What is self-esteem? I always thought that self-esteem was basically the same as confidence, but they are actually quite different in meaning. If you look up the words confidence and self-esteem in the dictionary it can be confusing. In my own words, confidence is how others see us from the outside and self-esteem is how we see ourselves from the inside.
Here is a short story that shows the difference between confidence and self-esteem.
Janice is an office manager who works very hard at keeping the office organized and the work flowing smoothly. Her employees recognize her ability to maintain control and look to her as a confident individual. What they don't realize is that Janice has low-esteem. She may have excellent organizational and communication skills but she doesn't feel good about how she looks. Every day before going to work, she stands in front of the mirror looking at herself and worrying about her flaws and imperfections. She thinks she looks fat and ugly and wonders if anyone will make fun of her that day. It takes her a long time to get dressed, fix her hair and apply her makeup so she will feel good enough to even go out the door. When Janice gets to work, her employees can only see her outer confidence, they can't see her inner esteem, only Janice can see that.
Did you know that esteem is not something we are born with? Esteem is something that we learn from the people around us and our environment. So if you don't have much now, you can still learn how to develop it, no matter what age you are.
It is important to build good self-esteem as it affects every area of our life. It affects our behaviour, our attitudes, our emotions, our perception on life in general and how we interact with others.
Having strong esteem will help you:
- look at life with a positive perspective
- focus on your unique strengths
- challenge negative thoughts about yourself
- try new things
- make good decisions
- feel good about your self-image
- respect yourself and others
- make good relationships
- risk making mistakes in order to learn and grow
- set and reach your goals
- become successful
Many people struggle in their daily lives, wondering why they never seem to find happiness or success and aren't even aware that they have issues with low esteem. In order to find happiness and success in life, it is critical that we have both confidence and strong self-esteem.
How would you rate your esteem? Just quickly on a scale of 1(low) to 10(high), what number would you pick? Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I have a positive attitude?
- Do I think my life has value?
- Am I proud of my accomplishments?
- Am I satisfied with the person I am?
- Am I a good person with good qualities?
- Do I have confidence in my abilities.
- Am I able to accept criticism without feeling bad?
- Do I have good friends that like me?
- Do I feel comfortable talking to people?
- Is my life a success?
The more 'yes' answers, the higher your esteem. However, there are times in life when situations and people will test our self-esteem no matter how strong it may be. Maintaining a good esteem should be a continuous process on our journey to find happiness and success.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brenda_J_Silveira
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