Self-esteem is your opinion of yourself as it pertains to your value or worth. Many people base their self-esteem on how well they compare to others. The trouble is, we compare ourselves to the best. We compare our intelligence to that of the most intelligent person we know. We compare our athletic ability to those that make a living playing sports.
We also downplay our strengths. We make it hard on ourselves to feel good about ourselves. The one person in the world that should always be on your side is you.
Build your self-esteem and take on the world confidently:
- Spend time with a friend that thinks you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread. We all have a friend that makes us feel like we can take on the world. They find us fascinating and aren’t bashful about sharing that fact. A quick gettogether with this type of friend will give your self-esteem a shot in the arm.
- List your five best qualities. Ask a friend if you need help coming up with five. After you’ve made your list, give yourself a few examples of each quality. For example, if you have a great sense of humor, list a few times that you’ve demonstrated that trait.
- Enhance your appearance. Get a new haircut or enhance your wardrobe. You could even just wear nicer clothes that you already own. Spend more time on your grooming each morning.
- Engage in positive self-talk about yourself. Tell yourself how great you are. Talk to yourself about your greatest accomplishments. Tell yourself that you’re the most capable person you’ve ever known. Make a list of 25 positive things you can say to yourself throughout the day. Rely on your list when you start to have negative thoughts.
- Squash the negative. Your self-esteem will increase if you stop saying things to yourself that make you doubt yourself. Adding the positive and subtracting the negative is a valuable strategy for all parts of your life.
- Stand up straight. Avoid slouching. Your emotions follow your physiology. Stand tall and you’ll feel better about everything, including yourself. That goes for sitting, too. Sit up straight!
- Learn something new that you can apply to your life. By increasing your knowledge in a valuable way, you’ll increase your self-esteem and self-confidence. You might begin learning a new language that you can apply to your career. Perhaps taking a cooking class would help your waistline and sense of self-reliance.
It’s never been easier, or cheaper, to learn a new skill. YouTube is one example of a free and virtually unlimited resource. There’s never been more free information available than there is today.
- Start building a new, positive habit. You might want to begin an exercise regimen or eat a salad with dinner every night. Maybe you want to start meditating. By taking control of your life in a positive way, you’ll increase your level of self-esteem.
- Declutter your home or office. It’s hard to feel good about yourself when your home and office look like a hurricane blew through. Spend some time to get your environment back under control. You’ll feel much better.
There will always be someone with more money, better looks, or a better career. So it’s important to refrain from comparing yourself to others. Self-esteem is important to good mental health, success, and overall happiness. Be good to yourself and take advantage of every opportunity to boost your self-esteem.
