From the author: To see your strengths means to feel your strength, stop worrying and being afraid, and start moving forward. To see your strengths means to feel your strength, stop worrying and being afraid, and start moving forward. Our culture tends to focus on shortcomings. We absorb this from a young age: “Why are you so slow-witted?”, “You think slowly!”, “You’re not tall enough,” “No voice, no hearing!”, “You’re lazy,” and things like that. This is done, of course, in order to stimulate the process of education and self-education. And this helps to a certain extent. But if abused, the side effect is the formation of an image of oneself as “not like that”, the habit of devaluing oneself as a whole. As a result, the person is well aware of his shortcomings (he has been told this many times). But he doesn’t know what he really is, what his strengths and abilities are. And yet, he doesn’t notice his successes and doesn’t hear when others tell him about it. Accustomed to depreciation. Talking about self-worth seems arrogant and arrogant to him. Something not very decent. How can you believe in yourself if you only see flaws? Find out the real you: your characteristics, abilities, interests. It may well turn out that, having lived to, say, 30 years of age, a person does not know himself very well. In this regard, I like Einstein’s remark: “... if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life thinking that it is a fool.” If you are not achieving success, maybe you are not doing your job? Start accepting support and listening to those who speak about your strengths, virtues and skills. When people give compliments, thank you, and rejoice at success – perhaps they are telling the truth? Yes, yes, people with low self-esteem often feel that when they are told something good, it is actually not true, but is said to make them feel good. Now, sometimes people tell the truth. Treat those who highlight your weaknesses and mistakes thoughtfully and with discernment. I wonder why they need this? Especially if you are an adult.© Yulia Yuzofatova#yuzofatova_psychologist