Women Entrepreneurs: Self-Image Facts and Myths and Why It Matters in Business

Self-image is one of those words that if you pay attention, stirs up a lot of discomfort for most women. When I talk aboutlow self-image, it stirs up avoidance for many because it is one of those words that unconsciously triggers embarrassment because of the stories we connect to admitting it. This can actually be a trap, because since we are so conditioned to reject ourselves, especially women, if we refuse to look at our feelings honestly we will never be able to release the stories about our self-image that are holding us back.

They are only stories, as there is really nothingwrong with you. What you think and what you do, is not the same as WHO you ARE. At our core, our Authentic Self ispowerful beyond measure. Unfortunately, if we don’t peel away thecataracts of the soul as I like to call them, these stories, we will stay blinded to our true potential and we will tend to continue to believe that we can’t be as successful as we could be.

I am now free of the identity story thatsomething is wrong with me or that I am notgood enough. I suffered through life unnecessarily believing this for most of my adult life. Now that I’m free of it, it is much easier for me to change, take risks and have the confidence to throw off the opinions of others just think about it a moment.

As women, we are bombarded with comparison of ourselves to other’s standard very early in our childhood and it only gets worse as adults. The media is constantly telling you to change something about yourself and it profits greatly off of our insecurities. Men of course, are not conditioned in these ways to reject themselves.

Just notice the ratio of the references to the image or self-esteem of men compared to women as it relates to the need toimprove something and you will see implied deficiencies in women far, far exceed those made for men. What is self-image and why does it matter in business? We cannot rise above our self-image and stay there in peace.

Self-image is just that; it’s the way you see yourself. In the days that I had inner turmoil around worth, being enough etc, though I used a lot of will power and determination to achieve my goals, I tended toward self-sabotage or stress in attempting to maintain my station. If you are not obsessed like I was with proving I was good enough, chances are, you will not be able to overcome your inner self-image in the first place.

I find that what defines self-image is so often misunderstood, and there seems to be outright ignorance around why it is so important to life success.

Here are a few facts and myths about self-image that can be related to business success. The facts about low self-image are:

1.Contributes big time to worry about what others think and say about you
2.A MAJOR contributor to stress, and this has been studied in science
3.The reason why many, many women do not speak their truth or speak up
4.A cause of poor or dysfunctional relationships, fear of networking
5.A contributing factor in fear of risk taking or expanding business growth

Here are some myths about self-image:

1.Physically beautiful women always have high self-image
2.Intellectually advanced women by default have healthy self-image
3.Having lots of education and degrees eliminates self-image issues
4.All wealthy women/people have high self-image
5.Arrogant people have a high self-image or they would not be arrogant and rude (this is one of the biggest myths going on out there just the opposite is true)

This list is not complete. There are other facts and myths as well. The point I am making is that until you understand what the symptoms of low self-image are, you will be inclined to think thatit’s just the way I am or the way life is.

Life is a mirror to what you believe at a subconscious level and until you recognize this, you may continue to live in unnecessary struggle and emotional pain. Awareness is power. I know from experience that most of the myths are false, as I lived them. My self-image was so low I could not even fake arrogance.

I had anI am not good enough complex that was generally pretty obvious if I even dared to let you get close enough to figure it out. Truth really does set one free, free from the nonsensical stories that we believe to be true, yet are only one way of seeing life. If you believe it then it’s true for you. I believe what I believe until I change my mind.

You have the ability and the right to change your mind. This is the ONLY way you will grow and expand. Whatever you have in your life is there by right of your consciousness, your awareness. Want more abundance and peace in your life? Be it unto you, as you truly believe.

We will become more successful as women entrepreneurs when we get to the heart of the matter and let go of the myths and deal with, without judgment the facts that we see before us in our lives. And here is the good news. You already havegot the Power. You’ve just been looking for it in all the wrong places hint: look within you. What do you think?

Valencia Ray MD, The Confidence Doc, is a former eye surgeon who with clear intention sold her medical business to now show women entrepreneurs and professionals how to eliminate blind spots that block their true potential and limits vision for business success, happy relationships and good health. She shares a unique blend of science and ancient success principles in herBreakThrough to the Real You coaching process.

She is a professional speaker and the author ofEmpower Up and Play Big: Winning at Life from the Inside Out!

Having been a successful business owner of a busy medical practice, she also understands the importance of leadership, marketing, sales and management. It has never been more important than in today’s world, that women entrepreneurs and professionals have the skills and abilities to adapt to our rapidly changing marketplace and at the same time maintain a healthy level of peace of mind and satisfaction within their personal lives as well. You can contact her by visiting her website at: http://www.ValenciaRay.com