Self confidence

 Realize your hidden power

"Believe in yourself"

That is the message that we are seeing constantly in books, TV programs, superhero comics, and widely spread myths and tales.

We are told that if we believe in ourselves, we can do anything. Naturally, we are aware that this is inaccurate; We cannot change the world by merely believing in something. However, we are aware that having self confidence and embracing yourself for who you are is crucial for happiness, success, and healthy relationships, and that having high self-esteem is essential for leading fulfilling lives. Our confidence and how we see and feel about ourselves are both fueled by our self-esteem. It includes our perception of our worth, importance and self-worth. Because of this, developing self-esteem is crucial for both happiness and personal development. I'll demonstrate what you can do right away to learn how to boost your self-esteem in this article. You will then understand your hidden potential and value.

What does self-esteem mean then if it's not believing in ourselves?

 Self confidence is more about how you feel about your skills. You can feel great about yourself overall and still lack confidence in a certain situation or occasion, such as public speaking. Or perhaps, you have poor self esteem generally but high self confidence is particular area (like a sport you play). A strong sense of self-worth is obtained from a belief in your importance, worth and value. The good news is that there are several strategies available, which we shall examine below to raise self-esteem.

But first, let us understand the causes a low self-esteem :

 There are several causes of self-esteem, not only one or few. The influence of our parents has the greatest affect on our self-esteem since it is heavily influenced by how other people see and treat us, as well as by our relationships. Here are some common causes of low self-esteem:

➤ Traumatic experience: Being bullied or being in an emotionally abusive relationships are examples of negative experience or traumatic ones that can lead to lower levels of self-esteem. Basically it might results from anything that has triggered negative emotions like guilt, humiliation, or worthlessness.

➤ Negative self-talk: Negative self talk often contributes to low self-esteem. Your ability to learn how to develop self-esteem is hampered by this story, which you may have made up on your own or had someone else to make it up for you years ago. Perhaps, your feelings about your appearance or body image are the core cause of your low self-esteem, like it is for many others. It is not only about how you appear; it is also about how you feel about your appearance. From an early age, we are flooded with messages about being either too big, too thin, short, or tall, or having too much of one thing or not enough of another.

➤ An unhappy childhood: Individuals who experienced acceptance, approval and affection as children are more likely to have a stronger feeling of self-worth than those who endured criticism, abuse or neglect as children.

But one more question is remaining; Lacking self-esteem, is it really bad?

 Anxiety, despair, eating disorders and addiction are just a few of the serious physical and mental health problems that can result from having low self-esteem. In reality, studies demonstrate that children who experienced low self confidence as teens went on to experience more physical and mental health issues., more criminal convictions, lower earnings and difficulties with long-term unemployment. On the other hand, having a high feeling of self-worth will benefit your health and wellbeing, improve your relationships, and increase your level of enjoyment, contentment and success. In one study, higher level of self-esteem were also linked to greater earning potential.

Then how can I build my self-esteem?

 The gap between who you are and who you believe you should be can sometimes be a sign of self-esteem problems. Contrarily, the majority of factors that contribute to a low self-esteem come from how other people perceive or treat you, while improving  your self-esteem requires a change from the inside out, not the other way around.

The ability to boost one's self-esteem requires effort. Even while I would love to be able to wave a magic wand for you, I've come to realize that developing and preserving your self-esteem takes time. It is a worthwhile investment though, after putting in the effort, you'll enjoy the lifetime of numerous benefits and pleasures.

 One of the most crucial things you can do to raise your self-esteem again is to pinpoint the actual cause(s) of it. Get the root cause. While you might be able to accomplish a lot on your own, if the underlying issue is not resolved, the feeling will eventually return. The truth cannot be avoided, and open wounds cannot be covered with bandages. It won't be simple for you to get to the root, but if you want to discover how to boost your self-esteem, you must do it. Another thing you should add to getting the root cause is to see yourself how others see you. Consider how others might see you and talk to yourself as they would. What am I referring to here? think about who loves you the most in this world, take a moment to zoom out and picture yourself in their position, looking through their eyes. Consider yourself from their viewpoint and observe yourself as they would. What stands out about you? What would they say about you? How do they perceive you? What do people adore about you? These two techniques won't give their effects only if you stop compromising yourself and the negative self-talk. How so? Your self-esteem suffers when you allow people to manipulate you, put their needs ahead of your own. Your mind thinks, "I guess I am not that important", as you put their demands before your own. Now I am not saying you shouldn't look after your children and spouse, finish your work by the deadline, or support your friends. But you also need to look after yourself. To fit in, to feel appreciated, and to receive attention, we compromise ourselves. You will, however, never genuinely feel content if you are always making compromises with yourself. Be strong and stand up for yourself if you want to discover how to increase your sense of self-worth. Now is the time to decide what you need and want from life. Also, much of your belief systems come from the negative story you are telling yourself. That what I mean by saying stop self negative-talk. Build confidence is really challenging because your mind believes what to tell it, and if the story you are playing (over and over again) in your mind is one of the terrible mistakes you've made, that's what you will keep reinforcing and strengthening through negative ideas. Your mind will believe you if you tell it that you are useless and unable. Your mind will also believe that you are amazing and capable if you tell it so. So instead, catch the self-talk that is negative and switch it out with positive self-talk. It's time to break the cycle.

Make the choices that will help you become the person you are genuinely capable of becoming. Finding purpose in life may be the topic here, or it may be about the actions you must take to move from where you are to where you want to be. Take tiny steps at first, then move up. Greater confidence and, ultimately, a stronger sense of self-worth will result from each humble victory.

 Now after understanding how to be a great version of ourselves it's time to take a little quiz together!! 

 You may ask why we are taking this quiz!? Well.. dear friends, a quiz for self-esteem is a way for you to determine how you see yourself. By being honest with yourself as to where you are today, you can see when you need to make improvements. Your self-image is how you evaluate your own life, how you feel about school, your relationships and where you're going. How do you really feel about yourself? do you have a harsh, negative opinion of yourself? It's a way for you to find out what kind of image you have. So let's start!

 For each question, choose one of the following answers:

 

Statement:	Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Usually	Always
You express your opinions openly
You have no fear of being rejected by other people
When you have to make a major decision that affects mostly you, you may consult with other people, but the final decision is your own
You forgive yourself for your mistakes
You believe you deserve the best life has to offer
You accept yourself for being the way you are
You are able to express your feelings, both positive and negative
You set aside some time just for you
You ask for help when you need it
You will return an unsatisfactory item to a store
You don’t worry about what others think of you
If you are dissatisfied with an important part of your life, you will take steps to make a change
When criticized, you listen, but don’t take it personally
You are comfortable trying new things
You can make a list of your accomplishments and/or positive qualities without a great deal of difficulty
You are comfortable around successful people
You are comfortable making eye contact with other people
You believe you can handle anything

 Scoring : Give yourself:

1 point for each Never

2 points for each Rarely

3 points for each Sometimes

4 points for each Usually

5 points for each Always

What your scores on the quiz for self-esteem mean?

⧫ 0-18: Time to change

Your lack of respect for yourself makes you doubt every choice you make. You MUST make improving your self-esteem your top priority in life since it is dangerously low.

⧫ 19-36: Signs of trouble

You think others are more valuable than you are. Your self-esteem is unstable and requires improvement.

⧫ 37-54: Middle of the road

There are always days when you believe you're doing okay and days when you doubt everything you do. Everything will fall into place if you put little more effort in believing in yourself.

⧫ 55-72: On the right track

Your self confidence is growing, but there is still room for development. Your self-esteem will start to rise if you practice celebrating each minor victory.

⧫ 73-90: Solid self-esteem

Nobody needs to reassure you that you are fine. You regard yourself well, and rarely, if ever, second guess your choices. Instead than overthinking your mistakes, you learn from them. Keep up the good work.

Final words:

While you live in a society where you are constantly bombarded with messages of not being enough and how you could be better, just remember this: You deserve to be loved, happy and successful. You are flawlessly flawed. Even if you feel unworthy, unlovable, or insufficient, know that none of those things apply to you. It is not by accident that you are here, on this planet, at this very moment. Some part of you, deep inside, already knows this to be true, even though you may not be able to accept it just now. Now is the time to follow the steps above and come to this realization.