It seems as though there are always two sides to every question. One side claims that self-esteem is good and the other says it’s bad. I believe that there is only one true answer to this question, “How is self-esteem vs. ego?” There is only one reason people think or feel they are better than everyone else, and that is because they have a strong sense of self worth. They feel confident in themselves and their abilities. In contrast, everyone else is only confident in their own abilities, but have no real belief in their own ability.
If you were an employee who always believed he was the best at what he did, then others would see this as arrogant and untrustworthy. But because you feel that you aren’t the best, you don’t have any kind of self-esteem. You have low self confidence. When you look up to others, you see them not as people of value, but as inferior human beings who don’t deserve the best, but rather what they can get away with.
When we start comparing ourselves to others, this distorted belief starts to grow. We begin to believe that our lives are somehow less interesting than others. It becomes impossible to see that we, too, have wonderful things about us. And thus, the ego comes into play. We start to see our accomplishments, successes, and successes as being less significant than those of others, just because others exist.
So how does one manage self-esteem vs. ego? Well, by taking time out from their daily routine and examining themselves and their accomplishments, and deciding what truly matters to them. When you do this, you will realize that your self-esteem and confidence are actually very similar. This is the true secret to gaining confidence and self-esteem. Identify what brings you pride and begin to work on it, daily.
In addition to recognizing your personal strengths, consider the opposite area of your life. What are your weaknesses? If there’s a particular skill that you’re better at doing than others, work on that. You’ll be surprised by just how many good things you can accomplish when you’re focused on a particular area.
If you do have a weakness that’s holding you back, then take steps to remedy that weakness. Perhaps you’d like to improve your public speaking abilities. Maybe you need to improve your memory. Whatever your problem, identify it and work on it.
Now let’s look at the final secret to managing self-esteem vs. ego. The only way you’re going to get rid of your insecurities is to do the work to conquer them. Work on overcoming whatever issue that is causing you to have low self-esteem and confidence. Don’t allow the problem to linger any longer than you need to.
Conquer your insecurities one at a time. Don’t allow ego or fear to get in the way of accomplishing your goal. Believe in your capabilities. And conquer them. Only then will you gain self-esteem.
Let’s take a look at an example from my own life. I know some people who really believe that they are “so good at everything” that they can’t be wrong. Of course, the biggest problem with this is that they put their “self-esteem” on the line every single time they talk to anyone about their performance.
This is a huge mistake because it’s impossible to believe something without experiencing it first hand. The thing is, it’s much healthier to have a healthy dose of self-esteem. However, this doesn’t mean that you should get all wrapped up in it.
Instead, let your actions speak for you. If you feel good about yourself, then people will too. Your actions don’t have to speak much, but when they do speak, tell them how you feel. Be genuine. If they know that you believe in yourself, then they’ll believe in you as well.
In the end, self-esteem is more about how you see yourself than it is about other people’s opinions of you. If you aren’t completely convinced that you’re good enough for anything, then don’t get wrapped up in it. Treat everyone fair and don’t try to manipulate them into thinking you’re something you’re not. Self-esteem is one of those things that can be improved over time, but you never have to settle for less than who you truly are. It’s important to get out there and show others what you’re made of!