1. Stick with the positive and shun the negative. Surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people will generate a huge swell of positive feelings in you. This is a good way to increase respect for yourself. In turn, your self esteem will also grow.

2. Have clearly defined goals. Know what it is you want to achieve in life. Set goals for yourself and do what you can to work toward them. Sometimes it is easier to have several smaller goals than one large one. When you accomplish the smaller goals it will help your self esteem to attain the large one later on. It will also make the task of reaching your main goal seem easier.

3. Stay positive. Remind yourself about the good qualities you possess and the accomplishments you made. Remember that you are important to others and have an impact on their lives. Think about how much you mean to others. Do not concentrate on the negative, focus on the positive and never put yourself down.

4. Develop a thick skin. Learn how to take criticism without getting upset or defensive. Doing this will enhance your confidence. This criticism however should be constructive. Do not get hung up by criticism that is cynical or demoralizing. You would be doing yourself a great disservice and causing irreparable damage to your self-esteem.

5. Accept failure. It is inevitable that we will face failure at some time or other. It is important to acknowledge what happened and move on. Focusing on failure too much can be paralyzing. It needs to be an experience we can learn from and move forward.

6. Never compare yourself with others. Like the saying goes, when you compare you despair. It is the easiest way to feel inferior and lose self-esteem. Everyone is different and has different experiences and different strengths. It is better to rate yourself on your achievements. This will give you self-confidence.

7. Never put yourself down. As mentioned before, failures are experiences to learn from and move forward, but give them too much attention and they will eat away your self-confidence, self-respect and self-esteem. Keep positive thoughts in your mind if you want others to treat you with respect. People will respect when you project a positive exterior, even in the most adverse situations. Make it a small goal to filter out all self-criticism.

8. Stand up for yourself. Do not give in to bullies in your place of work or in your personal life. This can only happen if you are assertive. This does not mean aggressive. It means you should exercise restraint and make your point in a dignified manner. If you respect yourself and stand up for yourself, others will learn to respect you as well.

9. Meet new people. If you are self-conscious you may avoid talking to groups of people. If you attend any social or networking events, try to approach groups of people and introduce yourself to them. They will all be in the same boat with others they may not know. Be a good listener and respond to what they say. It shows interest on your part. Plus, interacting with people will make you feel more relaxed. Eventually you will be very good at meeting people and making new friends.

10. Take care of your body. Self-esteem is also dependent upon the felling of well-being. Someone who takes care of their body will be a more confident individual than someone who is lazy and poorly groomed. Remember, a healthy body is essential for a healthy mind.