Building Self-Esteem Vs Ego – Is There Really a Difference?

It is not always easy to pinpoint the differences between confidence and self-esteem. Most of us seem to have a healthy blend of both. A healthy level of self-confidence allows us to take risks, plan ahead and have faith in our own abilities. But it is when the confidence begins to wane that we realize what a fragile balance must be kept between confidence and self-esteem. Here are some examples of when one is not where they should be mentally, emotionally or physically.

Lack of self-confidence vs. ego When a person lacks confidence they often fear being rejected by others. They cannot relax in the presence of others and can become depressed. This then leads to other problems such as feeling depressed, overeating, procrastinating and using the wrong kind of language when speaking with others and a host of other negative feelings.

On the other hand, when we have self-esteem vs. ego we do not fear being rejected. We do not feel depressed and we have the confidence to pursue our goals. This then leads to more confidence in our ability to achieve our objectives. If we lack confidence then we will doubt our own ability, which can inhibit our success. By having confidence in our capabilities, we can then use them to their full advantage.

Overconfidence vs. self-esteem When a person has an extremely high self-esteem and is completely convinced that he is superior to everyone else, they are very likely to feel inferior to themselves, even if they are successful. In order to remain at such a high level of self-esteem and have such a high level of self-confidence, a person needs to keep a lot of things hidden from themselves. They may have a superstar attitude towards everything, but they also need to keep their achievements under wraps. For instance, if they are a great writer, they may not want people to know about this, because they feel that if they reveal it then they will lose all their self-confidence. On the other hand if they were a good actor they would want to let everybody know about their success, but they would keep secret their greatest hits from people who can help them achieve those goals.

The difference between having high self-esteem and low self-esteem is that a person with high esteem is happy with who they are, while a person with low self-esteem thinks that they are worthless and has low self-esteem. Self-esteem is totally dependent on the state of one’s ego, because the state of one’s ego determines the level of self-confidence. If you have high self-esteem, you are likely to be confident and to take responsibility for your actions. However, if you have low self-esteem you will be more likely to blame somebody else or to take responsibility for your actions.

A healthy self-esteem involves maintaining the feelings that you have about yourself and developing a healthy respect for yourself. If you feel that you are a valuable person and are worthy of success and love from others, you will build your self-esteem vs. ego balance. The more you depend on your own abilities and the value you place on yourself, the more secure you will be and the higher your self-esteem will be.

People with low self-esteem feel insecure and do not feel worthy of success, love, respect and approval. They believe that they are worthless and do not deserve to have these things. However, by realizing your faults and taking responsibility for your own actions you can begin to build your self-esteem. People who place a high importance on themselves and have high self-esteem have the confidence to put their dreams into action. By taking small steps in each area of your life you gradually realize that small steps lead to big steps. You will learn to trust yourself enough to try new things and to have faith in your own abilities.

Building your self-image is important, but only if it is tempered by realistic self-esteem. You must first be able to say “I am a valuable person” before you can say “I am valuable to myself.” Self-esteem allows you to be confident that you are worthy of love, acceptance and success. Once you have built your self-image, it is important that you never allow low self-esteem or low self-confidence to get in the way of your dreams.