Daily Practices To Positively Impact Your Self Esteem

"Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking, and believing. As individuals think and believe, so they are." ~Claude M. Bristol

Some people have a naturally positive attitude and always feel good about themselves. Other people may not, and it affects their day-to-day activities. I believe it is normal to have an ebb and flow based on what experiences we have and how we respond to them.

Let's face it; we all have our good and bad days. We will be affected by our family, our friends, our co-workers, and strangers that we interact with by chance. We are affected by the nightly news and the negativity we find there.

Sometimes we are our harshest critics. When we do something wrong, we might berate ourselves with snide, nasty little comments. Been there, done that. How many times have I said to myself, "That was dumb, why did you do that; it was stupid." We also might think, "OMG, I hope no one saw or heard me; that was so embarrassing!"

On the other side of that is the possibility of praising ourselves. Do we? No, usually we do not recognize our worth, and we do nothing to acknowledge we were successful. We should; it is good for our self-esteem. Why do we tend to knock ourselves down, but we do nothing to build ourselves up?

We all have strengths and weaknesses. We need to focus on our strengths and work to keep improving them. We should not focus on our shortcomings or allow them to influence our decisions. I do think we need to be aware of what weaknesses we may have. We can look for ways to improve and turn the weaknesses into growth opportunities.

"One of the most courageous things you can do is identify yourself, know who you are, what you believe in, and where you want to go." ~Sheila Murray Bethel

There are many different ways to boost your self-esteem. I hope these suggestions will help you.

• Recognize Your Strengths

Everyone has something they are good at. Examples might be someone who has exceptional math abilities. Maybe you are creative and an excellent artist. Perhaps you have great communication skills.

Do not doubt yourself. Focus on what you are confident about and good at doing. Make a list of your successes, what you have accomplished in the past, and what makes you feel proud.

• Practice Mindfulness

When you think of practicing mindfulness, you may automatically believe it is doing meditation, but it is more than that. The main goal of mindfulness is the ability to apply it to everyday, real-life situations.

Be aware of your thoughts, and do not engage in any negative self-talk. When you find yourself being self-critical, remind yourself that they are only thoughts. Thoughts are not facts; they are annoying little bits of negativity, but they are not valid. Shift your way of thinking and focus on your abilities and positive attributes.

Concentrate on what you are doing at this very moment. Strive to be mindful of using your thoughts to build your self-esteem.

• Use Affirmations

The use of affirmations can be empowering. We all have these ingrained beliefs about ourselves that are not true, but they have a hold on us. Get rid of the negative nuggets you carry with you by replacing them with affirmative statements.

Make a list of affirmations. Write down your negative beliefs and develop an affirmation about them. Choose an affirmation that is the opposite of your negative thinking. Examples might be:

"My boss values my opinion."

"I am creative."

"I am going to work hard until I am successful."

"I have a positive attitude."

Read the positive affirmations often. Keep the list where you can look at it whenever you feel the need. I suggest reading them first thing in the morning, before bed, or when facing a difficult task.

• Accept Compliments

How many times have you shrugged off a compliment you have received?

Instead of denying a compliment and having negative thoughts such as, "Oh, they do not mean that." or "They are just saying that because they think they have to." Take a few moments to respond and to absorb the compliment.

Respond with a "Thank you" or "What a nice thing to say." When you accept compliments, they will have a positive influence and raise your self-esteem.

• Practice Self Compassion

When something negative happens, such as not getting a promotion that you wanted, instead of beating yourself up and dwelling in negativity, try some self-compassion.

We are compassionate toward our friends and important people in our life, and even strangers as well. So we should do the same for ourselves.

Think about your conversations with a friend when helping them work through a problem. What did you say to them to help them feel better?

Do the same for yourself. Help build your self-esteem instead of knocking it down. As we often tell others, "You've got this."

• Challenge Yourself

"You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you can't have it." ~Dr. Robert Anthony

Push yourself and ease away from your comfort zone. It is so easy to accept the status quo: we are, after all, comfortable there.

There were many times throughout my career when I teetered on the edge of decisions, reluctant to push forward. I wanted more, but I knew it would take hard work and determination to take that next step, and I could fail.

But the challenge was always worth it. Sure there were times when I failed, but that was when I learned the most, and it always pushed me to try harder.

Building our self-esteem does take some effort, particularly if we have just had a setback or disappointment. It requires strengthening your talents, developing new ones, and creating habits like those listed above. You've got this; you can do it! You may enjoy helping others improve, and you should feel the same about yourself.

I was, and remain, my harshest critic. It is a challenge to build self-esteem, but it is an incredible feeling when you do.