There are many ways to create higher self-esteem. One way is by praising yourself every day. Your mind doesn't care if your thoughts are true or false. Your thoughts and beliefs will eventually become your reality. 

Your subconscious mind is always eavesdropping on the thoughts you are having. 

It is like the genie in the bottle. Say, for instance, that you think about how nice it would be to skip work and lay in bed for a day or two. Your subconscious mind listens, and a week later, you might end up with the flu. 

How can you then use this knowledge to your advantage? 

Well, one thing is for sure, self-love is the most important gift you can give yourself because when we love who we are, we will not hurt ourselves. 

Stand in front of the mirror every morning and say to yourself that you love you. It can be hard to look yourself in the eyes and say this. In the beginning, you will most likely come up with thoughts that contradict your beliefs of self-love.

With some practice and consistency, you will start to experience a change in how you feel. You are going to become happier. You won't take yourself or everything else so seriously as you might have done before.

By that, I don't mean that you will become lazy. Instead, you will not be as hard on yourself if you fail or experience adversity of some sort. You know that you will always love you and that you are safe. You will always be there for you, no matter what happens.

By praising yourself every day, you become more immune to others' opinions of you. 

When you fall in love with you, you consent for the rest of the world to do the same.

People who resent and criticize others are often not happy with themselves and often live in fear. Fear of failure or not being enough. By blaming others, they think that they will feel better, but they won't.

Recently I listen to Lisa Lisa Nicolas. She had been in a bad relationship, and her boyfriend abused her. She eventually ended the relationship and went to the doctor. The doctor prescribed her Prozac and told her that she was clinically depressed. Lisa refused to take the medication, and instead, she asked the doctor if she could try something else, and with the doctors' permission, she started to work on herself. 

Every day she started the day by looking in the mirror and went over her "I am….". In parallel with that, she also did the "I forgive myself for…. "

After 30 days, she went back to the doctor, and she couldn't stop talking. The doctor asked her what medication she was on and if she could have some as well. J

The best way of bouncing back from a setback is to say that you have excellent coping skills. The faster you get back on track, the sooner you will reach your goal. 

Use the I am… affirmations, and don't be afraid to say to yourself things you might not believe today. Remember that your mind doesn't know if it is true or false. When you also put emotions to the things you say to yourself, the result will manifest itself much faster.

The way you see yourself is the way you see others. If you trust yourself, you have a higher tendency to trust others. That is why leadership starts with yourself. 

Leadership is influence, and your ability to connect with people is essential. A leader touches a heart before they ask for a hand. That means that by loving yourself, your ability to care for others increases. 

 When people feel that the leader is there for them, they will more likely follow you and your vision. 

How can gratitude make you feel better?

Gratitude is the antidote to fear. You can't be fearful and grateful at the same time. Many people have nice cars or successful jobs, but they are not happy. Money won't grant you happiness. Instead, be grateful for what you have instead of what you don't have.

Jim Kwik says that 

"What if the only things you had in your life tomorrow were the things you expressed gratitude for today?"

We often forget what we have and take things for granted and thereby stop living in the present. Life is what is happening now, not during the vacation or around the holidays. 

How can giving increase your self-esteem?

When you give to others, you are giving to the universe. What will happen is that the universe will give back to you. At first, you will receive a lovely feeling just by knowing that you have done a good deed.

Eventually, positive things will start to happen for you. Things you didn't expect or something that you are going to benefit from. 

When you stop thinking of yourself and start focusing on others, life will turn into a new meaning. 

And the funny thing is that the more you give, the more you will receive.

Every day increases your value because you cannot give something that you don't have. Of course, you can always give away money, and it's nothing wrong with that as long as it is for a great purpose. 

However, if you want to make an impact and feel great simultaneously, you share your knowledge to change their current situation for the better. 

As a leader, your mission is to create the result. You do that by creating new leaders and taking people to places where they haven't been. 

Give your son a fish, and you will feed him for a day, 

 Teach him how to fish, and you will feed him for a life time…  

When you are contributing to others, your significance will increase. Significance is essential for your self-worth and, thereby, your self-esteem.

Start today to become more aware of your thoughts. When you notice that you are punishing yourself with negative thoughts, interrupt the thinking paten by doing something else, and focus on the things I have been talking about previously in this blog post. 

Have faith in the process, and I will guarantee you that your life will become better. 

Your friend

Thomas