Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem can best be described as your own abilities and values. It does not mean thinking you are the best at everything, but feeling comfortable with yourself even when you are not. It is accepting yourself, with all your strengths and weaknesses, while still taking opportunities for self-development (Wilding & Palmer, 2010).Emmett Miller, a noted authority on self-esteem, says that as adults we tend to define ourselves in terms of the following items: The Things We Possess. Miller says this is the most primitive source of self-worth. People who define themselves in terms of what they have may have difficulty deciding what is enough and may spend their life in search of more material possessions. What We Do for a Living. Miller points out that too often our self-worth and identity depend on something as arbitrary as a job title. Amy Saltzman, author of Downshifting, points out that we have looked to outside forces such as the corporation, the university, or the media to provide us with a script for leading a satisfying, worthwhile life. Our Internal Value System and Emotional Makeup. Miller says this is the healthiest way for people to identify themselves: If you dont give yourself credit for excellence in other areas of life, besides your job and material possessions, youve got nothing to keep your identity afloat during a job layoff or a troubled family relationship. People who are in touch with their real identity weather the storm better because they have a more varied and richer sense of themselves, owing to the importance they attach to their personal lives and activities.As an adult, you will be constantly adjusting the level of your self-esteem as you cope with events at work and in your personal life. Self-esteem influences behavior, thought, and emotions in its capacity (Kernis, 2013). People with healthy self-esteem tend to have a sense of personal worth that has been strengthened through various achievements and through accurate self-appraisal (Reece, et. al., 2011). But if our self-esteem is low, we invariably seek out other means for affirmation of our self-worth. When our self-worth is derived from the views and opinions of the society in which we live, we have condemned ourselves to an existence of instability and ever changing values (Davis, 2010).Characteristics of people with low self-esteem (Reece, et. al., 2011)1. They tend to maintain an external locus of control. People who maintain an external locus of control believe that their life is almost totally controlled by outside forces and that they bear little personal responsibility for what happens to them. When we rely too heavily on validation from external sources, we can lose control over our lives.2. They are more likely to participate in self-destructive behaviors. 3. They tend to exhibit poor human relations skills. Individuals with low self-esteem may have difficulty developing effective interpersonal skills.Characteristics of people with high self-esteem (Reece, et. al., 2011)1. They tend to maintain an internal locus of control. They make decisions for their own reasons based on their standards of what is right and wrong. They learn from their mistakes, but are not immobilized by them.2. They are able to feel all dimensions of emotion without letting those emotions affect their behavior in a negative way. It is okay to have anxious, scared, angry, or depressed feelingsas long as you dont let them stop you from doing what you have to do.3. They are less likely to take things personally. Don Miguel Ruiz, author of the best-selling book The Four Agreements, cautions us to avoid taking others comments personally. He says that when you react strongly to gossip or strongly worded criticism (Youre so fat!), you suffer for nothing. Ruiz notes that many of these messages come from people who are unable to respect you because they do not respect themselves.4. They are able to accept other people as unique, talented individuals. They learn to accept others for who they are and what they can do. People with high self-esteem build mutual trust based on each individuals uniqueness.5. They have a productive personality. They are optimistic in their approach to life and are capable of being creative, imaginative problem solvers. Because of this, they tend to be leaders and to be skillful in dealing with people. They have the ability to evaluate the dynamics of a relationship and adjust to the demands of the interaction. They are able to handle stress in a productive way by putting their problems and concerns into perspective and maintaining a balance of work and fun in their lives.Ways To Boost Your Self-EsteemBuilding your self-esteem is often a do-it-to-yourself project. No one can wrap a package of self-esteem and give it to you for your birthday. Healthy self-esteem comes from realizing what qualities and skills you have that you can rely on and then making a plan to build those qualities and skills that you want in the future. Such a change is the result of a slow, steady evolution that begins with the desire to overcome low self-esteem. Search for the Source of Low Self-Esteem. Increasing your self-esteem requires achieving a greater level of self-awareness and learning to accurately perceive your particular balance of strengths and weaknesses. Identify and Accept Your Limitations. Become realistic about who you are and what you can and cannot do. Demanding perfection of yourself is unrealistic because no one is perfect. Take Responsibility for Your Decisions. Making decisions helps you develop confidence in your own judgment and enables you to explore options. Engage in Strength Building. Most organizations take their employees strengths for granted and focus on minimizing their weaknesses. The research findings suggest that the best way to excel in a career is to maximize your strengths.Strength building also requires the acquisition of knowledge and skill. Seek the Support and Guidance of Mentors. Building Partnerships for Learning, defines a mentor as someone who helps someone else learn something the learner would otherwise have learned less well, more slowly, or not at all.1. Search for a mentor who has the qualities of a good coach. Look for someone whom you would like to emulate, both in business savvy and in operating style. Be sure it is someone who is absolutely credible, a person you trust enough to talk with about touchy issues.2. Market yourself to a prospective mentor. The best mentor for you may be someone who is very busy. An effective mentor is someone who will tell you things you may not want to hear but make you want to be better. A good mentor will support your attempts to accomplish goals and give you the confidence to rise above your inner doubts and fears. Set Goals. People who set goals and successfully achieve them are able to achieve higher self-esteem. Why? Because setting goals enables you to take ownership of the future. Once you realize that just about every behavior is controllable, the possibilities for improving your self-esteem are endless. Self- change may be difficult, but its not impossible. If you set goals that really excite you, desire will fuel your will to achieve them. Practice Guided Imagery. Guided imagery is one of the most creative and empowering methods for achieving your goals available today. It provides you with a way to harness the power of the mind and imagination to succeed at something. Use Positive Self-Talk. Self-talk takes place in the privacy of your mind. It can be rational and productive, or it can be irrational and disruptive. You can create effective, positive self-talk statements for each of your goals by using the following guidelines:1. Be specific about the behavior you want to change. 2. Begin each self-talk statement with a first-person pronoun, such as I or my.3. Describe the results you want to achieve. Be sure to phrase the statement as though you have already achieved what you want.