Self-esteem can be built

Paraphrasing Alan Weiss, self-esteem is the single most important challenge facing most people. Those of you who know me, know that cycling is my avocation, my passion.  In connection with this,  I’ve just finished reading How Lance Does It by Brad Kearns.

Of particular interest to me is how Lance Armstrong has been able to focus on his journey, not the outcomes, and thereby maintain his confidence and his self-esteem. Not that he would welcome failure, but that failure was not a factor if he prepared himself and his environment for his best effort.

Several quotes I think are particularly worth noting, at least from my perspective:

"Don’t take anything personally. Nothing others do is because of you. What others say is a projection of their own reality. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering."  (by Don Miguel Ruiz in his The Four Agreements)

"A positive attitude is something that is free for the taking anytime by anyone. Your attitude can be the greatest weapon you have against the challenges of life or your worst enemy, and it is your choice as to which."

"A person who is motivated by money or glory or to satisfy ego or compulsion is vulnerable to fear, anxiety, and disappointment when arbitrary measurable results are not attained…Many people can’t handle success, because once they get there, they get caught up in the excess and lose their motivation and focus. Many people can’t handle failure, because self-worth is intertwined with performance. Failure in this circumstance breeds more failure. Someone with a clear purpose and motivated by love of the journey derives rewards that transcend the fickle winning and losing of the superficial world. The feeling of satisfaction from giving a maximum effort is priceless…"

Categorized in: Management, Personal Thoughts