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Self esteem is a commonly misunderstood term by the layman as it has varying connotations, and understanding it from any one perspective may tend to mask its true significance. Self esteem is a set of attitudes and beliefs that one has about oneself, and extremities need to be shunned, with the middle path always the best to adopt for oneself. Self esteem is a sort of a price tag we place on ourselves, and is purely decided on how we view and assess ourselves.
A more than justifiable high value may indicate arrogance in disposition and overconfidence in one’s abilities, whereas a low one indicates diffidence and projects a negative outlook of oneself. The best way to showcase oneself to the world is by making one’s actions speak for themselves, consequently building one’s esteem in the eyes of others. When one earns praise and respect from others the same gets reflected in oneself and helps build one’s self esteem.
A person who does little in practice but speaks highly of himself is verily a braggart whereas the one who does a lot of good but prefers to be silent is humble. At times extreme humility conceals a person’s genuine accomplishments and people remain ignorant of his virtues. So the scriptures do advise that one can honestly speak of one’s own credentials without seeming pompous. This is the norm followed during job interviews too. The line between stating facts about oneself and boasting is thin, and one needs to be cautious.
There is a rather comical story in the epic Mahabharata wherein Lord Krishna had a step-sibling by name Paundraka Vasudeva who ruled Pundra and was an ally of Lord Krishna’s rivals. This king was besotted with the idea that he was the original Vasudeva and to prove his point drove about in a chariot resembling a garuda and held other symbols of Sree Vishnu, like the conch and chakra (discus). He boasted that he was invincible, and his subjects fanned his ego. He challenged his nemesis Lord Krishna to a fight who vanquished him effortlessly with his Sudarshana Chakra. The point to be understood here is that false claims and inflated self esteem do not take one far and the rug is sure to be pulled from under one’s feet sooner or later.