We are all born to shine

Self-esteem is the regard or respect that a person has for oneself .It gives us the confidence to accept failure without becoming failure. It teaches us the importance of positive thinking. People with healthy self-esteem focus on turning around failures into opportunities. Those who lack self-esteem are very reluctant to expose themselves to probable ridicule. Self –esteem is known as the dimension of the self that includes feelings of worthiness, prides and discouragement. One’s self –esteem is closely associated with self-consciousness. Abraham Lincoln is excellent example of someone who believed in himself.

Characteristics of low self-esteem

• ·         Feeling of unhappiness-people with low self-esteem  are always unhappy;
• ·         Feelings of anxiety-people with low self –esteem experience anxiety like social anxiety.
• ·         Impatient or irritation with self or others-They tend to be impatient or easily irritated by mistakes and flaws;
• ·         Feelings of inferiority or superiority- people with low self-esteem feel inferior to others; and
• ·         Negativity- low self-esteem leads to negativity.

Characteristics of High Self-Esteem

• ·         Self- confidence-characteristics of high self-esteem is self-confidence;
• ·         Willingness to take risks-people with high self –efficacy are risks takers and increases the chances of success;
• ·         Sense of accomplishment- people are not fearful of failure or mistakes, cause reasonable risks can only increase self –efficacy;
• ·         Accurate self-evaluation-people examine themselves realistically pursue self- improvement.

How to improve your Self –esteem

• ·         Set realistic Expectations- setting unrealistic expectations can kill our self-esteem;
• ·         Explore Yourself- you must know yourself;
• ·         Be willing to Adjust Your Own Self-Image-adjust your self –image and self-esteem to match your current abilities not  those your past;
• ·         Stop comparing you to others- unfair comparisons can hurt us. You should be competing against yourself;
• ·         Take a self-Esteem Inventory- write down your strengths and weaknesses list 10  of each;
• ·         Eliminate negative self-talk- people with low-esteem need to eliminate harmful self-talk;
• ·         Accept mistakes-everyone has flaws and you make mistakes. The more you are involved in life the more mistakes you will make. Accept yourself –flaws and all;
• ·         Accept rejection-no one can be liked by everyone and instead congratulate yourself if someone doesn’t like you because you  are only human;
• ·         Elevate other human beings-teach them something to improve their lives and empower them to succeed; and
• ·         Be well groomed-be clean and see how shower and shave can make your towards of self-confidence.