5 Top Tips For Building Self-worth - Value Yourself

Self-confidence is built upon a sense of self-worth. This sense is developed when you're young but needs to be built on, revisited and boosted throughout your life. If you find that you get pushed around by the needs and views of others, and that you very often end up with second - or third - best - now is a good time to get really clear on your values.

1. Play this little game to establish your values and their priorities. Write down 5 or 6 values (more if you like) on separate slips of paper. For example: honesty: compassion: freedom: integrity: safety. When you have established a set of values, you need to place them in a priority order, so ask this question: -: -

If I could take only three values to a desert island with me, which ones would they be? Then, when you have three, ask yourself which of them would you really not want to give up, ever?

Once you have done this, you can then establish the order of those remaining. This will help you to gain a sense of what's important to you and what is at the core of your value system.

2. If you find that sometimes you are doing things you really don't want to but feel that you must do - think about this. There is only one commodity that you have that is limited and irreplaceable. The commodity I refer to is time. And when time is gone, it's gone. Hard but true. So imagine that you are looking back at your life from a day way into your old age and ask yourself How did I spend my most precious earthly commodity (time) and did I get full value from it?

3. Learn the power of saying no. Saying yes to things you don't really like or value can lead you to waste your time and eat away at your self-esteem. A simple no thanks or that's not for me but it's nice of you to ask or I'd rather not is often all you need to do to reclaim your power. If it's a work situation and you are asked to do more than you feel you can, there are other ways of negotiating this issue which I will cover in a longer article.

4. Make an appointment to give yourself some time. Just take a pencil and write me or your name in whether it's for half-an-hour or half a day. If you write it into your diary like this, then you will find it much easier to stick to, as you can truthfully tell others that that time is already booked. Use that time to do something for YOU.

5.Write a few lines about a time in your life when you did something that made you feel very proud of yourself. Next, write yourself a letter - it can be a couple of lines or as many pages as you like - and tell yourself how proud you are of what you did.

Remember, you are a unique, one-off, never-to-be-repeated individual and as such you and your life experiences are priceless. Give yourself the gift of honouring your values and enjoy the difference in your life.