One of the main factors to having a strong personality and a happy life is to have a certain amount of confidence about the self and to have a positive self-image. This means to be aware of one’s strengths and short-comings and being comfortable with both.

You cannot pinpoint where self-esteem originates in a person. However, some psychologists believe that having parents with strong personalities affects the self-esteem of a child to a great extent, whereas some say that it is not a matter of inheritance and that it is only a matter of chance, while still others believe that some people it is innate that some people. But a popular belief is that the surroundings and the atmosphere have a great impact on a person’s self-esteem. Experiences, parental behaviour, friends and one’s own self-image have a great effect on a person’s personality

Personal experiences includes one’s experience in his or her childhood, in school, at home; the image amongst friends; at workplace. One who is suffering from self-esteem issues will be constantly anxious about how others perceive them and will be in a continued effort to gain their acceptance.

Parental behaviour and the example they set for their children also have a great deal to do with the child’s personality. If a person has trusting and caring parents without over-possessiveness may have greater confidence in one’s own self than anyone who have cynical and judgemental parents. If a parent does not give their child space to think for him and always bosses them around the child would grow up to an indecisive and a dependant adult which will impact his life socially, personally, career-wise and emotionally.

Ones friends and acquaintances have a lot to do with a person’s self-esteem. If a person is part of a group where individual qualities are appreciated rather than standardised beliefs it really helps the person’s confidence and ego. However, if one is in a situation where there is no value for his opinion and they are constantly being looked down then they will suffer from low self-esteem.

Being aware of one’s strengths and talents can also lead to an enhanced confidence and ego. More so, if the talent is unique. It heightens a person’s self-esteem to a great degree if their talent can impress or awe people. Appreciation from people always has a positive effect on a person’s self-esteem. This is why people try more and more everyday to achieve higher and higher goals, which will get them appreciation and respect from people around them uplifting their self-confidence.

Nevertheless, it does not naturally imply that if a person has a high level of self-esteem in one sphere of their life, they should have so in all the spheres of their life. A person can be high achiever at workplace yet might have issues in their personal life or have anxiety about their roles as a spouse, a parent or a sibling. Similarly a person might be very confident and comfortable in the personal sphere yet might suffer a low self0esteem when it comes to their professional life. Although it is not a very easy task, one must keep trying to improve their self-esteem in the sphere they believe to be lacking in.

Author's Bio: 

MindMaster is a personal development program that can help you boost self esteem through customized subliminal messages in text and images, and is used by professionals around the world. You can download and try the program Free by visiting http://www.mindmaster.tv.