Our Self-Esteem
Michael Angier

  

A reader from the Middle East wrote to me recently asking how he could improve his low self-image.  He said, "it ruins my social and professional life." He wanted to know what techniques he could employ to solve this lifelong problem. 

I felt somewhat inadequate in my reply to him and resolved to write about my own struggles to improve self-esteem in hopes that it will be helpful to others.

The dictionary says that esteem means, "to regard with respect; to prize, to appreciate.  To recognize the quality, significance, or magnitude of, to admire greatly; to value."

I know people who have too much confidence and self-pride, but I don't know ANYONE with too much self-esteem.  Most people, in moments of profound honesty, will admit to a lack of self-esteem.  They would like to feel better about themselves—more confident and capable—in short, to love themselves more.

It would probably be fair to say that most social problems are the result— directly or indirectly—of someone's low self-concept.

Not too many years ago, I was going through a dark time in my life.  I was broke—financially, personally, socially, even spiritually.  In describing it to someone once, I said, "I had the self-esteem of a dead rat."  That might have been overstating it a bit but not much.

My life—and my confidence—are much better today.  MUCH better. 

So what changed?  Was it outward circumstances?  Did my environment change and with it my inner experience?  No.

Somehow I knew that any changes would have to be from me.  It would be an inner transformation that would eventually alter the outward experience. 

Some of the things I did unconsciously.  Others were done with deliberation. 

First and foremost, I removed myself from people who had been particularly critical.  By distancing myself from this criticism, I was able to gain a better perspective.  I was perfectly capable of taking my own inventory and didn't need someone else pointing out my errors and keeping me focused on my shortcomings.

I immersed myself in good books—books of inspiration, books that increased my belief and books that gave me hope.  And hope was severely lacking.

A good therapist helped me to see myself in a better light.  Because he wasn't emotionally involved in my problems, he was able to see things differently.  He would often point out that things weren't nearly as bad as they appeared to be.

I made a conscious attempt to focus on my strengths: my talents, my experience and my knowledge.  I didn't allow myself to indulge in negative thoughts.  When I found myself musing about something less than "uplifting", I would redirect myself to something else.  I gave myself no permission to have "pity parties."

I took to heart Thomas Carlyle's advice when he wrote, "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what clearly lies at hand."  I kept busy.  I did what appeared to me as needing doing.  I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do or how I was going to do it.  The future was uncertain and for the first time in my life I didn't have a plan.  Like the AA program, I took one day at a time. 

And each day I did what I could to clean up my messes, make things better, keep my focus forward instead of backward and keep the faith. 

It was my faith in Universal Spirit that helped me get through this winter of discontent.  I believe that everyone has a unique purpose and I was determined to discover my own.  God doesn't make junk. 

One of the biggest awareness' I had during these dark times was that I WAS NOT my feelings.  I HAD feelings, but they were not me.  I also realized that I had cared too much about the opinions of others.  I still care; I just don't let it run me like it used to.

Some people believe that if you feel good about yourself, you'll do great things.  That may be true, but I also believe that if you do great things, you'll feel good about yourself—and then do even greater things.

Taking these steps consistently over a period of years has enabled me to rebuild my finances, establish a career I'm excited about, develop a loving and committed marriage and, most importantly, restore and improve upon my self esteem.  I'm grateful for the process.

Self-esteem is an upward or downward spiral.  What you do affects the way you feel.  How you feel affects the things you do.  The things you do affect what you and others think of you, which in turn, affects how you feel about yourself.

You're either building yourself up or tearing yourself down.  There is no status quo when it comes to your self-image. 


© Copyright Michael Angier & Success Networks International.  Michael Angier is the founder and president of Success Networks.

  


 
quotations - contents - welcome page - obstacles
our current e-zine - the people behind the words - articles and excerpts
Daily Meditations, Year One - Year Two - Year Three - Year Four
     

Sign up for your free daily spiritual or general quotation
~ ~ Sign up for your free daily meditation

   

  
tm

All contents © Living Life Fully, all rights reserved.

    

HOME - contents - Daily Meditations - abundance - acceptance - achievement - action - adversity - advertising - aging - ambition
anger - anticipation - anxiety - apathy - appreciation - arrogance - art - attitude - authenticity - awakening - awareness - awe
balance - beauty - being yourself - beliefs - body - brooding - busyness - caring - celebration - challenges -
change - character
charity - children - choices - Christianity - coincidence - commitment - common sense - community - comparison - compassion
competition - complaining - compliments - compromise - confidence - conformity - conscience - contentment - control - cooperation
courage - covetousness - creativity - crisis - criticism - cruelty -  death - decisions - desire - determination - disappointment
discipline - discouragement - diversity - doubt - dreams - earth - education - ego - emotions - encouragement - enlightenment
enthusiasm - envy - eternity - ethics - example - exercise - experience - failure - faith - fame - family - fate - fathers - fault-finding
fear - feelings - finances - flowers - forgiveness - freedom - friendship - frustration - fun - the future - garden of life - gardening
generosity - gentleness - giving - goals - God - goodness - grace - gratitude - greatness - greed - grief - growing up - guilt - habit
happiness - hatred - healing - health - heart - helpfulness - home - honesty - hope - hospitality - humility - hurry - ideals - identity
idleness  - idolatry - ignorance - illusion - imagination - impatience - individuality - the inner child - inspiration - integrity - intimacy
introspection - intuition - jealousy - journey of life - joy - judgment - karma - kindness - knowledge - language - laughter - laziness
leadership - learning - letting go - life - listening - loneliness - love - lying - magic - marriage - materialism - meanness - meditation
mindfulness - miracles - mistakes - mistrust - moderation - money - mothers - motivation - music - mystery - nature - negative attitude
now - oneness - open-mindedness - opportunity - optimism - pain - parenting - passion - the past - patience - peace - perfectionism
perseverance - perspective - pessimism - play - poetry - positive thoughts - possessions - potential - poverty - power - praise
prayer
- prejudice - pride - principle - problems - progress - prosperity - purpose - reading -recreation - reflection - relationships
religion - reputation - resentment - respect - responsibility - rest - revenge - risk - role models - running - ruts - sadness - safety
seasons of life - self - self-love - self-pity - self-reliance - self-respect selfishness - serving others - shame - silence - simplicity
slowing down - smiles -solitude - sorrow - spirit - stories - strength - stress - stupidity - success - suffering - talent
the tapestry of life - teachers - thoughts - time - today - tolerance - traditions - trees - trust - truth - unfulfilled dreams - values
vanity - virtue - vulnerability - walking - war - wealth - weight issues - wisdom - women - wonder - work - worry - worship
youth - spring - summer - fall - winter - Christmas - Thanksgiving - New Year - America - Zen sayings - articles & excerpts
Native American wisdom - The Law of Attraction - obstacles to living life fully - e-zine archives - quotations contents
our most recent e-zine - Great Thinkers - the people behind the words

  

We have some inspiring and motivational books that may interest you.  Our main way of supporting this site is through the sale of books, either physical copies or digital copies for your Amazon Kindle (including the online reader).  All of the money that we earn through them comes back to the site in one way or another.  Just click on the picture to the left to visit our page of books, both fiction and non-fiction!

   

    
    

Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.