There are some clear cut winner’s in the battle of the mind: self-esteem and ego. It’s a numbers game when it comes to self-perception. The winner is the one who believes they best posses the attributes they want to portray. Ego is the need to have things be exactly how you want them. Self-esteem, on the other hand, is a positive belief in yourself and your abilities. Let’s take a look at these 2 concepts separately.
Many people say that their ego prevents them from pursuing their dreams. They don’t feel like they measure up to the standard of what others think they should be. Those with higher self-esteem have the confidence to pursue their goals.
One’s ego can become an impediment because it can blind you to seeing the opportunities around you. It can lead you to neglect doing even the simplest things. Your ego can also make you procrastinate on taking action – which, by itself, will not add up to much improvement in your life.
Self-esteem is the first step to self-fulfillment, or becoming the person you are capable of being. If you are lacking in self-esteem, you may also lack in ambition and creativity, as well. You might be timid or procrastinate… You might not have the patience or self-control to finish tasks. You may be unsure of your abilities to manage money or meet commitments.
However, if you don’t feel worthy of your achievements, how do you expect others to see you as worthy of their respect? If your self-esteem is low, then you won’t be a good fit for many jobs and relationships, and life in general. You’ll never reach your potential, and life will become about catering to your needs to be accepted and loved. You won’t take the chances that could lead to growth and success. So, what’s the solution?
You must raise your self-esteem, first. Give yourself a pat on the back for accomplishment after accomplishing the task you set out to do. Reward yourself for the efforts you put into getting something done – for the hard work, and not just for the result. Take pride in your abilities, and let others know. This will help you in a variety of ways, including with relationships and employers.
You’ll also feel more inclined to take risks that might put you in harm’s way if ego rules your life instead of self-preservation. In a world of increasing insecurity, this is a real threat, and it shouldn’t be ignored. It will stop you from taking advantage of opportunities that could improve your life.
Your personal growth begins by challenging your ego – if you have any. Then, use your knowledge to help yourself. If you are facing challenges that seem overwhelming, take a look at what you can do differently or better, or even create a new course of action, and then act on it. The difference between a confident, self-confident person and one who is not sure what to do may lie in his or her ability to harness his or her self-esteem instead of just relying on the ego.
Self-esteem has a lot to do with confidence, too. If you think you’re good enough, you are. It’s important to build your self-esteem and your confidence at the same time – an overly high level of either can deter you from taking necessary risks that could improve your life. But you can have too low a self-esteem and be afraid to take the necessary action – which means you may never really get the results you want.
Ego can be a problem. It has been called the “undiscerning” type. It doesn’t believe in anything less than a hundred percent reliability. That’s fine if your goal is to be completely honest and objective about everything – but it’s hard for others. So, in certain professions, such as some types of advertising or writing, there are limits to what you can say or write about, and in the case of a book you mustn’t say anything negative about a product or an author if you want to promote it. But in most other professions – and in general, most of human interaction – your “gut feeling” is usually enough.
However, if you have a healthy self-esteem, then you will accept that errors and mistakes will be part of life, and you’ll learn to accept other people’s errors, as well. And, if you have a healthy ego, then you won’t be afraid to let the truth be known. If you have a healthy self-esteem, then you won’t be afraid to make mistakes, and if you do make mistakes, then you’ll learn from them and have no fear of being criticized for them.
So, when it comes to dealing with others, dealing with self-esteem vs. ego, you win every time. There is no better way to live. If you struggle with this concept, then find some support and try to get rid of some of your mental prison bars. I promise you that you’ll see a whole new side of yourself that you can enjoy.