When it comes to matters of personal values, you could probably do a lot worse than deciding which is better-confidence or self-esteem. That’s because the two are directly related and one is often a function of the other. They are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the opposite is usually true. If you lack self-confidence, then you probably lack self-esteem also.
On the other hand, confidence can be a function of self-esteem. In this case, the more confident you are, the more likely you are to feel good about yourself. Confidence can often be a state of mind. So the ability to be confident can have a direct correlation with self-esteem. So the next time you are feeling a little down about yourself, try to remind yourself that you’re a powerful, reliable person who has an incredible potential for growth.
Now let’s look at self-esteem and confidence from a different perspective. Let’s consider how they are related and how you can improve your own self-esteem by working on your own confidence. It’s really quite simple actually. The more you believe you have in you, the more valuable you are to yourself. The higher self-esteem, you’ve got, the better equipped you are to face whatever life throws at you.
You see, self-esteem and confidence are related because they are also built on a foundation of values. If you don’t have any confidence in yourself, it’s very hard for you to trust other people. To build self-confidence, you need to start believing in yourself. You need to begin modeling self-respect and self-confidence. If someone isn’t treating you like a valued customer or partner, it’s very likely that you will treat them like a mere employee.
Self-esteem and confidence are related because self-respect and self-confidence are themselves built on a foundation of impressions and experiences. The more you have experienced kindness, warmth, understanding, support and so forth from others, the more you will believe in yourself. When you do that, others too will begin to feel the same way about you. How much easier is that? It’s true.
Here’s the bottom line: self-esteem and confidence are linked as closely as breathing. You can survive a great deal better when you have high self-esteem and confidence. It is easy as that. However, there are other things you can do to help. Some are very simple while others are more subtle.
One such subtle thing you can do is compliment. It’s extremely important that you don’t give someone – anyone! – positive attention when they deserve it, but you can give praise when appropriate. Compliments, like praise, are powerful. It can help you build your self-esteem vs. confidence.
When I was down in dumps, I made sure to let everyone know that I didn’t think highly of myself. And guess what? I began to feel much better. Why? Because I was no longer feeling bad about myself. When you work on improving your self-esteem, confidence will follow.
Another thing that works is to keep a journal. I jotted down everything that was bothering me in various situations. I compared my observations with my understanding of the situation and the actions I thought would improve my chances of improving. Sometimes I wrote that I felt excited and uplifted and sometimes I wrote that I was depressed and discouraged. Keeping a journal helped me learn how to control my moods and emotions. As a result, my self-esteem improved.
The last method I used to improve my self-esteem and confidence was to watch reruns. I found that some of the things that bugged me during my daily viewing of reruns were exactly the things that bugged me while going through similar situations in my life. Watching reruns helped me focus on the positive aspects of my life and what I wanted to change. I gained a clearer perspective and was able to see where I needed to grow and develop in order to reach my goals.
These methods are definitely effective methods for improving self-esteem vs. confidence. You just have to know which method suits you best. Also remember that these methods don’t necessarily work for everyone. Some people won’t benefit from these techniques and others will only get better with time.
In the end, it comes down to what you want out of your life. If you are looking to build your self-esteem, then this might be a good route for you. If you are just looking to boost your confidence so that you can feel better about yourself, then this is probably not the right method for you. However, if you want to make changes in both areas, then these methods might work for you. Good luck!