Self Esteem -- thoughts on this quote?

[SnowedIn]

I saw this quote on the back of a private school bus and want your thoughts on it:

"Genuine self-esteem arises from meeting challenge and high expectations..."

Updates

1 y

Thank you everyone who answered! This quote is interesting and I don't think it's the whole story. I agree with the statement but it's not the whole path. Meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles are great ways to build self-esteem. High expectations can bring out the best in people (it can also shut them down, though). But these things don't fix or build all self esteem. It takes friends, love, kindness and a lot of other stuff to build and maintain self esteem.

[DaveJord]

It's a true statement. I mean I served 6 x combat tours in the Middle East. For a total of 42 months. Every day is a challenge, and it's not a matter of if but when it will break you. But you just wake up again the next day, gear up and roll out again. Without fail, those days are never ending... and when it all done you go back to the world and put your life back together again, until the next one comes.

You listen to all these people complaining all the time about their issues and problems, and how it's all unfair and how they feel wronged and traumatized and how every day is a struggle. You ask yourself, what have they ever really done, and why do I even give a shit?

What challenges have they met, under what conditions and expectations? Where do they drawn their sense of self-esteem and self-worth from to stand up there complaining. It's more like they are more desperate for me to make them feel validated in some way, then it is about them making a difference.

Because they could of pick up a rifle and toed the line... manned the gates, drove the valley of death... but here they are living under the very protection and freedom that's been provided with their opinions. Opinions they are entitled to have, because they wake up and go to sleep every day under the umbrella of protection that's been provided to them in the blood and bones of those that actually fought to preserve it.

They have no fucking clue how entitled they are to even have an opinion and there is no appreciation for the fact that their thoughts are trivial. Only if you have seen what I have seen, how people on the other side of world live, and how they day ever die for nothing more than just being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. They have a lot to say, but nobody would listen, and they would die for trying to speak it.

So honestly what's the expectations for all these whinners talking about their self-esteem issues?

[SnowedIn]

I appreciate this thoughtful response.

[NathanDavis]

not exactly a fan of the perceived implications...

if they mean to say meet as in encounter, well then... facing a daunting challenge could do both, reinforce your true self but it could also defeat you, and then you could rebuild yourself or, it could destroy you... both are possible

and then, if you do meet the standards of high expectations... it could be your own expectations or it could be the expectations of others imposed upon you, and both of these can be of risk... whether you fail, or actually meet them and even surpass them, there's always a chance of becoming more of an egotist, an excess of confidence, conceited even

I've always thought that a genuine confidence and self-esteems comes from balance... from the experience of both facing and also overcoming adversity, but also completed with the actual learning, and introspection... no matter how high you make it, you do have to ground yourself, there has to be humility, balance yourself, learn a lesson and learn it well because this is just one of many to come, and all those other lessons in life might take you down, and if you were soaring and flying that high due to past success and triumph, the fall will be the hardest and all that so-called confidence will be shattered in no time, so yes, a more true and genuine self-esteem and sense of oneself and our confidence should be more tempered and more measured

and then, when newer or different adversity comes our way and might strike us and take us down, the fall will be not so hard, and if it is that hard, we will be able to withstand the crash, or at least fare much better

[SnowedIn]

Thank you for such a thoughtful and considered response. I found it interesting that this was on the back of the school's bus. I think there's truth there but the application is interesting.

[NathanDavis]

it certainly looks great as a quote and during school days, but... then there is reality, lol

and in the reality of things and experiences of life, I have seen a few successful people to succumb to their own success, to be more clear on that, they do peak and even excel at one aspect of their lives in which they invested so much if not all, and only to meet those self-imposed or imposed by, higher standards (these were exceptionally high though) but it all came with a cost, and it did result in alienation, burnout or both...

when your self-esteem is built around one pilar, it can be quite susceptible... these are the kind of people that can fall hard, and harder... and it would be incredibly difficult to excel and meet such high standards on several aspects of your life, one of the columns could fall yes, but the other would stand strong, people like this are extremely rare... the ones that do excel on many aspects of their life while still aiming so high

self-esteems is not something you reach, achieve and then gain to keep forever right? you also have to maintain and withstand the many challenges yet to come, so yes, this is how I see it

high expectations are something great to aim for but... also, measure

high is a vague concept by itself, if there is no reference, and then you have higher and highest, which can get even more trickier

self esteem ALWAYS needs a parachute, and humility is one of the best parachutes you could go up with... if, you're after the highest of expectations, that is

[exitseven]

That would never fly in Biden's America. In Biden's America it is more about diversity than it is about excellence. His cabinet is like the special Olympics for politics and no matter how much they have screwed up this country they all will get a trophy.

[SnowedIn]

"... Special Olympics for politics..." that's too funny.

[Lliam]

I think it's true. It's happened to me many times.

[SnowedIn]

I appreciate the personal connection there.

[jamartheg]

It’s sounds like something a homosexual fisherman would say

[SnowedIn]

I love this response. Just... the imagery. Thank you for this.

[WhitneySnow]

I agree with it

[SnowedIn]

Right? Like, it makes sense.

[WhitneySnow]

Totally

[SnowedIn]

Thanks for commenting!

[WhitneySnow]

Np 🙂