This is the age-old argument – “ego or self-esteem?” It’s a simple question, yet one with many shades of gray. You see, when you really stop and think about it, the ego does have some advantages. When we excel at something, it’s not ego, but self-esteem that fuels that success, enabling us to strive even harder!
Think of the swimmers in the Olympic diving events. They’re all pushed, prodded, and pulled while swimming at a high-pace pace. There’s absolutely no margin for error. If they make a mistake, it’s in the end, and they’re no closer to the gold than when they started. That’s Ego.
But what about self-belief? Believing in ourselves can be the fuel that gets us off the starting block and leads to success. It’s the “what if” exercises of yesterday, and it’s the “what if” feelings of today – the same as it was back in the days when our moms could bake a cake and we felt so good about it – that leads to success today.
Ego is the enemy of success. But it’s also true that we can feel too confident of ourselves. In fact, that’s what sets most people off. The “I’m so great, I can do no wrong!” mindset can cause us to do things we’re not proud of and may get us into trouble.
But self-esteem can be the key to success. That’s when we feel at our best, and we take small steps toward our goal. Sometimes those steps result in failure. But we can feel better about ourselves, and we can avoid the pain of failure, knowing that we can bounce back and do better the next time.
So the choice is what’s more important – a strong self-esteem vs. a weak ego. And this is where you need to start focusing on today. Make a choice to improve your self-esteem today. Then take small steps to increase your self-confidence, and start taking your own initiative to reach your goals.
Every day you should think about how great you feel right now. Really make that happen. Imagine the words that come to mind – I am amazing! Or even better – I can do this! These are the kind of thoughts and feelings that can take us a long way.
Let me suggest something very simple. Try looking at your favorite articles from the past week. Notice how many times you admit that you suck at something. Or how many times you admit that you aren’t good enough at something. Now imagine that you didn’t give it your best. That will help you realize that you have room to grow as an individual and in doing so it will also encourage you to do better the next time you try.
We all know that we all have things that we are good at, but it is the little things that tend to get us through the tough times. Have you ever been through a rough month and felt like you were just going to lose it. You might have had a fight with someone, or you might have been sick or hospitalized. But through those experiences, you were able to continue to go on with your life because of your self-esteem. If you were lacking in self-esteem, then you probably wouldn’t have made it through that week.
So it is important to work on improving your self-esteem every single day. It is easier said than done of course, but the more you practice the better you will get. One trick that works is to take some time out of your day and really focus on yourself. Think about how you feel, what you are trying to accomplish, and how much you love yourself.
If you can find yourself doing this on a regular basis, it will help boost your self-esteem significantly. You will begin to see self-confidence grow, and your relationships will become better and stronger. Your health will also take a turn for the better as you will be able to eat healthier foods, exercise more, and finally stop procrastinating. These things might sound hard at first, but if you continue to practice them, you will find yourself settling into a new confident and balanced lifestyle. No matter how hard you think it is, it can happen.
Remember that you are in control of your life, so no one can take that away from you. You deserve to make the rules, and you will. You just have to remember that you have the ability to do so, and begin taking small steps in the right direction. If you really want to develop a better self-esteem, it has to start with you. You are the only one that can take the necessary steps to feel better about yourself and live a better life.