Self Esteem, Goals, and Positive Self Talk, Oh MY!

Here are some of the the things I like to incorporate in my daily life, to keep me motivated and staying positive:

1. Start a List of Achievements

Write down three things that you do every day. Yes, three things they could be big or small, the point is to appreciate everything that you do. You can keep these notes in your phone or write them down in your journal. This helps with your self -esteem and appreciating every day. For example:

1. Made My bed

2. Read a chapter in my new book

3. Nailed a dance routine

Some days of course may seem more exciting than others, but the purpose is to appreciate yourself every day.

2. Mute the Noise

Sometimes we can get distracted from our goals and that is ok as long as we can get back on track. I like to call the distractions “Noise”. Noise can be anything from doubting oneself or listening to someone who may not have anything positive to say. When you feel overwhelmed from the “Noise” step back and look at the whole picture. Why are you doubting yourself? Should you really be taking this persons advice? And remember you can always mute the “Noise”. The trick is to distinguish “Noise” from helpful advice.

3. Positive Self- Talk

Sometimes we can be our toughest critics. With social media and the digital World, we can be harder on ourselves to look, act, dress, or feel a certain way. We can start to feel self-conscious about everyone else’s thoughts or think "why everyone is strangely looking at me?" or "nobody likes me" - although, in reality, this is not the case. Such thoughts can mess with our self-esteem and how we feel about ourselves. I use positive self talk as a way to deal with such thoughts.

This is what I do whenever I get a negative thought:

· When I recognize the negative thought I “Stop it” in its tracks.

• I turn the negative thought into a positive, for example:

  • Negative Thought- “Oh my god it’s raining I am going to have a bad hair day and people are going to make fun of me.”

  • Positive Thought- “Oh wow it’s raining I get to wear my cool rain boots that match my hat.”

• I replace my negative thoughts by positive ones – “I have friends and family who love me”, "I scored a goal last week, and the whole team admired me." You can either write these thoughts down or record them for future and whenever you get any negative thoughts remember to listen to your recording. This will help you strengthen your positive thoughts and become optimistic in life.

Final Words

We all go through such a phase in our life and by overcoming our small difficulties and trying little by little, we can accumulate courage to face bigger things in our lives. Every problem that we face with a brave heart will add confidence and will help us grow as a person. I hope that my personal experience has helped you the way it has helped me. Feel free to share your experience in comments below. Together we can help each other grow!