Am I worth it?

As an executive and life coach I am often exposed to people who suffer from a low sense of personal worth.

Self-esteem is your subjective sense of overall personal worth or value and it describes your level of confidence in your abilities and attributes.

There are 5 Key components of self-esteem:

1. Feelings of security: I know I am safe;
2. Identity: I know who I am;
3. Sense of belonging: I know others accept me;
4. Self confidence – Purpose: I know what I want to achieve;
5. Feeling of competence: I know I am capable.

Self-esteem impacts your decision-making process, your relationships, your emotional health, and your overall well-being. It also influences motivation, as people with a healthy, positive view of themselves understand their potential and may feel inspired to take on new challenges.

People with low self-esteem tend to feel less sure of their abilities and may doubt their decision-making process. They may not feel motivated to try novel things because they don’t believe they can reach their goals. Those with low self-esteem may have issues with relationships and expressing their needs. They may also experience low levels of confidence and feel unlovable and unworthy.

Some actions that you can take to help improve your self-esteem include:

• Become more aware of negative thoughts. Learn to identify the distorted thoughts that are impacting your self-worth.
• Create a “Wins” jar. Every time you have a win or a success, write it down and place it in your wins jar. When you are feeling down, open the jar and read of some of your successes the lift your spirits.
• Challenge negative thinking patterns. When you find yourself engaging in negative thinking, try countering those thoughts with more realistic and/or positive ones – use your Wins Jar
• Use positive self-talk. Practice reciting positive affirmations to yourself.
• Look for the good. Start and end each day thinking of the good things you did and how it helped you and others succeed.