{"id":22,"date":"2015-05-26T20:12:46","date_gmt":"2015-05-26T20:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=22"},"modified":"2019-04-23T04:44:13","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T04:44:13","slug":"building-up-your-self-esteem-the-i-am-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2015\/05\/building-up-your-self-esteem-the-i-am-exercise.html","title":{"rendered":"Building Up Your Self-Esteem: The \u201cI Am\u201d Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"adult-beautiful-facial-expression-774866\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Our self-esteem can take a beating from all kinds of sources.\u00a0 People can say unkind things under the guise of \u201cteasing.\u201d\u00a0 Advertisements with airbrushed, photo-shopped models can lead us to believe that the world is comprised of perfect people, and the image we see in the mirror just doesn\u2019t compare.\u00a0 We may work really hard, and nevertheless be passed up for a promotion, and wonder why we didn\u2019t measure up.<\/p>\n

The reason that many of us struggle with self-esteem is that we get our feedback from the wrong source \u2013 the world.\u00a0 The feedback we receive from the world is distorted.\u00a0 What other people say about you typically has more to do with their emotional state than it does with you.\u00a0 That is why we need to consider ourselves as God does.<\/p>\n

God sees you in the way that a loving parent sees their child.\u00a0 When a parent looks at their child, they don\u2019t focus on the flaws.\u00a0 The parent only sees incredible potential.\u00a0 He or she envisions all the amazing things that their child could do.\u00a0 God views us in the same way.<\/p>\n

It is important to remember that God created you intentionally<\/em>.\u00a0 He designed every part of your physical being, personality and intellect.\u00a0 There is no part of you that is a mistake.\u00a0 That is why it is so important to ignore the \u201cnoise\u201d of the world and know that you have been created by God on purpose<\/em>.<\/p>\n

As a reminder of this, I find it useful to do what I call the \u201cI am\u201d exercise.\u00a0 As an example, let\u2019s say you are worried about your appearance.\u00a0 In the beginning of the \u201cI am\u201d exercise, you start with \u201cI am created by God.\u201d\u00a0 Based on that statement, you can say with confidence, \u201cTherefore, I am beautiful.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Then you can reason out that statement even further: \u201cGod gave me curly hair, brown eyes, and big feet.\u00a0 He put all my features together in a way that is pleasing to Him.\u00a0 Now it is my job to take care of His creation and enjoy the body that He gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cI am\u201d exercise is not just a reminder of how special each of us is, but it is also a reminder of our awesome responsibility.\u00a0 God gave each of us a body, and we have a responsibility to take care of that body.\u00a0 We need to eat well, exercise and not abuse our bodies with drugs, alcohol or overeating.\u00a0 Similarly, God gave us intellect, and it is our job to use\u00a0our intellects to help others.\u00a0 Each of us also has the gift of creativity, and we must use that gift to create beauty in our small part of the world.\u00a0 God likewise gave us hearts in order to show compassion and love for others.\u00a0 These are gifts that were not meant to be squandered, but to be used for good.<\/p>\n

The \u201cI am\u201d exercise is food for thought.\u00a0 Ask yourself, \u201cWhy<\/em> did God make me in this way?\u00a0 How does God want to use my unique qualities to make the world a better place?\u201d\u00a0 If you were important enough for God to create you, then you must have something very special to offer the world.\u00a0 That is why when we consider our personal goals, we should look at our individual gifts and talents.\u00a0 God gave them to us for a reason.\u00a0 It is our job to figure out how to use those talents to serve the world.<\/p>\n

If you think about it, when you criticize yourself, you really are criticizing God\u2019s work.\u00a0 But when you remember that you are a work of God, it is hard to not like yourself!\u00a0 So the next time you are feeling unworthy, or are listening to \u201cthe world\u2019s\u201d view of you, remind yourself that \u201cI am a special creation of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n

Email: yourmorningcupofinspiration@gmail.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our self-esteem can take a beating from all kinds of sources.\u00a0 People can say unkind things under the guise of \u201cteasing.\u201d\u00a0 Advertisements with airbrushed, photo-shopped models can lead us to believe that the world is comprised of perfect people, and the image we see in the mirror just doesn\u2019t compare.\u00a0 We may work really hard,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nBuilding Up Your Self-Esteem: The \u201cI Am\u201d Exercise - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2015\/05\/building-up-your-self-esteem-the-i-am-exercise.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Building Up Your Self-Esteem: The \u201cI Am\u201d Exercise - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our self-esteem can take a beating from all kinds of sources.\u00a0 People can say unkind things under the guise of \u201cteasing.\u201d\u00a0 Advertisements with airbrushed, photo-shopped models can lead us to believe that the world is comprised of perfect people, and the image we see in the mirror just doesn\u2019t compare.\u00a0 We may work really hard,…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2015\/05\/building-up-your-self-esteem-the-i-am-exercise.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-05-26T20:12:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-23T04:44:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/files\/2015\/05\/adult-beautiful-facial-expression-774866.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Meerabelle Dey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Building Up Your Self-Esteem: The \u201cI Am\u201d Exercise - 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