Low self esteem will considerably affect the quality of your life. It will make you take fewer risks, thus limiting your opportunities, both personally and professionally. So how does one boost his/her self esteem? Here are certain tips.

Stop comparing yourself to other people.

Each one of us is unique in a certain way. We have our own strengths and weaknesses. So don’t compare yourself to other people.

Don’t keep putting yourself down!

You can’t develop high self esteem if you constantly repeat negative comments about your skills and abilities. Also don’t beat yourself up over ‘mistakes’ that you’ve made – learn how to reframe them so that they work for you.

Use affirmations

Get into the habit of continually thinking (and saying to yourself) positive statements about you. Also use inspirational quotes to assist you.

Accept all compliments graciously.

Don’t dismiss or ignore them. When you do, you give yourself the message that you do not deserve or are not worthy of praise, which reflects low self esteem. It also means that others will become more reluctant to praise or acknowledge your abilities, if you don’t.

Interact with positive and supportive people.

Who you associate with influences your thoughts, actions and behaviour. Negative people can put you and your ideas down and it lowers your self esteem. On the other hand, when you are surrounded by positive people, you feel better about yourself, which helps you in improving self esteem.

Stop putting up with stuff!

Not voicing or acknowledging your needs and concerns means that you are probably tolerating more than you should. Find out what you’re putting up with and zap those tolerations. By doing so, you’re giving yourself the message that you’re worth it.

Make positive contributions to others.

When you make a positive contribution to others, you will begin to feel more valuable, which increases your sense of your own value and raises your self esteem.