Yesterday I wrote about situations in which you are suddenly very angry. Some people however have the serious problem that they are constantly in some way angry with themselves or not happy with themselves. It is of course a lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. You always feel that you are not good enough, you could be doing something better, that others are doing things better than you.
Another problem is pitying yourself which is in some way connected to the low self-esteem and many people just love doing this. They think they are not good enough in doing one thing and instead of even trying they sit there and tell ten people how poor they are that they are not able to do it. And sentences like ‘I will never be able to do this’ or ‘For me this will not work anyway’ are just very destructive to any kind of drive or impulse that you might have inside.
Then sometimes an idea comes up like ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could run faster!’ and the next thought is ‘I will never be able to run as fast as him!’ and all wish to start running is gone. Instead you sit down, switch on the TV and switch off your mind. Afterwards you are again angry and unhappy with yourself because you didn’t do it.
Don’t let this happen! When you think you would like to be able to do something, then start learning it. Start in a small way like with 15 minutes a day just running in your neighbourhood. If you don’t want to run in your neighbourhood, take your bicycle or car and drive out a little bit, find a park or any area where you really feel good and comfortable and just start. Do it daily and after some days of routine increase the time.
If you would like to learn something, start! Each day half an hour and then a bit more and a bit more. You will see how much difference this makes, not only in learning that what you are trying to learn but also for your self-esteem. You will feel good because you did something. Don’t keep your goals too high, do daily a bit and just enjoy doing it.
Enjoy the feeling of working on something and improving yourself. Just imagine doing this each day instead of half an hour of your daily TV program. You usually don’t get anything from TV if you are not by chance watching something informative but you get a lot of half an hour workout, practice or learning each day.
Today is our dear friend Joanna’s birthday. She lives in New York but has spent time at the Ashram last year and is going to come back this year, too, as the children and the love in the Ashram family have touched her heart. We all send her the best birthday greetings! She sponsored the food for the children today so the children could celebrate with her on this special day. The 26th January is also India’s Republic Day and this is how these two events will stay together in our minds now and be the reason to celebrate on this day!
Click here to see pictures of today’s lunch
Related posts
Don’t make yourself smaller than you are – and accept an honest Compliment! – 26 Nov 15
Right or wrong – Perception or Fact – 5 Nov 14
Maintain your Self-Esteem, even if it is difficult! – 4 Sep 14
A 5-Step-Plan to boost your Self-Esteem – 29 Aug 13
Value your Time, Effort and yourself – don’t let others take Advantage of you! – 23 May 12
Are you different than those around you? Don’t hesitate to show it! – 16 May 12
Silent Feedback – You agree but don’t have the Courage to admit it! – 14 May 12
What if your Life is not how you thought it would be? – 20 Mar 12
. . .to often we listen to the negative voices in our head, which is constantly babbling noise– To combat such negativity simply say: I am in your care God/dess– and I love say your full name!
very very true, seen on myself:)
It can be hard to change your mind about your low self-esteem when you’ve been thinking these negative thoughts for so long. We start to really believe them and identify with them. But realizing how much you limit yourself is the first step to changing it– realize that you can control those negative thoughts and stop them. Rather than saying “I can’t” say “I’ll try.” And little by little, as you stop the negative thoughts, you can start your journey onto what you want to achieve. It’s good to start small so you don’t get discouraged. Never hold yourself back from something you want.
Sometimes I feel that I can’t do things because something in my mind is making it a bigger challenge than it is, or I feel that something is my fault even when there is nothing I could have done differently. It can be very hard to change your mind. Many psychiatrists and researchers show that self-esteem is established in children by the time they are 5 years old so problems in later life really do need to be unlearned. Start with small challenges and gradually increase the challenges to make yourself feel better from within.