Best Self Magazine

Self Confidence vs. Self Esteem: Unlocking Your Truest Power

Self Esteem, Self Confidence, Self Worth, by Sara Fabian. Photograph by Timothy Eberly

Photograph by Timothy Eberly

Believing in our self worth and seeing ourselves as ‘good enough’ paves the path to our inner and outer abundance

We often talk about stepping into our true power, building our confidence muscle, and boosting our self-esteem. However, the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem is not clear for many. I felt confused about these two terms before digging into psychology research and learned that although these two terms are very similar — they both refer to how we feel about ourselves — they are two different concepts:

  • Self-esteem refers to how we generally feel about ourselves. How much we like or love ourselves and the overall image we have about who we are, positive or not. Our self-esteem is shaped by past experiences and the environment we grew up in: our family members, our school, and our community.
  • is related to how we feel about our abilities and how capable

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