An Inspiring Piece By "Theodora Adokiye" On Self Confidence, A Must Read

Written by Theodora Adokiye.

SELF CONFIDENCE

A broad review of the correlates of self-esteem found that high self-esteem is associated with better health, better social lives, protection against mental disorders and social problems,

Children with high self-confidence perform better at school and, later in life, have higher job satisfaction at middle age.  Self-esteem is also strongly linked to happiness, with higher levels of self-esteem predicting higher levels of happiness.

       ATTRIBUTES OF SELF CONFIDENCE :

1. A greater sense of self-worth.

2. Greater enjoyment in life and in activities.

3. Freedom from self-doubt.

4. Freedom from fear and anxiety, freedom from social anxiety, and less stress.

5. More energy and motivation to act.

6. Have a more joy able interacting with other people at social gatherings.

 When you are relaxed and confident others will feel at ease around you.

The Consequences of Self-Esteem Education

Self-confidence or self-esteem has been praised in Western society for the past 25 years. It’s been believed that a positive self-image is key to a happy and successful life. Thus the self-esteem era of education was born. Children of this generation are taught in schools and at home to consider themselves to be special, to only focus on their positive traits, and to receive praise for very little accomplishment.

If boosting self-confidence is better at increasing narcissism and ambition than achievement and success, what should we do?  Do we ditch the idea of improving self-confidence?

I, Theodora Adokiye, encourage parents and teachers to give children praise in order to increase their self-confidence, but only as a reward for socially desirable behavior.

This method ensures that children receive some positive attention and have the opportunity to develop a healthy self-esteem, but it does not run the risk of convincing children that they are exceedingly competent whether they work hard or not.

Another positive move parents can take is letting their children fail.  Recently, parents have taken great care in shielding their children from pain and problems and forming a protective bubble of love and esteem-building around them.  This often has the unintended consequence of not only protecting children from struggle but also from growth.

I, Theodora Adokiye, suggests taking a step back as parents, and letting children figure out how to deal with disappointment and pain, an undertaking that will likely result in the development of resilience and successful coping skills. If we want to encourage all children to not only feel their best but to also do their best, these seem like good solutions.


 CONCLUSION

The bottom line is that a healthy sense of self-confidence is not something that we achieve once and then just have for the rest of our lives. If you are a parent, teacher, or someone else who interacts with children frequently,  stop trying to build the child’s self-esteem through protecting and praising them without  warrant.

Consider what you are encouraging the child to learn from their actions, provide them with enough opportunities to safely learn through failure and offer them space to build their courage and express their self-efficacy.