In our innermost unconscious thoughts, we view ourselves in an almost unattainable light.  Our Self-ideal is basically the part of our self-image that holds are dreams, hopes, life vision, values, and all traits that we believe we should have.

Our ideal self-concept is basically the life struggle that tangles many of us in a spider web of conflict.  Many view it as a non-reachable plateau that we can never reach.  In essence, it is the perfect you.

I am going to dispel this thought, or at least minimize it.

All of us have been in a situation where perhaps you acted in such a manner that after you said or did this action you didn't feel right?  Like maybe you should have said or done something else.  I believe that living within your self-ideal is simply obtaining the discipline to always act in accordance with your true values, which will in turn, minimize or eliminate these feelings of discontent.

An Ideal is basically a principle that is worth the effort of trying to achieve.  As I defined above, your self-ideal is the person that you view in your mind as who you want to be.  This ideal that you visualize brings with it the pride, confidence, and a strong sense of self when you are performing at your peak ability.  The key is figuring out a way to live your life in this zone of top-flight performance.

There are basically three ways to achieve this ability.

1. Determine your Values and Character traits that you want to define you as a person. 
2. Once determining your core values and character traits, you must figure out how to behave in such a manner that is consistent with your values.  It is one thing to have a value and another to behave in accordance with it.
3. The third step is the hardest.  It is making the conscious effort to live your life in accordance with step one and two.  It is the "action" part of the process.  This means that you are definite and distinct in their interactions with others.

What are you willing to commit to in an effort to live within your self-ideal?

Curt Fletcher aka The Likeability Guy