How Are Reality Shows Affecting Your Self-Esteem?

It’s not just a question of whether you have low or high self-esteem. The subject of unrealistic self-esteem just kept showing up everywhere I looked. It made me ask myself a few questions.

TV is full of reality shows and even if you say you never watch any of them, for the most part, they get very high ratings-even the bad ones. Is this affecting how people look at themselves?

Are you sitting in your living room comparing yourself to the people who are singing or dancing or losing weight or modeling or cooking or decorating? And now even behaving badly is a reality show! Do you watch Jersey Shore or the Housewives shows so you can feel better about your life?

Depending on how you view these shows, they can inspire you to go for your dreams or they can have you feeling superior and looking down on other people. If you’re not careful, some of these shows can have you believing that money is evil and makes people act mean and nasty.

Why is it that some people with so much going for them don’t recognize it and have low self-esteem while others think they have much more on the ball than they really do? I’m sure you can identify people you know that fit in each of these categories.

On reality TV it’s not just in areas where they are competing on talent, it’s also shows where they try to outsmart each other like Survivor and Big Brother. Some are over-confident and others have so much more going for them than they give themselves credit for.

How do these perceptions aid your self-esteem in some areas and make it even lower in others? Where does an unrealistic view of yourself really come from, especially if we are talking about a particular talent?

I find talents, such as ability to play sports or do something creative like singing, dancing or acting to be very interesting. People considered experts in the field and millions of people in the general public judge these activities every day.

Of course, sometimes they are wrong. Jennifer Hudson is an great example of the judges, and the American public who voted her off American Idol, missing the mark. But what makes somebody keep going when they’ve been told they aren’t good at something? In American Idol auditions you see one person after another being told they aren’t cut out for this. And yet they leave saying the judges don’t know what they’re talking about and they will keep moving toward their goal.

Remember William Hung? Hey, who says you can’t make money following your passion?

I’ve had my own personal experiences with being in denial about my abilities, in the opposite way.

I grew up believing I wasn’t good at sports; I thought I wasn’t coordinated. The first time I was told I had a natural ability to play golf it was by a boyfriend that I assumed had an ulterior motive. The second time was by a golf pro that I rationalized wanted to sell me more lessons.

I always had an explanation to discount what they were saying. I didn’t think, “Hey, how about that! I can be good at golf.”

Why not? Even though I now believe I do have the ability, I still feel pressured and uncomfortable when I go out and play. I’m always sure that no matter who I play with, they will be much better than I am and I will be holding them up. Consequently, I don’t play much and it’s not really fun, yet.

I say yet because I am determined not to let this episode of unrealistically low self-esteem go on forever. I refuse to let it control me to the point that I never play golf again. I will overcome this and learn to play confidently and comfortably so I can have an enjoyable day on the golf course.

What about you?

Ask yourself, “What’s the one thing I can change about how I view myself and my talents that will realistically increase my self-esteem?”

Until next week, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Just comment on this post on my blog at http://www.LynnPierce.com

If you would like personal mentoring, send me an email detailingwhat you would like help with. As your mentor I hold a bigger vision for you than you hold for yourself. When you have faith and a team that believes in you, it gives you courage. When you don’t have to do it all yourself, all things are possible for you. Commit today to go for your dream 100%.

With 32 years in sales and marketing, along with 38 years studying human behavior, Lynn Pierce, “The Success Architect,” mentors entrepreneurs and information marketers to reach the pinnacle of success. Tell Lynn what the life of your dreams looks like, and she’ll create the blueprints to get you there, along with the sales system to fund it. Author of, “Breakthrough to Success; 19 Keys to Mastering Every Area of Your Life”, Lynn Pierce’s personal growth and business acceleration systems help her clients get three times the results in half the time with one tenth of the effort. Claim your free special report, “What Do You Stand For; A No B.S. Guide to Creating Your Ownn Personal Manifesto” at http://LynnPierce.com