Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with SELF-ESTEEM!

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."

~ Author Unknown

Whether you read my blog entry as a parent, as a friend, as a spouse, as a manager, as an employee, or simply as a leader, you will note that the message applies to everyone. 

Self-esteem is important, for all of us and there is no exception!

The most important thing you can do for the people around you is to build them up, not put them down. Catch people doing something right, tell them how good they are, how smart they are, how much you appreciate them, and help them to improve. Help them to explore their creativity. Give sincere compliments. Tell them why they are important to you and how they impact and enrich your life.

Who would not want to hear that? However, the key is to be sincere and authentic. If you are not able to speak from your heart, it's better to say nothing. 

I have to thank my mother for my great sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Growing up she always told me how beautiful I am, how smart I am and that I will succeed in whatever I choose to accomplish. 

It is really amazing but when you hear something over and over again, you start believing it and eventually it becomes reality. 

In my case I can honestly say that I feel good about myself. I can not even tell you how much I can relate to the picture of the cat and the lion. Since moving to Canada I haven't been in my comfort zone for a single minute and in my mind I can only create my successes with the mindset of the lion. I know that there are people who are more beautiful or smarter but I also know that I am beautiful and smart. 

Without having self-esteem I would never have had the courage to start my own business, to speak in front of large audiences as a second language speaker, or most recently even to think about becoming an author.

Words can be used in very different ways, they can uplift and encourage you, or they can destroy and discourage you. 

Have you have considered that uplifting and sincere comments are the greatest gift you can give to anyone?

Most of our beliefs are established in our childhood because our parents are our role models and we think that whatever they tell us must be true. Right? 

The question is, did we hear more positive or negative comments as we started to build our belief system? Without a doubt, most parents want the best for their children but many times they don't consider the impact of their words.

Unfortunately, most of the time we don't realize what effect our words can have on someone when we tell him or her things like "you are stupid", "you will never get it", "you don't make this good enough", "you are too slow", "you are not talented enough".... That's when a person starts to settle for less because they stop believing in themselves. They give up on their wishes, hopes and dreams.

When I worked in the corporate world in Canada I noticed many times how protective people are about their knowledge. Very few people are willing to share what they know. Once I even witnessed once a heated argument between two seemingly professional women, when one freaked out because the other  picked up her phone while she was away from her desk. Unfortunately, these are all signs of insecurity and we all have to deal with our insecurities on a daily basis. 

However, it does not have to be like that. We have a choice and we can choose to increase our awareness. 

Having knowledge is good but sharing knowledge is better. When you share what you know, you will enjoy a great sense of satisfaction because you've helped someone else to become better at what they do. 

If you feel that nobody boosts your self-esteem, you can do this yourself. When you leave work at the end of the day and nobody told you that you did a good job, tell yourself. Say out loud "I did a great job today." This is very powerful. Another way to build your self esteem and change your belief system is to work with positive affirmations.

Say out lout sentences such as: "I have important knowledge to share", "I am strong, fit and healthy", "every day in every way I'm becoming a better person". Repeat them 10 - 20 times on a daily basis. Remember, your brain is like a computer and the input is your choice.

Like I said at the outset, self-esteem is important, so please give this gift to yourself and the people around you and experience the magic of bringing greater fulfillment into your life.