The debate between self-esteem and ego is as old as the hills. The two are often at loggerheads, with each wanting to take credit for how life turns out, when it really belongs to neither. When we have a healthy dose of self-esteem, we live our lives with the true belief that we create our own reality, and there is nothing you can do to change it. Ego, on the other hand, wants to see the world through rose-colored glasses where all is good and rosy. It believes you can control your destiny and its outcome.
When you are striving to build your self-esteem, one of the first things you must do is to accept who you are and the world that inevitably comes along with it. You have to believe that you are a valuable person. Then, you can go out and take the necessary steps to enhance your inner self-confidence. It starts by first believing in yourself – that you are a worthwhile person with good potential.
A vital part of building your inner strengths is by realizing and recognizing your personal strengths and weaknesses. If you are, for example, an introvert, you will need to learn to become more comfortable being alone. If you are shy and don’t like to make any personal contact, you will have to learn how to open up to people. You can then work on ways to use these strengths to compensate for your weaknesses.
Ego thinks that it knows best which way is the best. Your inner self is full of ideas about how life should be, where you should go, what you should do and how much you should earn. This is not helpful when you are trying to build your self-esteem. The reality is that you only know how you feel right now, and there is always room for improvement. In order to build your self-esteem and overcome ego, you have to detach yourself from the outcome of past decisions. Ego can blind us to our true current needs and feelings.
Our inner strengths are simply the ones we believe we have at the time. It may be our creativity or willpower. These are nothing more than a set of beliefs and values that guide us through life. As we grow as people, we change these beliefs to suit our circumstances. Sometimes we don’t like our original set of values and feel that we need to modify them to suit our circumstances. If we continue to ignore this process, however, we will never discover our true self-worth.
To discover our inner strengths, however, we have to dig deeper. We have to embrace all that we are and who we are. At the core of all that we are, however, lies our ego. The ego keeps us from knowing our real self because it prevents us from accepting that we are complete. When we know and accept our real self, however, we are able to use our self-esteem to grow and develop the talents we already possess.
Over time, a person’s ego can take on an almost religious connotation. In this state of mind, everything is sacred and holds significance in life. There is no room for uncertainty, complexity, or doubt. Everything must be broken down and separated into its basic parts and placed before the eyes of faith. This is the state of true faith – which is necessary if you are to live a meaningful life.
The choice to focus on self-esteem vs. ego has profound effects on how we perceive and interact with others. We get a clearer picture of how we act, what kind of behavior we exhibit, and what kind of people we are. By learning about ourselves, we also learn to know our limits and not base those judgments on false assumptions and suppositions. When we make these mistakes and errors in judgment, it not only destroys our sense of self, but it also puts a tremendous strain on our relationships with others. This is why it is so important to develop personal growth on the path toward healthy self-awareness and true faith.