I'll post you guys my take on the whole self-esteem subject, and how you can change your view of yourself to the better. This may not apply to everyone, but I think there are some really good general tips here.

I'm gonna give you a short summary of my story, before we begin: I had pretty crappy self-esteem at age 12-15, but most peope do at that age. They show it through acting up, insulting, being overly quiet.. Hiding behind a mask, simply put. I overcame my low self-esteem through 16-18. Now, I feel good about myself. How did I do it?

I won't ******** you with the usual "be good at something, have many friends, etc." Even if there is some truth to this, I think the real truth lies in:

1: Don't let yourself be controlled by others' expectations and needs. That's basically what I used to do. I was insecure and did not know what I wanted, so I just tended to go with the flow. Others decided what I did. I'm not telling you to be egoisitc; find a balance.

2: Don't judge yourself through others perspective. This one is put on edge, but the message is still important: don't let others decide how you view yourself.

E.G: Mr. X tells you that he finds you ugly. So what if he does? Beauty is subjective! Don't beat yourself up over other's PoV's. I'm not saying that you should ignore insults or hurtful comments, but do something about it rather than feeling bad about it.

When I was insecure, I was afraid of retaltiating. This changed when I realized that it is better to be active and take chances, rather than to be on the sideline all the time, feeling bad.

In the end: life is what you make it. If you are afraid of changing things and taking risks, you won't feel better. This is very generalized, but get the point.

Quote from Ludacris (which he probably took from someone else): "it's not the hand that you are dealt, but how you're playing your cards."

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General tips for better self-esteem:

- Work out (gym, sports, etc.)
- Be interested in something and master it. Be better than the average guy in some aspects of your life. If you are allround mediocre, you might feel bad about it.
- Stand up for yourself.
- Materialism won't make you feel better.
- Be a part of a community, but keep your individuality.
- Judge yourself through an objective view, rather than a biased, subjective one. I don't judge myself through my subjective view of myself. I always try to take an objective PoV to observe myself.
- After your objective analyzation, change to the better.