Perform Green Associate, Simon Paul Ogden, presents the importance of understanding self image for continued success
“A person tends to regard their self image as something bestowed on them by nature, although it is, in fact, the result of their own experience.” Moshe Feldenkrais
Can you sing?
This may seem a strange question but generally, when I ask, most people reply in the negative – some even confess that they would rather strip naked than sing in front of someone else. Of course the reality is, please believe me, that every single person can sing. If you have a pair of vocal folds it is physically impossible for you not to sing – or to sing well.
When I explore this I generally find that most of the respondents have what I have come to term, a ‘Miss Wiggins’ story – the fabled music teacher from the distant past who informs the child that they cannot sing and should stand at the back of the choir and silently mouth ‘water melon’. My favourite Miss Wiggins story was from a man in his forties who had been told, when forcibly auditioned for the school choir, that his voice was no good because it was broken. He never sang again because this episode convinced him, that even if he wanted to, he couldn’t sing – his image of himself no longer contained the potential to do so.
Self image is a word that we use relatively frequently in learning and development interventions. It is also a term we use within Feldenkrais. Primarily our self image is…
“the way we perceive ourselves in relationship to the society and culture within which we live and operate”.
It will manifest itself in all our actions and reveal itself in the way we think, feel, sense and move. Each of us has a self image that is truly unique, for example
- The self image of a person who speaks one language will be different to the one who speaks several.
- The self image of a person who is a jazz pianist will be different to the classical pianist.
- The self image of a person who thinks they cannot sing will be different to the person who knows they can.
There can be a tendency to consider self image as being fixed rather than dynamic – ‘I am what I am.’
You can see this sometimes with people who have recently undertaken a psychometric assessment and have learnt about their preferences – ‘I am an introvert so that’s the way I communicate’, inferring to the person they are speaking to – ‘Hey, like it or lump it’.
Most of our preferences are habit – a way of behaviour or a fixed way of thinking and feeling acquired through frequent repetition. Habits are useful, for example, they can enable us to multi-task whilst undertaking routine activities. Nevertheless, it is within the nature of habits that they can be brought into ‘action’ without any degree of self-awareness. The question is whether or not the habit still serves a purpose or is in fact impeding upon the way we would like to perform. In the Feldenkrais method curiosity towards self image leads towards personal development and self-awareness.
Unless I am curious I will not develop!
So for the introvert (or extrovert) they could choose to be curious and instead of just thinking they are what they are, they could explore new ways of interacting with those around them.
Stimulate your curiosity
Try this exercise out….
- Think of several people you work with – colleagues, sub-ordinates, supervisors etc.
- Bring them into your minds eye. Are they taller or shorter than you and if so by how much?
- Then test your answers to reality. How close were you in your assessment of the other person’s height?
- Finally – what could this tell you about your own self-image.
In the last article I wrote that all ‘action’ consist of thinking, feeling (emotion), sensation, and movement, and that the easiest way to change the action is through sensation and movement. By becoming curious about our movement, for example trying out a number of approximations in the way we sit or walk, we begin to free up the many limitations we have established within our self image. There are several ‘lessons’ in the book ‘The Feldenkrais Method for Executive Coaches, Managers, and Business Leaders’ that will help you do this whilst also improving your health and wellbeing.
So what happened to my friend with the broken voice – well he discovered that he had a voice – an extremely beautiful one. Whilst he regretted the number of years he hadn’t sung he now enjoys singing in a semi-professional choir and yes, his perception of himself has changed dramatically. By understanding more about his self image is shaped he was able to do more to take back control of the reality of himself.
Simon is always interested in hearing about peoples experience, so if you would like to discuss your personal experiences or to find out how to apply the Felenkrais Method to your work please email nina.taylor@performgreen.co.uk who will connect you with Simon.
Read more from the Paul Simon Ogden series on health & wellbeing
- How to reach peak performance at work
- Why health & wellbeing is critical to improving business performance
Keep up with news from Perform Green here.
For more details about The Feldenkrais Method for Executive Coaches, Managers, and Business Leaders follow the link http://www.routledge.com/9781138230910