Ghana is undoubtedly a beautiful country with great prospects for accelerated growth, but has the Ghanaian the required self-esteem to carry self in the quest for that growth? The country is endowed with natural resources such as rich, even though, dwindling forests, large volumes of gold, diamond and manganese reserves, that Multinationals benefit from more than the average Ghanaian on whose land the mining is being undertaken, and an array of talented and committed people. Ghanaians are known the world over as friendly and hospitable, even if they are nice, only to visitors. But increasingly, sound and consistent development that benefits a larger number of the population seems elusive. Apart from some sparse conspicuous development that the country has achieved, most of the development that the country has attained is what the politicians tell everyone else. It is generally held that the Ghanaian is proud of his heritage, but most every day events indicate otherwise. A good number of Ghanaians have such low self-esteem that has become the bane of many of this rather wonderful people. These days, it is easier for Ghanaians to do just anything, anything at all for the money – it matters less or not at all, even if that could lead to ignominy. Most Ghanaians today would perfect any act of perfidy just for the money and there appears to be no regard for how much worth the individual is. Isn't the individual much more than money or wealth? A lack of self-esteem, makes people live anywhere, eat anything that can be swallowed and perform any task for anything they could call wages. Very highly qualified people accept any job at all with the faint hope that things would get better. Well, things do get better though, but just for a negligible few. People work to earn a semblance of a wage, so they can eat. Just to eat, even if they don’t get to eat a balanced diet. If you have a job below your qualification, you work hard and prove yourself. If your employers fail to take notice, draw their attention and renegotiate your working conditions, and if they refuse to negotiate, have the dignity to move on. Quit that job! A better, more suitable job might be waiting for you out there. Until you quit the humiliating job, you may not find it. That lack of self-esteem has also seeped so deep into the Ghanaian psyche to the point that Ghanaians would buy second hand underclothes and wear them to a wedding ceremony! This same unfortunate attitude, make the Ghanaian fall for lies and ludicrous claims from drug peddlers parading as political saviours. Ghanaians would vote for such characters in so far as they offer them a few cedis. Until these devious characters are caught by the long arm of the law, often in other parts of the world, they rule over the rest of us. Lack of self-esteem has made majority of Ghanaians to throw overboard long held principles of honesty and respect for people with good character, and instead grovel at the feet of people who have money and flaunt it around even though, their source of income might be unknown or even in some cases, they are known thieves, corrupt public officials and drug peddlers. Lack of self-esteem, makes the Ghanaian to refuse to stick to his/her guns even if it means dying in dignity. I can hear someone ask, do we eat dignity? But what is self-esteem? Self-esteem is simply, self value, it is self-acceptance. It is the act of appreciating and accepting yourself for who you are without reference to what others might think of you. You ought not to entirely ignore what others might think or say about you, because sometimes, your critics might have a valid point. Give them some hearing, you may learn a thing or two about yourself that you did not know before, and you could educate yourself with that. Self-esteem is how you see yourself, as who you are with your natural capabilities, even your physique. Your looks and what you own are yours and no one else’s. You should know that no one can appreciate you better than yourself. You should also know that every other person is in some sort of competition with you, therefore, only very few people indeed would sincerely appreciate you for who you are. Others might also do so, because they want to take advantage of you. It is also true that only a few would openly express that appreciation to your hearing with the view of reinforcing the positive self-image you have about yourself. Therefore, accept and appreciate yourself, so that what others say about you, especially when it is negative, would not hurt you psychologically. However, you must be your own number one admirer. Indeed, you have to learn to blow your own horn! It is yours! No one would blow it for you, and even if and when anyone did, they are not likely to play to you, your most favourite tune! You are who you are, because God made you so and endowed you with the specific characteristics and qualities that you have. You have to acknowledge the fact that you have been created in the image of God. You are unique. You are special to God because of your unique role in God’s scheme of things. There is no other person like you on this planet or any other. Someone might look like you or you might even look like someone else, but there is no other like you anywhere. You were made specially to meet specific demands and responsibilities on earth, so what you have is not like any other person’s, and that is what makes you unique. You are a masterpiece in God’s art studio! Be happy with yourself and enjoy being you. Do not look down upon yourself. Accept and value yourself and in the process build up self-confidence and trust in yourself. A critical self-reassessment is necessary for a re-orientation of self. A person with a good self-esteem is assertive, and not easily deceived. Such a person is also not easily frustrated, because someone who has self-value is consistent, persistent and ultimately successful. With self-esteem, Ghanaians would demand for and work towards a more concrete, deserving and achievable development agenda that benefits a larger proportion of the population. With self-esteem, we won’t just accept anything because we are needy, and we would give respect to one another just in as much as we demand it. NB: This article was written with material from my book - 'Practical Handbook on Personal Development', published in 2005. Authored by Emmanuel K. Dogbevi Email: edogbevi@hotmail.com