Self-esteem determines many things in life, including our opportunities. Boost your confidence to accept challenges and see yourself through other people’s eyes. Then listen to a motivational speaker to keep your head in the game.
Self-esteem plays a significant role in how you face the world. It can impact your attitude about life’s challenges and motivate or demotivate your goals. Meanwhile, people with a high sense of self-worth are usually more successful and generally happier than those doubting themselves.
Working on your self-esteem is essential, especially in the modern world. Folks want to see confidence and competence, but a poor self-image can make that impossible. You must face your inner demons and accept your flaws to demonstrate strength and surmount the odds. Don’t even attempt it without high self-esteem.
Lacking confidence can cause you to make terrible decisions. You might also fail to act when the time is right, causing problems you could have avoided. Boost your self-esteem to begin trusting your intuition and making choices you can be proud of. Then understand that self-worth has nothing to do with how others view you.
What is self-esteem, and how do you get more of it? Can a motivational speaker help, or are you on your own? We’ll discuss the definitions and review the pros and cons of building confidence. Then we’ll go through the steps to make the most of your efforts.
Table of Contents
What Is Self-Esteem?
Why Is Self-Esteem Essential?
5 Examples of Self-Esteem in Action
Factors That Can Reduce Your Self-Esteem
Five Tips for Building Self-Esteem According to a Motivational Speaker
#1. Stop Being Self-Critical
#2. Identify and Develop Your Talents
#3. Accept Genuine Compliments
#4. Affirm Your Value and Worth
#5. Use Positive Affirmations
How to Use a Motivational Speaker to Maintain Self-Esteem
Finding a Motivational Speaker for Self-Esteem
Conclusion
What Is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself. It does not involve other people’s opinions of you or your reputation. Only you know your life story, so you’re the one who must accept your strengths and weaknesses for what they are.
“People with confidence aren’t perfect. They’re just comfortable in their own skin.”
Confidence in yourself doesn’t mean disregarding others; it shouldn’t lead to conceit. Self-esteem encompasses specific characteristics, habits, behaviors, and beliefs. You can loosely sum it up with the acronym “RACK” below:
- R – Respect for Yourself
- A – Admiration of Personal Abilities
- C – Control of Emotions
- K- Kindness to Others
You have legitimate self-esteem when you don’t have to hurt or belittle people to feel better about yourself. Respect your individuality without comparing those traits to others. Then harness your emotions for positivity and productivity. A healthy sense of self can help you process triumph, despair, pride, and shame.
Why Is Self-Esteem Essential?
Living without self-esteem can be challenging, painful, and confusing. Cultivate a healthy personal perspective to enjoy a happier life. Boosting confidence might seem frivolous, but it’s more critical than you think. Here’s why:
- It informs your decision-making process.
- It can impact your relationships.
- You experience less stress and anxiety.
- You feel more motivated and ambitious.
- Your influence on others increases.
- You’re unafraid of obstacles.
People with high self-esteem often feel inspired instead of tired. They also take on new challenges without fearing the negative possibilities as much. These folks are solid, consistent, and mindful even when faced with difficulties. They’re also usually the first in line to help others.
DID YOU KNOW: You can have self-esteem that’s too high or too low, depending on how you process information.
5 Examples of Self-Esteem in Action
“You can find several self-esteem examples by looking at someone you admire.”
Check out a prestigious businessperson, an influential relative, or a motivational speaker. They likely have tons of confidence in themselves despite their unavoidable flaws. Most also avoid being overly critical of others because they’re pleased with their purpose and position.
Their primary concern is not looking good or sounding intelligent. These are five common behaviors for your reference:
- Assertive Decision-Making: You’ll seldom second-guess yourself when choosing between options, and people will take you more seriously.
Imagine being at work, and your team needs quick answers. They’ll likely pass the baton to someone else if you’re too shy or lacking self-esteem.
- Secure and Honest Bonds: You’ll enjoy longer-lasting and more meaningful relationships with others when you’re no longer insecure.
Think of a relationship with one partner constantly doubting the other partner’s feelings. This behavior could cause conflict and lead to a breakup.
- Healthy Boundaries: You’re less likely to stay where you’re disrespected and unappreciated if you have high self-esteem.
What if you’re in an unhealthy relationship or toxic work environment but don’t know how to leave? Confidence can help show you the door.
- Realistic Expectations: You won’t hold yourself or others to impossible standards because you understand practicality and practice patience.
Consider how often you fantasize about changing yourself or your surroundings without acknowledging the blessings in front of your face.
- Increased Resilience: Your ability to overcome challenges and creatively problem-solve will increase with each self-esteem boost.
Imagine feeling good enough that disappointments and tragedies don’t impact you as much, leaving you more vital with each new life lesson.
Self-esteem is important because it can define your goals and transform your intentions. However, merely possessing personal confidence will not suffice. You must express it for it to impact your life and influence others, but that’s where it gets tricky. Some things can reduce your self-esteem and cause setbacks you can’t afford.
Factors That Can Reduce Your Self-Esteem
You could run into some roadblocks when boosting self-esteem. The reason is that many factors can chip away at your sense of self. It’s also challenging to maintain confidence when life is unpredictable. Thus, a motivational speaker typically uses relatable anecdotes to help people cope with the ups and downs. They paint a similar picture and then draw a practical way forward.
Unfortunately, motivational words aren’t always enough to keep a person’s pride intact. Multiple influences can transform how someone feels about themselves or others. Individuals must make a conscientious effort to abstain from negativity and unconstructive criticism. Meanwhile, the following factors are equally as risky:
- Critical Associates
- Past or Present Trauma
- Poor Performance
- Lack of Education or Experience
- Personal Problems
- Financial Trouble
- Lack of Support
- Unfamiliar Territory
Specific environmental factors could cause an ebb and flow in your confidence level. Take having little to no support, for example. Solitude can lead to second-guessing and loneliness, compounding doubts and lowering self-esteem. Find a mentor or motivational speaker to keep yourself in check.
DID YOU KNOW: Confident people can handle constructive criticism without sinking into self-loathing.
Five Tips for Building Self-Esteem According to a Motivational Speaker
Experienced motivational speakers share countless insights to help redefine your values and perspectives. Their words can make audiences feel less alone and more understood. Like-minded people will encourage others to follow in their footsteps while carving a brand-new path for themselves. Experts may also help create strategies for daily life, relationships, or the workplace.
One of the first steps to building self-esteem is to stop letting negative self-talk affect your mood, memory, and motivation.
“You can’t move past insecurity if you hold onto guilt, shame, or regret.”
Take control with these five confidence-boosting tips from the pros:
#1. Stop Being Self-Critical
What you say to yourself and about yourself can significantly impact your self-esteem. Utter the words “I’m not good enough” too often, and you’ll start to believe them. Introduce compassion for yourself instead. See an instant difference in your mood and demeanor when you stop being your worst enemy.
#2. Identify and Develop Your Talents
Determine what you’re good at and which abilities you could improve. Then begin practicing to enhance your skills and confidence. You can prioritize based on your goals or interests, but you shouldn’t focus on other people’s expectations. Your self-esteem will depend on their opinions, and that’s volatile.
#3. Accept Genuine Compliments
The circle of self-esteem never stops. You build confidence, and others notice. Then they start to compliment you on your abilities and enjoy your vibe. That boosts your self-esteem more, causing a rapid chain reaction. Accept people’s compliments to begin the process and keep it going strong.
#4. Affirm Your Value and Worth
Display your best characteristics and most impressive talents. Then surround yourself with people who validate your worth. They can recommend you for specific tasks, remind you of particular competencies, or build you up when your self-esteem gets too low.
#5. Use Positive Affirmations
Motivational speakers provide multiple positive mantras to memorize and use daily. Affirmations can help remind you of particular events, thoughts, feelings, or ideas. They’re also handy when feeling insecure or facing a significant challenge that threatens your sense of self.
BONUS: Create Healthy Habits – You can’t maintain self-esteem if you constantly battle your mind, body, and emotions. Eat right, get exercise, and process feelings with someone you trust.
How to Use a Motivational Speaker to Maintain Self-Esteem
A motivational speaker can help you stay focused on goals and commitments. They also provide real-world advice based on lived scenarios. Their stories can uplift, instruct, inspire, and encourage the right audience. Your job is to take advantage of their wisdom and advice.
Paying close attention is the best way to absorb what a motivational speaker says. You might not be able to interact directly, but you can still integrate their anecdotes. Connect with others who struggle with self-esteem issues to determine their most effective strategies. Then use these techniques to ensure maximum impact:
- Take Detailed Notes – Write down everything you could forget. Then try to keep things organized and easy to find.
- Ask Questions – Participate in open discussions and share thoughts on forums to understand the speech in-depth.
- Meet the Audience – Discover people in similar situations with common concerns and new opinions about you.
- Discuss Thoughts with Others – Share your perspectives to find reassurance and confirmation of your values.
- Create New Habits – Stop exposing yourself to things that could lower your self-esteem, such as overly critical people and toxic environments.
- Hold Yourself Accountable – Develop practical systems to ensure you follow through on promises to yourself and others.
- Be Patient with Yourself – Self-esteem doesn’t grow overnight. You must put in the work to see a difference.
- Don’t Compare – You are unique, unlike anyone else, so don’t judge yourself based on what others have or do.
- Check Back Often – Find out if your favorite motivational speaker has any new material or content to review.
Self-esteem is a personal thing, which means nobody else can affect it. Negative interactions and trauma can cause confidence to wane, but it’s up to you to get it back. Without a solid sense of self, you could become susceptible to deceit, manipulation, and disappointment.
TIP: Find a motivational speaker who discusses topics that pertain to your personal or professional life.
Finding a Motivational Speaker for Self-Esteem
“Connect with a motivational speaker who understands your situation and can help boost your self-esteem.”
Don’t settle on a one-size-fits-all mentor because they might not discuss relevant topics. You can’t write the messages, but you can customize which ones you listen to.
In the meantime, talk to loved ones and coworkers for advice on potential focus areas. Find out where your confidence is lacking and determine which circumstances threaten your sense of self the most. There are many paths to building self-esteem, but only a motivational speaker can let you borrow their confidence.
Conclusion
Self-esteem is your responsibility and doesn’t depend on anybody else’s opinion. You must accept your strengths and weaknesses to determine your talents and passions. Then you need to develop confidence in your authentic self while maintaining a positive outlook despite life’s upheavals.
Lacking confidence is like waving a red flag about your competency and commitment, or lack thereof. Many could assume you can’t handle stress, take criticism, or meet challenges. You might also start to believe them, and that’s a slippery slope. Attain poise and maintain your self-esteem with wise habits and a motivational speaker.
About The Author
Dr mOe is a bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and dynamic mOetivational speaker based in Dallas, Texas. She focuses on developing techniques for continual self-improvement through passion, humor, and experience. Follow her on IG @drmoeanderson and visit DrmOeAnderson.com to browse her book titles and speaking engagement topics.
