You Can be Great If You Really Want To » Esteem

How to Enhance Your Self Esteem And Gain Respect From Others

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:05:08 +0000

One’s success is never measured against that of others but is usually a matter of oneself and his potential. If at all you do exploit your full potential, then you are already successful in your own way, in spite of the standard that society may expect you to uphold in order to be considered successful. The real purpose of our lives is to give out the best from within ourselves, rather than to reach a certain destination.

To bring out one’s absolute best should never therefore be mistaken for being the best. As pointed out, success isn’t a matter of destination but is a life long journey. The effort put in utilizing your talents to the maximum is what is important, as compared with the by-products obtained as a result.

Therefore strive to always be yourself, be authentic and you should never seek to impress. Let your unique talents define and give you a specific feeling of purpose and appreciation. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter. Always view yourself with aplomb.

If you respect yourself you will then not harm your body or character by indulging in drugs or hanging out with bad company. You should learn to take good care of yourself and always seek to make the right choices.

The reason why you should always feel self confident is because you are special in your own right. Whenever you disrespect yourself, others tend to also disrespect you too. Try exploiting your God given gifts so as to boost your self esteem and thus be able to bring out the jewel in you.

Stephen shares his experience in self development tips that will definitely add value to your life. (Website:) Self Development Tips

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Self Esteem Boosted With Pig Encounter

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:05:06 +0000

I went for a stroll last night. I thought I was alone, but I wasn’t. As I walked down the sidewalk I heard the sound of munching. I assumed that some type of critter was enjoying an evening meal. It was dark and I wasn’t wearing my glasses, so I didn’t bother looking around. I just ambled toward the community mail box with my Visa payment in hand, ignored my surroundings, and let my brain cycle through its thoughts.

For the most part I enjoy my little musings, just like I enjoy my dreams. But every once in a while my mind gets stuck on an idea or situation that annoys me, and I have trouble shaking loose from it. I was chanting, “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” and reciting a few affirmations regarding my upcoming book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. In spite of my efforts, a few errant concepts were buzzing around like flies. I shooed them away, but they kept returning, ready to spread their filth on my cleaner intentions.

Part of the annoyance is my impatience with getting my book published. I know that messages of optimism and hope are badly needed, but book publishers have their own agenda and timeline. They say later and I say “NOW!” Normally I’m a patient individual, but I am human and I have my limits. Part of my problem is I veered a bit off course with my original intention. The sole purpose of writing the book was to help people, but somewhere along the line, my self esteem got involved in the mix. Every day that I encountered a setback, rejection, or no response at all – I’d get frustrated, angry, or worst of all – sad.

I was making a mistake that I lecture others about – looking outside oneself for validation and acceptance. In my lapse of judgment, I was feeling like a failure because publishers were not jumping up and down to publish my book. The problem is I have no control over what others think or do. If I had good news, I felt great. Bad news and I was upset. This is a very defeating way to look at things because I was handing over my happiness to the whim of others. That’s like handing the car keys over to an impaired driver and then getting upset when the car comes back with a dent.

Fortunately, I know better than to indulge in a pity party. Been there, done that, and I know how the story goes. So instead, I reviewed this excerpt from the book (written by my co-author, Jackie.)

One of the greatest lessons a person must learn is acceptance of self, or taking total responsibility for one’s own thoughts, works and actions. This means maturity and loving yourself, filling yourself up with joy. When you have done this, acceptance is no longer an issue nor is it important. You have made peace within you and the world around you. You like the person you are just as you are.

Louie Pasqual, an 18th century philosopher once said “I am concerned about Western man because he could not be alone with himself in an empty room.” In effect, this means we need to go inside ourselves and find our acceptance, peace, joy and love and learn to connect with the power within ourselves. Until we are able to do this, we will never truly be happy and whole. This is what releasing negativity is about, starting the joinery to find the joy within. The only way to do this is change the way we think and perceive the world and people around us. Accepting the only path that can be changed and improved is through your own efforts and not the opinion of others.

Back to my stroll (you thought I really wandered off topic didn’t you?) As I was walking back home, a car was driving slowly by and came to a halt. I thought they were going to ask me for directions. Instead, they asked if I saw the herd of javelina that was in the desert basin. I realized that I had walked by the beasts, but was so intent on my thoughts, that I hadn’t seen them. And it wasn’t one or two of the critters – there was a whole herd – mothers and babies, happily munching on the desert fauna.

I was so caught up in my thoughts (and many of them unhappy thoughts at that!) that I was oblivious to a wondrous sight (and maybe even a potentially dangerous one).

The bottom line is I am more than my back account, my career, my writing, my family and any number of things that I use to identify myself. There are wonderful things right in front of my face that I can choose to see, or ignore. There is a saying that we can see the moon that is thousands of miles away, but cannot see our own eyebrows without a mirror. The same is true about our inner beauty.

How ironic that it was a stranger in a car and a herd of wild pigs that helped me see the hidden treasure that was there all along.

Sally Marks is the president of Marks Public Relations and the co-author of the self-help book, Erase Negativity and Embrace the Magic Within. Check out her blog at www.erasenegativity.blogspot.com.

How to Get Better Confidence And Self Esteem – Steps That Can Help You

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 09:51:41 +0000

Here are some rules that I live by that may give you better confidence and self esteem in your life. I hope they help you too.

1 Everyday imagine a more confident you. See yourself now. How would you look, act and feel. Get into that zone. Make it real in your mind. Practice this everyday. It’s like playing a video in your mind. You will soon behave like this more confident person.

2 Don’t blame circumstances. The sooner you take responsibility for your life you will create your own circumstances

3 Having a positive outlook affects how you view and deal with problems. Is the glass full or half empty?

4 Ask yourself positive questions. For example, How can I turn this around rather that why does happen to me? Your mind will look for the answer whatever you ask so ask the right question

5 There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. Failure is a common term used by society and there is no such thing. Successful people have setbacks but do label this failure. They learn and move forward and make a better future for themselves.

6 Be good to yourself, there is only one you so be proud of who you are.

7 If a problem seems to much for you then break down into manageable pieces so that you it easier for you to handle

8 It doesn’t matter what problem you may encounter because you are fully equipped to deal with it. Within you, you have the qualities to overcome problems and find solutions to them.

My dear friend I sincerely hope that you found the above tips useful and make some improvement in your life. But there’s so much more I want to share with you. I am passionate about helping you to find out How to get Better Confidence and Self Esteem. To fulfill your potential, to be the person you always wanted to be and achieve your dreams then you should look no further than the ultimate confidence guide. You deserve it! http://www.selfesteemconfidence.info Best wishes to you and your future!

Joesph Berovic is highly experienced in the area of self development, self confidence and self esteem. He loves helping people achieve their goals and build high levels of self confidence so that they can live life to the full.

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The Conceit of Low Self Esteem And The Pride Of Humility

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 07:42:54 +0000

If you have low self esteem, you’re probably obsessed with yourself. Which is just a backwards form of conceit.

If you have low self-esteem, you think you’re special. No-one is as low as you. No-one is as undeserving as you. Everyone else in the world may be deserving of being treated well, of having good relationships, financial success, good health, spiritual connection, or whatever it is that you think you don’t deserve. Probably all of that.

Here’s the thing: if you encountered someone else who thought the way you do, you’d probably think something like, “no-one deserves to have such hard luck.” Or “everyone deserves good health, and success, and good relationships.”

In other words, you’re harder on yourself than anyone else. Somehow you’re so unique, so special, that ordinary human rights and dreams don’t apply to you. It’s kind of like what they call “terminal uniqueness” in the recovery movement. Nothing ever works out for you, or ever will, and you certainly don’t deserve to have things go your way anyhow.

Now before you bite my head off, let me say that you may not agree with anything I said intellectually. That is, you’ll realize it doesn’t really make any sense, but if you’re honest with yourself you’ll admit that that’s exactly how you feel anyway. You think one way, and feel exactly the opposite.

Here’s a secret: when there’s a battle between the heart and the mind, guess which one wins? (Hint: it’s not the head!) Every time.

So what’s all this about the pride of humility, then? You have to have enough pride in yourself to realize that you are just as worthy, just as deserving of happiness and a rewarding life as any other human being. You have to be humble enough to realize you’re just like everybody else, and completely unique at the same time. Just like everybody else.

We don’t rate human beings on a scale. So-and-so doesn’t measure up to my standards, so he or she gets to be stranded at the station when the train of life’s goodies comes by. Or maybe so-and-so really gets good grades on my scale, so she or he gets an extra freightcar load of goodies.

Here’s the point: you’re a human being. That qualifies you to get on the happy train. If any human being deserves it, so do you. Get over yourself. You’re as good as anyone else, as deserving of anyone else. Even if you’ve really screwed up, you deserve a second, third, fourth and endless chances just like anyone else.

The real problem with all of this is not that you can’t follow the logic. It’s that your internal programs are screaming in denial so loudly that you literally cannot keep this thought in your mind in relation to yourself and believe it. On a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 equal completely false, and 10 equals completely true, if you ask yourself how true is it that you believe that you’re worthy of a good life, you’re going to come in under 5. I’m guessing well under 5.

Well, the good news is that there are ways to rewrite those internal programs once and for all, and it’s not going to take five years of therapy and tens of thousands of dollars to do it, although once in a while that actually helps. You don’t have to look in the mirror and bombard yourself with endless affirmations that you don’t believe either, although that’s been known to help also.

What works neatly, quickly and efficiently is energy medicine, or energy psychology. There are quite a few excellent methods and techniques available, and you need to find the one that resonates with you. I use meridian tapping techniques, and in particular Matrix Reimprinting, because I have found it to be especially helpful with long standing issues like this, but find what works and feels comfortable for you.

When you start to really feel comfortable in your skin, it’s a great feeling. Do yourself – and everyone around you – a favor, and don’t deprive yourself of it.

For more information, go to: http://theweboflight.com/paGE6.HTML

You might also be interested in my blog: http://gentlehealingtouch.blogspot.com/

Dr. Webb is a Holistic Life Coach, and creator of The Web of Light Holistic Coaching System. He is board certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners as a Holistic Health Practitioner. He is trained in advanced MTT and as a Matrix Reimprinting practitioner. He is a Certified Reiki Master, an ordained minister, and a certified chaplain. Dr. Webb holds a Master’s Degree in Metaphysics from the University of Metaphysics and a Doctor of Divinity from the American Institute of Holistic Theology.

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Curing Bad Breath To Raise Your Self Esteem

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 05:32:10 +0000

Chances are that if you’ve suffered from problem breath for any amount of time your not feeling very good about yourself. After all, who could blame you? It’s not enough that you have to put up with a continuous barrage of negative references about your breath, but it’s especially hurtful when those comments come from family members and friends. Further, you’ve probably tried the toothpastes, gargles, mints, and chewing gum, but nothing seems to work. You’ve masked the symptoms for awhile but the odor keeps returning. As a result, you feel like there’s nothing you can do to treat your breath problem. Let’s get to work on raising your self esteem back up to where it belongs right now. The truth is that you can go about curing bad breath effectively and inexpensively.

While about 90% of all breath issues originate from inside the mouth other causes might stem from medical or dental conditions. Your best bet would be to make an appointment with your dentist or doctor to be certain. The information in this article is based on breath issues originating in your mouth.

Here’s what goes on inside your mouth when you eat. As you chew, bacteria that resides in your mouth breaks down the proteins and sugars from the food. As a by-product, certain volatile sulfuric compounds are created that cause the smell in your mouth. This is the real source of your mouth odor. For people such as yourself, bacteria levels are higher than usual causing chronic breath problems for you and a dive in your self worth.

Now close your eyes for a moment and imagine you’re having a face to face conversation with a loved one, friend, or associate because your breath is fresh and clean, and you feel great about yourself. Now use the following guidelines and make it happen.

How do you go about curing bad breath and raising your self esteem?

Your goal should be to create an environment in your mouth that will always neutralize volatile sulfuric compounds resulting in clean and healthy breath. To meet this goal you’ll want to develop a structured and proper oral hygiene program for yourself. Structured meaning you’ll have to follow your oral hygiene program everyday, at least twice a day so your bad breath does not return. Proper meaning you’ll have to use the appropriate tools and ingredients to eliminate the source of your breath odor rather than covering it up. Homemade ingredients work exceptionally well because they are inexpensive and very effective.

With that in mind your oral hygiene program should consist of the following 5 items and should take between 3-4 minutes at least twice a day:

1. Toothbrush – Make sure you choose a toothbrush that fits the size of your mouth. A soft bristle toothbrush is preferred because it can minimize damage to the gums. Brush each tooth, front and back, using a gentle downward motion. Replace your toothbrush when it looks worn or every three months.

2. Toothpaste - Here’s what I use and it’s very effective. 5 teaspoons of baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 5 teaspoons of vegetable glycerin, and 10 drops of either peppermint or spearmint. The baking soda will kill the tiny organisms that cause disease related bacteria. Salt acts as an antiseptic and the glycerin has antibacterial properties. The mint acts as a breath freshener. Combine and mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Place in a wide mouth bottle.

3. Tongue scraper – Do not brush your tongue. You’ll simply move the bacteria all around your tongue and mouth. Purchase a tongue scraper. You’ll want a plastic scraper for flexibility. Just like your toothbrush make sure the tongue scraper is the right size and shape for your mouth. Begin as far back on your tongue as possible then gently but firmly scrape forward toward the tip. Make sure you rinse off your tongue scraper in warm water after each use.

4. Dental floss – In order for you to make sure that you are able to remove any and all food particles from between your teeth and gums you need to chose the right type of dental floss. If you have little spacing between your teeth then waxed dental floss is ideal. However if there are bigger gaps between your teeth then you need to use a tape dental floss because it is thicker and wider. Dental floss comes flavored and unflavored. Carry some mint flavored dental floss with you so that in a pinch you can freshen your breath.

5. Gargle solution – I’ve tried so many different homemade solutions and in my opinion there is still nothing better to gargle with than old fashioned warm salt water. Just place some salt in a small glass and mix with warm water. Gargle then swish the solution around in your mouth vigorously. Now take a deep breath in. You’ll be surprised at how clean your breath feels.

Also, your going to have to supplement your new oral hygiene program with changes in your diet. Avoid foods that cause problem breath, such as onions, garlic, cheese, and pastrami just to name a few. Add more crunchy fruits and vegetables to maintain your clean and fresh breath.

Initially you might have to be a bit more vigilant about sticking to your new oral hygiene regimen. It takes about three weeks to completely learn a new behavior. After that time you’ll feel proud of the fact that you’ve literally become an expert at keeping your breath healthy, clean, and fresh.

I know how you might be feeling. I’ve been there myself. You’re sick and tired of your problem breath getting in the way of your your personal, social, job or career goals. Space prohibits an explanation of the details that you need for curing bad breath. However, there is good news. For all the information you’ll need to have clean and healthy breath for life go to http://www.curingbadbreath2.blogspot.com/.

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Overcoming Low Self Esteem In 3 Simple Steps

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:23:35 +0000

The first thing that you need to do is to get yourself out of the situation of being confused and battered in your life and to do this, you need to take a step back and take stock of the situation that is your life. More than likely, your life is a mess, and it is a mess because you have allowed yourself to slip in and out of disastrous situations and let yourself come upon wall upon wall of negativity. You need to take a deep breath and meditate. Remember that thing in your chest you call your heart? When was the last time you have listened to it? What needs to be done is you need to internalise yourself and calm yourself down. Listen to the rhythm of your heart and slow it down a minute and take a pause. Look at your life from a top down perspective and from there, you can identify what has been going wrong with your life.

The next thing that you need to do is to make a list of the strengths that you have. These can range from your internal gifts, your aptitudes, your character traits which make you a good person and the abilities that you have either possessed or developed over the years. If possible, recruit the help of people that know you the best in this, as they will be able to give you a different perspective as well. Sometimes, our low elf esteem can get in the way of recognising the strengths that we have inside and this can be a problem when creating this list. You need to understand that this is important because it allows us to recognise what we are good at and then change the focus of different areas of our lives. Sometimes we do not even know that we are trying to do something that we are not even good at in the first place and because of this, we see ourselves as failures.

The last thing you can do is to create a short or long list of the sort of achievements and successes that you have been able to achieve over the past few years and what you need to do is to celebrate in some small way every one of them even if you have done it before. This is the feel good list that every self confidence instructor will tell their charges to make, and this list will help to get you back on track. Everytime you are feeling down or you are feeling that you are slipping back, take a look at the list and if that is not enough, take a deep breath and assess what is going on with your life.

These are some of the things you can do to ensure that you do not slip too far into no confidence or a life of low self esteem. Life is short, and you need to enjoy it as best you can and sometimes, confidence in doing that is the only thing that you need to do to get back that zest and energy in life.

Click Here to grab your FREE “Unleashing Your Inner Confidence In 5 Easy Steps” Report. Achieve success in life with these proven and tested techniques to allow yourself to be more confident in anything you do.

Self Esteem, Confidence And Personal Poise- Great Tips

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:12:11 +0000

Hello there and welcome to my article. I want to help you and show you How to get better confidence and self esteem and Personal Poise. In fact confidence is closer than you think and not very far away. I want to share with you some simple tips and ideas that can help transform your life. I know that in order to fully succeed in this life, achieve your goals and live life to the full you need confidence. Here are some easy tips that helped me become more confident.

1. Don’t rely on other people to give you confidence- You don’t have to wait for a compliment to feel confident. It’s a nice bonus yes but don’t depend on it. Too many people try to please others and wait for a pat on the back or a nice word of praise to give them a confidence boost. You don’t need an outside influence. Let the positive influence flow from within. The other reason I say this is because it you depend on it and you don’t get praise then you’ll not feel confident.

2. Start asking questions because your mind will find answers- There are people who ask questions such as ‘why do I always fail’ the only answer you get here is failure. If you ask questions like ‘how can I make this situation better’ or ‘how can I find a solution’ these will trigger your mind to look for positive answers because you’ve asked a positive question.

3. Create High Expectations- I know people who apply for jobs but they somehow don’t expect to get it! What usually happens? Of course they don’t get the job. If you expect something then there is a greater likelihood you’ll get it. That can be good or bad. So expect the best and the best you shall get!

4. Picture yourself achieving your goals- Regularly you should take time out of your daily routine and imagine yourself being super confident and achieving your goals. Make the picture clear and colours bright. The more you do this the possible it will seem and greater likelihood of it becoming reality.

5. There’s no such thing as failure- failure is just a word make up by someone and used by society to categorise people. It doesn’t apply to you. I know many people who feel unconfident because they’re afraid of the word ‘failure’ .There’s only feedback. So what if you fail this, you’ll probably succeed next time.

My dear friend I sincerely hope that you found the above tips useful and make some improvement in your life. But theres so much more I want to share with you. I am passionate about helping you have better Self Esteem Confidence and Personal Poise To fulfil your potential, to be the person you always wanted to be and achieve your dreams then I invite you to the Ultimate Guide in Self Confidence. http://www.selfesteemconfidence.info

You deserve it!

Best wishes to you and your future!

Lose Stomach Fat – Your Self Esteem Depends on How Flat Your Stomach Is?

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:04:30 +0000

The more bulging out our stomach looks, the more low our self confidence and self esteem would plunge. I have no doubt that your number 1 resolution this year would be to Lose Stomach Fat! The size of your stomach has a direct link to your wardrobe and wallet. The flatter your stomach is, you may look more presentable and confident in your outlook. You may be widely recognized and accepted amongst your peers. Same way, the more fat you have around your stomach, will restrict you from wearing the newest fashion designs and will have great difficulty in fitting in to them.

If you are like me, you may have already come to conclusion with not being able to lose fat from your stomach but are able to trim the other parts of your body. Weight gain is considered unhealthy and especially stomach fat is extremely dangerous.

Stomach fat will not only affect your health, it has a detrimental effect on your social, carrier and private life too. I used to be completely in housed some times because I dreaded the feeling of meeting people due to the shame of having a bulging out stomach. I was so embarrassed to take off my shirt in public places such as swimming pools and my stomach fat made me extremely self conscious, affecting my self esteem and confidence to a great extent. The worst was that I was not very fat, but had an extra large stomach and my peers would poke jokes at me asking me; how many months I have been pregnant and so on.

The worst was when my partner was very uncomfortable when having intimate relationships because of my excessive stomach. She would put it in such a way that it would not hurt me, but deep inside I was really depressed about not being able to get rid of this bulge.

My stomach would be the spotlight of any family gathering and would have almost all relatives suggesting various methods, so that I could get rid of this extra fat. I would listen to all this advice with anger and hatred against myself. No matter what exercise or diet plan I follow, I would always end up a failure, a loser in the fight against losing stomach fat. My bulging out stomach would always come out winner in our fight.

Learn How to Lose Stomach Fat by Following the 4 Pillars of Weight Loss. CLICK HERE!

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Self Improvement And How To Build Your Self Esteem

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:53:21 +0000

Self pity is when you allow other people to define who you are. Even though the opinion of other people about you may be right, it does not mean it should hold you down. Use their view about you to improve yourself and hence work on your self image. Your life should never be influenced by other people. You are the one who holds the key to your personal growth and success.

The best approach to overcoming self pity and hence improve your self image is by adding on your personal skills. Do a thorough analysis on your strengths and weaknesses. First try to criticize your strong areas and then go ahead to work on your flaws.

In addition, find out what things offer threats to your self confidence. Once you have identified them, do not avoid or run away from them, rather face these challenges head no. If you look around carefully, you will also see opportunities you can take advantage of that would help in improving your personal skills.

Realize if you do not face your fears, they will affect your self image negatively and thus result in low productivity. Therefore starting today, work towards building on your strengths and overcoming your weakness. Mitigate your threats and go ahead and discover the many opportunities that life has to offer.

Self image is achieved by having a positive mind, therefore talk positive things about yourself and they will build your self esteem. You become what you say to yourself hence feed you mind with positive thoughts. Treat yourself like the king/queen that you are.

Find more information of Personal Growth by clicking the website below.

Stephen shares his wisdom and experience in Personal Development that will definitely add value to your life. Visit his Inspirational and Motivational Website at: Self Improvement Tips and start living a purposeful life.

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Is Your Self Esteem Buried In Your Closet?

admin — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 18:42:37 +0000

There is absolutely no doubt that our society places a lot of emphasis on how we look. Take a look at the magazines in the checkout line at the grocery store. I guarantee you that at least one will have an article on losing weight, another will have an article about the latest celeb’s weight gain, weight loss, or plastic surgery, and another will have photos about all of the latest clothing trends. How we look impacts how we feel, and how we feel impacts the relationships that we have with ourselves and others. If you’re not feeling good about yourself and your esteem is sagging try taking a look at what is hanging in your closet. Seriously- take a look inside and really asses what is going on in there.

Are you wearing clothing that has rips, tears, stains, or holes in it? Are you wearing clothes that are extremely tight in hopes of losing a few pounds? Are you wearing clothing that you are holding around your waist with a shoestring, piece of rope, with safety pins clipped together? Is half of your closet filled with clothing that fit you 10, 15, 20 years ago that you only need to lose 20 or 30 lbs to fit back in to? Are your toes poking through your socks? Is the elastic shredding in your underwear? If the answer is yes- then it is time to clean your closet out!

Wearing clothing that is dirty, torn, falling apart, and that doesn’t properly fit you sends the following messages to people:

I don’t value me so you don’t have to either.
I don’t take myself seriously so you don’t have to either.
I am dressed this way because I don’t want people to get close to me- leave me alone!
I am a failure.

As I am writing this I can hear the excuses some of you are coming up with as you are challenged with the idea of getting rid of the junky stuff in your closet:

I don’t need any new clothes or shoes. My old ones are comfortable.
I don’t want anything new.
I don’t have the time to go shopping.
I don’t have the money to buy myself anything.

Behind all of those excuses is fear. Fear that people will recognize your failures. Fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. Fear of how people will treat you when you change your appearance. Fear of dealing with people who are interested in you when you are not feeling comfortable with yourself. Fear of the expectation that you keep appearances up- what if you can’t get your act together and make yourself look clean and presentable? My favorite excuse: This is the way I am- you can take it or leave it. If you present that option to people within the first 30 seconds of meeting- well guess what- 99% of the time people are going to leave it and wonder why you are carrying such a large chip on your shoulder.

Cleaning your closet (and the rest of your home) can be very therapeutic. Getting rid of things that don’t fit and that are broken- is like letting go of some of your failures. Think about it. If you walk in to your closet everyday for the past 10 years and look at those jeans that don’t fit you anymore, it’s like getting smacked in the face daily- you gained weight, you’re a slob, you’ll never lose the weight-it’s been 10 years, you are such a failure! Who wants that voice running through their head on a daily basis. Invest in some new threads that are comfortable, that make you feel good, and that make you happy.

If your budget is limited you don’t need to spend a lot of money on appearance or clothing. Many cities have clothing stores with everything under $10. Often times these stores have sales that are 3 items for $10. You can go to thrift stores or consignment shops and often find brand new clothing with the tags still on them. One of the best gifts I ever received came from a thrift shop. It was a real COACH bag that my friend had paid a whole $2.00 for. If you don’t know what looks good or don’t know how to throw an outfit together, ask one of your friends to go with you. Or, take a look at several magazines and pull out photos of the styles you like. Make a collection until you have some ideas of what might look good together.

On a final note, everyone’s self esteem dips from time to time. When that happens to you, take a look at your surroundings. The way you feel about how you look and how you live can greatly affect your level of self esteem.

Your Assignment:

Pick a weekend to go through your closet. Weed out everything that you have not worn in the past year- if there is little chance that you will wear in the next year then give it away to someone who can use it. Put everything that is worn or stained in a pile to give to a local animal shelter that uses old clothing and blankets for rags. If you have several items that need to be sewn or repaired- give yourself a deadline to get it done. If you don’t get the work done by your deadline then give the stuff away to a charitable organization so that you can get a tax deduction.

After you have done all the work, weeding out the bad from the good stuff in your closet, set aside another day to window shop and try on some new things. Afterall, you deserve to feel good!

Lori Bell is founder of Creating Powerful Change, LLC and creator of http://www.help-me-change.com which offers tips, tools, and techniques for implementing successful change in to your life. As your Personal Change Agent, Lori will provide you with an easy to follow step by step process that allows you to tap into your hidden potential, to grow personally and professionally, and to create a life that finally feels right and works great for you! To receive other free articles and the no cost guide- “Are You Ready for Success?” visit http://www.help-me-change.com now.