So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self-esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.
Imagine yourself as a dart board. Now imagine the negative people and situations around you as darts. These darts, negative people and situations can stick to you and will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you never considered. Don’t let people or situations stick to you, drag you down or damage your confidence. Below are some of the most damaging darts that can be thrown your way (and how to deal with them).
#1 : Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.
#2: Other People’s Bad Behavior
Bulldozers, brown-nosers, gossip-mongers, whiners, back-stabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, egotists, slackers: All these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement plans. Do not let them stick to you and dominate your thinking or attitude.
#3: Changing Environment
It is a very difficult to be different in a group were everyone values being the same. This can be very apparent when we move to a new town or take a new job. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes can make life difficult for awhile, It can cause stress but it can be an opportunity to help us find ways to improve ourselves. Change in life is a constant. It is best to embrace it and continue moving forward towards the life we really want.
#4: Past Experience
It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. Letting fear take control of you can ruin things and rarely help. Treat each failure, bump and bruise as a mistake, a lesson. Then, let it go and move on.
#5: Negative World View
Pay attention to what you pay attention to. If you find you are wrapping yourself up with all the negativities of the world, then your world will be full of negatives. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of the worst situation (while we focus on the better world we intent to create).
#6: Do Not Let Negative Environments Stick To You
The way you are and your behavioral traits are said to be a mix of your inherited traits (genetics); your upbringing (your mind); and your environmental surroundings ( which includes your spouse, job, the country you live in and or your circle of friends). You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes. You cannot change your genetics but you can do a lot to control your environment.
Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. You do not need anyone’s permission to build self esteem and improve your situation in life.
In life, its hard to stay strong, specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. Fortunately, though it may not seem like it, we have choices not to stay down. Life always provides options, and then more options. Getting knocked down happens to everyone. Self Esteem is about getting back up. We have the tools: A good attitude, controlling our environment and not allowing our history or fear to dominate our thinking.
Building self esteem is vital to self improvement. It starts with becoming responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Self Esteem is like a flame that can light the darkness and light a flame in others. The building blocks of self esteem are the same for everyone. Be positive, be grateful for what you do have, make good choices. Never miss an opportunity to compliment others on their success and learn from them (envy accomplishes nothing). A positive way of living creates self esteem. Self Esteem breeds confidence and success, and the spirit to appreciate what you accomplish and who you are.
Don’t let the negative people or situations stick to you. Learn from them, and move on. Why? Because you are too good to be dragged down by a few setbacks or people who do not appreciate you.
