"Raising Your Self-Esteem" by Sharon Marquart
Esteem is the value and worth we place on something. Having a healthy self-esteem places value and worth on you as a human being. Low self-esteem prevents you from claiming your "good" in life, and sharing your unique gifts and talents with the world. A healthy self-esteem raises your Spiritual Self-Esteem. Developing a Spiritual self-esteem will lead the way for you to discover and live your life's purpose. We can make a radical change in our self-esteem by moderating and changing our inner dialogue. Critical self-talk plays a major role in how much we value or under-value ourselves.
Here are some choices you can make to help develop a healthy self-esteem.
1. Stop Comparing
When you compare yourself to others, you create the energy of competition. Each one of us is unique with great gifts to share. If your self-esteem is low you may have the tendency to maximize the good qualities in others which then magnifies your weaknesses.
2. Accept Compliments
When someone offers you a compliment, "Thank you" is the perfect response. A response that qualifies or justifies the compliment is a way of devaluing yourself.
3. Ask for Verification
If someone doesn't return your call or scows, check the facts instead of making assumptions. Critical self-talk assumes the worst. Stop making up stories and ask "why?" or "is there a problem?" Most times another's reaction has nothing to do with you.
4. Stop Shielding Yourself
Change the "I should" to "I choose to/or I choose not to." When you get caught up in the "shoulda, woulda, coulda and I must" syndrome, you make unrealistic demands on yourself that may stop you from ever being good enough.
5. Don't Label Behaviors
When you do something stupid, say, "I did something stupid" rather than labeling your self by your behavior by saying that you are stupid. This will help you to be more confident as well as stop labeling others and comparing.
