Essential Building Block of Self Esteem and Self Worth

To increase self-esteem and self-worth requires evidencing an enhanced level of capability and effectiveness within oneself. Each of us needs to feel that burst of satisfaction and pride in achieving a goal or a task we have set ourselves. It feeds all our psychological sensors, but there is even more to it than that.

For some the thought of competing with other people at anything is an anathema. They shrink, sometimes even visibly, at the suggestion. They dare not test their ability against others. So severe can be their fear that they adopt a stance of "No Ability At All." They hide behind the façade of No Ability At All so that they can claim disqualification from competing!

But what does this do to their internal rating of self-worth and self-esteem? First time they use this ploy, it seems like shyness and acceptable humility, yet it is ringing alarm bells around their internal rating and assessment of themselves. And each time they do it after that - and worse, the more often they do it - the less and less they rate themselves. They come to believe their own cognitive propaganda and opt out completely.

And it can be a progressive condition in some unless arrested cognitively. Sufferers can soon become frightened to inter-mingle in situations where one could have to compete. It can then stretch into not even wanting to go out at all.

Others may adopt more cunning mental strategies in self defense. They pretend it is immature or impolite to compete. It is framed as an unnecessary and rather distasteful trait in humankind in the Twenty First Century!

Yet it is very necessary! I would say it is a key component in an individual's cognitive armory. Being able to rate ourselves as comparatively useful and able to contribute to our community is fundamental, not only for the well-being of that community but most particularly for ourselves.

It opens our eyes to how we too can stretch ourselves for the common good.

Yes! This could be described as a diversionary path via humility to achieve greater self-worth and self esteem! But it is far better than taking no path at all. It can often seem to some easier to stretch ourselves for the good of other people rather than ourselves. As long as the strategy is recognized internally by us, that is fine because it does at least provide the cognitive platform to begin competing and improving for ones own sake

Achievement means success. Success brings justifiable pride and happiness. Most important, it means that when we contemplate what it has done for our sense of self-esteem and self-worth, we will be much more inclined to set the bar a bit higher in our next challenge.