In self improvement, we talk a lot about self esteem, the ability to stay calm, composed and confident when facing tough challenges. Basically, self esteem is the pillars that support your self improvement and development. So, if you view self improvement as a table, self esteem is the table's legs. They got to be strong to support the table.

If we have a low self esteem, our confidence will tumble and we won't be able to face daily challenges. Our self esteem is like a dash board, and hence a dart pin can land on it any time without a warning. If we've low self esteem, a small dart pin can just destroy our entire self confidence. That's why building a strong self esteem is critical to your self development.

Following are some tips you may find useful in helping you to harness your self esteem.

1. Learn to interact with positive people. Do not shy away from people, learn how to socialize and interact with people. Overcome your shyness, we only live once in this world, so there is nothing to be ashamed of. The more you socialize and interact with people around you, the more comfortable you will become, and your self esteem will build up slowly.

2. Avoid negative work environment. Stay away from a work environment that promotes unhealthy competition, a dog-eats-dog and back-stabbing work culture where everybody is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. Your self esteem will be destroyed when no one appreciate your efforts and contributions. If you feel that the company you're working right now has such environment, look for a new job and get out from there as soon as you can.

3. Acknowledge your past mistakes and learn from the experiences. It's okay to cry when we experience pain. But don't let pain transform itself into FEAR. There is a time to cry from your misfortune and there is a time to recover. Do not dwell on your problems, learn from it, shake it off and move on. If you dwell on a problem for too long, it might grab you by the tail, swing you around and totally destroy your self esteem. Don't let that happens to you. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.

4.If you have a problem, do not avoid or pretend that it doesn't exist. Face your problem and deal with it. Get help from family members or closed friends if necessary. Share with them openly about the problem you're facing and ask for help. You will be amazed that people are generally willing to help, sometimes all you need to do is just ASK. Families and friends can help boost your self esteem and motivate you to face your problem.

5. Do not worry about the future or things that haven't occurred. Just strive to do your best and do the right things today and tomorrow will take care of itself.

6. Think positively. Always think about the good qualities and abilities in you. Focus on your strengths instead of weaknesses. Everything starts from your mind, if you think you can then you can and vice versa. Make positive thinking becomes your second habit and your self esteem will build up in no time.

7. Avoid negative view and be optimistic. Always try to see the positive part of any problem first. Wish for the best things in life and believe that every challenge or problem you experience is for the benefit of you to improve. Don't wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.

People who feel good about themselves are more likely to engage in conduct which is in their own interest, but those who suffer from low self-esteem often see themselves as unlikable and unattractive to others. The development of high self-esteem begins at birth and is heavily influenced by the reactions and responses of other significant. A positive self-esteem is reflected in an upbeat, outgoing personality, while the negative self-esteem often leads to failure, an inability to interact properly with others.