The Importance of Self Esteem

Self-esteem is a term used for the way we think and feel about ourselves. It's the key to either success or failure. The direction of your life will depend on your self-concept. It's a fact that successful people have healthy self-esteem and respect themselves, while those that struggle with life have low self-esteem and a negative view of themselves.

Most psychological problems/disorders can generally be traced back to one having a low or poor concept of 'self'.

It is virtually impossible to be passionate or excited about your life if you suffer from low self esteem. The way we feel about ourselves will ultimately shape our behaviours, including the way we interact with others, decision making, our view of the world and our ability to cope with life's up's and down's. The two key aspects are Self Confidence and Self respect. Get these two right and the world is your oyster.

Unfortunately due to 21st Century living many people suffer from feelings of guilt, self doubt, inadequacy and insecurity. When these feeling surface we don't always recognise them for what they are, they become a habit and as we become accustomed to the way we think, feel and act, we assume that's how 'life is'.

It is important to become aware of your thinking habits, how do you think about yourself? others? and the world?. What do you say to yourself on a regular basis? Do you call yourself names? do you put yourself down? do you talk yourself out of taking action?

What are your thoughts about others? are you critical? are you judgemental? are you quick to condemn?

What are your views of the world and the society you live in? Do you make assumptions based on little evidence? do you believe that society controls your life?

It is important that we understand where our faulty thinking lies if we want to put it right. If indeed you are someone with a unhealthy and negative view of oneself then STOP IT NOW. When you notice a negative thought replace it with a positive thought and repeat it 5 times. The key is to break old thinking patterns, you cannot change what you don't acknowledge, so spend some time noticing the conversations in your mind. When you gain a higher self respect for yourself the world around you will change in response to your new thinking patterns and behaviours. Life's challenges won't seem so bad, your ability to handle setbacks and criticism will increase and your overall confidence will get a boost.