Difference Between Confidence and Self-Esteem..

Most of the people use the words confidence and self-esteem interchangeably. Where it is found that differences between the two exist, though, and it matters how these terms are used.

What’s self-esteem?

You can accurately swap the word esteem with approval. When you hold someone in high esteem, you approve of them. If you have healthy self-esteem, you approve of yourself.

Plenty of people lack strong self-esteem because they disapprove of themselves, imagining they aren’t good enough. If you have self-esteem issues, the remedy is to work at recognizing your value so you see yourself as acceptable and worthwhile.

What is self-confidence?

Confidence is about certainty. When you are confident, you believe you are capable. So, you might be confident you can ride a horse or take care of your finances.

Adding the word self to confident suggests you believe you are a capable individual. Still, while you are confident of your ability to take care of most everyday tasks, you might doubt your ability to carry out other jobs like speaking in public or sailing, for instance. So self-confidence ebbs and flows, depending on the situation.

To increase self-confidence, you might stretch from your comfort zone and discover you are far more capable than you imagine, resulting in the domino effect — as your self-confidence grows your courage will expand.

Why does it matter which word you use?

As you see, self-esteem and self-confidence share similarities. They are also different though. Even if you are bold and self-confident, it’s possible to suffer from low self-esteem. This is why some people who appear extremely confident lack self-love and secretly need constant approval.

If your self-esteem is low, the image you hold of yourself is damaged and you don’t recognize how valuable you are. You can’t fix the problem by running further than anyone else, climbing the career ladder, or collecting accolades. Hence, many celebrities, film stars, and people in the limelight who are prosperous and popular have low self-esteem. They don’t feel good enough.

Lack of self-esteem exists on a primal level; it seeps into your psyche and influences everything you do. Lack of confidence is usually solved via gaining knowledge, expanding skills, and practicing until your ability increases.

Often, self-esteem issues are created in childhood when kid’s brains are developing fast and easily manipulated by the environment. You may also lose self-esteem after a hard knock or setback like an enduring illness or a painful life event.

Changing your self-esteem involves polishing your self-image and seeing how you shine. As it exists in the subconscious, that’s where work needs to be accomplished for effective change.


Ideas for Improving Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence:-

If you are having trouble finding areas you are confident in, try these tips.

• Think of qualities others say you excel in. Even if you believe them slightly, this is a step in the right direction.
• Stop the negative chatter. Shut it up! Start to think of contradictions to these statements.
• Would you say it to a friend? If not, stop saying these statements to yourself.
• Make a list of strengths. Think of what you would say about yourself if you were on a job interview.

The more we recognize our challenges with self-confidence and self-esteem, the more aware we become of improvements that can be made. This is when positive changes occur.

It’s important to recognize whether you have low self-esteem or lack confidence so you appreciate how to tackle the issue. Using the words correctly also helps you understand yourself and other people.