Submitted by Astra on
When you are happy you are also more likely to be healthy—you have fewer physical ills, you age slower and live longer. If you stop to think about it, you’ll realize that just about every decision you make is based on what you think will bring you more happiness. This might best be defined as a state of well-being—one that is filled with positive feelings toward yourself and the world.
One the most important ingredients of a happy life is to love yourself. High self-esteem is the cornerstone of happiness and mental health and one of the best ways to increase your self-esteem is to value being more than belonging. This means that you value who you are and what is right and true for you more than you worry about being accepted by society and what other people think. This can earn you the label of a rebel and will often generate resistance from those whose self-esteem binds them to the dictates of society.
But don’t take their negative input personally. If you feel criticized, or someone says something negative to you, don’t take it as an attack on your self-worth. The idea is to begin transforming the way you experience your life. Realize that what someone else says or does, short of physical violence, does not affect you. Other people see you through their veil of old programming and you see them the same way. Neither side can be truly objective and accurately reflect the way things are.
Make it alright with yourself to let other people think they’re right and not care. For a person with truly high-self-esteem, being is more important than belonging.
Dick Sutphen
https://www.dicksutphen.com/master-of-life-newsletter/happiness-and-self-esteem