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“To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.” -Sven Goran Eriksson

I think self-esteem and self-confidence get a bad rap sometimes. It’s almost gotten to the point where we’re so worried about being confident to the point of cockiness that we tend towards the opposite. We’re so beaten down in this society with the economy being tough making it hard to find a job, with the images we compare ourselves to, and with the crazy standards we set ourselves to that we get from tv and movies. Is it bad to be confident? What’s the deal with self-esteem?

Let me give you my FAVORITE definition of self esteem:

Nathaniel Branden, PhD: “Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is confidence in the efficacy of our mind, in our ability to think. By extension, it is confidence in our ability to learn, make appropriate choices and decisions, and respond effectively to change. It is also the experience that success, achievement, fulfillment—happiness—are right and natural for us. The survival-value of such confidence is obvious; so is the danger when it is missing.”

I mean… don’t you love that??!! It’s dangerous when our self-confidence is missing! SO TRUE!

“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.” -Robert Collier

Having a positive self-esteem boosts your confidence. There’s nothing wrong with being confident…. Read that one more time- There’s nothing wrong with being confident!

So a little homework until next time… I want you think about living your life as Confident but Humble. Shoulders back, head lifted, but looking people in the eyes and SMILING at them. You know you’re awesome, but you also know the person you’re looking at is awesome too. Look in the mirror and practice your confident look. If you’re having problems doing that, I want you think of at least one thing that you know is super awesome about you. If you can’t think of anything, ask your friends or family. Then focus on that thing that makes you special. Say it out loud. What is your favorite thing about YOU? Feel free to share!