Self-Esteem is NOT Just for Kids - It's a Cornerstone of YOUR Success!

I'm positive you've done the same thing as me. Wondered aboutwhat exactly it is that separates those who we deem to be"successful" (and look up to), from those who are not.Talent, ambition, vision, sacrifice, stick-to-itiveness andresilience are all major qualities I'm sure you'd agree, butI've simply lost count of TOO many absolutely brilliant,creative and serious entrepreneurs who are still wallowing inthe mediocrity they sought for so long to rise above. In mostcases, it's heartbreaking.It really got me thinking about what could possibly be the ONEdefining trait or quality of those we admire in our quest tobe successful. Here's one conclusion I came to.I've never met an individual who I considered to be trulysuccessful on the personal and business level who wasn'tfilled with good feelings about themselves! The kind of peoplewho can look in the mirror and say "I like you a lot"! Morethan that, they can exclaim "I love you"!Sound corny? If you think so, consider this question beforeyou click on to something else:In business, how could you possibly feel good about what youare doing if you didn't feel good about the person doing it?Yes, I'm talking about the psycho-cliche of self-esteem. Thekind we hear about every day on talk shows, read about incountless self-help and parenting books, and, gratefully seebecoming a long-overdue part of the education system in ourschools. Feeling not only good, but great about oneself isarguably the most important success-building characteristic aperson can possess!Think about this. Most of us were NOT raised when the conceptof self-esteem was a part of our "fibre", as it is now. Someof us may have been fortunate to have come from families thatfortified the fact that "I am good", "I am special" and "Ilike and love ME!" However, most of us were nutured withoutlearning, and having instilled deep within us, the belief that"I deserve all the good things in the world I desire". Thatbuilt-in sense of confidence allows us to grow (and keepgrowing) in order to be able to have ALL the blessings thatlife is just waiting to bestow upon us. In other words,SUCCESS!I thoroughly enjoyed studying world religions in my last yearof high school, when it became very clear to me that every"faith" has the concept of self-esteem as a cornerstone ofit's beliefs. The Bible has as one of it's injunctions:"Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself".But doesn't this beg the question, "How could you Love YourNeighbor, or anything else for that matter, if You CAN'T LoveYourself?" An unfortunate reality that translates intobusiness ie: "If you are not able to love and respectyourself, then how can you expect others to even just respect(and trust) you?" And isn't respect and trust a cornerstone ofsuccessful businesses and entrepreneurs?I've gone so far as to state the following in the new (print)book I am writing:"Selfishness is putting the needs of others ahead of yourneeds. Since when can you give your best to others when youown needs go unattended?"Something else. The ONLY successful joint ventures I have everexperienced have been with entrepreneurs that were "full ofself-confidence", possessing a very high level of self-esteem.Conversely, any time I partnered with someone who was either"full of themselves" (usually a by-product of low self-esteem)or simply had precious little self-esteem in their tank, thebottom fell out!And that's what I've always likened self-esteem to -the gasoline tank on a car. Everyone has a self-esteem tankand it's either full or empty or somewhere in between. But youknow what? It's perfectly ok to get low on fuel. We all do attimes, but truly successful people know how to "fill 'er up"again, and pretty quickly. All I know is that during thoseperiods of time in my life when it appeared I was stonewalledor even going backwards, my self-esteem was suffering!Today, I enjoy amazing friendships and partnerships with manysuccessful people. To a person, each is brimming with self-confidence and a deep seated belief in themselves and whatthey are doing. They are fun to deal with too! The kind ofindividuals when setbacks, even those of the worst kind whereself-esteem can take a real blow, are not only overcome, butused as "fuel" to pole vault them ahead on their path to evengreater success.And you know what else? Among the most outstanding of thesepeople work tirelessly on projects that have nothing to dowith making money for themselves but rather helping people inneed! That's right, community service projects. Self-esteemAND selflessness in the success formula? You bet!Here's a paragraph, again from my (pending) new book, abouthow I believe we move forward in life towards success, withself-esteem in tow:"It takes many inches to make a mile. We can only move byinches, one inch at a time. It's when we look miles ahead andwonder "how are we going to get so far?" that we fail to moveforward at all. The paradox is that we can choose to live life"in the rear view mirror" and remain so far back that movingforward, even an inch, is most difficult. Most important,we must always keep in mind that anytime we suffer a setbackwhile moving forward, it will always be just a matter ofinches, and not miles."I want to close this article with a challenge for you. I dareyou to stand in front of the mirror right now, and every dayfrom this moment forward, and say to yourself, "I like you,and I love you"!The moment you truly begin believing it is the moment that thesuccess you crave will start coming your way!!© 2001 Rick BeneteauRick asks: YOU, an Internet Star?You bet! Becoming an Internet Star is all about Publicity.Rick will help you create Millions of Dollars of FREEPublicity to put YOU in the Internet Spotlight. It’s fun,easy, and you'll make the kinda money you've only dreamedabout!