Can I Still be Successful with Low Self-esteem?

Do you ‘suffer’ from a low self-esteem?

Do you wonder if you’ll ever get to a place where you’ll feel successful?

Well, you can be successful with low self-esteem. You just might need to approach things differently sometimes.

 

What is the Meaning of Self-esteem?

Well, your Self-esteem is how highly (or otherwise), you value yourself.

It’s how you view the things you’ve accomplished, also, how capable you think you are, of being successful at new things.

Your Self-esteem also includes, how you feel you compare to other people, trying to do the same things.

But, can you you still be successful with a low self-esteem?

Thankfully, the answer is YES.

Shall I explain?

 

People who’ve been successful with low self-esteem

It might help to know, that there are many ‘superstars’ that had self-esteem issues. Let’s look at a few of them.

David Bowie…

David Bowie was renowned for having a low opinion of himself.  In fact, in a 1997 interview with Q Magazine, he said…

 

“I had enormous self-image problems and very low self-esteem, which I hid behind obsessive writing and performing… I was driven to get through life very quickly… I really felt so utterly inadequate.”

 

Emma Watson…

Emma Watson has suffered from low self-esteem for years.

She’s actually admitted in a number of interviews that it felt very uncomfortable for her, when friends and fans would take pictures of her. Sometimes even resulting in arguments.

She’s also said that seeing herself on the front cover of magazines was actually very difficult, because the beautiful person in the pictures wasn’t the person she felt she was in reality.

 

Lady GaGa…

This was a person that I never expected to suffer from self-esteem issues, but I was wrong.

Her low self-esteem issues led to things like self-harming. And she has since become a beacon for mental health matters.

That’s only three people in a very long list.

So, if they can live their dreams, why can’t you?

Ways to beat your self-esteem gremlins

If we look at the three people above, they each found a way to take the attention away from themselves and put it on a separate object.

David Bowie for example, had at least five different personas during his musical career;

Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, the Thin White Duke and finally, the Blind Prophet.

Each of these characters allowed him to wear a costume that removed his own persona from the equation.

That allowed him to act like someone different to himself. Someone who was worthy of adulation.

Lady GaGa, as you probably know, wore big outrageous outfits. Again, hiding the person beneath.

Emma Watson had the overwhelmingly confident disguise of Hermione Granger to hide her doubts. She always felt like an imposter though.

 

It can be good news for you

What this means for you, is if you can just find a way to ‘protect’ yourself, you too can be successful with low self-esteem.

Here’s a few ideas to try;

• Volunteer: Offer your time to a worthy cause. By volunteering, there are no standards of personal achievement to meet. You’ll have nothing to prove to anyone and you’ll be doing good things for someone less fortunate than yourself. Also, a perfect opportunity to build up some successful moments to help you realise you are worthy.
• Set yourself some small goals: Pushing toward small goals could help things feel more manageable, and give you a greater sense of achievement when you reach them. These goals should stretch you a little bit, but still be something you believe you’re capable of, with a little effort.
• Accept compliments. If you’re anything like I was, I would always wave off compliments. An obvious response when you don’t feel worthy of them. But, the person being complimentary DOES think you’re worthy. So, accept them graciously and wallow in a job well-done. You could even save them up to look over when you’re feeling low, or doubting yourself in the future.
• Celebrate any successes. It doesn’t matter how small they seem, take the time to praise yourself when for example, you get outside for a walk, or tidy your kitchen, etc.
• Stop comparing yourself to others. In reality, you should only be self-comparing. Look at the person you were yesterday, and be determined to do better today. No one can do a better job of being you. It’s something that no one can ever beat you at.

So that’s five things you can do, to be successful with low self-esteem. You can also find some more ideas HERE, or HERE.

Give some of them a try. What have you got to lose?