by Andrew Pacholyk MS L.Ac
Peacefulmind.com
Self-esteem is a confidence in yourself and your capabilities. Self- esteem is important because if allows you to enjoy a happier, more joy-filled life. Most importantly, self-esteem helps you feel connected with the “true spirit” within yourself. This enables you to take responsibility for your own happiness. You MUST make positive thinking a habit, and this allows you to build self-esteem!
Now answer these questions. Rate each answer on a scale of 1-3 one, if you feel this way sometimes, but infrequently; two , if you usually feel this way; or three, if you always feel this way
1…I appreciate all the things I can do.
2…I understand the importance of being my own best friend.
3…I appreciate my own uniqueness.
4…I pay attention to my feelings.
5…I am comfortable expressing my feelings to others.
6…I am sensitive and concerned for the feelings of others.
7…I let go of unhappy thoughts.
8…I understand that mistakes are only “misses.”
9…I take responsibility for my actions.
10..I allow myself to be different from others.
If you have a perfect score of 30, you are in great shape!
20-30 means you probably like yourself most of the time.
20-10 means you need to start lifting some “positive mental weights,” and if you scored below 10, you need 10 self affirmations to let you know you are alright and you are ready for improvement.
Whether you already think positively or need to start practicing some positive mental habits, you can have great fun exploring the issues of self-esteem.
Self-esteem and The Learning Process
Self-esteem is closely linked to the learning process. Learning something successfully makes you feel good about yourself and creates positive attitudes. A life-student with self-esteem is an active rather than passive learner and is eager to try new things without fear of failure.
A life-student afraid to risk failure inevitably stops learning. You won’t develop self-esteem overnight because it’s a building process, but each small step to improved confidence will ultimately, impact all your future choices.
Learn to praise yourself at each step you take towards a goal and encourage your persistence to keep trying! You know that you have self-esteem when your “can do” attitude reflects an understanding that a mistake is just a “miss,” and that’s how you learn!
