Self-Esteem (Information - Hay)

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"Self-Esteem" Written by Louise L. Hay

"You'll never have good self-esteem if you have negative thoughts about yourself.

"Self-esteem is merely feeling good about yourself, and when you do so, you develop confidence. Confidence then builds self-esteem -- each step feeds upon the other. Once you get the rhythm going, you can accomplish almost anything.

"Since self-esteem is what you think about yourself, you have the freedom to think anything you want. So why would you want to belittle yourself?

"You were born extremely confident. You came into this world knowing how wonderful you are. You were so perfect when you were a tiny baby. You didn't have to do anything -- you were already perfect -- and you acted as if you were aware of that. You knew you were the center of the Universe. You weren't afraid to ask for what you wanted. You freely expressed your emotions. Your

mother knew when you were angry, in fact, the entire neighborhood knew it. And when you were happy, your smile lit up the whole room. You were so full of love and confidence.

"Little babies will die if they don't get love. Once we're older, we learn to live without love, but no baby will stand for that. Babies also love every inch of their bodies, even their own feces. They have no guilt, no shame, no comparisons. They know they're unique and wonderful.

"You were like that. Then somewhere during your childhood, your well-meaning parents passed on their own insecure feelings and taught you feelings of inadequacy and fear. At that point, you began to deny your own magnificence. These thoughts and feelings were never true, and they certainly aren't true now. So I want to bring you back to the time when you really knew how to love yourself by talking about mirror work.

"Mirror work is simple and very powerful. It simply involves looking into a mirror when you say your affirmations. Mirrors reflect our true feelings back to us. As children, we received most of our negative messages from adults, many of them looking us straight in the eye and perhaps even shaking a finger at us. Today, when most of us look into a mirror, we'll say something negative. We either criticize our looks, or berate ourselves for something else.

"To look yourself in the eye and make a positive declaration is one of the quickest ways to get positive results with affirmations. I ask people to look in their eyes and say something positive about themselves every time they pass a mirror.

"If something unpleasant happens to you during the day, immediately go to the mirror and say, "I LOVE YOU ANYWAY." Events come and go, but the love you have for yourself can be constant, and it's the most important quality you possess in life. If something wonderful happens, go to the mirror and say, "THANK YOU." Acknowledge yourself for creating this wonderful experience.

"First thing in the morning and last thing in the evening, I want you to look into your eyes and say: "I LOVE YOU, I REALLY LOVE YOU. AND I ACCEPT YOU EXACTLY AS YOU ARE." It can be tough at first, but if you stick with it, in a short time this affirmation will be true for you. Won't that be fun!

"You'll find that as your self-love grows, so will your self-respect, and any changes that you find yourself needing to make will be easier to accomplish when you know that they're the right ones for you. Love is never outside yourself -- it's always within you. As you're more loving, you'll be more lovable.

"So choose new thoughts to THINK about yourself, and choose new words to TELL yourself how magnificent you are and that you deserve all the good that Life has to offer."

Copyright 2004. "I CAN DO IT" (How to Use Affirmations to Change Your Life) - book. Written by Louise L. Hay, Published by Hay House Inc. [This wonderful book also includes an Affirmation CD!)

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