In Disney’s Snow White story, the beautiful and wicked queen would ask the mirror who was the most beautiful and was told that she was. That was until the day that she wasn’t. This changed the course of her life and made Snow White the target of her hatred. There are many lessons for us to learn from this. Sadly many of us desperately seek validation from ‘mirrors’ aka other people. Although this temporarily massages our egos, it can only go so far. People get tired of playing the role of ego massagers or they tell us what we want to hear but we still don’t believe them so it’s of no effect. This week, my question to you is, ‘how do you see yourself?’ What do you see when you look in the mirror? Who do you see? Or are you too afraid to even look? We have to learn to love, value and appreciate who we are. It’s easier to do this with others. We pay people compliments and yet struggle to accept one in return. We encourage others after they make a mistake and refuse to give ourselves a break for our own. One of the commandments in the Bible says, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’. Regardless of your beliefs, we can take a leaf from that instruction. Simply put it means we must learn to love ourselves to truly love others. So back to my question, do you see yourself as worthless, powerless, weak, pitiful, inadequate or unworthy? Or do you see yourself as the result of a master stroke of genius, someone who is made up of parts that are lovingly crafted together? Do you see the potentials that are on the inside of you? Do you realise you’re strong and powerful beyond measure? No one is worthless or inadequate unless they believe the lies that they are. These lies can come from life experiences, bad relationships, wrong mindsets, wrong actions and thought patterns. The important thing to remember is that lies only become your truths when you agree with them. There are many stories when people have done unimaginable feats when faced with situations that demanded an uncommon or super-human response. People single-handedly lifted cars off victims or ran into burning buildings to save loved ones. They surpass their expectations of themselves. So what can we do when we don’t like who’s in the mirror? I’m no expert but there are times I've wished I was more capable, more outgoing or more artistic. I believe we can learn from each other and share tips and thoughts that can help us. So here are my thoughts: Stop seeking external validation Not everyone will tell us what we want to hear or see us as we truly are. When you look for validation from others, there’s a good chance that you will eventually be disappointed. You need to believe in yourself before others can or will. So rather than look for external validation, take time to search yourself, face your doubts and address each of them. Have a lens change Stop defining yourself through the wrong lens of your past circumstances, family history, failures or disappointments. We can learn from everything we’ve been through and not be defined by them. Stop acting from a place of fear Accept or work on your limitations, take actions to close any knowledge gaps, prepare for work and life so you don’t feel overwhelmed.