Building High Self Esteem

"The strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness is self-esteem. Believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it." - Jerry Gillies, American author

According to Abraham Maslow, American psychologist the need for self esteem arises from our need for love, friendship, appreciation and recognition, and is deeply incorporated in a person's psyche. High self-esteem is associated with feelings of ability, competence, capacity and independence. A high level of self esteem brings with it recognition and respect from others, and also maximization of full potential. Modern theories of self-esteem explain that humans with high self esteem are always more motivated to maintain a high regard for themselves. According to the sociometer theory, self-esteem is nothing more than an evaluation system, where one can check one's level of status and acceptance in a social group. For many, building high self esteem is a result of uplifting one's worth in our own eyes and the society.

Tips for Building High Self Esteem

Building self-esteem is a long process that needs a lot of effort, courage and patience, as life is roller-coaster ride of highs and lows, and encouraging and discouraging times. Self esteem needs loads of confidence to built it. Self esteem is about absolute faith in our self and our abilities. It is characterized by internal competence and the sense of personal worth. Following are a few self-esteem building activities, one can practice to boast oneself.

Accept Yourself
The most important way to build self esteem is to accept yourself the way you are. Learn to recognize strengths and weakness. Once you have accepted yourself, it is time to be critical of your abilities and capacities. There is a thin line between being critical and criticizing. Being critical means evaluating self to better oneself, reinforcing the positive, and working towards eliminating the negatives. Criticizing is more about finding fault, reasons for not doing something, and believing that self has little worth or none at all. Affirm yourself positively with positive statements, actions and deeds; do it everyday and see the changes within yourself, in a short time.

Judge Positively
To be judgmental and comparative about ourselves and others is basic human nature. Although, we cannot escape it, we can turn it around to ensure positive results for ourselves. When we compare ourselves constantly to those who do better, without making an effort to do better, we devalue ourselves. It would serve our self esteem better, if we learn positive thinking and winning aspects from others, and incorporate it in our way of life. Value success, small and big.

Stop Complaining
Complaining will only bring negativity. There are many episodes that occur in our life, that we have no control over. But where it is our fault, besides taking responsibility, one also needs to fix it, and let it go. Letting go of emotional wounds, is important for healing and building confidence. It is also important to stop living in the past, and holding onto personal losses. Stop blaming others and your circumstances. Take responsibility, and move on.

Lessons about Building Self Esteem

• Show gratitude towards family, friends, health, and every other positive aspect of your life.
• Sometimes, it helps to cut off relations that manifest negativity around you. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people.
• Work towards a better future, rather than worrying about it.
• Forgive yourself for mistakes that cannot be fixed. Let go.
• Groom yourself, dress well; if you look good, you will feel better.
• An excellent group therapy activities for self esteem building would be to take a holiday with family and friends, or be a part of charitable organization.
• Set realistic goals, and realize them to your full potential.

It is perfectly okay to be bogged down with the pressures of life; on those days, self esteem will definitely take a beating, and one may even feel let down. However, building high self esteem is all about trusting oneself and learning to cope with challenges. Know that everyone is worthy of happiness and success, and you deserve all of it!