Developing A Healthy Self Concept

Who Am I?

Pinpoint Your Starting Line

• I am happy.
  I am sick.
  I am good.
  I am beautiful.
  I am a loser.
  I am a winner.
  I am dumb.
  I am fine.
  I am okay.
  I am bad.
  I am clumsy.
  I am a gossip.
  I am neurotic.
  I am a bore.
  I am a mess.
  I am cool.
  I am successful.
  I am a failure.
  I am lovable.
  I am sexy.
  I am sad.
  I am smart.
  I am a good teacher.
  I am a good person.
  I am a slow learner.
  I am not okay.

Ten Steps To Success

How to Find and Cultivate Your Best Self

1. Make up your mind to be happy.
   We all have the ability to create the attitude we choose to live with. Anything can be overcome with a good attitude; and remember if you believe you can or if you can't you're right.
2. Find balance in your life and don't take yourself too seriously.
   Misfortunes befall all of us, the trick is to make the most of your circumstances and making the laughter outweigh the tears.
3. Never tire of new things.
   When you're green you're growing; when you're ripe you're rot- ten! You have your entire life to learn all you can and it's the only thing you get to take with you. Learn the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
4. Manage your time effectively.
   Time is a limited resource, treasure every moment. Don't waste it on postmortems, sorrows or mistakes and avoid crisis living.
5. Set goals and aim high.
   Remember that to hit a target, you must be able to see it.
6. Be a problem solver.
   Take the time to define the problem before jumping into solutions. Remem- ber that to be offended is a choice and that a duck stays on the surface because his feathers don't absorb the water. You are the one who defines your own limitations. The difference between a step- ping stone and stumbling block is how high you step.
7. Be proactive.
   A decision to not make a decision is still a decision. Don't be concerned about making mistakes, there can be no progress without them. Do the best you can at the time with the knowl- edge you possess at the time. When mistakes are made, don't brood over them; lift up your chin, get back up and keep moving forward. You can't succeed if you never fail.
8. Recognize your personal responsibilities.
   Borrowed and imaginary trouble are harder to bear than actual ones. You only have control over yourself and your actions. Recognize the accountability of your actions; don't always search for someone else to blame things for and don't take ownership of problems that don't belong to you.
9. Enjoy living.
   Search out the things that really make you happy and make it a point to schedule more of those things every day. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
10. Be grateful and share.
    The busy person doesn't have time to be unhappy. Further, in giving freely of one's time and resources, the giver finds the returns to be greater than what was given.