The Self Concept

The self concept. ...sounds simple enough.
The concept of self. The way you see yourself. The center from which you operate.

There are deeper, more intrinsic facets of the self concept which are vital to the true success of the entrepreneur, community activist, even the politician. These facets are the focus of this dialogue you and I are about to have.

Let us begin with "what you believe about yourself."
Generally, the way the world sees us has both a direct, and an indirect effect on how we see ourselves. Direct in that we too often adopt the way we are seen by others as a measure of how successfully we are portraying the persona we wish them to see. Indrectly because while rarely stated, the perceptions of others often create in our own minds questions of our identity. Why?
From birth we begin to learn how to act and react to certain stimuli. More importantly, we begin to develop our definitions of self, family, friends, enemies, and most importantly love.

Love, how we define it, perceive it, and interpret the presentation of it by others is all centered on if & how much of it we have for ourselves. If I don't love me, then much like a house of cards, any and all relationships (clients, contractors, employees, collegues, friends, etc.) will be just as void. The love of one's self allows us to interact and operate in our daily lives from a place of power & positive energy: the source of character. It is important to note that personality may afford you an opportunity, yet a lack of character is sure to lose you the long-term relationship.

Character: the ability to consistently live life based on your core values [proactiveness defined]. The question has long been asked: "is character developed or displayed by the trials of life?" It is my position that character is displayed, not developed by challenges. This is verified by the focus of this conversation. It is from the self concept that you and I address every situation in our lives. If we love & respect ourselves (a natural outgrowth of living a value driven/ principled life) then our foundation is secure, and our means of addressing challenging situations is clear. An understanding of self and your true position in said situation (Point A) affords you the ability to plot a direct line to Point B: the solution.
In the absence of character we find the individual void. Life becomes a zero sum game, where everything is a competition and everyone is seen as an adversary. Such is not the case.

As a strategist, it pains me to see women and men with passion & drive to succeed in lack of the key element required to do so: vision. It is the one thing that cannot be taught. Vision is the ability to, recognizing the goal as Point B, clearly describe (in detail) said goal. Yet, in the absence of a positive self concept the ability to do so is greatly impaired. While it is clear that there are anomalies in every paradigm (Ted Turner being the anamolie in this one), an individual is more likely to experience success when they have a healthy self concept, are clear on their Point A, and are passionate about reaching Point B (a good strategist can assist them in connecting the two).