Improve Self Esteem - Start with Self Talk

To improve your self esteem, the first thing you want to do is pay attention to self talk. You know what I mean, that little voice in your head that keeps up a running commentary on every little thing you do.

And if you have low self esteem and want to improve it, then that voice is most likely saying negative things to you, not positive ones. It's telling you you can't do something. You aren't good looking enough, smart enough, rich enough. In short, if you have low self esteem, you feel inferior to other people in some way--or maybe even in many ways.

Fortunately, that voice in your head isn't right. You have everything you need to be a confident and fulfilled person. You have to tell yourself that, though. It's one of the strange laws of the universe that you get what you tell yourself you'll get! And this is one of the hardest things for people with low self esteem to believe.

But it's true. This is because what you tell yourself determines how you act toward others and how they, in turn, will react to you. If you tell yourself you're confident, you'll act in a way that inspires trust in other people. If you tell yourself you're uncertain and lack confidence, you'll act in such a way that won't instill a sense of trust in other people.

To break this vicious cycle, you have to listen closely to what that voice in your head is telling you. Then you have to talk back with positive self talk. This is the first and most important step in self esteem improvement.

For help in learning what positive self talk is and how to change it, look to self improvement books, self improvement tapes and CDs, self improvement seminars, and self improvement groups. You can find a multitude of these online and in your local bookstores.

If you've tried some of these without results, you may want to seek guidance from a professional counselor or therapist who is an expert in self esteem improvement. If you're already seeing a counselor, then adding self improvement books, tapes, videos, etc., will only help. And don't waste another second. You can have the improved self esteem you want, so get started today!