Your biggest limitations are often the ones you place on yourself. And your expectations have a huge impact on what you get in life. Talking about expectations, an important question that surfaces here is: Do all people expect great things from themselves? You might think the answer to this question is a resounding yes, but it’s a “No!”
You will be surprised to know how many people don’t even consider themselves good enough, let alone have expectations. These are the people who lag behind in all fields because of a lack of confidence.
Yes, your opinion about yourself determines your level of confidence and how successful you eventually become in life. By looking down upon yourself, you will only lower your confidence. Note that developing confidence is not as tough as you may have thought. It only requires that you hold strong positive beliefs.
A lot of people have negative perceptions about themselves, which aren’t always consistent with reality. If you view yourself as old, inexperienced, boring, or uninformed, chances are you will stop expecting great things from yourself. You can only expect positive things from yourself by painting a better image of yourself in your mind. Picture yourself as unique, creative, passionate, valuable, and someone who is capable of doing anything.
Inculcate the habit of thinking highly of yourself. By doing so, you will see that your life has begun to demonstrate those thoughts.
Having great expectations of yourself will encourage you to move forward. The choice is in your hands: whether you live a life of misery propelled by self-doubt or choose to be inspired, motivated, and encouraged by the positive things that you expect from yourself.
There will be many challenges in your quest to live a happy, fulfilled life. Do not add negative expectations to these challenges.
Expect the best from yourself every day and in every situation. You will live life more confidently if you allow your expectations to guide you.
What are the tell-tale signs of low self-esteem?
Low self-esteem can lead to poor health and affects professional and personal relationships. It could result from a lot of factors such as genes, your life experiences, and any other circumstances. But the question is how to figure out if you have low self-esteem. Some of the most common signs of low self-esteem include a high level of sensitivity to criticism, social withdrawals, aggressiveness or hostility as a defence mechanism, and excessive preoccupation with trivial problems.
To address this issue, you just need to change your outlook. Here is what you can do—
- Identify what’s troubling you. What is it that deflates your self-esteem? Is it a person, a situation, or a thought? Whatever it is, find it out.
- Become aware of your thoughts. Once you have identified the troubling element, examine the thoughts that it triggers. If you just pay attention and notice what you are thinking, you will be able to figure out if your reactions are appropriate or not.
- Challenge the thoughts if they are negative or inaccurate.
- Now, focus on adjusting your mindset. You can change your thought patterns by simply retraining your brain. Fill your mind with positivity, look at the brighter side of situations, and don’t be afraid of upsetting thoughts. You will experience a great boost in your thoughts.