I.

POWERFUL WAYS TO BOOST YOUR SELF ESTEEM

1. Write down your accomplishments

As philosopher Thomas Carlyle, says “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like
accomplishment.”
Think about all the things you've accomplished, then write them down. Make a list of
everything you've done that you feel proud of, everything you've done well. It seems simple, but
as your list grows, you’ll start to see that not only have you accomplished some impressive
things, you are capable of even more.
2. Get clear on your values.
Determine what your values are and examine your life to see where you're not living in
alignment with what you believe. Then make any necessary changes. The more you know what
you stand for, the more confident you will be.
3. Do something kind for someone
Positive actions attract positive thoughts. Use your talents, skills and abilities to help others.
Give someone direct assistance, share helpful resources or teach someone something they want
to learn. Offer something you do well as a gift to someone.
When you’re in a low self-esteem cycle, it can be difficult to see outside of yourself. You
become so focused on what your limitations are that you can’t see the pain others might be
experiencing. But when you actively seek out doing something kind for someone else or
something good for your environment, your focus shifts. Not only will your obsessive, negative
thoughts about yourself stop, you’ll also begin to think positive things about yourself.
4. Heal your past, and welcome failure as part of growth.
Unresolved issues and drama can keep you trapped in low self-esteem. Seek the support of a
trained counselor to help you heal the past so you can move onto the future in a confident and
self-assured way.
It is also a common response to be hard on yourself when you've failed. But if you can shift
your thinking to understand that failure is an opportunity to learn, that it plays a necessary role in
learning and growth, it can help you keep perspective. Remember too that failure means you're
making an effort.
5. Reflect on your surroundings
Albert Einstein once says “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness
that created it.”
Sometimes, when we have low self-esteem, we think that all of the problems we have are
somehow our fault. When you’re in that state of mind, you end up taking the blame for everything.
If you find yourself in this position, observe your surroundings and see what outside stressors
may be influencing you. Ask yourself.
 Is your job really stressful? Do you live in an unsupportive home environment? Do you live in a
community that doesn’t meet your needs?
Take some time to figure out what’s adding stress to your life, be conscious of it, and start
making a plan to change it.

6. Stop worrying about what others think and let negative people go.
When you worry about what others will think of you, you never feel free to be completely
yourself. Make a firm decision to stop worrying about what other people think--begin making
choices based on what you want, not what you think others want from you.
If there are people in your life who are negative, who have nothing positive to say or who put
you down or take advantage of you, do the smart thing and let them go. The only way to find your
self-esteem is to surround yourself with supportive positive people who admire you and value you.
7. Read something inspirational; Always remain a student.
A great way to gain more self-esteem is to read something that lifts you up and makes you feel
positive about yourself.
Additionally, think of yourself as a lifelong learner. Approach everything that you do with a
student's mentality. As what Zen Buddhists call Shoshin or "beginner's mind", which means open,
eager, unbiased and willing to learn.
8. Black-and-white thinking
One popular way to correct negative thinking is to swing the pendulum in the opposite
direction, so that “I’m worthless” becomes “I’m wonderful.” Self-talk can enhance your
performance and general well-being. Positive thinking and optimism can be effective stress
management tools. Indeed, having a more positive outlook on life can provide you with some
benefits.
9. Change your scenery
Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change our life forever.
This is a great and fun way to break a low self-esteem cycle is to do something completely out
of the ordinary.
Doing something you’ve never done before or being somewhere you’ve never been to
can quickly refresh your mind and break negative thought patterns. We have a tendency to get
stuck in a small bubble, neglecting to see that the universe is vast and our problems are usually a
lot smaller than we make them out to be.
Changing your scenery can give you a fresh perspective and motivate you to make positive
changes rather than dwell in the negative. Give it a shot.
10. Pursue a passion
The first African-American woman to travel in space Mae Jemison, says, “It’s your place in the
world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.
 Everyone has a list of things they’ve wanted to do, but have never got around to doing.
We tell ourselves that we don’t have the time or money, but we know deep down that we can
arrange things in our life to create time or money when it’s needed.
When you suffer from low self-esteem, you often make excuses as to why you can’t pursue
your passions, but in the end, it’s because you don’t believe you deserve to follow your bliss.
Stop the cycle and make a commitment to pursuing a passion. Don’t delay with excuses; start
today.

II. ANALYZE WHICH OF THOSE TIPS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BACKFIRE AND MAKE SOMEONE
CONCEITED OR NARCISSISTIC AND REVISE THEM TO MAKE THE STATEMENTS BOTH
HELPFUL TO THE INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS SOCIETY IN GENERAL
When we face failure or disappointment, it’s easy to get down on ourselves and to look for ways
to feel better fast. Unfortunately, some of the strategies we adopt in the service of confidence-
building can have unintended negative consequences. For me, among the aforementioned powerful
ways to boost your self-esteem, the most likely to backfire and make someone conceited or narcissistic
is the black-and-whitening thinking. Research suggests that exclusively positive self-statements tend
to be ineffective for the very people who need them most. In two studies, low self-esteem participants
who focused on how the statement “I’m a lovable person” was true for them felt worse about
themselves than those who focused on how it was both true and untrue.
The researchers speculated that untempered positive self-statements might arouse contradictory
thoughts in those who tend to hold negative self-views, whereas more balanced self-statements might
be easier to accept. Balanced statements may also communicate that it’s okay to be imperfect—that
one can be unlovable in some ways, while still lovable in others.
So, in order for it to be helpful, Positive self-talk takes should be practiced. It should be developed
by optimistically. We need to learn to shift our inner dialogue to be more encouraging and uplifting.
People with positive self-talk have mental skills that allow them to solve problems, think
differently, and be more efficient at coping with hardships or challenges in life.

References:
https://blog.mindvalley.com/boost-your-self-esteem/
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/19-simple-ways-to-boost-your-self-esteem-quickly.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/in-love-and-war/201603/5-ways-self-esteem-boosting-
strategies-can-backfire