Self-esteem reflects a person’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self.
“Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable.” – Jack Canfield
Self-esteem is attractive as a social psychological construct because researchers have conceptualized it as an influential predictor of certain outcomes, such as academic achievement, happiness, satisfaction in marriage and relationships, and criminal behaviour.
Tips for Improving Self Esteem:
1. Stop comparing yourself to others:
It’s tough not to compare yourself with others, given the preoccupation we have with perfection in modern life.
Constant comparison with others tends to lower your self-esteem and make you feel bad about yourself. Resist the urge to compare yourself with others by becoming aware of how you view yourself.
“Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another.” – Marquis de Condorcet
Set goals for yourself that will build your confidence, and relearn behaviors that will improve your opinion of yourself.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
2. Keep your thoughts positive:
Positive thinking can give you more confidence, improve your mood, and even reduce the likelihood of developing conditions such as hypertension, depression and other stress-related disorders.
“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” – Mahatma Gandhi
3. Accept all compliments with thank you:
Most people love to be noticed, but few know how to accept a compliment gracefully. Instead, they downplay the compliment or reject it entirely.
When you receive a compliment from someone you admire, your first reaction may be to deflect the attention.
“Everybody likes a compliment.” – Abraham Lincoln
4. Feed yourself with positivity:
Positivity is so important to living a positive life; negative thoughts bring with them their own negativity.
It is all about your mind and thoughts. You don’t have to fight the negative thoughts that have captured your mind. Just think about the positive things from now on, and the negative thoughts will disappear by themselves.
“It’s important that what thoughts you are feeding into your mind because your thoughts create your belief and experiences. You have positive thoughts and you have negative ones too. Nurture your mind with positive thoughts: kindness, empathy, compassion, peace, love, joy, humility, generosity, etc. The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life.” – Roy T. Bennett
5. Associate with supportive people:
When negative people who constantly put you and your ideas down and have cynical attitudes surround you, your self-esteem gets lowered.
You will feel overshadowed and inhibited. You may not even realize it’s happening! But when you are encouraged and accepted and your friends have a warm attitude, this kind of environment will help develop your self-esteem and help you feel like you belong.
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey
6. List your past successes:
It helps to boost your confidence and to identify your qualities and skills. Start to think like the successful person you’re becoming.
These tasks are the most important things that you can do right now to grow exponentially.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
7. Celebrate your qualities:
All human beings are not the same. Factors like intelligence, abilities and qualities are what make everyone different from each other.
Instead of trying to be like everyone, you should be happy about the things that set you apart from other people.
You will be able to celebrate your uniqueness if you put time and efforts on building your strengths.
“The quality of each man’s life is the full measure of that man’s personal commitment to excellence and to victory.” – Vince Lombardi
8. Do good for others:
When you do good for others, the recipients of your kindness aren’t the only ones reaping the benefits. Giving can give you a self-esteem boost.
Consider donating some of your time to a cause you’re passionate about. People who volunteer have been found to have higher self-esteem and overall well-being.
Experts explain that as feelings of social connectedness increase, so does your self-esteem. If you do good to others, good will come to you.
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” – Les Brown
9. Find your passion:
You need to find something that you are willing to devote every last ounce of energy to, something that you never get tired of doing, and something that brings you an irreplaceable level of happiness every time.
When finding your true passion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with trying something new!
“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo
10. Be you – and don’t apologize:
Sorry is the hardest word to say – and now experts have explained exactly why.
While apologizing can lessen feelings of guilt and help restore a wrongdoer’s image, it seems declining to do so can have even more powerful psychological benefits.
People who had refused to apologize reported having felt greater power and greater levels of self-esteem than those who had made an apology.
“To apologize is to lay the foundation for a future offense.” – Ambrose Bierce
Self Esteem Quotes:
Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment. – Thomas Carlyle
Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves it s amazing what they can accomplish. – Sam Walton
Self-esteem is the greatest sickness known to man or woman because it’s conditional. – Albert Ellis
Discipline is the guardrail that keeps you on the path of self esteem. – Kent Nelson
Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness. – Louise Hart
Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-brake on. – Maxwell Maltz
Every new adjustment is a crisis in self-esteem. – Eric Hoffer