Positive Thinking Helps To Develop Self-Esteem And A Healthy Self-Image

by Howard Grant Platt 3rd on December 9, 2010 · 31 comments

in Positive Productive Thinking

Positive thinking will build positive self-esteem! When you learn to control and empower your mind with positive thoughts and feelings your life will improve at every level so why not choose to become an optimist and watch your self-esteem soar!

However to improve your life you must improve your thinking and then take positive action, this article will teach you how to do both.

Positive thinking leaves you with a positive outlook for a Positive Life. Our outlook and attitude on life, in general, plays a huge role in how happy we are in life and how successful we become.

Positive Thinking Self-Esteem Measuring Chart

Someone who thinks positively about everything will be more relaxed, calm and smile more than someone who is always looking on the bad side, who lets stress get to them and who constantly wears a frown.

Not only does positive thinking affect you, but it also affects those around you, in short, our mood affects our day. Developing and keeping a positive outlook is essential if you wish to lead a positive and fulfilling life.

Think positively and masterfully, with confidence and faith, and life becomes more secure, more fraught with action, richer in experience and achievement.

Edward Rickenbacker

Positive thinking is one of the many ways in which you can develop a more positive outlook and begin to change how you think and feel about many situations that you encounter in day-to-day living.

Changing your attitude and not slipping back into negative thinking will take time but eventually, the new outlook will become second nature. The very act of positive thinking is crucial to your overall personal development.

Improve Your Self-Esteem Just By Positive Thinking

There Are Five Main Key Points to Remember when Changing your Outlook to Positive Thinking!

  • Turn your way of thinking into positive thinking and practice on a daily basis thinking positively.

You should set your mind on completing one task at a time and think only of a positive outcome and how good you will feel when you have completed the task.

Never give in to doubt and let yourself believe that you have taken too much on, and just keep going.

  • Don’t let your conversations turn negative when in a conversation it is easy to let others discourage you, particularly if they have a negative outlook on life.

Don’t be tempted to fall back into your old ways, turn negative talk into positive and look for the good in everything and any situation. Positive thinking will always lead to positive outcomes, it’s up to you to remain positively strong.

  •  Look for the positive in those around you and point it out, this way you can encourage a positive attitude all around you and soon positive thinking will engulf your life.
  • Whatever you are doing in your day-to-day life always look for the good in it, although it might be a boring task which you usually hate doing and one which leaves you feeling negative, try to find something about it that turns it into a more positive situation.
  • Never let yourself become distracted or hoodwinked into going back to negativity, it takes time to change the way you feel and think and if you have been down on yourself and the world for a long time then your new outlook will take a while to register and stay around.

Stay strong! Especially in your mind, positive thinking will lead you to a better way of life.

Changing your Life and Everything in it, Leaving the Negative Behind Practice Positive Thinking

Happiness and Self-Esteem QuoteYou will find over time that many areas of your life can be changed just by changing your outlook from a negative one to one filled with positive thinking.

You will find that your self-esteem improves, you become more popular, you feel happier and are more confident than before, you are able to tackle the tasks you once hated without them causing you stress and anxiety and your relationships improve.

Self-improvement comes in many forms and working on improving just those few aspects will empower you to live a much happier and successful life. The more positive your outlook towards life becomes the easier it is to develop the habit of thinking positive.

Positive Thinking And Self-Worth!

Your self-worth has nothing to do with your bank account balance, the size of your home or the car you drive, it’s about you, the person you are in life.

We give others respect, love and consideration but how often do we give ourselves what is due?

How you value yourself is based on the self-esteem you have, your self-esteem shows you how much you truly value yourself.

Healthy self-esteem leads to independence, happiness, positive thinking, flexibility, the ability to adapt easily to change, cooperation and a positive outlook on any situation.

Unhealthy or low self-esteem, on the other hand, leads only to irrational thoughts, unhappiness, fear of the new, rigidity, defensiveness and a negative outlook on life in general.

How we see ourselves has a lot to do with how others see us, if we are happy, smiling and full of confidence then others see us as someone they want to be around, if we respect ourselves and portray this then others will respect you too, after all, how can you ask for respect from others if you don’t even respect yourself?

So finding and developing your self-worth is all about developing your self-esteem, so let’s take a look at esteem.

Positive Thinking Your Self-Worth And High Self-Esteem!

If you have high self-esteem you will see certain traits in yourself and you will value those traits because you value yourself.

To Follow Are Just A Few of The Traits of Those Who Do Have A High Degree of Self-Esteem and Self-Worth!

  • You are secure about who you are and have confidence in your abilities Cat with Self-Confidence Sees A Lion In The Mirror
  • You allow yourself to show your true feelings to others
  • You don’t have intimacy problems in relationships
  • You are able to recognize and take pride in yourself for your achievements in life
  • You are easily able to forgive yourself for mistakes and also forgive others

Positive thinking directs your life and your actions.

Positive Thinking Your Self-Worth And Low self-esteem

Similarly, if you have problems with self-worth or low self-esteem then you will follow a certain pattern in your thoughts and your actions. If you have problems with low self-esteem then you will see the following points in yourself:

Signs of Having Low Self-Esteem and Not Believing in Yourself!

  • You lack belief in yourself and are very insecure
  • You have problems showing and accepting intimacy in relationships
  • You never let your true feelings show
  • You never recognize and give yourself credit for your accomplishments
  • You have the inability to forgive yourself or others
  • You resist change at every opportunity
  • Positive thinking is completely missing from your life

Strategies For Developing Your Self-Worth

There are plenty of ways in which you can boost your self-esteem and change to a more positive and healthy outlook about yourself., here are some tips for developing and boosting your self-worth.

  • Don’t take other people’s criticism to heart, instead listen to what they are saying and learn from it.
  • Take some time out for yourself every day, meditate, look inside yourself and realize all your good points and imagine changing your bad ones into more positive.
  • Celebrate and pride yourself on even the smallest achievements that you accomplish.
  • Do something every day that you enjoy, such as taking a walk in the sunshine or soaking in a bubble bath.
  • Never deprive yourself of something you enjoy, if you know you shouldn’t be doing it, then do it anyway and stop chastising yourself about it.
  • Talk positively to yourself, repeat affirmations to chase away all of the negative thoughts and feelings and to bring positive thinking into your life.

The Benefits of Using Positive Self-Talk

Words That Lead To Low Self-EsteemOne of the biggest influences that we can use to our advantage in life is how we talk to our-self.

In particular, we can use our thoughts because they in influence our feelings and therefore can have a profound effect on how we deal with life in general.

By learning to control our self-talk and turning it into positive self-talk along with positive thinking rather than negative, which most people do unconsciously throughout the day, you can begin to gain more control over every aspect of your life and make essential changes.

Your ability to succeed in life largely depends on how you deal with life, a positive mental attitude leads to a confident and ultimately more successful person than one full of negativity which leads to a lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem.

By taking a positive attitude you look at life in a different way to one of negativity, a positive attitude leads to seeing good in people and the world which leads to optimism and success.

Your quality of life is based on how you think and feel from moment to moment and changing the way you think can drastically change how you see life and deal with life.

Positive thinking can have one of the most drastic changes in your entire life.

Attitude Is A Little Thing That Makes A Big Difference.

Winston Churchill

The person who goes through life optimistically with a positive attitude is better able to deal with life and the problems which it sometimes throws at us, they are able to bounce back and recover from problems or setbacks in life.

The optimistic person will see the problem for what it is, nothing but a temporary setback which they can overcome.

When looking at life in this optimistic way the person is able to take full control over their thoughts and feelings and turn a negative situation into a more positive one by simply altering their mind into positive thinking.

Since thoughts can either be positive or negative and you can only have one thought in mind at any one time then choosing positive thinking will keep your thoughts, feelings, and actions optimistic which leads to a happier person who is able to achieve their goals much easier.

Using Positive Thinking and Positive Self-Talk in your Daily Life.

You should use positive self-talk throughout the day in order to establish a new positive thinking pattern.

Picture of a Rainbow Restoring Positive Thinking and Optimism

You will probably have established a pattern of negative thinking for many years and this will take time to overcome, to start with you should aim to repeat positive self-talk around 50 times throughout the day.

This can be achieved by repeating positive statements quietly to yourself or out loud.

Positive self-talk can be used for many different aspects in your life, it can help you to overcome difficult situations, gain more confidence in yourself, help you to quit habits, recover quicker from illness or make changes to your life in general. Popular phrases or sentences that can be used in positive self-talk include.

Some Positive Thinking and Positive Self-Talk Phrases or Sentences That Can Help Build Self-Esteem!

  • I have an interesting challenge facing me – this could be used when a problem occurs in life or there is some difficulty, rather than looking at the situation in a negative way and thinking I have a problem, thinking of it as a challenge is a much more positive way of dealing with it.
  • I like the person I am – this could be used to bolster self-confidence and gain respect about yourself and the person you are, similar statements could be “I am the best”, “I am a good person” or “I have many excellent qualities”.
  • I know I can do this-this could be used if you are faced with a certain task that you would previously doubt yourself capable of conquering, similarly you could say “I have the ability to conquer this” or “this doesn’t pose a problem for me”
  • I am full of health, energy, and vitality – this can be used to encourage good feelings about your health either after you have been sick or while recovering from an illness.
  • I am fulfilled as a person – this can be used to encourage good general positive thinking about yourself and the world in which you live.

How Positive Affirmations Can Improve Your Self-Esteem And Strengthen Your Habit of Positive Thinking

Message about Positive Thinking and AffirmationsHaving a positive attitude is the key to being happy and leading a successful life. Our thoughts play a huge role in how we feel and positive thinking leads to a confident person happy in life, while negativity leads to low self-esteem and you missing out on so much in life.

We so often talk ourselves out of things without even realizing we are doing so, every day hundreds of negative thoughts drift freely through our mind.

We put ourselves down too much and sow the seeds of doubt. When you’re filled with self-doubt you are filled with self-defeating negative thoughts and feelings.

Using daily positive affirmations can change your life drastically for the better. They can make you more confident, more aware, surer of yourself and change your life in many more aspects for the better.

What Are Positive Affirmations?

Positive affirmations can be used throughout the day anywhere and at any time you need them.

The more you use them the easier positive thinking will take over negative thinking and you will see benefits happening in your life.

An affirmation is a simple technique that is used to change negative self-talk that we are rarely even aware of doing, into looking at your life with a more positive attitude.

Most of us have for many years bombarded ourselves with negative thoughts so changing your thoughts and the way you think won’t happen overnight but if you stick with affirmations they will work once you have adopted positive thinking into your life.

There are many different affirmation techniques for dealing with different situations in life and the most popular and successful are listed below.

The mirror technique

This technique helps you to appreciate yourself and develop self-awareness and self-esteem. This is so simple it is almost silly but then again there is nothing wrong with being a little silly now and again.

To accomplish this all you need to do is to stand in front of a mirror, preferably a full length one, you can remain in your underwear if you must but if possible it’s best to practice this method completely naked.

Start at your head and working down your body say out loud what it is you like about each part of your body. For example, you could say “I like the way my hair shines, the slight differences in color where the light hits it” or “I really love the color of my eyes, they brighten up my entire face.”

Take pride in what you see, don’t rush through this exercise, take the time to find something good to say about every part of your body. Taking the time to really notice different aspects of your body and spending a moment appreciating what you see is an extremely powerful method for developing a healthy and more positive self-image.

The anywhere technique

This technique can be used anywhere and whenever you catch yourself thinking a negative thought.

When you realize you are having a negative thought think of yourself turning down a volume knob inside your head so that you turn it down low enough so as not to hear it any longer.

Then try some positive thinking and recite a positive affirmation to replace the negative and turn the volume back up repeating it to yourself.

The trashcan technique

If you have negative thoughts write them down on a scrap of paper, screw the paper up into a ball and throw it into the trash can, by doing this you are telling yourself these thoughts are nothing but rubbish and that’s where they belong.

The meditation technique

Find somewhere quiet where you able to relax for 5 or 10 minutes close your eyes and let your mind empty of all thoughts and feelings.

Begin to repeat your affirmation to yourself over and over again while concentrating on the words you are repeating and believe in what you are saying.

Improve your life beginning right now, adopt the habit of Positive Thinking and put it to work on building your Self-Esteem! Positive Thinking Self-Esteem is the ultimate path to personal success!

Article by »


Hi, my name is Howard Grant Platt 3rd, and creating this website Positive Thinking For Personal Development has become one of my greatest passions! At the age of 35, I was diagnosed with a rare and incurable medical disorder. As a result of my medical issues, I struggle with various disabilities, which challenge me every day of my life. Positive Thinking has given me the confidence and inner strength to persevere through the most challenging times. I try to use my story to inspire and help others to live up to their full potential. I know my calling in life is to serve others compassionately and to help those in need. Thank you for visiting my site. God Bless!


Howard has written 89 articles on Positive-Thinking-For-You.com

Connect with Howard Grant Platt 111 » Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube

Leave a Comment

{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }

Dan Hines 1 October 10, 2014

Good morning and thank you for sharing your strength and positive outlook. I work at a treatment center for abused kids and kids with mental health disorders. I’m developing an in house training to teach the staff how to build positive self esteem in our kids. Could I use some of your material to enhance the training. I will give you full credit and this training will not be used outside the agency at any time.
Thanks again and keep being the strong light that you are.
Dan

Howard G. Platt 111 2 April 9, 2012

I love to hear someone speak so confidently and to realize their own self-worth.

Keep up the Great attitude!
Sincerely,
Howard

karen 3 April 9, 2012

Hi ,
How funny i was feeling not good enough steming from childhood so i felt all the feelings and then my mind started to look at everything from the other side like what was i good enough at and maybe i was actually loved so much i didnt know what it felt like to be other people who hadnt and wanted to somehow take that from me . It wasnt me that was bad because they did or said bad things it was their feelings and actually i was such a high value women men were scared to approach me and that left me with the not so good. Once i realised i was happy the way i was and didnt need to change just my thinking to believe i was actually more than good enough i was great i attracted a great man and was confident again, Thanks for the reminder! xx

Howard G. Platt 111 4 March 12, 2012

Hi Subhas,

Thank you for your feed back I love to hear from my readers and I especially enjoy it when I am told that my writing has helped in some way.

Actually though there is no team for this website it is just me. I started the site about 4 years ago because I wanted to help people and I knew that I had a lot to offer.

I just posted a new article last night that you might enjoy, it is titled “Improve Your Self-Esteem In 7 Simple Steps” it can definitely help one to improve their attitude.

God Bless You My Friend!
Sincerely,
Howard

Subhas Malik 5 March 8, 2012

Very useful tips…
I have one big problem from my childhood.
“i always do some bad think that, i know that it will effect my life very badly but i cant control it”

many many thanks to the hole team of this web site…
God bless u all

Howard Platt 6 March 4, 2012

That’s terrific to hear Ravi thank you for the awesome feedback.

Sincerely,
Howard

ravikumar 7 February 27, 2012

Hi Howard,

I learnt new things from this website.and i started to practice the same.

Thank you very much.

Regards.
Ravi kumar
India

Howard Platt 8 February 9, 2012

You are more than welcome my friend!
Thanks For Stopping By!

Sincerely,
Howard

Prakash Chandra 9 February 8, 2012

Its very useful tips..explained in simple but effective ways!
Thanx

Howard Platt 10 February 1, 2012

For one you have to stop telling yourself that you cannot do it because as long as you hold onto that belief it will be near impossible to make the change.

The BEST time for you to learn how to overcome the bad times is during the good times. You are half-way there because you are AWARE of the problem so now that you know what you have to work on …get to it! : )

Seriously, you can teach yourself how to cope with problems and you can do it through meditation, visualization, affirmations…you want to condition your mind into being able to pick up problems before they become to big of a problem and you can do this because as I said just being aware of the problem is half the cure.

Best Wishes!
Howard

Howard Platt 11 February 1, 2012

You are more than welcome my friend!
Thank You For Visiting

Sincerely,
Howard

mary 12 January 27, 2012

when something happens bad i am not able to think positively. what should i do?

castarine 13 January 24, 2012

excellent article….thanks alot for sharing!!!

Howard Platt 14 January 6, 2012

Welcome Neha!

I am so glad that you found the article to be helpful. I have some big plans for Positive Thinking For Personal Development for 2012 so stick around it’s only going to get better.

God Bless You and Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Howard

Howard Platt 15 January 6, 2012

Hi,

Laugh with them! Really chuckle it up right along with them because it is hard to be sad with a smile on your face : )

Best Wishes!
Howard

Neha 16 January 5, 2012

This article is amazing…..i read it just now but i m sure it will bring some positive changes in my life…i have d habit of making things big in my mind & turn it into negative, i know its not right that is why i want change, a positive change in my mind & in my life….but i think this article have started doing so….Thanks you so much & please keep on writing.:)

Neha

dreamz 17 January 5, 2012

very nice article… I m in probelm with that, i can nt face my friends joke, when they get joking with me, i feeling blushing, like to cry… How to overcome this… Plz help, it z like hell

Howard 18 November 22, 2011

You are very welcome! I hope you visit often as I will continue to write articles that I think will help others.

Best Wishes!
Howard

Howard 19 November 22, 2011

Thank you Leon!

I would like to apologize to you and all my readers for my absence. I appreciate all your comments so much they really mean the world to me and I am so thankful that I can help others by sharing my experiences and knowledge.

I was back in the hospital and that is why I have not been hear to respond to your comments and questions but I will try to get through as many as I can today however I am very tired and will need some rest so if I do not get to your comment or question today please forgive me, I promise as long as I am home I will put as much of my energy as I can into this site.

I thank you all so much for your support and I do wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
Howard

Vi 20 November 15, 2011

Good information. Thanks

Leon Enriquez 21 November 3, 2011

Dear Howard:

Thank you for words that help uplift;
Faith hurled and heard, blessings and gifts.
Now fits the time for happy stuff;
Goodness and chimes to face what’s tough.
May all things good flood and fulfill;
Let ample moods fling wondrous thrill!
Frame message clear, keep peace of mind;
Live without fear, let heart define.

Leon
Singapore

Delaina Dobbins 22 October 19, 2011

I think this website will be very helpful.

Howard 23 October 12, 2011

Hi John,

Thank you so much for your comment, that really means a lot to me!

Take Care My Friend!
Howard

john 24 October 3, 2011

Hi Howard,

Your site is awesome and extremely beneficial. It has the information that not only teaches but more importantely helps one change for the better.

thanks so much
John

Howard 25 September 25, 2011

Hi Emmanuel,
Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. I can tell your intentions are very good however I am not a big fan of using the word Ignorant in this context. I believe that all people inherently do the best they can with the knowledge they have however falling back to the premise of your message in essence you are correct we all must admit that we “just don’t know what we just don’t know.” Although we are all equally capable of learning the life skills we need to achieve the success that we chase.

Thanks again for pitching in!
Sincerely,
Howard

Emmanuel Kiweewa 26 September 25, 2011

Advice on real life, many people are what they are because they are Ignorant of what life is about, continues sensitizing the World for every one need this knowledge.

Howard 27 September 23, 2011

Hi Hema,
I love to read comments like this. Building confidence and developing high self-esteem is only possible if you believe it is possible so now that YOU believe yo can do it you will become unstoppable.

Howard

Hema 28 September 15, 2011

I am facing lots of problems in my life because of negative thinking and low self esteem. I found this article very useful and easy to implement. I had tried lots of things before but they were vey tough so failed to implement those. After reading this article, i am quite confident that i can develop positive thinking and gain high self esteem. Thank you for such a nice article.

Howard 29 September 15, 2011

Hi Mrs. D,
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the site and that you plan to work some of the principles into your life. Building ones self-esteem and self-confidence really are the two pillars of success.

I Hope You Stop Back Often!

Sincerely,
Howard

Mrs. D 30 September 14, 2011

Wow. Thanks you guys. You have some of the most healing
and effective information. This is wonderful.

sarah 31 August 31, 2011

quite good advice, good for reaffirming myself and getting me back on track.