Define Self Esteem

I define self esteem as one's beliefs about oneself; specifically, your beliefs about your competence and your worthiness. In "The Six Pillars of Self Esteem" Nathaniel Branden defines self esteem as "The disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness."

Your opinion of yourself is where the emotional buck stops.

Take your confidence, doubt, pride, guilt, anger, joy, love, hate and any other evaluation of yourself and the world around you, throw them in a blender, hit the switch and puree; what results is your self esteem.


A positive self image is your permission to succeed;

...a negative one is the blockade to your achievement. Belief in your abilities and worth produces a humble confidence that demands lofty goals and contribution. Low self esteem is a shallow, dirty puddle filled with self doubt, unworthiness, acceptance of status quo and comfort only with that which is familiar.

A person with healthy self esteem goes often for the brass ring and typically continues to reach for it until she has it firmly in her grasp. One of low self image gazes wantonly on the prize, imagining what it might be like for once to hold it in his hands but reminding himself that he is either incapable or unworthy of achieving it. In both cases the self evaluation becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy; both get exactly what they expect and both get yet another reference to reinforce their beliefs about themselves.