Self Esteem - Building self esteem and self confidence...

Research shows that positive thinking and self-confidence is increased by getting involved with engrossing activities. The same is true with regard to relationships. If you want to feel better about yourself, choose to be with engaging people.

Consider scheduling good things for yourself with the same priority, dedication, and precision that you schedule work commitments and medical and dental appointments for your children.

Quality Activities

Knowing what enthralls, captivates, and fascinates you is critical to having positive thoughts. Once again, I repeat: if you don't know what you like, then begin to find out now. Look, explore, and try out all kinds of things until you find something that touches your soul. The more you get into an activity, the more likely it will become absorbing.

The range and variety of absorbing personal, social, and recreational activities in which you might engage is infinite. What you do makes not a whit of difference. The only requirement is that you love it. Think about the times when you were doing something and lost track of time. What was it? How did you feel?

Quality People

Just as engrossing activities can have wonderful positive effects on you, so can wonderful people. Think about who applauds your positive thoughts, feelings, and actions. Who encourages you to become more of yourself? Who supports you to seek quality? Who appreciates and praises all the little and big things you do? Who says things and acts in ways that uplift and empower you? Who notices the positive and helps you to see it as well? Who cares about and loves you just the way you are?

Here is a little story that demonstrates how much people around you can affect how you think and feel:

One Monday morning, after having been away for a few days skiing, my associate Jim called our office manager, Dianne Schultz, to check his schedule before he left for the office. He told Dianne how hard it was for him to get back into the work groove. As he put it, "I was really whining and moaning!" Before he could utter another word, Dianne said, "Jim, isn't that wonderful!

If you feel that way, it means that you must have had a great time when you were away. That's awesome! You're just going to have to go skiing more often." Jim said that Dianne's positive take on his situation literally took away his negative breath. He immediately felt buoyed by her words and told her so.