Self esteem.
Those two words, 10 little letters, make such a difference in humans' lives. It's astonishing, really. I just read an article on the web (maybe that was my first mistake) that stated "self esteem is your key to happiness and success." And another article, written to explain the words' definition to children, says, "It's how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It's how you see yourself and how you feel about your achievements. Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect—because nobody is—but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted."
Now imagine you're one of those people in cartoons who has an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other. If you have high self esteem, the devil's sitting in a corner with a dunce cap on and the angel's halo shines brightly as she, all chipper and chummy, whispers constantly in your ear that you're thin and beautiful and terrific. If you have low self esteem, the devil has ripped the halo off that goody-two-shoes, kicked her butt to the side, and started reminding you that you're a dumb, fat slob with no motivation.
And if you have NO self esteem, the angel with cement shoes has joined the fishes and the devil has crawled through your ear and nestled himself inside your head to chant the words—dumb, ugly, fat, worthless, talentless, pathetic, freakish...
How does this happen? Years of depression, rejection, loneliness, disappointment, striving for perfection—it all adds up. So how does a person get rid of the voice of ridicule, or at least tape its mouth shut so that the voice of reason can pipe up and be heard? We all made fun of him, but maybe Saturday Night Live's Stuart Smalley, with his Daily Affirmations, had the right idea. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. Maybe if one says it enough, one might someday believe it.
Until then, for only $20, you can join the National Association for Self Esteem (click on this post's title for the web site). Yes. I'm serious. Such a thing exists. By becoming a member of NASE, you will be entitled to a membership card and placement on a mailing list to be informed regarding upcoming NASE sponsored events, programs and products, as well as appearances by prominent self-esteem authorities in your area. The membership also accords you a discount of 10% on all NASE sponsored events and products. Plus you'll get a subscription to the Self-Esteem Today newsletter, published bimonthly. Self-Esteem Today is the leading periodical in the country devoted to the dissemination of self-esteem concepts, articles and events.
The angel would say, "What a terrific idea. It's just the boost you need to reinforce the truth: that you're a confident, smart, fun person."
The devil would say, "You sucker. Go ahead, waste your money and join this group of fellow losers who don't have anything better to do than fall for a stupid ploy like this. Idiot."
Who's on your shoulder today?
*****
Those two words, 10 little letters, make such a difference in humans' lives. It's astonishing, really. I just read an article on the web (maybe that was my first mistake) that stated "self esteem is your key to happiness and success." And another article, written to explain the words' definition to children, says, "It's how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It's how you see yourself and how you feel about your achievements. Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect—because nobody is—but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted."
Now imagine you're one of those people in cartoons who has an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other. If you have high self esteem, the devil's sitting in a corner with a dunce cap on and the angel's halo shines brightly as she, all chipper and chummy, whispers constantly in your ear that you're thin and beautiful and terrific. If you have low self esteem, the devil has ripped the halo off that goody-two-shoes, kicked her butt to the side, and started reminding you that you're a dumb, fat slob with no motivation.
And if you have NO self esteem, the angel with cement shoes has joined the fishes and the devil has crawled through your ear and nestled himself inside your head to chant the words—dumb, ugly, fat, worthless, talentless, pathetic, freakish...
How does this happen? Years of depression, rejection, loneliness, disappointment, striving for perfection—it all adds up. So how does a person get rid of the voice of ridicule, or at least tape its mouth shut so that the voice of reason can pipe up and be heard? We all made fun of him, but maybe Saturday Night Live's Stuart Smalley, with his Daily Affirmations, had the right idea. I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me. Maybe if one says it enough, one might someday believe it.
Until then, for only $20, you can join the National Association for Self Esteem (click on this post's title for the web site). Yes. I'm serious. Such a thing exists. By becoming a member of NASE, you will be entitled to a membership card and placement on a mailing list to be informed regarding upcoming NASE sponsored events, programs and products, as well as appearances by prominent self-esteem authorities in your area. The membership also accords you a discount of 10% on all NASE sponsored events and products. Plus you'll get a subscription to the Self-Esteem Today newsletter, published bimonthly. Self-Esteem Today is the leading periodical in the country devoted to the dissemination of self-esteem concepts, articles and events.
The angel would say, "What a terrific idea. It's just the boost you need to reinforce the truth: that you're a confident, smart, fun person."
The devil would say, "You sucker. Go ahead, waste your money and join this group of fellow losers who don't have anything better to do than fall for a stupid ploy like this. Idiot."
Who's on your shoulder today?
*****
Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have.
— author Doris Mortman
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