Self-Esteem Improvement for Career Newbies: 5 Quick Tips

In the course of my career, I have dealt with some executives that have great skills and talents. However, some of them may suffer from low self-esteem or poor self-image, which are not always obvious. These are the tips I have given to help improve their self-esteem.

1. There is Only One YOU
Realize that there is only one YOU. No one can replace you. No matter how bad or lowly you feel about yourself. How bad your own self-image is, remember that there is only one YOU. Being the only one in the world, you are already special. You may not see your special qualities but it is there for you to discover them.

Since you are the only one, then understand your role in this world. A Tang dynasty poem says, “We are all born to this world with a role.” That role is a special one. Understand that you have something to contribute. Each and every task you do and each person you come in contact with, you can add value.

When you start to realize this point then your self-esteem improves as you begin to discover confidence and conviction in your work.

2. No Quick Results
Know that there are no quick results. Everything that you do for self-growth you are bound to have little set backs and failures. There are no quick results. When faced with setbacks, use them as practice to build on more confidence. Confidence is an important element in improving self-esteem. In order to build self-esteem you need to build skills that help you grow as a person and see the relevance of this growth in your life. Growing takes effort and effort takes time. There are no quick results. But if you do it hard enough and not give up, success is yours to take.

3. Write Down Your Strengths
While this sounds like affirmations, the reason I am suggesting this isn’t exactly for self-affirmation purposes. The main purpose is to force you to sit and dig deep into realizing your true strength. And do not give yourself any excuses. Do not indulge in self-pity and say you do not have any strength. We all have strengths.

You just have to connect with your inner self. Self-esteem improvement starts with recognizing your skills. What are the skills you are good at? Let’s make it even easier, define your skills as positive personalities. Think about all the positive personalities that you have. Are you patient? Hardworking? Like to smile? Determined?

Write these down and remind yourself of these qualities that you have. As you discover more about yourself, your self-esteem improves.

4. Read Inspiring stories
Personally I like reading inspiring stories. These are stories of rags to riches, stories of people who have gone against the odds and made it big. I guess I like them because it tells me that success is possible even when things do not seem smooth at first.

It is tough to not to read inspiring stories and not be positively affected by it. Self-esteem improvement can start with something as simple as reading inspiring stories. Make sure you understand the relevance of reading these stories and your quest to self-esteem improvement.

The reason you are doing this is because you have now decided to improve yourself. That decision needs to be backed by actions and commitment. Reading inspiring stories is a good start.

5. Help Someone
Remember we all have roles in this world? One of the easiest things to do in self-esteem improvement is to help someone. Regardless how small those help maybe. When you start to help someone, you create confidence for yourself. There is something in you that you can affect someone positively.

Nothing is easy in this world. So is self-esteem improvement. That said, nothing is impossible in this world either. Make a decision and make a commitment to that decision.