Building Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence towards Self-

Actualization

“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You're on your own.And you know what you

know.You are the guy who'll

decide where to go.~Dr. Seuss

1. Self-esteem (how you see yourself)

• Is the evaluation of one’s success in meeting set goals.

• The gap between how you see yourself now and your ideal self.

• A strong and deeply-felt belief that you as a person have value in the world.

2. Self Confidence (belief one’s capabilities)

• Relates to self assuredness in one’s personal judgment, ability, power, etc.

• Is being certain and trusting about yourself in regard to addressing certain tasks or all tasks.

3. Self-Actualization (desire to become who I

was made to be)• It refers to the desire for

self-fulfillment.• Tendency for the person to

become actualized in what he/she IS potentially.

• Desire to become more and more what one IS, to become everything that one is capable of becoming

• What a man can be, he should be.

4. Self-concept (who I am)

• Whereas self concept answers the question “Who am I?”,

Self esteem answers the question “How do I feel about who I am?”

• Self- Esteem is related to self concept. A well defined self-concept leads to self-esteem.

Why a high self-esteem?• Persons with high self-

esteem like and accept themselves.

• Persons with high self-esteem do not feel that they are perfect or better than other people, rather, they are aware of their limitations and work toward correcting them.

• Adolescents with high self-esteem respond constructively to stress in their lives.

• Self-esteem is important to adolescent

motivation toward success.

One of the indicators of good self-esteem of a person is the

feeling of self-actualization,

understood as the effect of satisfying the highest need in

the hierarchy of human needs

In the same way, a healthy self-esteem can force/propel a person to

achieve his/her full potential.

How to Build Self-Esteem1. Think Positively

• A positive attitude can open your mind to learning experiences and inspire you to action.

• One way to create positive attitude is through positive self-talk.• Stop negative talk in tracks • Pay yourself a compliment”.• Replace words of

obligations with words of personal intent – I should I choose toI’ll try I will

How to Build Self-Esteem

2. Take Action• Thinking positively may set the tone

for success, it cannot however get you there by itself.

• Without action, positive thoughts become empty statements or even lies.

3. Make action plans and follow through•When you have a

plan, just do it.4. Acknowledge every step

•Even the smallest action is worth your attention because every action reinforces a positive thought and builds self-esteem.

• The process of building and maintaining self-esteem involves many successes and disappointments.

• Only by having a true sense of self-esteem can you achieve your dreams.

• You are in control of your self-esteem because you alone are ultimately responsible for your thoughts and actions.

Believing in yourself helps you make good choices. When your self-esteem

is strong, you are more likely to choose actions that you can be proud

of.

References:• Carter, (2001). How Can You Get Motivated.• Chickering, A.W., Schlossberg, N.K.(1995). Getting

the Most out of College.• Dacey, J. (2000). Adolescent Psychology.• Sanhock. (2005). Build Self-Esteem and

Confidence.• Steltlenpohl. (2004). Education and Personal

Development.