LEADERSHIP | Not many people realise that they are often their own greatest enemy instead of being their own best ally due to self-limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging behaviour. Take heed of Pogo Possum’s famous statement, “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.”

The million-dollar question, then, is: “Are you truly living by being inner-driven and optimising your potential to attain key goals in life or merely drifting aimlessly and underutilising your God-given talents?

According to research, more than 40% of us have low self-esteem; as much as 77% of our thoughts are negative or counterproductive; and approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail.

Furthermore, many of us regard ourselves as being incompetent, inadequate, unlovable and inferior compared to others. Hence, it is not surprising that the average person uses less than 10% of his or her potential.

According to Marcia Hutchinson, “We are so busy obsessing over what is wrong with us, whether it’s our weight, misproportions, wrinkles, pimples, excess hair or functional limitations - that we fail to develop our potential as human beings.”

Success is our birthright, and to attain it we need to take charge of our thoughts, feelings and actions with a clear sense of direction - self-leadership. Self-leadership empowers one from within to optimise one’s potential, lead a purposeful life, excel in the workplace, and to function productively in society.

In the words of Lao Tzu, “Mastery of others is strength; mastery of self is true power.”

Here are 10 tips for practising self-leadership...