If you’re like most people, you have trouble accepting yourself. Even those who consider themselves as having high self-esteem struggle with self-acceptance, sometimes without even being aware of the struggle. There is no reason for anyone to suffer with low self-esteem. You can discover the keys to accepting yourself unconditionally, no matter what.
What does it take to go about accepting yourself and building your self-esteem? First, you have to realize that negative self-talk—telling yourself that you are worthless, unlucky, or just plain no good—is a luxury. It’s a cop-out. Many people walk the road of negative self-talk with the unconscious understanding that it’s easier to blame yourself for a situation than to realize that bad things sometimes happen to good people. Banning negative self-talk is the first step on the path to accepting yourself. Make a pact with yourself: ban negative self-talk permanently from your internal vocabulary.
The next step to accepting yourself is to take into account the opinions of other people. Perhaps you believe that you are immune to what others think of you, and that your self-esteem is intact despite the blows to your psyche caused by the doubts of others. However, few among us are truly able to release the inferiority complex created when others put us down—and the reason is that we do not release it consciously. Self-acceptance can only happen when you face up to the defeating remarks of others, and make it a point to tell yourself that these detractors are just blowing smoke. Only you can judge your own worth. Once you realize that, you are on your way to accepting yourself fully and permanently.
Finally, on your journey to self-acceptance, you should stop every now and again to take stock of those great internal qualities you possess, and pride yourself on them. Congratulate yourself for being a good person, for always putting your best foot forward even when things go wrong, for helping out a friend in need. In this same vein, you also must learn to integrate the views of others with your new self-acceptance viewpoint. When someone thanks you or compliments you, don’t belittle yourself (it was nothing, no really, I’m not that good). Accept compliments graciously, and realize that you’ve earned them. Your self-esteem will thank you.
Now that you know how easy accepting yourself is, start putting these new ways of thinking into your daily life. Self-acceptance and self-esteem are not out of your reach. You are a worthwhile person, and the only one you need to prove it to is you!