Overcome Low Self Esteem if You're an Abuse Survivor

If you want to begin overcoming low self-esteem, you want to be like this 7 year old kid who turned into an Olympic champion. You can do it, all you have to do is...

Steps

 * 1)  [[Image:Dominando_soccer_ball.jpg|thumb|right|124px]]Develop a support network of some kind - people who will be your cheerleaders. If you were abused, it's likely your parents are out of the question and your support network may be limited.  So don't be afraid to get a therapist.  He or she can help heal your wounded inner child.
 * 2) Learn to appreciate yourself. If you're in the habit of comparing yourself to others, please do yourself a favor and stop. It helps to begin overcoming shame if you've suffered abuse.  Appreciate yourself for who you are. To help with that, it's on to #3.
 * 3)  Try some new activities you're interested in that take you out of your current comfort zone and push you to grow in some way. Running? Yoga? Pottery?  Cooking? Just start small. Growth occurs in baby steps, not leaps and bounds.
 * 4) Try and try again. If you fall down, get back up and try again. As President Calvin Coolidge once said, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
 * 5) Remember, as a little kid Michael Phelps was afraid of the water, so the first stroke he mastered was the backstroke. But with the right attitude, training, and support he became a gold medalist in the 2008 Olympics.

Sources and Citations

 * http://www.zentactics.com/overcoming-low-self-esteem.html
 * http://www.zentactics.com/wounded-inner-child.html