When it comes to succeeding in life, one of the most important qualities to possess is confidence. It sounds simple, but most of us can attest that it's not.
You can't be a confident person unless you love yourself. That may sound egotistical, but it's not. Self love is different from arrogance. Self love is all about accepting yourself as you are and being proud of who you are.
That's not to say you should be proud if you're not a decent person, but if you are trying your best, there's no reason not to love yourself. However, it's hard for a lot of us to love ourselves. Some of us find it even harder to do than others.
That knowledge is probably what prompted Redditor jeezburger69 to ask:
"What's holding you back from loving yourself?"
This Or That
"Indecisiveness. I can't pick a life choice and yet I see people my age and younger already way ahead because they knew what they wanted to do in life"
– Maagelo
"And when you do decide on something and start to follow through, you feel it's the wrong path and abandon it eventually?"
– Judeko
Do What You Wanna Do
"Not following my dreams and not respecting myself."
– Jaypack_
"If your dreams are still there you can follow them ! Courage !"
– OnTheGoodSideofLife
Block Out The Noise
"A part of me that's holding onto all the shitty things people said to me as a teenager, and also my tendency to compare myself."
"Still trying to work on myself to let go of all that, hoping one day I'll get there:)"
– Ambitious_Angel
"Internalizing the opinions of shitty people from school days. They're not the kind of people I'd ever listen to now, but the fact they got to say awful things when I was young meant it's absolutely stuck in there for good now."
"Such a neat feature of the brain"
– ShowAndNoTell
Emotional Instability
"I really don’t know if other people have problems like this but I just feel so distant with everything and everyone I interact with. I have a slightly different personality for every person I talk to and I hate it so much. That issues stems from the fact, I just feel like I don’t have any emotions at all. I can’t remember the last time I was happy, sad, angry, or content. My emotions just feel like a melancholic state of nothing 24/7 and I hate it so much."
– cutecoochielice4
Uncooperative Brain
"I feel that I'm not intelligent, I have the worst memory so it doesn't help. I have body dysmorphia and insecurities that I can't hide when communicating with others face to face. I always think people are judging me when talking to them, but I'm the one doing that everyday. These days I even feel unmotivated and want to quit somethings but I'm literally forcing my happiness to not dissapoint others. I feel that I'm not living for me anymore. I'm just barely surviving."
– ad10177
Self-Toxicity
"Standards I’d never hold anyone else to. I talk to myself in a way I’d also never allow anyone else to as well."
– Rabies182
"This. It's toxic and crippling and so damn hard to stop. I feel you because I'm the same way. Wishing you the best"
– kylekuzman
Stuck In The Past
"I keep remembering what I was like before, it holds me back from having a clean slate"
– Na215
Inability To Fulfill Goals
"Not being able to fulfill your determinations and ambitions sometimes hurts and one starts hating himself for it"
– musanifshah3010
Physical Appearance
"i think i’m fat and disgusting to look at"
– Weak-Letterhead8309
"I feel this in my soul."
– Upper_Knowledge7706
Inability To Fulfill Goals
"Genuine contempt for the world. I was raised in a violent, abusive environment and it left a lot of marks. It's easy to not feel much now, which has helped as much as it's caused problems. I can love other people, I think. But not myself."
– jam_consumer
Sometimes, it can be hard to get over whatever is holding you back from seeing the good inside yourself, whether it's the comments others made about you or the flaws you see in youtself.
However, all anyone can ask of us is to try our best and be a good person. Ask for help when you need it, stand up for yourself when it the situation warrants it, and don't let anyone else tell you who or what you are.
