Category: Self concept

> Also see Self concept / self esteem articles

Building self-confidence: changing limiting beliefs and helping others

Building self-confidence: changing limiting beliefs and helping others

Playing most of his screen characters, Will Smith exudes assurance and confidence, but he admits, “I still doubt myself every single day. What people believe is my self-confidence is actually my reaction to fear.” [From my post Gifted and talented but with insecurity and low self esteem, and a longer quote in the post The [...]

Rosalyn Lang

Dealing with self sabotage: Getting beyond impostor feelings

“I can be very hard on myself. I convince myself that I’m fooling people. Or, I convince myself that people like the book for the wrong reasons.” Jonathan Safran Foer – about his novel Everything Is Illuminated, which made The New York Times best-seller list. He also commented, “The writing itself is no big deal. [...]

Jonathan Budd on self worth

Jonathan Budd on self worth

Entrepreneur Jonathan Budd thinks “Self Worth is an Inheritance. It is something that was given to you at your birth. “Most people have self worth completely wrong.  Our environment tells us that our self worth is wrapped up in money… this is not true. “We were born with self worth, and it’s time we all [...]

The King’s Speech, identity and personal growth

The King’s Speech, identity and personal growth

Who we think we are – or are not – so often impacts what we consider possible for us and what we actually do with our talents and creative passions. Director  Jane Campion earlier in her life commented, “I never have had the confidence to approach filmmaking straight on. I just thought it was something [...]

Sofia Coppola on being a “dilettante” and enhancing creativity

Sofia Coppola on being a “dilettante” and enhancing creativity

Talking about the topic of her movie “Marie Antoinette,” director Sofia Coppola once commented, “You’re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity.” One way many talented people can be self-critical is to judge their wide-ranging serial interests as superficial [...]

Geek Respect or Backlash? Is There an Airhead Supremacy?

Geek Respect or Backlash? Is There an Airhead Supremacy?

“I realized that acting smart or talented in school made me sound like a geek or nerd. So I remodeled myself as an airhead.” Yoky Matsuoka – robotics pioneer, prosthetics visionary, and a leading researcher in neurobotics. [From post The airhead mask and self-limiting – dealing with self sabotage.] Are geeks getting more ‘respectable’ or [...]

Self-limiting beliefs and developing your talents

Self-limiting beliefs and developing your talents

One of the keys to developing our talents is believing in our abilities and competence. Chris and Janet Attwood of The Passion Test point out “there are only three things that prevent anyone from living their passions: false beliefs, false concepts and false ideas.” “In coaching thousands of people on The Passion Test, the one [...]

Dealing with self-sabotage: Getting past I’m not good enough

Dealing with self-sabotage: Getting past I’m not good enough

My very well-meaning parents were far from Mommie Dearest. Nevertheless, they were raised to believe, for instance, that babies shouldn’t be picked up when they cried because comforting them would ‘spoil’ them. They were very sparing in their compliments, fearing we’d get swelled heads. We kids survived, but thriving has been a challenge for me, [...]

Feeling like an impostor

Feeling like an impostor

Charlie Rose introduced Tilda Swinton, an interview guest on his show: “With her magnetic, ethereal charisma and striking androgynous looks, she has perhaps become most famous for her screen interpretations of cold and enigmatic characters. “Her performances are subtle, varied, and unique.” Yet, she admitted, “I certainly never set out to be an actor, and [...]

How To Stop Being So Hard On Yourself – Jenna Avery on the high sensitivity personality

How To Stop Being So Hard On Yourself – Jenna Avery on the high sensitivity personality

In her article, How To Stop Being So Hard On Yourself, excerpted below, expert on highly sensitive living Jenna Avery explains why sensitive people are so self-critical, and how we can stop: Every time I work with a fellow sensitive soul, it seems like we always bump into some kind of fear or limiting belief [...]

Don’t you have to be an artist to be creative?

Don’t you have to be an artist to be creative?

Years ago, I interviewed a producer who was certain she was not creative, even though she was helping solve many problems associated with making movies. Maybe one reason people think they are not creative is that we are given so many examples in school and the media of eminent, big name artists and creators who [...]

Dealing with our critical inner voice

Dealing with our critical inner voice

“You’ll never finish your novel.” “You’ve wasted your life.” “You’re too complicated. Who would ever want to be with you?” Sometimes my inner critical voice is so clear I can argue with it. Most of the time, the negativity I wreak upon myself  is unconscious and harder to fight. Lisa Firestone and Eric Maisel provide [...]

Shyness, Introversion, Sensitivity – What’s the Difference?

Shyness, Introversion, Sensitivity – What’s the Difference?

Shyness and introversion may seem to be the same in some ways, at least on the surface. They can overlap, and we may have both traits – but they are not the same thing. And they are not the same as the trait of high sensitivity. But being shy can be more intense if we [...]

Self-Esteem Declines Sharply Among Older Adults

Self-Esteem Declines Sharply Among Older Adults

Medical News Today Self-esteem rises steadily as people age but starts declining around the time of retirement, according to a longitudinal study of men and women ranging in age from 25 to 104. “Self-esteem is related to better health, less criminal behavior, lower levels of depression and, overall, greater success in life,” said the study’s [...]

Impostor phenomenon: Gerard Butler – “Have I ever thought I was a fraud? Maybe 18 hours a day.”

Impostor phenomenon: Gerard Butler – “Have I ever thought I was a fraud? Maybe 18 hours a day.”

These quotes by Gerard Butler are from Erik Hedegaard’s profile, Gerry the Sinner / Gerry the Saint, Men’s Journal, April 2010. That I got through all that I got through to be where I am, it doesn’t make sense — this kind of lost soul studying law in Scotland and then moving to London with [...]

Fools and whackjobs and angels

Fools and whackjobs and angels

“Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.” GK Chesterton That is a quote Therese Borchard uses in this video, from her post On April Fool’s Day: Laugh, People, Laugh She writes about it: In this video, I go over a few of my humor rules–like you can make fun of yourself all you want, but [...]

Switch to our mobile site