People grow from strength and not from weakness.

When I went for my walk today, I contemplated how we raise our self-esteem by focusing on our strengths and not our weaknesses.

We grow from our strengths because concentrating on these causes our self-esteem to soar.

When we focus on our weaknesses we are more inclined to feel bad about ourselves and this can cause our self esteem to plummet.

Just for a moment, 'waste' your time thinking about your strengths, what draws people to you?

What are you good at?

Each of us has strengths and weaknesses, focusing on our strengths will bring more happiness and wellbeing into our lives.

If you have been focusing on your weaknesses you will tend to move away from pursuing your goals and dreams. This negative focus is a very insidious form of self-sabotage that can cause you to spiral downwards in energy and vitality. When you focus on what's "not right" with yourself you will lower your self esteem and all of your thoughts will be negative ones. You will be implying to yourself that you are not good enough.

As this focus comes from within you, you have an alternative that will cause you to spiral upwards in energy and vitality. And it is this, focus on your strengths, focus on what you are good at and do more of those tasks. This will raise your self-esteem and confidence.

Over the past 20 to 25 years, there has been a coaching style developed in the sporting world called peak performance. As a result of the success of peak performance, this coaching style entered the mainstream and became known as Business and Life Coaching. The main techniques applied by business, sports and life coaches is that: - People grow from strength, not from weakness

This means that people grow by focusing on successful outcomes. Or in other words, "What have you done in the past that ensures your success?"

For example: in peak performance in sport, a golfer will focus on his best golf swing - he will visualise it, see it in his minds eye and then he will practice his swing physically. By focusing on what works - he will become better at what he does.

On the other hand, the golfer who plays haphazardly, sometimes good and sometimes bad, has no real focused direction and will continue to play haphazardly.

Peak Performance concentrates on what works and gets you to focus on improving what works.

If you focus on what works, you are focusing on successful outcomes and on your strengths.

If your focus on your weaknesses, then your goal attainment will be weak too. Sometimes doing well and sometimes not doing well.

My aim today is to teach you to use this statement: "Everything I do today must come back to: Is this thought leading me to or away from my goal?". If you are focusing on your weaknesses it is likely that you are procrastinating and not focused on your goals. If you are focusing on your strengths, what you can offer the world, then it is very likely that you are moving forward and attaining your goals.

A positive mind set motivates you to achieve your goals and dreams, where as a negative mind set can lead you to procrastination and frustration. Spiral up or spiral down. The choice for how you think, rests with you.

More on changing your thinking and setting goals at: From Crappy To Happy