HELLO THERE!

Welcome to The Feel Good Guide. Nice to have you here with me!

I’ve been on a bit of a journey of self-discovery over the last few years, partly as a result of realising that some of the traits that I thought were ‘just a part of me’ were actually manifestations of weak self-esteem. You know, things like feeling jealous of others, shunning new experiences and adventures, and being incredibly vulnerable to criticism. (More on all this later.)

Chances are that, like me, you’ve experienced issues with your self-esteem at some stage over your lifetime. We all have. You might even be experiencing them now. If so, you are not alone! As a matter of fact, hordes of us struggle with our self-esteem—even if, from the outside, you’d never guess it. It can be especially hard to believe that other people have self-esteem issues in the digital world we live in, where we’re bombarded with other people’s seemingly perfect lives all over social media, but the truth is that we all struggle sometimes. In this book, I want to show you how to rise above that drive towards constant comparison, and free yourself from the prison of low self-esteem.

Having strong self-esteem is super important, as it influences so many aspects of your life. It can improve your relationships with your friends and loved ones, it can have a positive impact on your work life, and it can help improve your general happiness.

In this book, I’ll share with you some of the things I have learnt on my self-discovery adventure that have helped me to build strong self-esteem. I’m a big believer in learning from the experiences of others, so that’s why I’ve pulled together all of my own experiences here. I hope that, just as they have helped shape my strong self-esteem, they will help you too.

This book isn’t about making yourself into a different person. (I wouldn’t bloody dream of such a thing.) It’s not so much about changing who you are as it is about loving who you are. It’s about celebrating your wonderful self, embracing and being proud of the person who you have grown to be, and giving you the tools that help you to remember just how bloody awesome you really are. I hope it’ll also help you find ways to make your star shine a bit brighter, if that’s what you need.

In each chapter, you’ll find an action plan (or two!). These action plans are lists of things that you can start doing tomorrow—or even right now, if you’re a keen bean—in order to begin improving your relationship with yourself, and therefore improving your life. I’ve included these action plans because I truly believe that actions speak louder than words. It’s all very well for me to sit here and tell you all of the ways I’ve built up my own self-esteem, but I think advice needs to come with practical suggestions too. That way, you can read what I have to say, then put the things you want to into action, and start feeling more in control of your own self-esteem and your life in general.

There’s a popular saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results. Don’t keep doing the same thing if it’s clearly not working. Be open to making the changes you need to if your self-esteem isn’t its best. At the end of the day, you can read all the books in the world, but change starts with you.

I believe in you. Now let’s make you believe in you.

It’s about celebrating your wonderful self, embracing and being proud of the person who you have grown to be.