How High is Your Self-Esteem?

What is your most precious asset? Your best friend, your job skills, your creativity, the love of your family? Would you believe there is something even more precious than any of these? Think for a moment about your self-esteem, that cluster of complimentary feelings and attitudes you hold about yourself that could mean the difference between a sense of success or failure as a human being.

Your self-esteem is reflected in much of your behavior, and even an untrained eye can sometimes easily detect it. For example, how would you compare the self-esteem of a person who talks in a mumble and walks with a slouch to one who speaks in clear, moderate tones and moves about with head and shoulders held high? There are subtle ways to judge your self-esteem. One way is by examining the manner in which you deal with others.