Everyone has a self-image, but how does a self-image get built? And what does your self-image have to do with who you are, and how you react in strange or unusual situations?
 
Your self-image, or your idea of who you are, is a package you put together from how others have seen and treated you, and from your conclusions as you compare yourself to others. Primitive people built homes from available materials - blocks of ice, animal skins, adobe, and logs. In this same way, when you were a child, you built your self-image from what was available.
 
Your construction materials were the reactions of significant others toward you. So, your self-image is simply a belief system you created. It is manifested in how you respond to the world around you - the people and situations that fill your days. However, these beliefs may or may not be accurate.
 
Now, your essential nature, the real you that exists apart from your behavior, your opinion, your habits, etc., is really quite wonderful because it is a storehouse of energy and potential that can do and be great things.
 
But if people, who didn't have much self-esteem themselves, raised you around constant put-downs, you will not be able to use much of this amazing potential. You see, your behavior always matches your inner picture of yourself. In this, it makes sense to look at your beliefs, get rid of those that hold you back, and learn how to affirm and tap into your potential.
 
This is not an impossible dream. This is a real possibility for each and every human being on the planet.