When she was younger, she had extreme social anxiety and was super self-conscious. She wanted to be someone other than herself.
She didn’t like the way she looked, she cared what other people thought of her, and felt like she couldn’t be herself with anyone except her family. It took a long time to feel comfortable in her skin and confident in whom she was.
When she went away to college, she started to learn more about herself and really came out of her shell. Being on her own trying new things, and just putting herself out there, really helped her become a more confident, and empowered woman.
After she graduated and moved off on her own, she grew more confident as she learned how to support herself and take charge of her own destiny. Don’t get me wrong, she said, “this journey was by no means pretty, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Because without those messy life experiences, I don’t think I would be the person I am today.”
How we value and perceive ourselves should not be based on other people’s opinion about who or what they really think we are, we should be able to stand up for ourselves and start feeling happy with ourselves, our ability, and our character.
Self-esteem is one of the most important aspects of our lives. When we have a strong sense of self-esteem, we feel good about ourselves and our abilities.
Sometimes, our ordeals are as a result of our undoing. Imagine a First Class graduate going for an interview and on getting to the venue lacked the confidence to look up and give answers to questions. In most cases, good grades are not enough, your carriage and ability to relate well with others matter most.
People have lost so many things in life; opportunities have slipped away, cherished relationships lost, all because of Low Self-Esteem. If you can enter a place and come out with results, then, your carriage and presentation has done the most work.
Low self-esteem can creep up on you without you even realizing it. It’s often the result of negative thinking and comparison. When you have low self-esteem, you see yourself as inferior to others and not good enough. Why do you even have to compare yourself with friends and colleagues when it is obvious you are a unique fingerprint?
Instead of feeling unworthy, undeserving, insufficient and unlovable, which may make it difficult to stick to your goals and make positive changes in your life, why not focus on your strengths and accomplishments? Tell yourself well done for those little feats you are able to accomplish because when you take the time to celebrate your successes, it helps you feel good about yourself and your abilities.
Sometimes we make mistakes and it can be easy to dwell on ones mistakes and shortcomings, but it’s important to remember that everyone makes mistakes and instead of beating yourself up for that mistake you made unknowingly, focus on what you did well.
Recognize that no one is perfect and that mistakes are part of life. Accepting this will help you to be more forgiving of yourself when you make mistakes. It will also help you to set realistic goals, which are keys to maintaining self-esteem.