{"id":11714,"date":"2012-11-01T21:08:48","date_gmt":"2012-11-02T05:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=11714"},"modified":"2013-09-23T09:15:44","modified_gmt":"2013-09-23T17:15:44","slug":"a-powerful-way-to-build-self-esteem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/a-powerful-way-to-build-self-esteem\/","title":{"rendered":"A Powerful Way to Build Self Esteem"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

You probably know the famous quote by Descartes, \u201cI think therefore I am.\u201d He didn\u2019t say it last week or a decade ago. He said it over 300 years ago. And for the most part we believe it. But is it true? Are you what you think or are you much more than that?<\/p>\n

Your mind doesn\u2019t want you to think so. But the moment you stop believing the little voice in your head, you\u2019re bound to make a radical discovery .<\/p>\n

Your mind can be a little immature. It can be an attention hog, vying for you to notice it, when you could be growing or learning and generally living your life. It can rob you of inspiring memories. It can taint your greatest achievement with doubts and insecurities.<\/p>\n

Am I serious? Actually I\u2019m kind of goofy, but in the 30 years of working with the mind, yes, this is what I\u2019ve found.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You\u2019re probably way more capable, good looking, and sociable then you think<\/em> you are. Whatever you\u2019ve accomplished in your life, you\u2019ve done it with your mind constantly whispering in your ear and questioning and analyzing every decision you make.<\/p>\n

What would you think of Dale Earnhardt Jr. if he lost a race because someone left a crying baby in a baby seat in the back of his race car? It would be pretty tough to expect him to stay focused on the race.<\/p>\n

Your mind consistently provides that level of distraction and grief….all the time. It tells you that you need to lose weight, or develop some other positive habit. Then it tells you that it\u2019s going to be really difficult and no fun. (Is it trying to inspire you or what?). Next it tells you to make a plan and maybe do a little research on the subject.<\/p>\n

Your mind begins to tell you that you can do it. And maybe you feel hopeful for a bit. But then when you run into the tiniest obstacle, it tells you that you don\u2019t really want it and that you should quit. (I know, everyone else’s\u2019 minds do it, but not yours, right?)<\/p>\n

Face it, your mind can be nutty. It\u2019s easily distracted. It can be overly critical. It knows all the things you\u2019d rather not hear, and it\u2019s happy to tell you them when you\u2019re already down.<\/p>\n

With a mind that weird, should you really trust it completely?<\/p>\n

If a Presidential nominee acted that whacky and confused, would you vote them into Office?<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to put your mind in charge of your life. The mind acts as if it\u2019s in charge of everything. In reality it isn\u2019t in charge of anything.<\/p>\n

I personally think Descartes was wrong\u2026 you don\u2019t exist because you think. That makes the mind in charge of the universe. In reality, you have a mind because you exist. You think because you are!<\/p>\n

Try saying this out loud. You can just say it in your head or whisper it, but if you think you\u2019re not supposed to say it out loud, you\u2019re probably listening to your mind and maybe something as risky as speaking out loud is too wild for you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Try saying \u201cI am therefore I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thinking is just one of the many things that you do in a day. You don\u2019t exist because you think. Your existence is the sum of all the things you do. You have gotten to the point that while you are doing things, showering, driving or whistling Dixie, you are also thinking. Just because you think nearly all the time doesn\u2019t mean that thinking causes your existence. That\u2019s just crazy talk….. from your mind.<\/p>\n

I am therefore I shower. I am therefore I make love. I am therefore I breathe and feel and walk and talk and smile and laugh and talk to myself in my head.<\/p>\n

When you start with \u201cI am therefore I think,\u201d you start with a strong<\/strong> sense of self. You have a foundation for self-esteem deeper than judgements or negative beliefs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am\u201d is a very, very powerful thing to say. Try it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am\u201d \u2013 That\u2019s it. \u201cI am\u201d doesn\u2019t have to be followed by any other words. It is a perfect sentence with a subject and a verb. When you have said, \u201cI am\u201d you have said it all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Self Esteem Exercise: Saying \u201cI am\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout your day, practice saying, \u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When Randy came to his first workshop, he hardly spoke. He sat attentive but tense. He was uncomfortably thin and actually just plain uncomfortable. I suggested he practice saying \u201cI am.\u201d He did and that day a shift overcame him.<\/p>\n

I watched as he began opening up to several people in the the workshop. He was painfully shy but slowly began to make friends with people on the breaks. After more practice with the \u201cI am\u201d exercise, it became obvious what his problem was.<\/p>\n

He had a self-image problem. He had virtually no self-image at all.<\/p>\n

When I say that he had no self-image, what I really mean is that he didn\u2019t have any images or pictures, of himself. He couldn\u2019t see himself in his own pictures. He couldn\u2019t visualize himself at all!<\/p>\n

When we began to explore the anatomy of the mind, he perked up. He began making pictures of himself in his head and a whole new world opened for him. I wish we had a before and after photo of Randy.<\/p>\n

You wouldn\u2019t look twice at the before photo. It was the picture of a guy you wouldn\u2019t notice if he sat next to you in class or worked in the next cubical or sat across from you reading the morning newspaper.<\/p>\n

The after pictures revealed that he had become interesting and interested. His eyes were alive. His face wasn\u2019t pale anymore. He freely interacted with everyone in the workshop and even spoke in front of the group revealing to us that he was both smart and entertaining.<\/p>\n

To this day he remembers the \u201cI am\u201d exercise as the beginning of the \u201cNew Randy.\u201d He likes the new Randy and so do all of his new friends. Even his girlfriend, who didn\u2019t know the old Randy. She reaps the benefits that began with those two simple words.<\/p>\n

What I love most about this exercise is how easy it is to do and how powerful the results will be. Practice it today. I guarantee powerful results. Then come back here and leave a comment to let me know how it\u2019s going.<\/p>\n

——–<\/p>\n

Jerry is a non-guru who will twist your idea of reality on its head and leave you laughing. His mischievous smile will tell you right away he has found the lighter side of spirituality. Improve your life with spiritual tools and mindsets- visit Lightening Up and Letting Go<\/a>, his blog on modern spirituality.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You probably know the famous quote by Descartes, \u201cI think therefore I am.\u201d He didn\u2019t say it last week or a decade ago. He said it over 300 years ago. And for the most part we believe it. But is it true? Are you what you think or are you much more than that?<\/p>\n

Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":11734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[205,9,5,112,6],"tags":[2114,4631,4628,81,4652,4629],"yoast_head":"\nA Powerful Way to Build Self Esteem - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you start with \u201cI am therefore I think,\u201d you start with a strong sense of self. 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