If you are feeling down about yourself, or if your confidence has hit rock bottom, use these 6 steps to boost your self esteem and become an empowered individual.

A low self-esteem is often the result of a negative mindset where the worst in any situation is always considered. It becomes a habit and is difficult to break, but break it we shall, for you are about to transform your mindset from negativity to positivity.

With a positive mindset you will feel good yourself, and be ready to step out of the shadows because with positivity comes optimism, and that is the spring board to the "I can and I will" attitude we're looking for.

How do I get going you may ask.

We start training your mind to accept positivity by feeding it more positive messages and affirmations. We are going to use the powerful technique of auto-suggestion.

What stops most people is the uncertainty of what to say, and how to word affirmations for optimal effectiveness. Below you'll find some simple tips to help you write effective affirmations for improving your self-esteem.

1. Frame your affirmations in the present tense, not future. You wouldn't want to say, "I will learn to love myself" because that makes it sound like you'll get around to it someday. Instead you say, "I choose to love myself." The wording of that affirmation does two things: it empowers you with the addition of the words "choose to," and it puts the timeframe in the present moment.

2. Also your affirmations should be believable to you. If you tried to say, "I am a wonderful person with a lot to offer the world," you may not really believe that, so your subconscious mind might reject it. Instead, try to focus on a process rather than an end result in your affirmations. Say something like, "I am learning to embrace my uniqueness and share it confidently with others."

3. When you recite affirmations, you can do so aloud or just mentally, but you should focus heavily on the TONE you use. Rather than saying the words without emotion like you were reading a newspaper...really inject an element of love and tenderness into them. Your subconscious mind picks up on the emotional aspect of what you are saying more than the actual words. Imagine the difference between saying the words, "I really love myself" with a tone of love and compassion, to a tone of sarcasm and indifference. Which do you think would have a greater impact on your subconscious mind?

4. Once you've got some affirmations formed to work on your self-esteem, try saying them when you wake up and last thing before you go to sleep. In addition, repeat them often throughout the day. Remember, your subconscious mind is constantly playing back old, negative messages - so you want to counteract those as much as possible. Keep reciting your more positive thoughts on a regular basis - especially when you become aware that you're thinking negatively about yourself.

5. Try to see the good in everything. Believe that every situation, no matter how bleak it may look, has a positive side to it. Digest the words of Brian Tracy;

"Look for the good in every person and every situation. You'll almost always find it."

This will form a positivity habit leading to an upward spiral in events and circumstances.

6. Finally, remember that it will take time to change those old, negative messages in your mind to something more positive. It may take a few weeks or even months before you"ll notice an obvious difference in how you feel, and you may be tempted to think it isn't working.

Don't go there!

Keep with it, and you will begin to see a subtle difference at first, but a change indeed! Little by little you"ll start feeling more positive, and notice that you"re feeling a bit happier and lighter. That's your signal that it's working! The attitude of positivity is with you.

Now you are on the way to becoming a self made empowered individual.