The Impact of Lacking Self-Esteem on Business Professionals
The Impact of Lacking Self-Esteem on Business Professionals
The Impact of Lacking Self-Esteem on Business Professionals
Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners. Studies show that at least 85% or more of the world’s people suffer from some degree of lacking self-esteem. Although one might think that such challenges are only characteristic of the poor, uneducated, or lower socio-economic members of society, people from all walks of life can suffer situational or more widespread challenges with their levels of self-esteem.
Many very successful business people lack self-esteem in some areas of their lives. Perhaps they feel socially challenged or they have difficulty establishing close or intimate relationships. Perhaps they experience low self-esteem with regard to their physical appearance or their health. Perhaps they are not having any fun in their lives, maybe devoting too much attention to their work. Many “successful” people are driven to succeed. They compensate for feeling deficient in other areas of their lives by working harder and finding a place they can excel through their work. This provides them with a new focus where they can win but it doesn’t fulfill their neglected needs in other areas like relationships, recreation, personal and spiritual development, health and appearance and their ability to lead balanced, fun, and fulfilling lives. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
It’s not that there is something wrong with finding an occupational niche where one can be successful and feel good about oneself. However, many of those lacking self-esteem in other areas find themselves driven to accomplish, driven to prove their worth. Since business is an area where they can shine, they neglect other areas to focus excessively on business.
However, since their actions are built upon the erroneous belief that they are somehow not good enough, somehow defective or unworthy of being fully loved and accepted, there is little lasting satisfaction even in the arenas where they can excel. It’s as though they are climbing a ladder with the top of the ladder in the clouds. They think that if they can just climb high enough, they will be successful. They will have proven their worth. They will find satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment. However, as they climb higher and higher, they never seem to arrive. There are always new goals and objectives challenging them to prove their worth. The more they achieve, the more they have yet to go. Try as they will, they never seem to fully measure up. Or, if they do, it is short-lived and fleeting at best. There is no arriving to the point where they find what they long for so badly — the peace of mind that comes from self-love and self-acceptance. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
Because the foundation of their ladder is grounded on quicksand, they often find themselves sinking as rapidly as they climb. In fact, from their perspective, they will never reach the perfection they seek so badly. They will always find evidence to highlight their flaws and reinforce their fears of being unworthy, unlovable, defective in some way. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
The message of The Self-Esteem Book is simple. No one needs to settle for a dimmed existence due to a lacking sense of self-worth. Most people either make up or buy into thoughts that there is something wrong with them, that they are somehow inadequate, not good enough and not worthy of being loved and accessing all the good things that life has to offer. If they are willing to examine their past to get to the source of their resignation and diminished self-esteem, they can reinterpret what happened to them in such a way that they can heal and complete the past and eliminate negative self-talk while making a conscious decision to live their lives from a decision to strive for excellence and contribute to others. By developing a firm belief that they can impact people and the world around them and that they are, in fact, very worthy of receiving life’s blessings, they will manifest happiness and fulfillment. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
In addition to the cost of never finding true happiness, long-term fulfillment, or peace, lacking self-esteem impacts business people in many other ways. For example, by not getting to the source of their self-esteem issues, they sacrifice their personal power, their ability to best pursue their life purpose and fully manifest their gifts in the world. If our energy is spent by being preoccupied with our weaknesses or being incomplete with our past, we can never be fully present to today and so we sacrifice our true potential to bring about a result. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
Our relationships suffer as we will misinterpret the words and actions of others in a way that invalidates us and has us feel badly about who we are. We may be so driven to prove we are good enough that we sacrifice our personal effectiveness and charisma by focusing on ourselves and our deficiencies rather than on the wants and needs of others. We may play small and hide out in social situations or whenever the possibility of looking bad or “being found out” comes up for us. Or, we may overcompensate and turn to workaholic tendencies out of a desire to prove our worth to others or to ourselves. Because of this misdirected focus, we trade our ability to impact others maximally and to best contribute our gifts to the world.
The answer to escaping the vicious cycle of lacking self-esteem, diminished confidence, and the never-ending, frustrating quest for fulfillment lies in the 3 step process as laid out in detail in The Self-Esteem Book. The process starts with healing one’s past so that it no longer robs us of energy and consumes our attention. Once the pull of past ghosts is complete, we can then turn our attention to properly analyzing our present state of affairs. We can identify what’s working in our lives and what’s missing to support living an upset-free life in choice, a life that honors our most important values and inspires us to live passionately. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
And finally, we can take that magic wand that is our birth-right, wave it over our lives and design our future deliberately. We can choose to do so in a way that excites us, as we cast off that gloomy state of low self-esteem, unhealthy resignation and self-pity that no longer supports us. We can live with the intention to honor our God-given magnificence and lead happy, fulfilled lives that fully contribute to others as we share our gifts with the world. Lacking of Self-Esteem on Business Owners
Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence? As the lady walks into the room to give her presentation, everyone nods their head in approval as she exudes a cool, calm assurance that everything’s under control. There’s no describing self-confidence. You know it when you see it!
There are many situations when we feel as if we could do anything, deal with any obstacle, take on any task or job yet at other times, we simply just run out of steam! Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
Sandra Baptist tells us how we all can learn to exude that trait that makes us feel confident about what we are doing and about who we are.
1. Increase your knowledge
The best method to increasing your self-confidence is to work on improving your knowledge and abilities. “Knowledge IS Power!”
Read books as a means to an end. Read books to gain information about what you need to know. Read as an end in itself. Read for pleasure.
As a young person I’ve always read, but you know what?
I still lacked confidence in some areas.
No! Reading is not all. Still you need to….
2. Like yourself
Liking yourself is equivalent to your self-worth and accepting yourself as you are. Your feelings about yourself are probably the most important feelings you can have. If you do not love yourself then who will? Be proud of who you are and what you are and forget the self-talk.
Self-esteem is directly influenced by the negative and positive thoughts you hear. These may be thoughts heard in your environment as well as thoughts in your own mind. Your self-talk! This is extremely Powerful! What are YOU thinking about yourself everyday? Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
“How come everyone else can do this, except me?”
OR
“I’m so grateful to be involved in this project!”
Trust me…it does make a difference!
3. Focus on your strengths
Each one of us has our own particular strengths. Be thankful for these and capitalize on them.
For example one of my strengths is writing and listening. I’ve always been called ‘shy’ or ‘quiet’ when I was younger and was always told to ‘speak up’ or ‘say something’! I thought something was definitely wrong with me as everyone else in my family could not shut up!
Now I’m older, I’ve made those strengths work for me. They’re now my business!
Try building on your strengths by writing down in a journal all those traits you like about yourself. If this feels too hard to you, ask someone else what is it they like about you as a person or what they think you are good at. Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
When you have your list, focus on them and forget your weaknesses!
4. Remind yourself and acknowledge your success daily
Go ahead! Think about when you felt successful last year, last week or indeed yesterday! Thinking about your past successes makes you a stronger person, better able to handle and cope with today’s challenges.
What’s going to be better than to say to yourself, “I can do this, I’ve done it before!”
Aah! Now That’s confidence!
On the heels of this is the daily celebration of your successes, no matter how small or how insignificant YOU think they are. Observe and celebrate them!
I do this every night and also use this exercise with my clients. Either use a journal or simply tell yourself the ten things that you praise and acknowledge yourself for. Don’t stop until you get to ten.
If you’ve had a particularly bad day simply recognize that you’ve had a bad day and tomorrow will be better! Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
5. Visualize your future success
What could be more exciting than seeing in your mind how it feels to have succeeded?
Did you know that athletes use this all the time? Especially those high jumpers!
Successful people use visualization regularly. This is because they know that our minds cannot distinguish the difference between something real and something imagined.
Creating a detailed mental picture increases the likelihood of success, and boosts your self confidence. Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
They are many ways to do this. For example if you are going for a job interview, you can write down how it will feel to answer all the interviewer questions easily and effortlessly. Or you can go into a peaceful place, close your eyes and truly visualize yourself getting that job!
6. Get rid off the ‘nay-Sayers’
Your environment has a great effect on the confidence that you, as an individual, displays.
Environment here could be family, friends, political or any other strong influence.
Surround yourself with people that love and support you.
Those people, who tend to criticize and constantly put you down, simply ignore them. Usually they are and can do no better than you anyway.
Join supportive groups online, if there are none in your area. Get a coach who really listens to you understands you and helps you build your confidence in yourself. Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?
7. Develop an attitude
Develop an attitude of excellence. Give of your best at all times. Be cheerful and happy. Shock everyone with your attitude of confidence!
In this way, no one can declare that you do not have self-confidence, not even yourself.
It’s true that people with a high degree of self-confidence are normally more likely to be successful – all other aspects being equal – than those who work in a less confident manner.
So what are you going to radiate? Can you Spare a gram of Self-Confidence?