7 Day Self-Esteem Challenge. Ready to Change Your Life?

I saw a meme recently that said: “there’s this one person who really stresses me out. Me. I stress me out.”

This really resonated with me. My thoughts have a way of making me feel not worthy or not good enough. I have struggled with low self-esteem for most of my life. According to research, people with high self-esteem make about $28,000 more annually–that adds up to $280,000 to $1.12 million in lost earnings, over a 40-year career. This doesn’t include pain and suffering. How much time and energy do you spend with thoughts of inadequacy or self-doubt? Mind boggling, right? 

Want to know where you fall on self-esteem? Take this quiz. Then, I am going to give you some actionable strategies to improve this score. Sound like a plan? No spoilers! Take the quiz first, then come back here to read on.

Done with the quiz? Save your score somewhere safe. Now, I am going to share 3 tips that you can use every day for 7 days. When done consistently, you will absolutely notice a difference. Then, come back, retake the above quiz, and share with us about whether we moved the needle. This will be fun!

Tip 1: Is this thought helping or hurting me?

Often it’s the thoughts we have about a situation, more than the situation itself, that cause self-doubt. Sometimes this comes in the form of comparison: “she has more friends than I do; I am not as fun to be around.” Sometimes it is a stand alone self-reflection: “I suck at math.”

I want to encourage you, over the course of this experiment, to catch yourself each time you are having a self-defeating thought, and ask yourself: “is this thought helping or harming me?” Thoughts are just thoughts, not facts, yet they can create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Observing the thought, and recognizing that it is causing you pain, can help you to stop it before it grows. 

Tip 2: Thoughts are not facts.

Thoughts are often based on assumptions we are making. This isn’t your fault! Our brains use shortcuts to process information, and sometimes they draw conclusions that aren’t true, or fail to take into account all of the facts of a situation. I challenge you to challenge your thoughts. Can you zoom out from your self-defeating thoughts to find alternative explanations or evidence?

Thought: “I can’t keep up with all of this work; I am not as smart as everyone else here.” 

Applying the tip: “I got a very positive comment from my boss during the last staff meeting. My last project went off without a hitch.”

Tip 3: Watch your tone.

Would you talk to a friend or loved one the way you talk to yourself? What would you say to them? Is it helpful? Is it kind? Is it hopeful? Sometimes we can evoke kind thoughts towards others in ways we can not do for ourselves. USE that to your benefit. 

That’s it! 3 tasks, 7 days. Can you do it? What if it changes your life? Will it be worth it? You’ll get out what you put in, though, so commit now to really taking this on. Comment in this thread on day 1, and let’s cheer each other on, and hold each other accountable. No member left behind!

(if you are not yet a humanest member, you’ll be prompted to first create a free account–we won’t spam you, we promise!)