5 Ways To Maintain Esteem

There was a post last month that dealt with building esteem, Build Esteem.  Five steps were given to help you establish a healthy and strong self-esteem.  Once you have built the esteem, work must be done to maintain it.  The maintenance work can summarized with the word "value".  If you value your esteem, you will take the necessary steps to keep it at a high level.  Think of demonstrating value with these five words:  visibility, association, language, use, and expectation.



Visibility - When your esteem is on display, you are aware of it.  You are held accountable to it.  If you have confidence in your knowledge, raise your hand when a question is asked.  When you believe that you are good at something, do it willingly and with enthusiasm.

Association - Your esteem will be strengthened when you interact with others that feel good about themselves.  Optimism can be contagious.  You want to associate with people that have a positive outlook about life, themselves, and you.  Pessimism can also spread through contact.  If you are constantly trying to pull someone up out of sadness, eventually they are going to pull you down to their level and way of thinking.

Language - It sounds simple but the words that you use do make a difference.  When you are speaking or writing about what you want to do, make sure the following terms are used often:  "can", "will", "progress", "possible", and "opportunity".  The right language helps you keep things in perspective and have a positive outlook.

Use - Your self-esteem is like a muscle.  It needs to be used in order to stay in good shape.  You can use it by doing things that make you feel good about yourself.  For some people, that might be a spa day or other pampering event.  Others may do volunteer work to help people in order to keep their esteem at a high level.  Do what works for you.

Expectation - Have realistic expectations about what is and is not in your control.  Don't beat yourself up when things go wrong.  Have an honest conversation with yourself and others that can give you objective feedback.  Make the necessary changes and continue to grow.  Expect to be able to pursue opportunities; don't expect opportunities to pursue you.  Expect friends and family to be human; don't expect them to be perfect.  Expect your outcomes to be evaluated; don't expect your intentions to represent you.

Leave a comment and share how you will value and maintain your esteem this year.