If you have goals, desires, and aspirations in life, then two components that you must also have are self-esteem and self-worth. If you are working with a reputable life coach, these two words are something you are likely to explore when setting up goals and accomplishments, but the question is — why?
What makes these two words so special and unique when working with a life coach? How do they influence the way we show self-respect to ourselves and how do they affect the levels of respect we receive and seek from others? What is self-respect and why is it important? Read on to find out the answers to these questions.
Self-worth vs self-esteem
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Self-worth
Self-worth is what is at the very core of our human existence, no matter what our circumstances are. The relative importance of self-worth can be seen in Maslow’s hierarchy under self-actualization, the first level — having desires, goals for the ultimate purpose of happiness.
Most life coaches will work to improve one’s self-worth before moving on to improving self-esteem because of the intrinsic need to recognize one’s importance and existence in the world.
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Self-esteem
What is and why is self-esteem important? Self-esteem is how we feel about our individuality, characteristics, and traits as human beings; this is position three in Maslow’s hierarchy.
If someone possesses high self-esteem, they may describe themselves as smart, artistic, creative, motivated, and or healthy — terms we tend to label positive and helpful. If someone is experiencing low self-esteem, they may use words such as lazy, stupid, slow, selfish, and/or boring to describe themselves — terms that are often looked at as negative and troublesome.
An individual working with a life coach may seek to not only improve their self-esteem but to find honesty and balance within it. It is important to have high self-esteem, but not at the cost of becoming arrogant, nor is it healthy to have low self-esteem and not honestly look at the amazing gifts, talents, and skills you possess.
Healthy Balance
Having healthy self-esteem is important when making a life plan, setting occupational goals, or improving one’s financial standing. Individuals with healthy self-esteem will know what their strengths are and how to use them, and will also recognize where they can grow, learn, and at times, require assistance.
People, generally, fail at reaching goals and accomplishments because they do not recognize and know how to tap into their strengths in creative ways, nor do they take the time to educate themselves or seek assistance when they really need it.
The benefit of having a life coach is that they can help you find creative ways to tap into the skills and experiences you already have, but also to not be afraid, to be honest about finding new methods, resources, or getting outside help to move ahead. Having healthy self-esteem will help you grow and develop the talents you already have.
Two Types of Self-Respect
Maslow did not only explore the need for self-worth and self-esteem but also having and receiving respect. He broke these ideas down into two areas:
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area of needing respect from others
area of needing respect for yourself
We have often heard the old saying — if you don’t respect yourself no one else will. Ways in which we can show respect to ourselves focus on improving ourselves intrinsically through knowledge, independence, courage, mastery, and personal freedoms, the things that can’t be taken from us.
It is only through the means of self-respect do we earn the respect of others by receiving positive reinforcement by methods of recognition, fame, attention, status, and prestige. We often see individuals graced with overnight success only to fall quickly, not because they didn’t deserve recognition and/or fame, but because they didn’t have the internal self-respect, balanced self-esteem, and self-worth to keep the momentum and status going.
Empowerment Through Coaching
Working with a life coach can help a person develop a solid foundation of self-worth and self-esteem, which will lead them toward gaining tools that improve self-respect, and in turn, lead to strong and meaningful associations of respect from others on their social networks.
Nothing is worse than having someone talk about how great you and your services are when you don’t have the self-esteem and background to provide the services they actually need. These are the most foundational areas of building a platform for success, and yet, the most overlooked. If you are looking for overnight success or expecting it, perhaps those are key signs you should slow down and do some self-assessment and reflection with a good coach.
If you are ready for the next step, seek out a strong coach that will work with you to construct a path based on your self-worth, self-esteem, respect you deserve, while reaching your goals and pursuits of happiness and success.
If you want to learn more about the importance of self-esteem and self-worth, get in touch with Dr. Marsha Ferrick, today.