Self-Esteem is your Self-image, or HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOURSELF. Your self-esteem is made up of THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS you have about yourself. These may be: Here are some postive affirmations/examples from Google. You can still search more on the same platform.
POSITIVE for example:
I’m pretty,
I’m Smart,
I learn from my mistakes,
I’m fun.
The more positive feelings you have about yourself, the HIGHER YOUR SELF-ESTEEM.
NEGATIVE for example:
I’m stupid,
I’m afraid to fail,
I’m boring,
I’m ugly.
The more negative feelings you have about yourself, the LOWER YOUR SELF-ESTEEM.
“Some feelings you have about yourself may be difficult to express or explain. That’s because YOU’RE A UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL…there’s no one else in the world like you. That’s the reason enough to be proud.
Read more: Happy life with the power of positive thinking
Some factors that influence your Self Esteem:
Your level of self-esteem is based on the unique EXPERIENCES AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS that have made up your life.
At Home:
RELATIONSHIP with your spouse, parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc.
EXPERIENCES with family from birth right up to the present.
In School:
RELATIONSHIP with classmates, teachers, administrators and counselors.
EXPERIENCES with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, sports, discipline, etc.
On the Job:
RELATIONSHIP with supervisors, co-workers, employees.
EXPERIENCES with hirings, firings, promotions and levels of job responsibility as well as your ability to support yourself and your family.
Read more: 12 Life Skills required for Work Environment
In your social life:
RELATIONSHIP with childhood and adult friends, neighbours, boyfriends and girl friends.
EXPERIENCES with clubs, sports teams and hobbies.
In Society:
RELATIONSHIP with members of different cultures, races and religions.
EXPERIENCES with standards and images created by others (i.e., the media)
Read more: Navigating the Entrepreneurial Skills: World of Innovation and Risk
In General:
Positive experiences and fulfilling relationships help raise self-esteem. Negative experiences and troubled relationships tend to lower self-esteem.
No single event or person can determine your level or self-esteem. It develops over time, constantly changing with experience.
Why should I think about my self-esteem?
Because self-esteem
Affects the way you live:
- How you think, act and feel about yourself and others.
- How successful you are in achieving your goals in life.
High Self-Esteem
Can make you feel,
- Effective
- Productive
- Capable
- Lovable
Low Self Esteem
Can make you feel,
- Ineffective
- Worthless
- Incompetent
- Unloved
“Self Esteem can be improved” Don’t let past failures hold you back. You owe it to yourself to learn to feel good about who you are!
The Importance of High Self Esteem:
Accept Challenges
When you have high self esteem, you’re not afraid to develop your abilities. You’re willing to risk trying new things. If you don’t try, you can’t grow.
Enrich Your Life
Happy people are a joy to be around. By being happier with yourself, you’ll be eager to meet new friends. By being more comfortable and open about yourself, you’ll develop closer relationships.
With High Self-Esteem, you can:
Bet the person you want to be Enjoy others more fully offer more of yourself to the world.
Maintain Self Confidence
Believing you can do something is half the battle; it allows you to involve yourself completely with whatever you’re doing. Whole-hearted effort helps to bring improvement to performance.
Remain Flexible
Change isn’t easy. It’s unfamiliar and frightening at times. However, a positive self-image makes it easier to accept new ideas and ways of doing things.
Some Advantages of High Self-Esteem:
There is a direct relationship between people’s feelings and their productivity. High self-esteem is evident in respect for one’s self, others, property, law, parents and one’s country. The reverse is also true.
Self-esteem:
Builds strong conviction.
Creates willingness to accept responsibiltiy.
Builds optimistic attitudes.
Leads to better relationships and fulfilling lives.
Makes a person open to new opportunities and challenges.
Makes a person self-motivated and ambitious.
Makes a person more sensitive to other’s needs and develop a caring attitude.
Improves performance and increases risk-taking ability.
Helps a person give and receive both criticism and compliments tactfully and easily.
Some Common effects of Low Self Esteem:
The effects of Low Self Esteem can create a vicious cycle.
Lack of Self Confidence:
People with low self esteem often have little confidence in their activities. They may think they’re doomed to fail again because they failed before.
Distorted view of self and others:
Some people won’t give themselves credit for their accomplishments. These people may think others look better in comparison. They may also believe that things just happen to them – that they don’t make them happen.
Poor performance:
Lack of self-confidence may result in making little or no effort toward realizing projects or goals. But failures that result from a lack of effort are not a true reflection of a person’s abilities.
Unhappy Personal life:
Negative people aren’t fun to be around. People with low self esteem find it hard to develop close relationships. The result may be a lonesome and unhappy personal life.
“But the cycle can be broken by taking positive steps to raise your self esteem….”
