Dialing Your Inner Dumbo: A Lesson in Self-Confidence

By Sara Butler

Image Source: Today

In Dumbo, Timothy Mouse says, “The very things that held you down are gonna carry you up and up and up.” Those are big words from such a little mouse.

Everyone has occasional doubts about themselves. But when you suffer from low self-esteem you can feel unmotivated and insecure about almost every aspect of your life.

Self-confidence is something many people struggle with. Like Dumbo, sometimes all you need is a metaphorical feather to help you have the confidence to fly. Here are a few things you can do to help improve your self-confidence and turn that “I think I can” into “I know I can.”

Be Kind ... To Yourself!

Do you know that little voice inside your head? Is it nice?

How you talk to yourself has a lot to do with how you feel about yourself. Your inner voice can be your biggest cheerleader or your largest critic, which is why it’s important to stop yourself from negative thoughts when you catch yourself doing it.

If you need more guidance in this area, talk to yourself as you would a friend and talk yourself up instead of cutting yourself down.

Nothing Compares to You

If you want to make yourself feel crummy, then you can easily do that by comparing yourself to other people. Focus on your own achievements and goals, resisting the urge to measure yourself against others. That’s just unnecessary pressure that no one needs!

Move Your Body

One of the best ways to raise your self-esteem is to exercise. Not simply because it can get you in shape physically, but because it helps give you practice in setting goals and reaching them. Plus, a good sweat session helps to release endorphins, which are hormones that give you a feel-good boost. Dumbo flew, but maybe you can take a walk or go for a swim to help you feel good.

You’re Not Perfect

Big ears? Pffft -- who cares? Those big ears did some amazing things for Dumbo but they didn’t make him perfect.

While it’s important to be the best version of yourself you can reasonably be, you cannot be perfect -- no one can. Expecting perfection from yourself is just setting yourself up for failure, so don’t do it!

You Will Make Mistakes

If you don’t make mistakes, then you’ll never have the opportunity to learn from them. Don’t beat yourself up when you blunder. Instead, remember that everyone has been there at some point and embrace it as a learning experience.

Focus on What You Can Change

Getting hung up on things beyond your control won’t help you to achieve anything, much less feel good about yourself. Instead, identify things you can control and take action to do something about them.

Be Happy

It stands to reason that if you spend your time doing things you like to do, then you’ll be more positive. That’s why you should try to set aside a little time each day to do things you like. Whether that’s reading a good book, watching your favorite show on Netflix, or baking some muffins, make time for it.

Be a Friend

Dumbo has a happy ending because he has friends -- friends he helps and they help him in return. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and make you feel good about yourself -- and be a good friend to them too. Being nice to others is a great way to feel good about yourself.

I may still be a little scarred from seeing Dumbo for the first time when I was 5, but once you turn those childhood trauma lemons into lemonade, then there are some good life lessons to be learned. Use those lemons as a foundation to be nicer to yourself and build up your self-esteem -- with or without a feather.

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