The Man in the Mirror

When you look into the mirror, what do you see? Your perception of your reflection reflects the opinion you have of yourself. Do you feel at ease with what you see? Are you comfortable looking back into your own eyes? If you answer any of these questions in the negative, chances are that you don't feel all that great when you look into that mirror. You have a rather low opinion of yourself and feel that you don't quite measure up to that 'ideal image' of who you would like to be.

Self-esteem is something that makes you feel comfortable with who you are in spite of imperfections in yourself. It is that attribute that lets you see the 'good' and the 'positive' in you and project that in how you react to the world around you. Lack of self-esteem or a sense of self worth creates a lot of unwanted pain. Living together in a society, people base their opinion of themselves on what is considered 'normal behaviour', something that is very relative. What is acceptable to some may be tolerated by some others and be totally unacceptable for others still. The truth is a person cannot please everyone at the same time. And when it so happens that a certain group of people are not satisfied, it results in criticism, which when conveyed tactlessly or unjustifiably harsh, can result in a massive blow to a person's ego and lead to that person feeling rather bad about himself.

Low self-esteem is believing that you are not good enough, a feeling that makes you morose and hinders your ability to reach your potential as an individual. It might stem from feeling 'out of place', from a lack of proper self-awareness or from having very high expectations of one-self. Whatever the cause, it is a debilitating and self-defeating attitude and should therefore, be overcome.

The first step towards developing healthy self-esteem is taking stock of all your strengths. Ask yourself what you are good at and don't get discouraged if you don't discover anything at first glance. Then pinpoint the root of what led to that first feeling of worthlessness and keep reminding yourself of all your strengths every time something triggers the negativity. Finally, consciously try to be a little less harsh on yourself.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're a bit different from others, or if you take more time to learn something new, or if you aren't the most beautiful to look at. Being at peace with and accepting whoever you are will bring about over-all well being and keep you happy and emotionally satisfied.

Dr Ken Onu is the founder of Attract Freedom and Spread the Word Inc. He is a Keynote Speaker, Coach, Eye doctor, and Successful Entrepreneur. What he speaks about comes from the core of his soul. He inspires and empowers audiences to eradicate "possibility blindness" from their lives. To Learn more go to http://www.kenonu.com/