Developing a strong sense of self-worth allows us to act in ways that fit with who we really are rather than feeling we have to live up to unrealistic levels of perfection to be ‘acceptable’. When we feel good about ourselves, we become more willing to step out of our comfort zone and embrace unfamiliar experiences without being held back by fear of getting it wrong or looking stupid. This in turn builds our sense of competence, capability and self-worth even further. Believing we have the ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move forward again if we fall, we invest less in the outcome being exactly as we envisage it and get on with doing it instead.
When we don’t ‘have to’ do something, we give ourselves greater permission to do it and to enjoy it, and therefore we increase our chances of being successful in what we do. We are more likely to make wise and healthy choices for ourselves when we know we are worth doing our best and that doing our best is good enough. Extreme and inflexible expectations just set us up for feeling like a failure when we don’t measure up to standards that are unreasonable and unrealistic.
Happiness is more likely when we have high self-esteem. Having the courage to build a life based on what really matters to us, being comfortable being who we are, and appreciating what we have leads to greater satisfaction and contentment. Easing up on ourselves makes us more relaxed and more able to move forward and achieve what we aspire to. It is strange, but true: the less we ‘try’ the more we can achieve. Self acceptance boosts our self-esteem and courage to be all we can be and results in greater enjoyment of life.
