| Your self-esteem may have become damaged in | | | | honoring yourself when you start treating |
| your childhood. A significant caregiver of | | | | yourself as though you are valuable. This |
| your past gave you messages that you were not | | | | doesn't mean you don't wish to change and |
| as good as you should be. They did not esteem | | | | evolve, it just means you accept who you are. |
| you in the appropriate way. These messages | | | | |
| then became part of your own opinion of | | | | Having healthy self-esteem is a process where |
| yourself. You believed the messages that you | | | | you lose needing others approval and you |
| were worth less than others. | | | | learn to develop your own appreciation for |
| | | | yourself. You also learn how to accept |
| You may have never learned to value yourself | | | | compliments from others. You may have had a |
| from within. You may have false self-esteem | | | | hard time doing that because you did not see |
| revolving around your possessions based on | | | | yourself as worthy of any praise. |
| what you 'have'. If you do not have good | | | | |
| self-esteem, you judge yourself harshly. | | | | But you are worthy. You have the right to |
| Sometimes you build your self-esteem on what | | | | stand up for yourself. You have the right to |
| is beyond your control, which is dependent | | | | say no to things you do not want in your |
| upon the choices of others and how they view | | | | life. You don't have to take on additional |
| you. | | | | responsibilities you are not ready for. You |
| | | | don't have to compromise your integrity |
| Often what people refer to as thinking with | | | | because others want you to do something you |
| regards to your self-esteem is actually just | | | | don't want to. And you never have to feel |
| taking the opinions of others and | | | | guilty or apologize for what you do, think or |
| reprocessing them. Thinking independently | | | | feel. |
| actually develops self-esteem within you. | | | | |
| Being responsible for yourself without | | | | You must love yourself before you can truly |
| relying on the opinions of others will | | | | love others. If you don't love yourself, you |
| enhance your self-responsibility, which is | | | | will continue looking outside yourself for |
| essential to self-esteem. | | | | confirmation of your worth. Once you build |
| | | | your self-esteem and start extending that |
| Taking control of your own lives is the | | | | self-esteem and honoring others, you may be |
| foundation of honoring yourself. When you | | | | amazed at what it does for your |
| learn self-acceptance, you will grow. You | | | | relationships. |
| were born a remarkable being. You are | | | | |