Did you know that your life’s success in all areas is directly related to having a healthy self-esteem? You’ve heard
cliché “You are what you eat.” Many would also argue that “You are what you think.” Nathaniel Brandon, one of most notable psychologists on self-esteem put it nicely: “There is no value-judgment more important to man—no factor more decisive in his psychological development & motivation than estimate he passes on himself.”
It is secret or “hidden self-esteem” in particular, that will get you through those very dark spots. It will enable you to find a valuable lesson each time you face an obstacle.
The hidden or secret self-esteem is how you feel about yourself deep down. It is most accurate description of how you feel, regardless of what obstacles are thrown in your path.
If it’s strong, then you will be able to deal better with stress and your relationships. You’ll be successful by your own standards and have no need to boast about it. Your surface self- esteem, however, can vary widely depending on day of week. It’s a temporary feeling.
Environmental factors can play a role in how you view yourself. It most certainly did for me. For example (the very short version), I felt essentially fatherless. I got called weird a lot growing up (and fat, too!).
Artists, musicians, and mathematically inclined tend to be labeled as eccentric. I am all three! Teenagers generally ridiculed eccentricity in my environment back then.
Honestly, I don’t believe my secret nor surface self-esteem was as healthy as it could be in all areas until I was finished with school—Graduate School!
So how did I get from there to here?
Let’s look at some strategies that I used and see if any or all them can get you on road to developing or strengthening your self-esteem. Here are seven of them:
1. Clear out junk: This means anything hurtful and unconstructive that you’ve been told by someone you care(d) about (or even some you didn’t) is to be taken with a grain of salt. It’s one thing to be given constructive criticism in life, but quite another when people are downright mean about it. Remember it’s offending party’s issue. NOT yours.
