Self Esteem - What It Really Is and How to Raise It

Self esteem.

Now there's a well used and little understood term. Self esteem seems to be one of those terms that we frequently use without really knowing exactly what it means. Just what is this self esteem thing? And where do you go to get some? I've never seen a self esteem store at the mall. Not yet any way.

Many people tend to define self esteem as the way you feel about yourself, which seems to be a little redundant. For the sake of this column, let's define self esteem as the perceptions and beliefs you have about yourself.

Having said all that, let's focus in on a quick and simple way to improve your self esteem.

One of the quickest and simplest methods for improving your self esteem is simply to rate it on what I call the Self Esteem Rating Scale(TM).

Here's how it works: on a scale of one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best, rate your self esteem in these four ways?:

1) what it is now 2) the worst it's ever been 3) the best it's ever been 4) how you would like it to be

Now, having done that (if you haven't done that, go back and do it before you read on, it just takes a few seconds!) consider these things:

What were you doing when it was the worst that you might need to eliminate?

What were you doing when it was the best that you might need to resume doing, continue doing, or do more of in the future?

If your self esteem now is higher than the worst it's ever been, what did you do to change it that you might want to continue to do?

Now take a look at the difference between what your self esteem is now and what you would like it to be. The difference is the ground you need to cover to improve your self esteem. Now for a seemingly bizarre and unrelated question. How do you like your pizza? Just bare with me here. However you like it, what would happen if you tried to eat an extra large version of it in one bite? That's right, you couldn't do it and would probably choke. So you slice it into smaller pieces and then take even smaller bites to accomplish the task.

It's the same way with self esteem. For example, let's say your self esteem is now a five and you would like it to be a ten. That's a difference of five self esteem levels. If you tried to jump from a five to a ten all at once, you would probably become frustrated, discouraged and give up. It's just to big a leap.

What you can do is begin to break it into manageable pieces by asking yourself "What will it take to move from a five to a six, a six to a seven?" , and so on. In this way you are biting off manageable chunks that will give you the opportunity to achieve small successes, which can then motivate you on to the bigger successes of accomplishing your self esteem goal.

While using the Self Esteem Rating Scale can be a quick and easy way to improve your self esteem, that's not to say it won't involve some struggles. And that's a good thing because I believe there is value in the struggle. A patient of mine recently shared the following wonderful story about butterflies and the value of struggling.

Now if you have ever had the privilege of watching the amazing process of a butterfly leaving its cocoon, you know its quite a struggle. Well, it seems some scientists, in their esteemed wisdom, found a way to get butterflies out of their cocoons without a struggle. What they found however, was that the butterflies that had to struggle out of their cocoons lived longer, flew better, and were more beautiful than the butterflies that were removed without a struggle.

Besides saying something about the value of the struggle, I believe it also says something to us about the difference between science and success!

Maybe it's like something Tom Hanks said in the movie "A League of Their Own." One of the players was complaining about how hard something was and Hanks responded, "Of course it's hard. That's what makes it good." Or perhaps it's like I say to many of my patients who want to change their self esteem, "I won't promise you the struggle will be easy, just worth it."

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

---

Emancipation

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 8,... Read More

Faith Like a Child

Jonathan:¡§This is my brother, Jonathan¡¨. They walked into the room... Read More

Jerrys Yo-Yo

The blaring sound leapt under Jerry's skin and strangled him... Read More

The Minds Fancy Dress Party -Or- A Brainstorming Session

In Berlin a restaurant opens for anorexics and in Buffalo... Read More

Fear No Evil - How To Avoid Worry And Fear

"Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow... Read More

Anamchara - Living a Meaningful Life

At some stage of living your life you will ask... Read More

The Power of the Tongue

There is an old proverb with a lot of wisdom.... Read More

All You Want is Within Your Reach

If there is one thing that I believe with all... Read More

Myth And Reality

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 2,... Read More

Being Fruitful

Over the years I've learned to challenge my audiences to... Read More

Follow Your Dreams: Believe In You

What you believe in the inside, to a large extent... Read More

Relax. Its Just Your Life

What am I supposed to do with my life? Shouldn't... Read More

The River of Life

I've always loved the awesome majesty of mountains. They are,... Read More

Safety ? Are You OK?

Safety is an interesting concept. When we think of safety... Read More

Commitment To The Journey

I have been a business owner for about a minute.... Read More

Naomi and the 5 Life Lessons

Not long ago, I attended a seminar that featured Naomi... Read More

Once in a Lifetime

A subscriber recently wrote to me and asked me to... Read More

Learn to Deal in Challenges

(Excerpted from the 2004 Jim Rohn Weekend Leadership Event)To really... Read More

Resistance to Change

All of us are resistant to change, whether it's in... Read More

Small Wonder

Wonder:~~To think or speculate curiously~~To be filled with admiration, amazement... Read More

Patience - The Antidote for Stress

Why is it so difficult to hold steadfast to a... Read More

Be a Star in Your Own Life

Do you have the charactertics to be star in their... Read More

Need for a Belief System: A System of Organization for Your Experiences!

I've spoken with many people who, over time, have felt... Read More

Is Transformation Worth the Effort?

Soaring 700 feet above the forest floor is a granite... Read More

The Monkey With The Wooden Apples

There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating... Read More

Living Authentically in a Masked World

Humanity seems to be the only species that never seems... Read More

Care And Maintenance Of The Human Hard Drive

The human brain is very much like a hard drive.... Read More

The Secret Of Lasting Personal Change

Why do so many of us end up frustrated when... Read More

Escape From the Dungeon: Jennifers Survival Story

Have you ever been encountered with a trauma in life... Read More

Turning Your Life Over To God and Trusting Him To Lead You Is Like . . . . .

. . . . . riding a roller coaster for... Read More

Keep on Keeping on!

Whenever we are working on our dreams we are going... Read More

Facing the Enemies Within

We are not born with courage, but neither are we... Read More

A Feline Example On Courage

Fangs. Killer claws. Hisses, grrrs...and later, yelps. Who is not... Read More