How often do you trust yourself? I mean really trust yourself. Do you value yourself as a good decision maker? Do you still believe in yourself when others fill you with doubt? If someone said to you, “You can’t do that,” have you ever responded by saying, “Watch me!”
The way we see ourselves, the way we feel about ourselves, and the way we see the value we bring into the world determine whether we have a high or low self-esteem. Research tells us that higher self-esteem is associated with greater happiness and more success. The simple reason is because, when you believe in yourself and your abilities, you are more willing to take action, take risks, and put yourself ‘out there’ by participating in life.
But self-esteem is not always a natural thing that is just magically there. Even with all the research, everyone struggles with self-esteem at some point in their lives. That’s normal. As new challenges find us and as we embark on new experiences throughout our lives, there are times when we feel behind the eight-ball and unsure of our abilities.
When that happens, it’s great to know you have control over building and improving your self-esteem. Want to increase yours? Here are eight ways to do just that.
Improve your self-talk
Start your day with positive affirmations and learn to refocus your thoughts to something constructive. Pay attention to all the negativity in your head and start talking back to it! You don’t have to believe everything you think. If your current thoughts are making you feel less-than, begin to change the conversation in your head to one of a supporter instead of a critic.
Surround yourself with positive people
Don't let negative people control the way you think about your life or your business. Remember, every negative person has a problem for every solution. Don’t overthink this one, move on!
Start a journal
Get things out of your head! Write down what you want in life; be clear about not only what you want, but also why you want it. Include your thoughts and challenges, as well as your successes. Focus on writing about the action you’ve taken that is moving you forward. When you are having a down day, go back to those entries and repeat the same habits that got you there.
Get over your perfectionism
Perfectionism stops us from moving forward and completing projects. It paralyzes us because we are so afraid of not being able to live up to a high standard. Instead, understand that there is no such thing as ‘perfect,’ and learn to know when something is good enough.
Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way
Know that there are going to be detours on the road to success. Just like using a GPS when you’re driving, those challenges are more manageable when you remind yourself that you can reroute and still get to the destination; it just might look a little different than it did when you originally set out. If you take a wrong turn when you’re driving, your GPS doesn't say "you're a loser, go home." It re-calculates and gets you back on track. When you take a wrong turn in life or in your business, don’t beat yourself up, just recalculate and keep going.
Love others
When you spend time being more kind and loving to others, you start to learn to treat yourself a little kinder, too. Get in the habit of being encouraging to others, doing good deeds, or even just being a great listener for someone.
Build your self-confidence
Confidence is a game-changer. With confidence, you can do more than you can do without confidence. Confidence is about feeling comfortable with yourself, and how you feel about yourself plays into how healthy you are, whether you take healthy risks or not, and whether you move forward in life or stay stuck where you are. The better you feel about yourself, the more you can accomplish. The best way to do this is to keep taking action; the more you do, the more you are able to do. When you begin building your confidence in multiple areas you start to see yourself as a more successful person. Becoming confident in your skills allows you to continue to see your value as a person and build your self-worth. You do this by becoming a great student and learning every single day.
Be grateful
We're often so busy chasing what we want and what we don't have that we forget to be thankful and have an attitude of gratitude for what we already do have. Maybe you didn't get everything you wanted, but what is good in your life? You will find that when you're thankful for the things in your life that are good, it will help you to stay on course, to have a good positive energy and have a good positive attitude and you will see the success that you want to see for your business.