Self-appreciation and self-confidence

From childhood, every person has a certain perception of him- or herself. We analyse our strengths and weaknesses; we think about what we are capable of. Our parents evaluate us and comment on what we do. Our social environment plays a vital role and impacts our personalities. Our educational and professional pathways too. Step by step, our level of self-appreciation is being shaped by many factors, and this is important for another part of our personality - self-confidence.

From my observations, self-confidence comes more frequently with a high level of self-appreciation, but sometimes it depends on the situation. Regardless, there is no doubt that self-appreciation and self-confidence affect many areas of our lives, including our relationships with others.

A person with low self-appreciation is shy, indecisive, and reluctant to try something new. It makes them underestimate their capabilities which too often results in failure, and this in turn further erodes their self-appreciation and self-confidence.

On the other hand, a person with high self-appreciation may be quite alienating to others. They often overestimate their real contributions and skills. Such a person rates themselves as ‘better’ than those around them. It is hard for such a person to be happy, because they are constantly dissatisfied with their living or working conditions, environment, or the realisation of their desires.

There are a thousand reasons why self-confidence is important. We’ve all seen how some people have it and some people don’t. However, there are many different situations that can damage a person’s self-confidence, even in someone who might seem to be 100 percent confident.

You don’t need to analyse literature to understand that it is challenging to strike the right balance between low and high self-appreciation. The goal is to find what works best for you as an individual. When a person has a healthy level of self-confidence, the more successful they tend to become in all areas of their life. After all, as the saying goes, whether you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right.

A healthy level of self-confidence enables a person to appreciate the beauty of life. We are full of energy, and there are so many amazing concepts around that can help us to achieve our dreams. We visualize our desires and successes with open eyes and make our dreams come true. We attract a healthy relationship and don’t let anybody treat us badly.

On the flip side, I have seen many times how relationship problems and challenges, and issues such as cheating and separation, can have a profound negative impact on self-confidence. This is devastating because self-confidence is the basis of any healthy relationship – the knowledge that you deserve someone who will love, support and respect you throughout life’s journey.

And when it comes to the relationship with yourself, it is just as critical – what do we have if we don’t love, support and respect ourselves and our own decisions? So never lose yourself for the sake of someone else. People come and go in our lives, so if there are times when your self-confidence takes a hit, make it a priority to focus on yourself for a while and give it a boost - for your own good.