They say charity begins at home. Very true. In the same
mould it is also very true that respect for other people and their rights begin
with the inner-self of each person.
To have respect for other people you must be assertive, have
confidence and feel self-assured, have self-respect and also love yourself. All
these attributes boil down to one thing: you must have a positive self-esteem. But, the bad news is that to have a good or
positive self-esteem just doesn’t happen nor are you born with it. It needs
hard work to get there.
Here are 8 tips or steps to get there:
1. You must accept yourself for what you are and love
yourself: Once you have accepted yourself you can start to build on a better
you. To love yourself is not a matter of being selfish or being egocentric. It
only means that you must care for yourself.
2. It all depends on attitude: Accept the fact that you
cannot control everything in life but ensure that you deal with everything with
a positive attitude – it must be an attitude of “yes, I can make a difference”.
3. Learn from experience: In life there are many lessons to
learn. Decide whether you are going to be a victim or survivor when learning
these lessons.
4. It is human to err: It is therefore not whether you will
make mistakes – it is inevitable that you will make mistakes. Once again, it is
how you will react to these mistakes. Mistakes enrich and ensure personal
growth.
5. You are never too old to learn: You will stop to learn
the day you die. Learning never ends. Your whole life is a school. Accept it like that and make sure you pass
cum laude!
6. The people you interact with are mirrors of what your
personality reflects: Always remember, judge and you will be judged – this
means that you must be careful in judging people because they may feel the same
way about you as you feel towards them.
7. Listen to yourself: Remember, all the answer you may seek
about yourself, is within yourself. Listen to your heart but also listen to
your gut feeling.
8. They say no man is an island: This is true but you must make
time to have quiet and quality time alone on your own. Meditation is a
necessity and you must take stock of your own life.
To have a positive self-esteem is therefore very hard work.
But once you have acquired it, you will be on top of the world and Life!
