Remember when you were a child, how you looked to the people around you for approval on just about everything you did, judging the success of your achievement on the approval of those around you? Not much of that changes as we grow up, and grow older.
Self esteem is a quality that is acquired from your surroundings or background.
It is modified by what happens to you as a child at home or at school, with parents and siblings, neighbours and other children in your environment, then later on in your job and in your pleasure time.
A person who has low self esteem lacks confidence and is hampered in their advancement through life. Low self esteem can be brought about by a number of factors – divorce or separation, whether one’s own or that of one’s parents can blow apart a person’s self esteem, blaming themselves for what has happened.Children are prone to experience a divorce or seperation as a personal failure, or something they have done wrong. A person’s physical attributes and how they are accepted or rejected by others can also have a great effect on their self esteem, as can continued exposure to criticism from one’s peers.
Low self esteem is extremely common, but it can be corrected, and the first step in building up self esteem is to recognize one’s own shortcomings, only then can one take a course of positive action to build confidence.
Self esteem can be summed up as being the way you look at yourself or put a price on yourself in terms of your job, your activities and your rapport with family, friends and work colleagues. If you realize that you are suffering from low self esteem and you wish to take steps to build confidence, there are a number of ways that you can do this.
One excellent way of building self esteem is to take a course in public speaking, and there are several organizations that you can join where this can be undertaken; organizations such as Junior Chamber International, Dale Carnegie, Toastmasters and Rostrum.
Public speaking is a confidence building exercise that can be undertaken by anyone, and although your very first attempt will probably have your heart racing with nervousness, it doesn’t take very long for your confidence to be built up to high levels.
How are you going to go about recognizing your own shortcomings or insecurities?
What is it that makes you feel ashamed or second-rate? Take a good look at yourself. Is it your looks? Are you overweight?(This is not just a female issue, children and men also feel the same effect of it) Do you have a bad complexion? Do you stammer?Do you perhaps have a reading problem or spelling problem that spills over from childhood, and are to embarressed to go to get help for it as grownup?
Recognize what it is that’s causing your low self esteem and write it down. Whatever it is that is causing your lack of confidence, it won’t go away overnight. It’s going to take time, so learn to live with it and accept it bit by bit, day by day.Understand that the majority of people around you are dealing with very much the same kind of issues, perhaps in other areas. Very few people do not have something niggling at them, making them think people are staring, or aware of their short comings.
In your mind, it is the utmost problem, large and looming. For those around you, looking at you, the vast majority is so busy focusing on their own problems, that they miss your struggle with yours.
Remember that even the best stage actors are nervous on first night. Even that most famous of all actresses Sarah Bernhardt, admitted to being terrified every time she walked onto a stage.
Learn to accept your shortcomings and you will soon start developing self confidence.
Work Your Wealth uses ground breaking training workshops that will help you to recognize your areas of low self esteem, and will help you to build up your self confidence.
