Photo: Flickr: Gage Skidmore:Creative Commons License
Personally, I've never had a problem with self-esteem. I always say that you have to believe in yourself or no one else will... - Donald Trump
Tired of forever thinking you're not good enough?
Tired of never speaking up because you feel you've got nothing worthwhile to add to the conversation?
Tired of your career going nowhere because you think everyone is smarter than you?
Then maybe you need to find out what Donald J. Trump can teach you about self-esteem.
Donald Trump and the Triumph of Unshakeable Self-Esteem
Currently Donald's presidential campaign inspires equal measures of love or hate, but one thing few people could deny is his breathtaking self-esteem and confidence. When everyone believed him finished after he owed billions, he defied the world and gained an entry in the Guinness Book Of records for the largest financial turnaround in history. Now he's worth billions.
Whatever you think of him as a business man or politician, only someone with awesome self-esteem could pull off such a feat...
What helped is that I refused to give in to the negative circumstances and I never lost faith in myself ... faith in yourself can prove to be a very powerful force.- Donald Trump
So how do you develop such unshakeable faith in yourself? Because only people with high self-esteem really have faith in themselves.
I should know. For the first half of my life I let my low self-esteem demolish my aspirations like a self-wielded wrecking ball.
Until I decided to fight back.
When somebody challenges you, fight back. Be brutal, be tough. - Donald Trump
And now it's your turn. So are you ready to fight back? Hard?
Here's how ...
Start With The Foundation
Donald Trump is literally surrounded by concrete evidence of his achievements. And this reinforces his confidence, just like the steel skeleton in his buildings (there's a good reason why people say build self-confidence).
Now you might have read that you need to walk faster, sit up, dress smart and so on and this is good advice....
I always wear a suit--looking one's best is good for confidence. High self-esteem is important for effective performance. - Donald Trump
But all of that is external, it's the cladding we apply over the top.
You don't start at the top. You start with the foundation.- Donald Trump
Faith in yourself is the foundation. And you have to keep going until you find bedrock to build that on - the very core of your self-esteem. Find this and you can build a skyscraper of confidence that would make Trump Towers look like a two-bit motel (sorry Donald).
But how can you find your bedrock when you seem to have no belief in yourself, inner or otherwise?
And how you can you find it in your lifetime? Digging down to that bedrock and laying those foundations can take way too long, depending on how deep that bedrock is. Not everywhere is Manhattan.
We need a short cut.
And that short cut is passion.
Passion is Your Pile Driver.
With out passion you don't have energy, with out energy you have nothing.- Donald Trump
Passion fuels energy. Energy leads to results. Results lead to self-confidence. And self-confidence leads to self-esteem. And passion is the tool that will anchor your self-esteem in that bedrock.
Sure it can work the other way around as well, but if you don't believe in yourself, go find something your passionate about and then, when you see the concrete results, you'll find your confidence & self-esteem soar into the sky.
Ever asked someone who wouldn't raise his voice to a city planning officer about something they are passionate about? Did they bend your ear for ever? Could you get away?
How come that tongue-tied, timid Thomas suddenly became a chattering, cheeky Charlie?
Because your low self-esteem only gets in the way when you focus on yourself. And when your passion is bigger than you, you become irrelevant. Your passion results in such energy that your low self-esteem is swept aside, allowing you to experience the confidence-building effect of success.
We can learn from our mistakes, but it's better to learn from our successes. - Donald Trump
Trump can run a billion dollar business AND a presidential election campaign at 70 because he has energy. Energy derived from passion, misplaced or not.
People with low self-esteem rarely have energy. And that's because they rarely have passion.
I had little self-esteem for the first half of my life until I decided to get off my butt, forget about myself, and embark on a mission to help as many people as possible lead happier, healthier, more positive lives.
Go find your Passion.
Ask yourself these three questions:
1. What do you do that you just can't stop doing, even if there's a dozen, more 'important' things to get done?
If you find yourself writing story page after page each night in your journal even though your three year old is screaming in the room next door, then maybe you should take note.
Why? Because passion leads to energy, remember? So discover what you always seem to find the energy to do and there's a passion in there somewhere.
2. What is it that makes you really defensive when someone asks you why you're not doing it?
If you get jittery and uptight when someone asks you why you don't take that course, go on that world voyage or start that business, then that's a hint.
Why? Because what your voicing to them is your excuses for not doing something you love.
3. What makes you forget the constant critical voice in your head telling you your not good enough?
When your alone, and you become the hero or heroine in your own day dream, what are you doing?
If you are dreaming of being the next big thing in the world of bespoke cup cakes, then why not be the next big thing? Someone will be. And that someone could be you.
Why? Because you were born with the same amount of natural ability and skill as the current 'big thing', you just lack their self-esteem.
And that's a shame. A real shame.
Build A Skyscraper Of Self-Esteem
Negative thinking stems from low self-esteem. - Donald Trump
Wouldn't you like to believe you were as good as any one else?
Because you are.
Wouldn't you like to be able to speak up in private and in public? And know you've got something to say people want to hear?
Because you have.
Wouldn't you like to get that promotion and feel as smart as anyone else in your office?
Because you can.
Wouldn't you love that level of awesome self-belief?
A slow starter is always the fastest finisher. - Donald Trump
So grab a pen and find out where your passion is hiding. Drag it out by the scruff of the neck, get energized and maybe you'll be teaching The Donald a thing or two about staggering self-esteem in the future.
Learning how to say no is crucial to thinking like a billionaire. - Donald Trump
Having high self-esteem doesn't mean you need to copy Donald's (in)famous outspokenness, so grab your free cheat sheet: 5 Guilt Free Ways To Say No Without Offending Anyone (Even If You Hate Conflict)