Is your self image based on how well you are doing or on how much ‘stuff’ you have?

There seems to be so much pressure put on us from the media to ‘be better’ or ‘achieve more’ and articles telling us how to reach our full potential, that in the end it is not uncommon to feel completely dejected and like a total failure.

Rather than trying to compete with the imaginary person we are led to believe we should be, we tend to base our success and a way to feel good about ourselves through acquiring status symbols. The latest car, or mobile phone, the big house or latest flat screen television.

Whatever it is that we acquire to show the world how well we’re doing usually leaves us in debt, and with more feelings of low self-worth as a result. When we decide to look within at our feelings of despair we are more able to correct the distorted thought pattern that is holding us in the cycle of destruction and low self-esteem.

The pressure we feel to be seen as successful or reaching our full potential can be destructive in many ways. Firstly, we feel like we’ve failed and that whatever we do is not good enough. We measure our life situation and acquisitions, then decide that there is not enough and that we are wasting our life.

When you are struggling with low self-esteem or self-worth it is crucial to take each day as it comes. To celebrate each achievement; no matter how small it is. When you do this, you feel like you are ‘getting somewhere’. Taking small steps and acknowledging the enormity of them ‘for you’, can eventually lead to bigger steps the more confident you become.

If for example you are depressed, your highest potential for that day could be that you got out of bed, or left the house to meet a friend. It doesn’t have to be an earth shattering achievement, but for you and where you are; the action you took is on a par with an earth shattering achievement.

Being present and in the moment allows you to see life from where it is now, as opposed to a projected future that does not exist. You can gain a sense of fulfilment and achievement in each day when you acknowledge the importance of each action you take and compare it to how you are feeling and able to function at that time.

Here are 5 simple steps to feeling good about yourself without having to buy something to over compensate:

* Take the pressure off yourself and speak kindly to yourself
* Be grateful for the achievements you make each day
* Give thanks for everything you have
* Help others to feel good about themselves
* Share your experiences with others

By staying mindful and present to yourself and your behaviours you can start to make changes for the better.