My Reflection:

What will it be if all our ideas in mind will become reality by just wishing it to happen? Possibly, all of us will get what we want to have in an instant. But we know that that is just a fantasy, and the reality is that for the idea to become real, there should be an action on our end. And for us to have action, we need a driving force or willpower to use our own abilities to achieve whatever goals we have. But the problem is we don’t have willpower, and we tend to feel depleted in ourselves, and this matter is all about self-esteem        

As defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary (2017), self-esteem is a feeling of satisfaction that someone has in himself or herself and his or her own abilities. Everyone wants to feel accepted, worthwhile, and competent. Self-esteem has a relationship with how much one likes, recognizes, or appreciates one’s individual character, qualities, skills, and accomplishments (Young Women’s health, 2016).

As entrepreneurs, we are the face of the products we are selling. People will only be convinced to buy, invest or partner with us if they see that we know and believe not just in our product but in ourselves and that is what we call, self-confidence. Self-confidence comes from our self-esteem.

The question that I have in my mind right now, is do I have a positive self-concept. Am I proud of my abilities, qualities, and skills? If the answer to those questions is yes, then I have positive self-esteem—evaluating myself as being Worthwhile and capable (Collins, 2007). Therefore I can be confident to take risks, the strength to project when meeting others and facing difficulties. But in reality, there are times that I feel incompetent, incapable, and inferior to others. I have low self-esteem at times, and that stops me from doing my best and executing the ideas that I have in mind. When I feel low on myself, then automatically it is impossible to be confident in what I do.

There are many factors why we have low self-esteem. It may come from family—overprotective, negative, disengaged, or unattached, parents or significant others. It may also come from any events that caused trauma, such as any forms of abuse; or other factors like bullying, comparison, and experiences that lead to embarrassment. For myself, I experienced many of those factors mentioned above, and that painted me a negative concept about myself that leads me to feel low self-esteem. But awareness is POWER. Being aware of my possible downfall will make me help rise up at the same time. I am aware that sometimes, I feel insecure, inferior, and incompetent, whether that self-concept is subjective or objective, and that awareness brings me to strive and thrive to do more to see the positive in me. It is great to know the fact that we—human beings are reparable. We can overcome and Restore whatever is marred caused by the past, and whatever path we choose, we can excel because, again, we can change.

I believe that as an entrepreneur, we will experience a lot of rejections, healthy competition, and criticism by and from others. But for as long as we are good enough, we know that we are loved and valuable, and we know that we are capable, then we can achieve whatever desires of our hearts. A successful Austrian Psychiatrist Alfred Adler as quoted by Radwan (2015) believed that the way to escape this inferior trap is to stop making comparisons and to give up the natural human striving for superiority and just live according to our own design. We should not compare ourselves to others, because we know that we are unique.

So what are some good ideas or obstacles you want to overcome in mind? Have the willpower; have some self-confidence, and surely, you will triumph over it.

References:

Collins, GR (2007). Christian Counseling: A comprehensive guide, 3rd ^Ed . Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, p.426.

Radwan, M. F. (2015). Inferiority Complex: Alfred Adler’s story. Retrieved from https://www.2knowmyself.com/Inferiority_complex_Alfred_adler

Merriam-Webster dictionary (2017). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-esteem

Young Women’s health, August, 18, 2016. Retrieved from http://youngwomenshealth.org/2012/05/30/self-esteem/