High Self-Esteem, Part I

by

John Stephen Mauldin, MLA (not AI assisted)

All right reserved, copyright © 2025

Please note that I am neither a physician nor a medical professional. While the following remedies helped me, they might not be the best choice for you. Therefore, always rely on your doctor’s advice for your health.

Should we believe that we can be successful at work and are worthy of love, we will enjoy high self-esteem. In turn, we will be good stewards of our health. If we believe that we cannot be successful at work and are unworthy of love, we will almost invariably neglect our health. For, confidence in our ability to succeed at work and our worthiness of love is the undeductible foundation of high self-esteem.

Those who highly esteem themselves will possess more dash and daring than those with low self-estimation, making it easier for them to succeed at work. Yet, why would the worthiness of love be part of the formula of healthy self-esteem? As we have seen, it is simply this: love is the recognition of value. And, if we value something, we nurture and care for it, especially the precious vessel we have been given, which we call our body, home to our soul and spirit.

Now, suppose we have low self-esteem. How do we raise this poor self-evaluation? There are many ways to accomplish this. Yet, it should first be understood that all of us struggle with the way we feel about ourselves from time to time and, perhaps, day to day; for, just as we don’t eat one meal and expect never to need nourishment again, we must continuously re-nourish the way we feel about ourselves.

The quickest and easiest way to raise our self-esteem is straightforward yet equally powerful. Although this method may seem innocuous, even meaningless, its power to protect and lift our self-esteem cannot be overstated. I am speaking of detachment.

As Tennyson said, “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead life to sovereign power.” That type of detachment does not mean numbness to an urgent situation, nor does it mean being disengaged from others. It is not giving someone the silent treatment. Neither is it irresponsibility of any kind, whatsoever.

By sharp contrast, detachment means being appropriately engaged, being fully alive to the situation at hand and our reaction to it, or non-reaction to it, rather than being attuned to the reactions of others. It means being the uncompromised, original you—the highest and best version of yourself, fully adequate to overcome any challenge.

Detachment in this sense is never aloof in a condescending way. Rather, it is what might be called self-sovereignty. This self-containment is, indeed, emancipation from circumstances and the negative influence of others.

Yet, detachment and self-sovereignty are not easy for anyone, even for the most well-adjusted members of society. It may be impossible to become detached when grieving for a lost loved one, an unavoidable process that can sometimes seem hellishly lonely and unending.  

Now, the first principle of detachment is to halt. If we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, we must HALT and take care of our needs. Just as we are instructed by airlines in case of emergency to secure our oxygen mask before trying to help anyone else, we must also put our needs first, finding our place of stability.

Learning detachment can also begin by memorizing and practicing the following twelve sayings. You most likely have heard and said them. Yet, you may not have realized their extraordinary power to protect and raise your self-esteem. Indeed, the influence of the following words on our feelings about ourselves might be vital. So, consideration for memorizing and practicing them is advisable.

(continued in Part II)