“I’ve always wanted my life to count for something. I never understood the drive I had to accomplish projects or tasks; I just knew that I wanted to do the best at everything. I wanted to be respected for who I am and appreciated for my contributions to society. The challenge came when I would fall short of my expectations. I’d feel like a failure or even worse. I would feel “average”. I wouldn’t express my disappointments to anyone; I would keep them a secret and hope no one else noticed. I was also sensitive to criticism that I would collapse in tears. I made an effort to be strong and not take things too seriously, but I was never good at hiding the feelings of inadequacy. Appraisals and reviews from bosses and teachers were the worst. My reaction would be to just jump to the conclusion that I was their worst employee or student. I therefore worked very hard to be the best student or the best employee so that confrontations could be avoided.”
If you can relate to the above passage of my book, Escape from the Pit of Despair”, then you too may be suffering from low self-esteem. This book can help you improve your self-worth and free your life of challenges such as I describe. What thoughts does this passage prompt in your mind?