Self-esteem: Does It Really Matter?
Some people are full of confidence and able to meet even the most difficult challenge with an air of authority. A good level of self-esteem is essential for us to function successfully in our professional and personal lives. Sally Foan, principle trainer at The People Tree, looks at the importance of self-esteem and how we can build on it? Every day we make decisions based partly on our level of self-esteem, and exhibit that level to those around us in a variety of ways. This behaviour influences others and how people then react to us, perpetuating the cycle. Outside influences play a part in setting our level of self-esteem when we are children and as we grow up. These may have included the opinions of parents, teachers, friends and family. What we need to do as adults is take a fresh look at our own opinion of ourselves. Is our long-held view accurate? Is our view 'rose-tinted' or unfairly negative? Bear in mind that the feedback we grew up with may have been fatally flawed. What if the people that influenced our self-worth were wrong? Perhaps we were bullied, or grew up in a challenging home which has left our self-confidence and self-esteem seriously dented. As adults we have the opportunity to re-examine our level of self-esteem by seeking accurate feedback from people we respect. This process allows you to expand your understanding of yourself and this information can be valuable for fine tuning and optimising your performance in the workplace and beyond. Setting goals and achieving them will boost your self-esteem. Identify your training aspirations (that will broaden your professional skills) and support your future goals. So, what if you do have the potential to achieve more and the only barrier is your self-esteem or self-worth? What if the things you'd realistically like to achieve are actually possible? Picture yourself and your future as one of the enormous super tankers out at sea. These massive ships can take a great deal of time to change course. Someone in the bridge, at the helm, needs to plan well ahead to change course for the future destination. The captain must allow for overall stability, external conditions and operational planning. Don't wait for the 'perfect' captain or manager to steer your career, you may wait forever, or you may already have one who is too challenged by tasks and workload to think for you. Take the helm yourself today and in a year's time you'll be glad you did. Top tips for improving your self esteem Trainer Sally Foan offers ideas to help you build on your current level of self-esteem: Learn how to feel good about yourself Take time to remind yourself of all the things that you have accomplished. Remember your achievements and all the positive things that you do for yourself and others. We rarely hear the positives and yet we certainly hear any negatives - and remember them long after we have forgotten all the nice things said about us or our performance. If you are a manager remember that each of your team will have positives that you can praise; take the time to find and highlight these. "There isn't a ruler, a yard stick or a measuring tape in the entire world long enough to compute the strengthand capabilities inside you." --PAUL MEYER Surround yourself with good people Friendship based on mutual trust and respect is a fundamental boost to our self-confidence. Avoid people that continually put you down or make you feel small or low. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." ELEANOR ROOSEVELT "Surround yourself with people who lift you higher." OPRAH WINFREY Be well rounded Don't neglect your interests. When was the last time you did that hobby you love, listened to your favourite music, or went to the theatre? Stay active; endorphins lift your spirits and staying healthy will make you feel better about yourself and your self-image. Take a pride in your appearance; it will do wonders for your self-confidence - when you know you look good, others notice. Walk tall. Avoid self-consciousness If you are self-conscious in a social situation focus on the following:Just because you lack confidence doesn't mean others can tell. Approach a group and introduce yourself. Ask questions and really listen to their answers. Finding out about the other people present will help make them (and you) feel more comfortable. Slow down and concentrate on others rather than yourself. Accept criticism If you are constantly saying things like 'I'm no good at anything' then you're wrong. Self-esteem is not just about thinking positively about yourself all the time, it is about being realistic and about not thinking badly about yourself for no reason. Criticism can be a positive thing. If we can learn to see the positives of someone valuing us enough to give us honest feedback, or constructive criticism, we can improve our performance. Set goals and meet them The process of looking forward, planning ahead, and accomplishing something can be very fulfilling. Accept failure Failure is part of life. It is how you deal with it that sets you apart. Everyone gets knocked down at some time so the real question is, will you get back up? "Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." WINSTON CHURCHILL Deal with a workplace bully Learning to deal with bullies in an assertive way is easier than you think. Once you challenge a bully in a calm but clear way you will realise how much better you feel about both the bully and yourself. Feeling sorry for a bully, who after all lacks the more appropriate tools and people skills necessary for the modern workplace, will help you to remain calm. Challenging is easier than you think when you use a 'feelings assertion' such as: "When you shout at me in front of other people I feel very uncomfortable and I would much prefer to have this conversation later when we are both calmer - shall we say 11am by the coffee machine."Take the time to practice and role-play situations and this will help you to remain calm in real situations. The Assertiveness two-day course detailed on this website is an ideal safe forum where you have the opportunity to practice assertive interventions for real long-term behaviour change post-course. And finally Remember that feeling healthy and good about yourself is not a luxury, it is an absolute necessity. Persevere with trying to raise your self-esteem and don't expect massive changes all at once. Beating low self-esteem is a wonderful thing and it is easier than you think. There are currently two courses available to help raise your levels of self-esteem and self-confidence: Assertiveness and Effective Presenting. Sally Foan is available for group courses or one to one coaching and development; helping you to take the helm of your future life and career success. Check out our website regularly for the new free personal development tips which we post under the button, FREE INFORMATION. View the website at www.peopletreetraining.co.uk Principle trainer at People Tree Training is Sally Foan, a personal development coach specialising in the field of interpersonal communication. Sally works with individuals or small groups of people, from new entrants through to senior managers. With many years experience working alongside a broad range of organisations including the travel industry, airline industry, RAF in Germany, the Health and Fitness Industry and more recently a range of well known public & private sector organisations, Sally aims to help your people realise their potential and therefore add value to your organisation.
MORE RESOURCES:
Princess Cruises unveils yoga for kidsUSA Today - 7 hours agoStill, yoga for kids? That's the Big New Thing this week at Princess Cruises, which announced it is rolling out what it bills as the industry's first yoga ... |
YMCA yoga class begins at Camp YomechasMiddleboro Gazette, MA - 3 hours agoMIDDLEBORO — The YMCA's Fall I 2008 session of yoga begins Thursday, Sept. 11. A new meditation class will be offered from 6-7 pm, and All Levels Yoga ... |
Yoga classes offered in SalisburyBethany Beach Wave, DE - 2 hours agoThe Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Salisbury is located at 2812 Old Ocean City Rd. A lunchtime yoga class is held Wednesdays at noon at Salisbury ... |
Downward dogsCalgary Herald, Canada - 6 hours agoJessica Beck is her 30-year-old owner and a Calgary-based yoga teacher about to launch a class for dog owners and their dogs with Patricia Kopec, ... |
Share this article:Desert Valley Times, UT - 7 hours agoOngoing basic yoga at 9:45 am Friday. Open to active adults 60 and older. Beginners welcome. Senior Citizens Center, 489 E. 200 South; $2 for those 60 and ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Life, The Greatest Ride of All
Life is the greatest roller coaster ride we will ever take. The ups and downs, the unexpected changes, the twists and turns, are all a part of living.
Learning From Life
Do you ever find yourself thinking, "Life has taught me some tough lessons, and the scars do not heal easily."? This article can help you learn valuable lessons from the past, instead of allowing the past to determine your future.
Theres No Negative In My Program - Part 1
Imagine the what you could achieve if:You were 100 % focused on your goalEliminated all self -doubtBelieved it were impossible to fail.Are there really individuals who think like this? You bet!I saw a story the other night about two modern day cowboys.
Tips on Boosting Your Self-Confidence
How you feel about yourself truly does affect your interaction with others.It truly saddens me when I hear women using negative talk when referring to themselves.
Developing Self-Esteem
It would be pretty hard to become successful without first developing your self-esteem. In fact, I can't think of one person who is very successful who has low self-esteem.
Individualized Positive Affirmations for Improving Self-Esteem
Positive self-esteem is very important if not crucial to our happiness and well being as a human being. Having positive self-esteem can make the difference in that which we take on in life, in that which we go about achieving and creating.
Self-Sabotage - Are We Prisoners of the Past?
Many people who suffer from low self-esteem would giveanything to escape their painful feelings of inferiority. Almost anything, that is.
How To Condition Your Mind For Success
Your mindset is a strong factor in achieving any type of success. By creating S-M-A-R-T goals for yourself you can condition your mind to achieve whatever it is you desire.
11 Great Ways to be Positive about Change
Look for the positives!Seek them out - those little scary places that it's challenging to let yourself go to - the positives are genuinely scary, because they give you hope and it's hard to let go of all the fears you have right now - so hanging onto them is the easiest path!So try letting yourself go, just for the heck of it!Take that step back from being 'done to' and take the initiative. At work, at home or wherever, this can be a great time, if you let it.
First Aid For The Soul
A Model of the dysfunctional, unconscious human psyche.A way through, from confusion to consciousness.
Yourself
With the beginning of a new year, are you happy with your life the way it is now? You just set new goals and resolutions for 2003 but are you satisfied with where you are now?This is a serious question that you need to ask yourself. You can't get to where you're going if you don't know where you've been.
Why Should You Forgive?
When I teach private Yoga sessions, sometimes, I become aware that a client has issues that cause anxiety, depression, and a negative outlook on life. This often causes difficulty for the student when trying to practice a stage-by-stage relaxation, and especially during meditation sessions.
Positive Self Talk - What Should You Say?
How do you explain things to yourself? With positive self talk or negative? What we say to ourselves radically affects the quality of our lives, and our ability to do things effectively. How useful is it to always tell yourself "impossible," "more problems," "never," and "I can't?"Below are some of the things that positive and negative people say.
Not A Negative Thought!
Turn negative thoughts into positive ones.Negative thoughts can be very self-destructing, it's true that how we think is who we are.
Using Negative Experience to Discover Your Strength
"Someone was hurt before you; wronged before you, hungry before you, frightened before you, raped before you; yet, someone survived" - Maya Angelou"Do not grieve. Misfortunes do not flourish particularly in our path.
4 Ways You Can Get Over Your Need for Acceptance and Get on with Your Life
Imagine what your life would be like if you could just be yourself, without thinking twice about what other people think of you! Here are four quick tips that will help you learn how to accept yourself. Make these four things a part of your daily routine and you'll find people will judge you less and accept you more!1.
Believe It Or Not
I am often astounded at what and why people believe what they do. I am sure that you too have noticed that some people believe in the oddest things.
Do You Believe What You Think?
If you work toward what you dream, the dream can come true. You can achieve success.
The Power Of Appreciation
As we enter this holiday season, and this time of giving Thanks, we are reminded of the "power of appreciation". If you truly want to bring into your life everything that you desire, then start with appreciating all that you have now.
Living Mindfully
Normally I race around multitasking. I am always thinking about a million things while I try and do at least two activities at once.
|
