Self-Esteem: Not Just Another Pretty Face

Self-Esteem will determine how you experience life, especially if you are a teenager.  Low self-esteem is considered a risk factor for early sex before age 15.  And you think this is something society should bury under a rock? 

A part of the problem with dysfunction, is that those who are too embarrassed or ashamed to simply admit that the system is not working perpetuate it.  What is the big deal?  Low self-esteem can be healed when it is dealt with.

Everyone has his or her weaknesses, so taking off the mask so that you can upgrade the role you are playing should not have to feel so life threatening! 

I believe the herd mentality of keeping each other down has really impeded humankind’s progress.  People who are innovators, though often the most intelligent of the group, are often ridiculed, but if they can tough it out and they live long enough, they become the heroes of history.  Even Einstein was blackballed and even had his intellect ridiculed for thinking ahead of his time. 

Of course, this is even more difficult for teenagers.  Social peer pressure and feeling insecure can be at its peak during these years.  An article in Science Daily.com November 24, 2008 discussed how low self-esteem is linked with teenage pregnancy and early sexual behavior.  No kidding. It does not take rocket science to see why. 

There was also a connection with excess TV watching, underachievement and poor parental involvement.  So what comes first, the chicken or the egg?  I think the value you place on yourself matters a GREAT deal.  Instead of playing small and lowering your dreams to the “acceptable” level of others, working on feeling good about who you are and taking the time to encourage yourself and developing your strengths can go a long way. 

It is unfortunate that there is not much emphasis on this in most educational processes.  Instead, competition is cultivated, and over-emphasis is placed on math and science, for instance, to the neglect of creativity and communication skills. 

While I was very good in both subjects, and in fact was a Biology major with Honors, to this very day, my skills in “soft skills” – writing, communication, creativity and the development of simply “liking myself” has served me far more significantly than simply acing math and science tests. 

The point is, I think it is time that society change some things.  Our ideas on many fronts are simply old and outdated.  What it took to survive and thrive now is very different than even 50 years ago.  What you think about yourself and how you view your own potential matters a great deal. 

Self-Esteem is at the root of how your life will play out for you.