subject: Do I Walk The Talk? [print this page] If you have read my book The Self-Esteem Toolbox or read many of my articles, you will have seen the vast number of self-esteem raising tools that I throw out at people. You might start to wonder if I actually use these tools myself on a daily basis. Do I walk the talk?
Yes and no. I dont try to rediscover who I am every single day. I probably sit down to do some rediscovery of myself, who I want to be, why I am the way I am etc about every month or so, but not every day. I also dont stand in front of a mirror and say positive things about myself for a certain time each day. I dont, however, have any problems with giving myself a few quick compliments each time I happen to pass the bathroom mirror.
There are certain tools that I DO use every day. Every morning when I wake up, I tell myself that it is going to be a wonderful day and how grateful I am to wake up to this beautiful life. I usually sing to myself: let me now see what this new world will do for me from the musical Les Miserables or Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, Ive got a wonderful feeling, everythings going my way from Oklahoma.
Before I start eating my breakfast I stop for a mindful moment. I check my breathing and I ask my body how it feels at this moment. I fill thoughts with gratitude and I decide for myself what I want this day to be like. While Im then eating my breakfast I write down my five goals for the day (see the 5 a day tool in my book The Self-Esteem Toolbox if you want to know what this is all about).
At various points during the day I consciously decide to smile. For example, I try to smile while Im doing my morning exercises and when Im out running. Sometimes I decide to smile when Im writing on something or while Im cooking. I decide to keep smiling for one to five minutes. Usually I get stuck in the smile so that I my face cant stop smiling even when the time is up. Its great when that happens because it makes me feel even happier.
I meditate for one hour every day. I usually do this directly after lunch because Ive noticed that when I do this I dont feel the urge to eat something sweet after my lunch like I often feel otherwise. Meditation is an indispensable tool for me to connect with myself, increase my self-awareness and my ability to handle my emotions. Before I started meditating my emotions used to swing up and down like a rollercoaster during the day, but since I started meditating it has become much easier for me to stay in the happy, calm and loving feeling that I want to be in. To increase my self-awareness and my emotional intelligence I also practice yoga twice a week and I stop for mindful moments several times during the day (for example before breakfast as I mentioned and also when Im taking a bath in the evening).
Every evening before I go to bed I write in my I am good-book. I write about the things that I want to develop, the things that I did well during the day, all the things that Ive been grateful for during the day and what I want help with for the day after. This helps me to remind myself of all the wonderful things in myself and in my life, and it keeps me on track so that Im moving in the right direction.
These are some of the things that I do in my daily life to keep myself in a mindset that sets me up for creating the life that I want to live. Now its up to you what YOU are going to do in YOUR daily life to raise your self-esteem so that you can live the life of your dreams!
Visit my website if you need motivation and help with how You can rearrange Your life to build up Your self-esteem! Ill set you going!
