When you are young and impressionable, your self esteem is being developed as you grow and is dependent on many factors that surround you and how they affect you. How self esteem is built depends on whether the factors in your lives, from birth on, are positive or negative; and the effects of these factors can last the rest of your life. Having positive self esteem is a necessity if you want to be a success in life, and there are things you can do for yourself to make that a reality.

How society perceives us as we grow and develop is a major factor in how self esteem is built, because we rely on input from others to act as a gauge as to our popularity, our worth to that society, and how valuable we feel we are to others in that society. If we feel inadequate, for whatever reason, we have doubts about ourselves and as a result a negative self image develops and that can be a tremendous influence on how we view ourselves and how we interact with society; people with a positive self image are much more successful than those without one.

And in today’s society, just how is self esteem built. How does it develop. One major factor in the development of self esteem is parental influence—whether or not the parents can show love to their children, or whether the parents express to their kids that the kids are not worthy of the parents love. Suppose teachers and other authority figures make you feel inadequate and rather dumb; or you are teased unmercifully by siblings or friends. Or you suffered from physical afflictions that left you on the sidelines while others prospered. Any of these can promote a negative self worth in a child; and ,of course, the total opposite is true—-where many positive influences in a child’s life produce a very positive self image in a person.

There is a big difference between the way people act depending on their self esteem and the way they regard themselves. For example, someone with a positive self esteem is usually a go getter, takes on responsibilities, and goes after his wants and desires; whereas, someone with a negative self esteem, tends to be introverted, shies away from responsibilities, and can’t set goals or accomplish them.

Communication with others in society is very important, and how you speak and present yourself to the outside world can speak volumes about your level of self esteem. Do not dwell on negative thoughts and speak in a detrimental or derogatory manner, because you are what you think and say, and you can keep yourself in a negative frame of mind if you persist in dwelling on negative thoughts. Keep in mind that you are just as good as the next person, and keep only positive thoughts in your head; and you will soon be aware how self esteem is built.

Face your fears, appreciate yourself, reward yourself, and stop trying to please everyone; do something good for yourself and to impress yourself—-possibly learn something new and learn to do it well—things like that. Think of as many positive things as you can that will help you feel better about yourself and soon you will see how self esteem is built, and can continue the process throughout your life and in everything you do.

If you want to be the best and most positive person you possibly can be, then you must understand how self esteem is built and what are the important factors you must practice every day to make a positive outlook a reality for you. Steer clear of the things that create negative feelings inside you and traumatize you, so that your self esteem diminishes. Stay positive, think positive thoughts, and act in such a way that reinforces the good that thinking and acting positively does for you, and your life will take a much better direction.