Grow your confidence and self-esteem

Using the 'grow' acronym - goals, realistic, options and willing

• For setting goals - being more confident, building your self-esteem with new experiences, changing your mind-set and finding positive reflection from others as well as yourself.
• Make your action steps realistic - don't set yourself up to 'fail' if they or your goals are too big to really achieve (limited by current circumstances, resources yet to be built and dreams that cannot possibly be, like walking to the moon!)  
• Options and opportunities abound for developing your self-esteem (believing your personal worth to the world around you) and growing in confidence about what you know, and your skills and experience/expertise in living life or a specific job role, personal talents and more!
• The W relates to being willing to try and to develop skills, knowledge, understanding and taking necessary steps to improve your self and your options. It can also stand for willpower to keep going when the going gets tough, as it undoubtedly will at times.

Confidence and esteem

Confidence is knowing that what you know is real and practicable, useful and informed in relation to your 'area of expertise and interest'. Many people are confident at work but not in social situations, or vice versa; perhaps others lack confidence in themselves or in their situation - that they are able change others or themselves.

Esteem is the value others have and reflect to you about yourself, and self-esteem is what you believe from that! But that 'value' could be to them, at this time, in circumstances very different to yours, so you cannot always believe them to be right about your value.

You have to learn to value yourself, who you are and what you have to offer the world - the people, the situations, the world you live in. This is where you can build your self-esteem, seeing the value you have developed and using it to help yourself and other people, to improve situations and keep things moving forward!   

Other people's reflections on you may just be their opinion or a reflection of what they see you believe about yourself. Improve that and you influence them to see your worth more too!

1. Push your comfort zones and speak to more people, ask more questions.

2. Keep learning more about yourself and your options.

3. Take every opportunity that comes your way, ready or not.

4. Share your views, options, knowledge and awareness - it may not always be accepted but it's yours to offer and to have and hold.

5. Reflect on your self, your situation, your circumstances, your options regularly.

Enjoy the journey, as your aspirations and needs will change with each success and new piece of information and experience! Keep growing, learning, building confidence and self-esteem in your value, worth and self-belief. 

If confidence and self-esteem is a concern for you, you may find talking to a counsellor will help you.