Developing Self-Esteem

By Alyssa

We’ve all suffered from low self-esteem at least once in our lives. Even the people that you think don’t have low self-esteem do. I promise you that they do; even if they don’t admit it. One thing we should never let this low self-esteem do is hinder our ability to love ourselves. If there’s anything I’ve learned in my short 25 years, it is that loving ourselves has the ability to completely change our lives.

Growing up and especially in high school, I hit some low points.

I thought I was fat and I was incredibly unhappy with how I looked. I felt that everyone was more attractive than I was and basically better at everything. Of my friends, I was the “dumb” one. I do not feel that way now, but looking back I know that I did. I acted dumber than I actually was because that’s who I was molded to be at school.

Going to college and essentially starting over was an important part of my journey toward loving myself. I was able to shed all the preconceived notions I had carried from grade school throughout high school. I grew as a person and learned more about life and how to live it for myself.

I learned that people will tell you that you’re too fat or too unattractive or too dumb to do something. I have learned that these people usually are threatened by you. I have also learned that you can literally do anything you put your mind to and that “fake it ’til you make it” is a powerful mantra. I have learned that having a few close friends is better than an army of iffy friends. I have learned that being nice to everyone costs nothing and means everything. I have learned that non-scale victories are more important than scale victories. I have learned that who you are now matters more than who you were in college, what your GPA was or where you grew up.

I am now graduated from college and can honestly say that I love who I am. Yes I still have flaws: I’m incredibly moody some days, get angry when I’m tired or hungry, get irritated when people don’t understand what I’m saying and a bunch more. On the other hand, I love to learn and am good at my job, I’m not afraid to be the nerd that I am, I’m comfortable with being single and knowing that I don’t have everything figured out.

Don’t ever forget how powerful you are or how important it is to love who you are. You don’t have to be perfect at everything. You only have to be perfect at being who you are. Embrace yourself; flaws and all. There’s only one of you - don’t waste it!