Jane Haddam said, “In my day, we didn’t have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned.”
Self-esteem is a term that hinders because of it’s lack of a concrete concept to build on – respect. It’s a bit loose.
Work hard and your self-respect will grow. Respect others and your self-respect will grow. Respect is a powerful word and in turn will help you become powerful.