In my Free Report SIX STEPS TO HIGH SELF ESTEEM! I discuss how to break the cycle of Beating ourselves up, (Step 2, learning how to Accept Ourselves) which can keep us stuck in low self esteem.
Step 2: Accept Ourselves “Mistakes are merely steps up the ladder”. Paul J Meyer
One of the key issues that stop people from taking responsibility for themselves is that doing so involves discomfort.
This is a common pattern that people run:
1. They make a mistake.
2. Take responsibility for their error
3. Their internal response, which can be unconscious, is: ‘I made a mistake. I am stupid’.
4. They feel bad about themselves
5. They experience having low self-esteem, so that if they make another mistake, they do this pattern again!
One strategy for avoiding this loop is to avoid taking responsibility for their error, if they can blame someone else or circumstances, then they can avoid feeling bad about themselves. However, at some level, they know that they are just kidding themselves, and this does not help their self-esteem.
However there is a solution that breaks this negative spiral.
The steps for boosting Self Esteem are to:
1. Make a mistake.
2. Take responsibility for your error.
3. Forgive yourself, telling yourself ‘its ok to make mistakes. No one is perfect!’ Keep telling yourself this until it feels ok to not
be perfect, you may need to say it to yourself 20-50 times.
4. It may also help to recognise that those people who are very
good at pointing out our shortcomings, and enjoy pointing out our mistakes, are also very good at over-looking their own flaws.
More information on Self Esteem is available in my Free report ‘Six Steps To High Self Esteem’. You can download this from this website, and take the Self Esteem Test, by entering your details in the box, on the top right of the page. I will not pass on your details to anyone, ever.
Wishing you great health!
Simon Pimenta