Category: Personal Improvement

by Sharron Myers
To Thine Own Self Be True:

We have looked before on the concept of self-love and I would like to take the time into look into this in more depth.

If you remember, we said that AGAPE love was an unconditional love and that we needed to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let us look more closely at why we have so much difficulty in the area of loving and accepting ourselves. We will start by looking at two very basic questions.

“The achievement of your goal is assured the moment you commit yourself to it.” Mack R. Douglas

By: Dr Harry Henshaw

Positive self-esteem is very important if not crucial to our happiness and well being as a human being. Having positive self-esteem can make the difference in that which we take on in life, in that which we go about achieving and creating. Having positive self- esteem also allows us to have healthy and joyous relationships with others, to experience true intimacy. One could also assert that having positive self-esteem gives us access to genuine spirituality. Poor self-esteem, on the other hand, creates the space for us to experience a great deal of negativity in life including depression, anxiety, fear, stress and loneliness. Negative or poor self-esteem is also highly correlated with alcohol and drug dependency. Some even believe that a negative or poor self-image is the source of such addictions.

While it appears that the importance of positive self-esteem is somewhat understood, the unanswered question has always been about how to improve or enhance a person’s self-esteem. Some belief that a person’s self-esteem rests upon them being successful, in accomplishing that which they take on in life, of achieving goals that they have set for themselves. As a result much effort is put into assisting others in effectively and efficiently planning their doing in life. Others believe that our sense of self-esteem is determined by the type of relationships that we have, that by surrounding ourselves with positive people who will appreciate and acknowledge us that our esteem will be positively impacted. To this end training is given to help a person improve his interpersonal skills, how he communicates and relates with others. While both of these endeavors are important, it is not the having or doing that creates positive self-esteem. Ones self-esteem is not given or to be obtained from without, external to the person.

Keep on keeping on and you will be pleasantly surprised by what you will get just when you need it. Keep sowing positive seeds and they will grow and eventually overtake you. I have two friends who I helped indirectly. Unbeknownst to me I had inspired them with my dedication to personal growth and by constantly maintaining a positive mental attitude. I had even encouraged them personally from time to time.

Shyness can be a crippling condition. It’s so extreme for some people that they avoid social situations altogether. Shy children tend to grow into shy adults. The vast majority of us need to have contact with other humans, either socially or in a work context. Overcoming shyness is difficult but not impossible.