When you look in the mirror, how do you feel about yourself?

Do you love what you see?

Self-esteem, or how you feel about yourself, has a serious impact on your life. It affects the decisions you make, your relationships, and your emotional health. It’s also important for motivation. People with healthy self-esteem have a strong sense of their potential and may be inspired to take on new challenges. Self-esteem is therefore an incredibly important aspect of your overall well-being.

We know that we cycle through challenges that impact how we feel about ourselves. I remember a few years ago when building another ‘tech’ business, I occasionally had feelings of self-doubt. The craved for confirmation that what I was doing was the right thing. Although this article is about how you can improve your own self-esteem, there is a gift here that we can also give to others. The big G word, gratitude. Be aware of what is happening around you, and remove the shyness from acknowledging others. That gift (or lollipop) will go a long way. Check out this Ted talk from Drew Dudley.

Self-Esteem Builder Tip 1 – Reframe negative thoughts to positive thinking.

Go back to that mirror. What are you saying to yourself? Are you telling yourself what an amazing person you are, or are you nit-picking and complaining about everything you see?

This is your problem. To build self-esteem, you need to say goodbye to negative thoughts. Most people find it helpful to develop positive affirmations and use them to block negative thoughts.

For example, every time you think about how you don’t like your body weight, remind yourself that you are perfect just the way you are and don’t need to change yourself for anyone. If you don’t like your hair, remind yourself that there is more to life than hair, and it will grow out anyways.

Self-Esteem Builder Tip 2 – Focus on looking after yourself.

The buzzword here is self-care. It is time to give yourself a bit of me-time. Time to do something exclusively for you

You will feel terrible about yourself if you don’t take the proper time necessary to care for yourself. This is why you can work to build your self-esteem by taking some time for self-care. Take a day off from work, head to the spa, maybe even unplug from your phone—whatever it takes to help you get the care you need.

Remember that self-care goes far beyond just taking a day off here and there. Rather it means you work each day to take care of your body with healthy food, exercise, and get the amount of sleep you need. Perhaps check out My Fitness Pal Blog for some inspiration and ideas.

Self-Esteem Builder Tip 3 – Work on your weaknesses – celebrate your strengths

Everyone has weaknesses, and one of the best boosters for self-esteem is picking one of your weaknesses and improving it. Such as, if you are bad at accepting compliments or tend to overschedule yourself, start by accepting compliments graciously and not taking on so many projects.

Improving your weaknesses will help you feel better about yourself, and be proud of what you accomplished, which is great for building your self-esteem. When something that used to be your weakness becomes your strength, this is a great feeling that will help propel you towards a successful future in whatever you do.

No matter what you think of yourself, it is highly likely that you could use a self-esteem boost.

Start by trying these 3 tips, and you may just be surprised at how much and how quickly you can improve your self-esteem to go on to create something amazing!