Self-Esteem and Self Confidence Articles

Not every part of a human being develops at the same rate, and this is to be expected. If one was to look at nature and see how a tree grows, they will soon see that the branches are not all the same length. Some are longer than others and at the same time, it hasn’t affected the tree. It is still strong and the shorter branches are not causing any problems to the rest of the tree.

You probably already know that without confidence, you have MUCH fewer options in your life. In fact, self-doubt might just be the most crippling limitation that you’ll ever face in life. It limits your ability to ask for and to receive the things that you want and to assert and stand up for yourself. Self-doubt can limit your options for having good romantic relationships, earning respect from others, earning career opportunities and so many other things. Nevertheless, as im

In May 2006 the journal Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy published a research study that proves there is a way to permanently eliminate the fear of public speaking. This research paper described how 36 people who had a fear of public speaking were divided into two groups to test the effectiveness of a fear elimination procedure called The Lefkoe Method. One group was exposed to The Lefkoe Method. The other group went to Toastmasters meetings. After a few hours of exposure to The Lefkoe Method the first group spoke in public and each member of that group reported that th

The term boundaries can seem unclear and even confusing at times. What does the term ‘boundaries’ mean? And how does it relate to psychological wellbeing? Are they the same as ‘walls’? And in this context what are walls? What I am describing here are psychological boundaries. So here I will describe my current understanding of what they are. I will also look at what stops us from developing healthy boundaries and as a result, causes us to create walls in there place. I think that the best way to understand both of these terms would be to see them as metaphors. What Are Walls?

This is something that can come under many names, from self esteem, to self worth, self belief and confidence. And no matter what words are used, what it ultimately comes down to is the feeling or sense of being enough. Here one feels that who they are is enough, and this relates to who they are as a person and is not based on what they have done or will do. In many ways it could be described as a state of mind or being, as opposed to certain exte al requirements being met or fulfilled. Conflict

Many people are into running or approach running as a simple way to get back in shape or keep in shape. If you are among the crowd that would like to regain some of your stamina or lose some weight through running there are a few things you should keep in mind.nn Most people who decide ...

Do you want to make a change? You can, and very easily too. Did you know that your penmanship tells a lot about you? If you are flamboyant, your writing will be flamboyant also. If you draw within yourself, your writing will be small, self-contained. Therefore, it stands to reason, if ...

It is often said that ‘Actions speak louder than words’ and while this saying has been around for a very long time, it doesn’t mean that this advice is always followed. At times, it can be difficult to pay attention to anything but the words that are being spoken. When this happens, what someone says is all important and their actions then become ignored or even irrelevant. And at this point, another person could say whatever they wanted and it would be believed.

There are some people who believe just about everything that another person says. And then there are others who go to the other extreme, who question and doubt everything they hear. With other people having a balance between the two; so they don’t believe everything that comes out of other people’s mouths and they don’t doubt everything either.

This is another of the defence mechanism that all of the others could be said to come under. Any one of the myriad of Defence mechanism comes under the purpose of escaping our current sense of dissonance, with the aim of removing the uncertainty and into a more familiar (safer) place, regardless of how functional to us this is.

What makes one person happy is not necessarily going to be the same as what makes another person happy, but while their requirements may be different, they both have the need to be happy. This is something that most people on the planet want to experience; with their being many ways in which one can experience happiness. However, even though this is what people want, it doesn’t mean they are able to fulfil this need. There are going to be some people who are generally able to fulfil this need, and then there are going to be others who are unable to do so. Complete Fulfilment

There is said to be two types of shame. One is described as normal and healthy and the other is said to be abnormal and dysfunctional. Healthy Shame This shame is part of having a healthy conscience; with certain behaviours and actions being kept in check by this feeling. And when ones behaviour is out of place or inappropriate one will feel healthy shame. However, this shame will usually only last so long and it will be felt as a consequence of one’s actions.

When it comes to relationships with other human beings and with life itself; the heart has a unique purpose. At an emotional level; the left side (feminine) of the heart allows one to receive and the right side (masculine) of the heart allows one to give. And when one of these sides is out of balance, ones relationships with others and even one’s body will reflect this. It is said that in order to give one must be able to receive. Balance

I would be completely lying and doing everyone a disfavor if I said, "The inferiority complex is all in the mind, dude. Just stop thinking you're inferior because you're not." It isn't. If it were so simple then billions, yes billions, wouldn't experience it sometime in their life.nnI know of personal development teachers who teach such things. I did some brief browsing on the web to see what information was available on the inferiority complex, and most of the advice offered

While one can be friends with people who put in as much effort as they do, there is also the chance that this isn’t the case. It could then be said that some of their relationships will be out of balance. And not only might this apply to their friends, it could also be something that they experience in their intimate relationships. These relationships are then unlikely to be very fulfilling, and one could wonder what is going on. Part of Life

For change to take place and progress to be made, there needs to an element of responsibility. And this applies to all areas of one’s life; without it, something might stay as it is or simply get a lot worse. But while this is evident, it doesn’t mean that someone will take responsibility for what happens to them. There are people who may take responsibility for some things and not others. And then there will be people who renounce all responsibility.

The planet Mercury is a complex and enigmatic planet that has much more to do with our lives than just “communication”, like faxes, emails, answering machines, telephones and media. Mercury in ancient astrology was the Winged Messenger of the Gods. In the Iliad and the Odyssey when someone had ...

Many individuals feel that the lessons learned from their mothers and fathers and their teachers are the keys to flourishing in life. People learn how to think in particular ways and told these ideas will aid them in succeeding. In the book, “The Maverick Mindset” by Dr. John Eliot who is a famous guru in self-improvement and leadership professional challenges those ideas and uses instances from the life of the most successful individuals to prove his points. rnMost peopl

Change is part of life and cannot be avoided and yet that doesn’t mean that it’s an easy thing to embrace. There are many others ways that can be sought as a way to avoid change. One of those ways is to try and change other people. This is something that probably comes under the umbrella of the terms control and manipulation. And it can be part of all types of relationships. If one were to experience the odd occasions of being with someone who tried to change them, it is unlikely to create much of a problem.

To be seen and recognised is something that most human beings want to experience. And while this is part of being human and nothing to feel ashamed of, these needs are going to vary from person to person. For some people, receiving a moderate amount of attention will be enough to enhance their wellbeing. This shows that their need for attention is not overly high and it is possible for them to fulfil this need.

Dissociation is the result of trauma we have experienced in our life. And by dissociating from the intensity of the trauma, we can minimize the suffering caused. With these experiences being subjective in nature and usually extremely overwhelming for the individual, they may however seem insignificant and even trivial to other people in the same situation. Once the event is pushed out of the conscious mind and into the unconscious, it is very often forgotten about. This form of selective amnesia can last for years and even as long as a life time in certain instances.

The pace of change in today’s world can leave us all feeling a bit shell-shocked, insecure and fearful of losing what we’ve worked so hard to accumulate. If you’re feeling trapped by the trappings of modern life, forced to choose between spending precious time with the people you love or earning a paycheck, it might seem impossible to even consider the fact that you have other work options.

I come from a family with a codependent mother. I am neither judging her nor blaming. But identifying codependency symptoms in her helped me a lot to overcome low self esteem. Codependency definition : Codependency is not a disease, it is an emotional and behavioural condition that is learned ...

The Angel Inside: Michelangelo, Il Gigante, and Creating a Life of Power and Beauty by Chris WidenernnThe following is an excerpt from The Angel InsidenThe Whole book can be found at www.TheAngelInside.comnn“Let us start with a story.” The old man began as he and Tom sat, looking at the David. “One day, Michelangelo was working on this marble that would become David and a young child came by where he was working. The young boy asked Michelangelo why he was working so ha

The words addiction and obsession can appear to describe the same thing. And yet there is a clear distinction between the two. An obsession is something that is usually in the mind and can relate to people, things and ideas; so all that is abstract and all that is concrete. On the other hand, an addiction is something that could be described as a doing and relates to the actions that one takes. It is possible for one to be addicted to something without thinking about it all the time; and for someone to be obsessed by something without the need to act on the obsession. Examples

It’s not uncommon to hear that women want to settle down and that men want to ‘play the field’. And based on this, women want to be in a relationship and men are not bothered about being in one. This is how men and women are generally portrayed and in some cases, this is going to be true. But, although this may seem to reflect the truth, it is not an absolute truth. There are going to be some women out there who can relate to it and some who can’t, and the same will apply to men. Finding The One

One can enter a new relationship with the idea that it will be a completely new experience and unlike what they have gone through in the past. But while this might be their outlook in the beginning, this can soon come to an end as the relationship progresses. This could be because of what is going on within them or what is taking place on the outside. But although what is going in internally and exte ally can be different, it is easy for one to see them as being one and the same.

While there are some people who express how they feel, there are other people who don’t. And when one is not only in touch with how they feel but expresses how they feel, they’re going to experience life differently to someone who doesn’t. This is because emotions are important and not something one can just deny. There are some people who are in touch with how they feel and there are other people who are not. And just because someone is in touch with how they feel, it doesn’t mean that they will express how they feel. Information

To walk all over a carpet or some kind of tiled floor would be normal. This is because the floor has no feelings and very few wants and needs for example. If the floor was used too much it may wear out; so it will need to be cleaned at certain times and it might even need to be replaced after a while. But other than that, there is not going to be much concern. And yet when it comes to a human being, having someone walk all over them is going to create problems.

Although some people feel comfortable with themselves, there are others who experience life differently. And it could be said that one will achieve more when they feel comfortable in their own skin, so to speak. Based on this, if one doesn’t feel comfortable with themselves, it will then be normal for them to be in a position where they haven’t achieved very much. Yet while this can sound accurate, it doesn’t mean that this is always going to be the case. High Achievers

Self Esteem is more than feeling good about yourself. It's having self confidence and self respect. You can feel confident in doing a particular thing, but unworthy to receive the benefits of your success. The opposite is also true. You can feel worthy and deserving of success and / or wealth, but have no confidence in your ability to obtain it. Self confidence itself is more than just feeling able to perform some job, function or act. It's a more universal belief in your abi

To be human means to be vulnerable and so it is incredibly important that we look after ourselves and don’t allow people to compromise who we are. Physically we are vulnerable and this also applies to our mental and emotional sides. Each one of these needs to be looked after and protected from what is or what may be harmful to our wellbeing. And what boundaries do is allow one to protect their personal space; without them one is wide open to all kinds of things. But just because this is the case, it doesn’t mean that everyone has strong and healthy boundaries.

If you think about it, you'll find that low self esteem is like a mental jail, a set of rules, opinions and values, imposed by our own mind, which limit our abilities, our way of thinking and our life. Do you like what you see in that mirror? Do you feel pride, compassion and respect about yourself most of the time? Or do you wish for someone else's traits and accomplishments?

Sue was totally in love with Jim. The couple met in high school and dated for eight years. Everyone who knew them expected them to get married and live happily ever after together. Then Jim met Karen. Before anyone knew what was happening - including Sue - Jim had eloped with Karen, putting an ...

While a woman can say to herself and others that she wants to be in a relationship with a man who is healthy and functional, it doesn’t mean that she will be attracted to a man who is like this. This can relate to woman who can’t seem to attract a guy that is healthy and for women who do attract them and yet sabotage the relationship shortly after.

A very wise woman once said, ‘Dress how you want to be addressed.’ There couldn’t be more truth to this statement. What started off as a glamorous and burgeoning industry centuries back has today evolved as an inextricable part of society. The question we ask today in the article is, does fashion boost our self esteem? To put in clearer terms, can what we wear define our levels of self-esteem and confidence? The answer to this is a resounding ‘Yes’. Irrespective of

It is often said that human beings are either independent or dependent and while it can look this way, ultimately we are all interdependent. No one is their own island and each one of us is reliant on others in some way. This is not to say that everyone has this outlook: Some people can believe that they don’t need anyone and others can feel that they can’t handle life by themselves. In the first scenario one is rejecting all support from others and in the second scenario; one is out of touch with their own inner support.

If our various child parts are not fully integrated into our adult self, we're likely at times to feel like a child inside an adult's body. We won't be able to feel truly grown up because our basic sense of self hasn't sufficiently evolved into the actual adult we've become. Our chronological age, our body, our mind may all say "adult" . . . but our psyche nonetheless continues to say "child."nnTo put it more concretely, when present-day circumstances tap into old, unresolved

While some men are able to break away from their mothers, there are other men who are unable to do this. When this doesn’t take place, not only is it going to cause the men to suffer; it is also going to cause the women in their life to suffer. However, if a man has turned his back on women altogether, they could to be the only ones who have to tolerate what is taking place. Whereas if they still had relationships with women, it is going to mean that their life will also be affected. In The Beginning

What is “dialoguing” with my Inner Child? Dialoguing is talking with your Inner Child, caring for her/him non-verbally. The word dialogue implies a back and forth exchange between the two of you, rather than just “talking” which could be understood as a one-way communication. When do I do ...

In the past manners were often drilled into children by their parents and then by teachers and as one grew into an adult; it would then have typically become a habit to have manners and the need to be reminded would not be as necessary. However, in the modern day world this process doesn’t seem to be as consistent and this has resulted in manners often becoming the exception as opposed to the rule that they once were.

Most people think confidence is something you gain by being successful at something. Yet others say that you need to generate confidence in order to succeed. It's almost like the questio "which comes first the chicken or the egg?" Well, after over 20 years of helping people reach their dreams I can tell you that confidence often does come first. Success is so much easier to attain when you take the steps needed to regain the natural state of confidence we are all born with. Let me explain. When you were very young, you took action over and over again even if you failed.

In recent studies, men have been shown to suffer more than women when a relationship comes to an end. And while some people would not have been surprised to hear this, for others, it was unexpected and even dismissed. Even though men have emotions just like women, this doesn’t always appear to be the case and they are often portrayed as having an inability to show emotions by women and the media. Men are often stoic and the emotions that they do express are often limited to a few emotions, such as: anger and frustration.

There's an exciting new field of scientific study. It's called contemplative neuroscience, or self-directed evolution. In a nutshell, it looks at how your thoughts affect the size and functioning of various brain structures. It's one more way science is proving that the thoughts you're choosing to think are causing permanent physical changes in your brain. Specifically, contemplative neuroscience investigates how you contemplate life. What's your practice of pondering the magnificence of the universe? It includes asking yourself the questions: Why am I here? Where did I come from?

Trust is more than just being honest or truthful. But also about sharing, talking, communicating, listening, befriending, being there for someone. • Not betraying a trust – someone’s faith in youn • Being a friend, a confidant, companion, partner … • Is there ...

Most individuals think that their thoughts and dreams are merely thoughts and dreams. The Higher Self is a book by Deepak Chopra that will show you that everything you desire has the potential to come about in the present. All the spiritual requirements you possess in terms of love, acceptance, contentment, gratification, and more do not have to take a back seat. This all-inclusive guide tells you how to communicate with your “higher self” by using all your ideas, dreams,

Overall, impossible is just a word to limit our beliefs and potential as to what we can and should do. Practically, it destroys our goals and puts us in a nutshell which we subconsciously resigned to as our comfort zone. Moreover, it contradicts on how to make everything possible. We all have dreams and aspirations. However big or small they are does not matter. What matters is how we go about fulfilling and turning them into realities. If not, we will continue dreaming and o

There are numerous challenges in the world today and some of these challenges are to do with emotions; from depression, to suicide and a whole myriad of other things. And emotions cannot simply be ignored or dismissed. They deserve and need as much attention as ones diet or physical health. However, while diet and exercise are given plenty of exposure in the media and other sources, emotions are generally overlooked.

If you think that shyness is a 'normal' condition that you just need to endure, think again. People who are painfully shy miss out on a lot of things in life - from personal relationships, to job opportunities, to self-development. In extreme cases, shyness can manifest on the outside, making a person palpitate, blunder on his or her speech, and be visibly apprehensive. Shyness on different people could have different levels and causes, but the main point is that shyness is a

In order to protect ones personal space and what they own, it will be important for them to set boundaries. Other people are not always going to know what ones boundaries are; if people could reads minds, it would be different. At times, other people will know what is appropriate and what is not. But there will also be times when other people do things that cause one to feel compromised or even violated. This may be the result of them having the intention to cause harm, and yet it could also happen by accident.