Self-esteem is essentially the quality of being pleased with yourself.
The opposite of having high self-esteem is loathing yourself, which is a challenging way to live. Learning how to be happy with yourself can benefit you in every other aspect of your life. You will be a lot happier in general, too.
When we stop comparing ourselves to others, we can love ourselves as we are and raise our self-esteem.
Here Are 11 Ways to Build Lasting Self-Esteem to Help Develop Your Strengths and Gifts:
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Volunteer
Demonstrate to yourself that you are a good person by giving some of your spare time to a worthy cause. You will feel better about yourself than if you had spent the same time binge-watching a TV series.
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Do something each day that you are good at
We feel competent and confident while doing something that we know we are good at. Make a list of the things you know in your heart that you do well. Do at least one of them each day and notice how you feel.
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Remind yourself of your successes daily
Spend a few moments each day reviewing your successes. Include recent, as well as, successes from the past. You have done a lot of great things. Avoid dismissing or forgetting them.
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Avoid comparing yourself to others
There is always someone that does something better than you do. Just remember that there are things you can do better than them, too.
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Increase your knowledge or expertise
Constant improvement is a sure path to greater self-esteem. Keep improving yourself and your capabilities, and you will be more impressed with yourself. What do you want to become better at doing? What would you like to know more about?
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Release yourself from your mistakes
Allow your mistakes from the past to fade away. You can do this by forgiving yourself and keeping your mind focused on what is happening at the present time.
- You don’t know anyone that has never failed or made a mistake. This includes your closest friends and family members. You don’t hold their mistakes against them, so how can you hold them against yourself?
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Stick to your values
When you fail to live up to your values, you won’t feel very good about yourself. Understand your values and live them each day.
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Face a fear
Having too many fears can lessen the level of self-esteem we experience. Overcome a fear and you’ll be amazed at yourself. Start with a small fear and work your way up.
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Avoid doing things just to please others
Going too far to please or impress others demonstrates to you that your preferences, values, and happiness come in second place. Be considerate of others but strive to make yourself happy.
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Be able to say “no”
The inability to say “no” to others shows that you give too much preference to others and too little to yourself. Show yourself that you matter by being able to refuse the requests of others when appropriate. You will receive more respect from them, too.
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Define what you believe a good person should be
You can’t be happy with yourself if you don’t have a target to strive for. Understand what it will take to feel a high level of self-esteem. Each day, you can choose to be the type of person you described.
This human propensity to compare ourselves to others is such a waste of time unless what you see and wish for in what you see in another is something of deep worth, such as their generosity or kindness.
Who do you admire? What kinds of comparisons might be healthy for you? For example, there are women I know well who are extraordinarily kind and generous. They truly make a difference in their worlds, and I want to be more and more like them. Who inspires you to live better, in the way that matters most? Spend your precious time and thoughts on this, instead.
– Moira
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Moira Hutchison is a Mindset Cultivator, Energy Healer, and Tarot Card Reader. Her specialties range from helping people with broad goals such as accepting change, life planning, and personal balance, to specific goals like gaining motivation and overcoming issues such as procrastination, excess stress and self-sabotage.
