According to Maltz Maxwell, we simply must get it through our heads that holding a low opinion of ourselves is not a virtue, but a vice. Jealousy, for example, which is the scourge of many a marriage, is nearly always caused by self doubt. The person with adequate self-esteem doesn't feel hostile towards others, he isn't out to prove anything, he can see facts more clearly isn't as demanding in his claims against other people.
The word "esteem" literally means to appreciate the worth of.
Why do men stand in awe of the stars and the moon, the immensity of the sea, the beauty of a flower or a sunset, and at the same time downgrade themselves? Did not the same creator make man? Is not man himself the most marvelous creation of all?
This appreciation of your own worth is not egotism unless you assume that you made yourself and should take some of the credit.
Do not downgrade the product merely because you haven't used it correctly. Don't childishly blame the product for your own errors like the schoolboy who said, "this typewriter can't spell."
But the biggest secret of self esteem is this:Begin to appreciate other people more; Show respect for any human being merely because he is a child of God and therefore a "thing of value."
Stop and think when you are dealing with people. You're dealing with a unique, individual creation of the Creator of all.
Practice treating other people as if they had some value - and surprisingly enough your own self esteem will go up. For real self esteem is not derived from the great things you have done, the things you own, the mark you've made - but in appreciation of yourself for what you are - a child of God.
When you come to this realization however, you must necessarily conclude that all other people are to be appreciate for the same reason.
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