Part 6: Starting with the man in the mirror

"Before you ever win in the public arenas of life, you must first win private battles within yourself. All change begins with you, and sometimes that is the hardest part." - 7 Habits Training

Have you every been asked, "What's wrong with you? Where is the (your name) I once knew?" Or told, "You are disappointing me.

How do you feel about yourself?

In the 7 Habits Training we discussed the PBA - Personal Bank Account.

Your personal bank account is like a bank into which you put all the good things that you do for yourself. It is a reserve that allows you to withdraw strength when things aren’t going so well.
Some of the things that build up your account are:

• Keeping promises to yourself
• Doing small acts of kindness
• Being gentle with yourself when you make mistakes
• Being honest with yourself and others
• Renewing yourself
• Tapping into your talents and developing them.
  

Some things that take strength away from your account are:

• Breaking promises
• Keeping to yourself
• Beating yourself up when you make mistakes
• Being dishonest with yourself and others
• Wearing yourself out
• Neglecting your talents.
• So how are you doing?
  

Identify one easy task that needs to be done today. Decide when you will do it. Write it down and then make sure you accomplish it today.

All of us have an invisible savings account inside our heads. We make deposits and withdrawals from it everyday. Whenever we do something we intend to do, like exercising, eating right, completing a race, or be more positive, we make a deposit into our invisible account. Likewise, whenever we don’t meet our expectations or goals, we withdraw from this same savings account. The 7 Habits Training maintains that the balance of that bank account is what gives us true self-confidence and trust in ourselves. We draw upon past accomplishments to increase our strength and overcome current challenges. The more deposits we have, the more likely we are to follow through on future plans.