March 25, 2020 –
I discovered you would never build a strong positive relationship with a person until you have a strong positive, accepting relationship with yourself. Self-esteem is important.
How do we develop a strong, positive, accepting relationship with ourselves that enables us to have strong positive relationships with others? Here are four practical guidelines to follow in developing a better self-image.
Accept yourself. Accepting yourself begins with the thought you are unique, unlike any other person. Like fingerprints or snowflakes, no two people are exactly alike—you do not have an “identical” twin. You are unique.
Often we prioritize or judge people, including ourselves, according to a counterfeit status code. The guidelines may be wealth, power, education, physical appearance, nationality, occupation, or other outward class signs. Accept yourself.
Appreciate yourself. A person appreciates themselves in direct proportion to their self-esteem. So, self-esteem is how much you value yourself. It is my experience that others will value you no higher than you value yourself. You see, in others, what you see in yourself. If you like yourself, you will like others. If you dislike yourself, you will have a dislike for others.
Have an awareness of your potential. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do—know your potential and then work to develop your strengths.
Acknowledge success. Everyone has experienced success in some form, some people more than others. Often, because of a lack of self-esteem, people will downplay their achievements or credit them to luck.
Genuine relationships depend on accepting and appreciating the awareness of our potential. We have relationships with others in direct proportion to the relationship we have with ourselves.
Accept yourself for who you are. Be comfortable with yourself, but never complacent. Everyone has room for growth. Relationships are not static things; they are growing and need cultivation, or; they are stagnant and lead to decay.