At the end of coaching conversations with my clients, I always ask them what they want to acknowledge or celebrate about themselves. During these sessions, a client does a lot of introspection and that’s serious hard work. So when I ask my clients what they want to celebrate about themselves--especially when they discover something great about themselves--it always surprises me whenever they cannot answer this question. A lot just draw a blank. Most people shy away from simply acknowledging themselves.

Why are we sometimes reluctant to acknowledge ourselves? Is it about a sense of humility imposed on us by society? Or is it something else? I think we need to seriously examine how we truly see ourselves. When I ask my clients what they want to celebrate about themselves, I am asking them to hold a mirror in front of them and tell me the good that they see in themselves. When a person is not accustomed to seeing and believing in the good that lies within, this question will be difficult to answer.

I genuinely believe that there is so much good within each of us that we barely see. What we believe about ourselves impacts our self-esteem. Our self-esteem is reflected in what we do. This is why it’s important that we take the first step of acknowledging ourselves and forming healthy beliefs that are good for us.

So, how do we acknowledge ourselves? Here are some ways.

Think about something you did that you’re proud of. This is about honoring your talent, skills, and what you contribute to the world and people around you. It can also be about honoring yourself for achieving your goals. People may give you compliments and validate you, but it’s also important that you accept them and say the same things to yourself, that you affirm yourself.

Bask in your unique qualities. This is about honoring the person that you are without the external things in your life. This is about honoring your character, the person you’ve become. When you reflect on your journey, what are personal struggles that you’ve overcome? How were you able to conquer yourself?

Express gratitude for being here. You walk this earth for a reason and your life’s journey is to discover and live it. Know that you are a part of a bigger picture and that you are important. Who you are matters. What you do matters.

Whatever your starting point, all it takes is celebrating yourself a little bit every day. It’s a form of self-love that you need because it nourishes you. You will believe what you consistently say to yourself and you are in charge of your own self-esteem. So if you catch yourself being self-critical, you can try these practices to turn things around. Make yourself bigger. Take up a little bit more space.