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Originally Posted by Suave
I think there are limits though, Poppin. Sure there's "I am a great person" high self-esteem, but what happens when it goes to the extreme? The extreme of it could potentially lead them to believe that everyone else (or nearly everyone else) is a part of a human stain; completely worthless, except to further their own goals.
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People will conclude that if they have high self-esteem.
...if they're batshit psycho. Being a sociopath is a mental disorder. Just as a depressive can't be cured by 'thinking happy thoughts', a sociopath would've been a sociopath whether or not they received mroe beatings as a child.
I'm of the firm belief that self-esteem is important in everything you do. Being unrealistic will hinder you, knowing your strength and your limits will never do the same. Believing that you can achieve something doesn't make it happen, it's the hard work that does. I can be a CEO if I'm willing to put the work into starting and growing a company. Believing I can do it will not make it happen, but if I don't believe it can happen and will happen if I put that hard work in, I'm not going to bother. That work includes learning about how to effectively run a company, making contacts, establishing a client base, etc ad nauseum. The amount of work is monumental and it's the sort of thing that would probably span years, possibly decades. That doesn't mean I can't do it.
I've gotten many jobs solely due to my confidence. I know I can do the work and do it well and that communicates in cover letters and interviews. I've excelled at the same jobs for the same reason. I know I can, I know I want to and I will put in the work to learn the ropes and do the best that I can. I walked into a warehouse with no previous experience in the field and was somewhat out of shape at the time. Within two months I was posting better metrics than guys who'd been there for years. That isn't solely because I believed I could, but if I hadn't believed that it wouldnt've happened. Shortly after, I decided the work wasn't for me, walked into a call centre and did the same thing. My job, while officially tech support included sales as a large component and that was something I'd never done before. Again, within two months I was excelling far beyond what people who'd done the job their entire lives were managing. I left that job because I didn't agree with the practices the company used and because I didn't want to do sales anymore. I started my own business; it shows every indication of succeeding, but I've recently decided that the amount of time and energy I have to devote to it isn't worth it to me right now, so I'm in the job market again. I may eventually revisit business ownership, or perhaps I'll find something else I prefer. I don't know what my next job will be, but I know that I'll do well at it.
Self confidence isn't believing you're better than everyone else. It's believing that you are valuable. It's not connected to anyone else's worth. As much as some would have you believe otherwise, life is not a competition.