Sometimes our love for ourselves becomes so faded in our minds that we forget how wonderful we are.  It is like the tide rising so water laps over our age esteem, self esteem and confidence and washes away our positive image of ourselves.

Keep your age esteem, self love and confidence alive.

• When you first look into the mirror in the morning say to your image, “I love you.  I love you and accept you just the way you are.”  Do this even though you want to develop and improve in many ways.
• Make a list of your qualities.  What do people praise you for?  You may have beautiful eyes, brilliant smile, knack at putting people at ease, taking big ideas and making them simple to understand, whizzing down ski slopes, describing events, working through mathematical formulas…  No quality is too small or too great.
• Begin a daily diary of your accomplishments.  Something I learned from working with the intellectually challenged is that even the smallest accomplishments are important building blocks in our lives.  Be generous with yourself.  It isn’t because the result was part of a team effort that you can’t take credit for it.  You played a role in the success.  Without you it would not have happened.  Write your accomplishments each day.

Who cares if the tide rises and washes over your self image.  You can love yourself and keep your age esteem and confidence strong.

Bonnie Fatio