Far more important than how others see us, is how we see ourselves.

How others see us is quite often different from how we see ourselves. The personal picture you carry in your mind of yourself is a profoundly important and potentially magnificent tool. It drives all the decisions in your life. Indeed it is responsible for the major shifts and the ultimate direction your life will take.

When was the last time you took a family picture? Or even a group picture at a picnic or other event? When you looked at the picture, who did you look for first ?  If your answer was anybody other than yourself, you are probably not being completely honest. Most of us, when we look at a photograph that includes ourselves, generally look first for ourselves. We want to see how we compare with others in the picture. We are concerned about what others see and what others think about us.

Your self-esteem is probably the most important part of your personality. It precedes and predicts your performance in almost everything you do. It is the energy source or the reactor core of your personality, and how much self-esteem you have determines your levels of vitality, enthusiasm and personal magnetism. People with high self-esteem are more positive, more likable and more effective in every part of their lives. Everything that you do or say or think will affect your self-esteem. Your job, therefore, is to keep your self-esteem high and positive on a continuing basis.

Probably the best definition of self-esteem is this: the level to which you respect and value yourself as an important, worthwhile person. People with high self-esteem feel terrific about themselves and their lives. When you feel really good about yourself, you tend to be the very best person you can possibly be. To perform at your best and to feel terrific about yourself, you should be in a perpetual state of self-esteem building and maintenance. Just as you take responsibility for your level of physical fitness, you need to take complete responsibility for the content and quality of your mind.

Some people actually live their lives telling themselves everyday that they hate themselves. They always want to be somebody else.  Build a better you with high levels of self-esteem. Tell yourself over and over again :   I like myself, I like myself, I like myself.

Vince DaCosta is an Author, Speaker and Communication Consultant. He spent 30 years training employees and managers how to interact and work with each other. He received the Distinguished Toastmaster Award and a Presidential Citation. He has presented Workshops and Seminars at National and International Conferences and Conventions. He authored 3 books: “Influence, Persuade and Win” – “Life One-0-One: Find your Purpose” – “The Amazing Secret in your heart: Your Connection to another Dimension”