Finding Self-Worth OR How to Get From Courtroom Earth Into Classroom Earth

Dear Jane,

I know I'm self-critical. But how do I stop? My self-esteem is at about a zero and the lower it's gone, the worse it seems others treat me.

In my self-help book, Enough Is Enough!, I talk about what it’s like to hang out in Courtroom Earth vs. the Classroom Earth. In Courtroom Earth, we act as our own judge, jury, and executioner. Most of the time, we don’t even realize we’re doing this to ourselves. What about you? Do you beat yourself up for everything? Do you compare yourself to other people? Do you find yourself being driven, addicted to more and more evidence to prove that you are worthy? Then do you end up tired, resentful, frustrated, short tempered, with an even greater urge to control and do?

If you are willing to say, “Enough is enough” to that ceaseless, destructive mind chatter, then here’s how to hang out in Classroom Earth, where you get to learn and grow:

1. Tell yourself that you are worthy and deserving and so is everyone else.
2. Take some deep breaths to slow down and pay attention to your thoughts. Your thoughts are powerful, particularly the unconscious ones. Shining the light onto them is valuable.
3. Ask for support and compassion instead of inviting harshness and criticism.

We teach others how to treat us by how we treat ourselves. So the world is mirroring your thoughts. Choose loving, self-respecting thoughts and you will get those mirrored back to you.

Jane Straus is a trusted life coach, dynamic keynote speaker, and the author of Enough Is Enough! Stop Enduring and Start Living Your Extraordinary Life. With humor and grace, Jane offers her clients and seminar participants insights and exercises to ensure that the next chapter of their lives is about thriving as the unique individuals they have always been and the extraordinary ones they are still becoming. She serves clients worldwide and invites you to visit her site, www.stopenduring.com. Here you will find excerpts from her book, more articles, TV and radio interviews, and clips from her presentations.

She is also the author of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, www.grammarbook.com, an award-winning online resource and workbook with easy-to-understand rules, real-world examples, and fun quizzes.

Contact Jane at Jane@JaneStraus.com.