Much room for improvement.

I confess here as I would confess anywhere else should the need to do so ever arise that I have on several occasions over-valued myself. I have, to my great disdain, too much ego.

Furthermore, there have been (on much, much rarer occasions) times when I undervalued myself also. Although it is not as annoying as having too much ego, having too little is just as detrimental.

An unbalanced evaluation of self-worth can cause several conspicuous hardships;

Having one's self-worth over-estimated may result in;

• Looking like an idiot.

• Making up excuses for shortcomings (i.e. blinding oneself from one's own defects).

• Overvaluing one's own achievements, hence diminishing the drive for improvement.

• Being annoying and obnoxious.

• Disdain towards others when they excel in areas you don't.

On the other hand, having one's self-worth under-estimated may result in;

• Feeling like an idiot.

• Making up shortcomings (i.e. becoming convinced of non-existent defects).

• Being convinced that all exploits are to no avail, hence diminishing the drive for improvement.

• Being discouraging and unambitious.

• Disdain towards yourself when failure occurs.

Needless to say, an adequate level of self-esteem must be maintained. Neither too high nor too low, though in reality one may never achieve the ideal level of self-esteem seeing as our own opinions and perceptions are hardly ever 100% accurate.

Regardless, should one value oneself accordingly, one allows much room for improvement, as the realisation of shortcomings is the first step towards fixing them. Though one must not become overwhelmed by these defects to the point that all hope for improvement is abandoned.

And what of those who wish to better regulate their self-esteem but write it off as it being "just part of who they are"? If such a view were true - that we are incapable of adjusting our own personalities- then the entire practice and study of psychology would have long come tumbling down. All evidence in all psychological journals point to the mind being fully capable of self-adjustment.

And even if it were not so, one can view any character trait as a psychological pull which manifests itself in our actions. If you are incapable of altering this pull, why not develop another pull which counters it, in such a way as to regulate it? This pull has a name- it is called self-discipline, and it is critical to maintaining a proper level of self-esteem. I would say that the first step to altering one's self-esteem is probably to develop a very strong control of oneself- that is to say to become properly self-disciplined. This self-discipline serves as an irreplaceable tool for both altering one's perception of one's self and regulating the effects of over- or under- valuing oneself.

An invaluable piece of advice is to always remember who you are, something I believe I mentioned a few months back in a post entitled "Oops". Remembering who you are means being fully conscious of your personality, both the good and the bad.

"Remember who you are"- a phrase I admit I ripped off of Korn's new album (which is, may I take this opportunity to add, brilliant beyond belief) - is quite possibly the most important piece of advice I might ever give to anyone, including myself.