• Self esteem does not mean seeing yourself as the greatest person in the world.
• It's not the same as being conceited.
• Healthy self esteem means liking yourself, for the most part, as you are.
• You can have OK self esteem and still have occasional bouts of self doubt.
• How you feel about yourself depends on who you compare yourself with.
• Healthy self esteem means thinking as highly of yourself as you think of your peers.
• Excessive self esteem = being over confident or complacent.
• OK self esteem is compatible with humility.
• Humility is not the same as self-effacement.
• The right balance should place you mid-way between grandiosity and self-effacement.
• To build and maintain healthy self esteem:
  • Forgive yourself for your mistakes.
  • Celebrate your strengths and achievements.
  • We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses.
  • Set achievable targets and get regular feedback.
  • Change the way you talk to yourself - stop putting yourself down.
  • Be sure that you are not judging yourself against unreasonable standards.
  • Beating yourself for your weaknesses is self-defeating

To help you improve your self esteem, read some of these other pages: