, I got into a disagreement with a friend. When I called to apologize the next day, he was shocked into silence.

It hasn’t always been easy for me to say sorry. I’ll just do something nice for you or cover it up. I never come out right & apologize. I never hold grudges so I never truly got the finding it hard to say sorry bit. This year has been a very humbling year for me but it’s finally December and I feel like I’m less proud & arrogant. I’m moving closer to actually being meek & humble. In my prayer journal where I wrote down my resolutions & goals, I tagged this year, “Becoming the Proverbs 31 woman”. She’s my wish image.

I’m no where close to being her but I’ve made huge progress this year. Our wish images are attainable as long as we’re willing to do the work. The proverbs 31 woman excelled in every aspect of her life. I used to hate her. Now, I respect her and I want to be her. I’m not just wishing it into existence though, I’m doing the work necessary too. I hope you see my point. Faith without works is dead. Do your part!

4. Multiple Images: I’ve often joked that I am a different person to different people. People get different sides of me. I’ve heard one say I’m playful and another say, I’m too serious. Another will say, I’m childish yet another will say mature. There’s warm and then there’s cold. Some don’t know I’m quiet & some don’t know I’m a chatterbox. It depends on who you are to me. It’s not the same thing as living a double life, it’s understanding that you can only give all of yourself to a select few. If your multiple images are born out of living a secret life, there are bound to be consequences sooner or later.

There are some cases where your image has to be consistent. You can show different sides to different people and still have both sides acclaim to your fairness & integrity. Recently, I was telling an old acquaintance about my faith. I boast in God often. I practice the sandwich method when people come to me for advice. Start with God, give you practical advice, end with God.

This person knew me way back & said some hurtful things. The old me would have gone off (he was actually expecting that) & then I’d remind you that you came to me & not the other way around. It’s like people assume you’ll stay the same forever. We grow and if you have a relationship with God, you grow faster. Anyway, instead of losing my temper, I told him a story. I’ll repeat the story here.

When I rededicated my life, I didn’t immediately stop living the way I was or stopped being so angry & easily irritable. No, it was a slow (sometimes painful!) gradual process to get to this point & I’m still growing daily. The first time I would try & tell someone about Jesus, I was as high as a kite! My audience wasn’t all that sober either. Apparently something I said clicked because 3 of them went to church the following Sunday & went on to building a personal relationship with Christ. You should see them today. I’m as proud of their journey as I am of mine.

This is one of the reasons I do not hide my past. So if I show you Dupe the Jesus lover today, you won’t meet someone tomorrow that might tell you about the Dupe that publicly denounced the very existence of God & assume I was a fraud. My multiple images have a connecting factor. Yours should too!

5. Mirror Image: This is how you see yourself. Some people see themselves as less than. They have low self-esteem as a result. Others have an inflated sense of self. These ones are arrogant. You have to create a balance. A healthy mirror image sees you good & your bad. You encourage your good, you work on your bad. You do not beat yourself up because you made mistakes. Nobody is perfect. Don’t accept the negativity you feed yourself.

Practice self-love. Tune out the depreciating thoughts and increase the volume on the healthy, positive & uplifting thoughts. You can have a healthy self-esteem without being arrogant. Even if you don’t like what you see today, do not give up on yourself. You can always change the things you do not like. This has always been one of the most important images to me. How you see yourself affects your mood, your work, your relationships, how you treat & react to others.

You need to create a healthy mirror image. Take a sheet of paper, write down as many good things about yourself that you can think of. Read it to yourself often. Every time your mirror image needs to be managed, take your list out & read it again!

So, let me ask you again. How’s your image?