While the stereotypical image of masculinity is one of confidence, leadership, and dominance, a huge number of men are battling with low self-esteem. Whether the struggle is temporary or persistent, low self-esteem can affect men of any age and in any area of their life. It’s natural to have a degree of self-doubt, but when this seeps into your life and affects your ability to reach your full potential, it’s time to take action. Of course, there is no quick fix for low self-esteem as everyone is unique, but here are 10 general steps to higher self-esteem and greater confidence for modern men to get you started.
1. Believe in your capacity to make decisions
Do you have confidence in your decision-making abilities? If you are always second-guessing your choices or presuming that others know better, you will struggle to make decisions that are best for your future.
2. Silence negative thoughts
We’ve all had negative comments made to us or about us and experiences we would rather forget, but that does not mean that we should let them dictate our lives today. When you catch yourself dwelling on a negative experience or thought from the past, pull yourself back to the present.
3. Accept your flaws and past mistakes
Do you know anyone who has never made a mistake? If you believe you do, then it’s only because they haven’t told you about it. We are born with DNA, but it’s our experiences, actions, and mistakes that make us who we are. Each one makes an imprint on us from which we can learn and grow.
4. Celebrate your assets
Most people are pre-programmed to focus on negative aspects of themselves and the key to confidence is to subvert this pattern. Take an inventory of your assets, including both the intellectual, physical and personal in your review. List all of your assets in writing and look at the list on a regular basis. Over time this will seep into your psyche and it will be harder and harder to ignore what you should be proud of.
5. Learn to love your imperfections
Despite what filtered social media would have you believe, there are no perfect people in the world. Everybody has something that they would change about their personality and/or appearance or imperfections which prey on their confidence. The key is to ask yourself if those so-called imperfections are worth holding yourself back?
6. Take care of yourself
Men with higher self-esteem will prioritize self-care. This includes looking after your physical health with diet, exercise and rest, as well as improving your emotional wellbeing with stress management techniques. If you find that you really can’t get past a physical hang-up, it may be worth taking steps to improve an aspect of your appearance such as buying better fitting clothing or even contacting a hair transplant Turkey company if you are concerned about hair loss. Learn to love what you can’t change, but when possible change what you can’t stand.
7. Be thankful
Being mindful of the positive aspects of our lives can have a significant impact on our overall wellbeing. When we are focused on what we are thankful for in life, we are less likely to become preoccupied with the negative and can appreciate more of what is good in life.
8. Be kinder to yourself
If you struggle to look at yourself in the mirror and say something positive about what you see, you are letting negativity rule your mindset. This can be referred to as a negative tape playing or a template which we default to out of habit. If you can learn to look yourself in the eye and pay yourself a compliment, you can begin to change your tape for a more positive one.
9. Realize you will always be changing
Many people strive for perfection as if it’s a state of accomplishment. The truth is that we are all continuously changing throughout our lives and what we like or dislike about ourselves now will not be there forever. Taking steps to improve oneself mentally, emotionally or physically for tomorrow is all we can do and simply making the effort is enough to raise our self-esteem.
10. Believe that you deserve to be happy
If you do not believe that you are worthy of love, romance, professional success or any other measure of happiness, you will never reach a state of contentment. Every person deserves to be recognized and accepted for all that makes them unique, but you need to accept yourself first. You are worthy of and absolutely deserve happiness.