Doesn’t it always feel good to make others feel important, loved? I like to find joy, and to spread joy. My intentions aren’t completely unselfish. I know that in doing little things to make people smile it in turn makes me feel fantastic.
And I do like to feel fantastic.
Those feelings boost self esteem – an important component in, among many things, believing in your abilities to do just about anything.
My knowledge about and desire to feel good was instilled in me and my 3 siblings at a young age. We grew up with a mother who is a motivational/humorist speaker. {Great combo, huh?} She was always saying something funny or teaching us about how to see things funny and “light”.
She always told us that accepting compliments and giving them was a sign of good self esteem. And that if you could laugh at yourself you’d be well on your way to being happy.
She taught us that you have to find ways to boost your own self esteem, find happiness in yourself.
I could list a million tips about how to feel good, organized, accomplished as a means to boost your esteem. But let me share five of what I think are some of the easiest things you can do daily to increase a healthy sense of self.
1. One of the easiest ways to feel good is to smile.
And I don’t just mean in general, I mean specifically to smile at yourself. My mother used to always tell me to wake in the morning and look in the mirror and smile. Why? Because someone is always smiling back, and that feels good. Just one of many pearls of wisdom and life lessons she passed on. You might think I am nuts. But trust me. You won’t feel it’s positive physiological effect until you try it. So go ahead. Make it a routine each day.
2. One of the easiest ways to feel organized is to make your bed every day.
Yup. Just make it everyday. I truly believe completing this task daily is essential for starting the day off in an organized way. You set the tone of the day with a made bed. Your space looks better, tidy and neat. You feel organized; and when that happens you feel better. At the end of a long, perhaps crazy day, you’ll be grateful for the sense of order (and calm) your made bed provides.
3. One of the easiest ways to feel accomplished is by doing small tasks to keep your space in order.
Feeling like you have accomplished something is an esteem booster for sure. There is nothing worse that going through the day feeling, however unconsciously, like you’ve “done” nothing. Ticking off tasks from your to do list will help for sure but here are a few things you can do daily, regardless of what’s on your list, that will infuse as feeling of order into your day and in return help you feel quite accomplished.
a. Keep the sink clean and clear before leaving the house and/or going to bed. Waking to a clean sink allows you an orderly, one-step-ahead way to start the day. Instead of waking to a task (and another piece of chaos in your sight), you will wake to to a perfect visual of calm, order and balance. This task doesn’t have to be a hardship, especially if you stay on top of it and don’t put it off too long. And you can bring your children along for the ride and set expectations so they help you make it an easy task to accomplish.
b. Clear the floor! Just like a void-of-dirty-dishes sink allows you to enter the next day with a “clean” slate, so will a clean and clear bedroom floor or family room. Make sure dirty clothes make their way to the laundry basket and clean clothes to the closet or dresser. Straighten out the pillows on the couch and tidy up the coffee table contents before your day ends. Again, its a great lesson for children (start ’em young) to learn to pick up after themselves and put their things away. As they get older, that sense of order will become second nature and helping you keep things calm will too.
4. One of the easiest ways to make others feel good is to pay it forward – daily.
I read an article recently (and I might just have to expound on this tip in a later post because it carries to much weight for me) about a man who, for one year, performed one act of kindness every day. Imagine what this world would be like if we all did this? It doesn’t seem that hard to do if we put pushing kindness ahead of pushing our own agendas. And imagine how good we would feel just to see someone else smile or know you helped in even the smallest way? Hold the door for the person behind you. When in traffic let someone “in”. Smile at a stranger or two, or offer a kind word if the spirit moves you. Pay attention to what’s going on around you and offer kindness wherever you can. It.feels.good.
And while you are at it, drop a line to someone to brighten their day. I think this tip has the power to change the world – at least those in yours. Whether you’ve been in touch in the past week or haven’t been connected in over a year, letting someone know you are thinking of them sends esteem through roof – for both of you. Try to connect daily with a friend to say hi and check in, or send a card and mail it just because. You feel good, and someone feels the love. How perfect.
Challenge yourself to do more for you (and others) to increase your self esteem. It makes your life happy. And will make this world just a little bit better – one smile and good act at a time.
