A Fairy Tale Starring Self-Esteem And
Self-Improvement: Believing In Yourself

Contributed by Elaine Landau

Once upon a time…
There was a creative department that produced award-winning advertising campaigns year after year. The team was made up of writers, who rarely wore shoes, and designers who rarely spoke to the little people. These creative types need to look different, act eccentric and be outrageous because it was expected of them. In the center of this dynamic group, there was a quiet and incredibly efficient department secretary. She was so quiet that most of the creative types didn’t even know her name (which could be attributed to their huge egos, but that is another story.) Many times someone would yell from his/her office for the “secretary person” and she would come running in, poised to take notes for the almighty creative people.

One day the department hit a gargantuan creative block. The writers were without words. The designers had no designs and the creative director was lacking inspiration and direction. All they needed was a bang-up, totally effective, catchphrase for a very big client. Every idea was explored and eventually trashed for one reason or another. After two dry days (which is an eternity when deadlines are looming), that very shy secretary slipped a piece of paper onto the Creative Director’s desk. The director barely glanced at the words and realized that the lowly secretary had struck gold. Not gold. Platinum.

As the Creative Director screamed that the secretary was brilliant, the secretary did something most people rarely see in a creative competitive environment. She blushed. She couldn’t handle the praise. At that very moment, she wished that she had stayed at her desk. What was she thinking giving her idea to the Creative Director? The secretary ran out of the office, completely embarrassed. Lucky for that secretary, the Creative Director was intrigued.

The Creative Director took time out of the day-to-day challenge of being a creative genius to be a real human being and actually talk with the secretary. As it turned out, the secretary had never finished her college education and opted for secretarial school when money ran out. She always felt “less-than” because of that. It was also apparent that her upbringing did not include a lot of praising. If she did something well, she was told she could have done it better. It was very obvious that her low self-esteem came from years of being told just do what you are asked and get out of the way of really good people.

Armed with that information, the Creative Director enlisted the Human Resources department to help the secretary complete her college education. But there was more work to be done.

The Creative Director asked if she had done any writing other than the successful catchphrase. She said that she had, but she never showed off any of her ideas because they weren’t good enough. She was convinced that the very educated shoeless writers and wildly creative designers were so much better than she could ever be, how could she even dream of competing in their same arena. After some prodding, she reluctantly let the Creative Director read her work.

Her writing samples were fresh, humorous, and surprisingly edgy. She was a brilliant writer, yet her low self-esteem had effectively stopped her from growing as a person and as a professional. She was just as creative as any of the other team members, but she didn’t believe it. And if she didn’t believe, she would never succeed even if a job was handed to her on a silver platter. With her first goof-up, she would revert to her old self. She wasn’t good enough. Why did she even try. So the Creative Director and the secretary embarked on a long journey of change.

Without any fanfare, the Creative Director worked with Human Resources to expand the secretary’s training and enrich her creative education.

To bolster her self-esteem and help her realize her true worth, the director and secretary started a series of professional mini reviews. With honest feedback, the secretary could see her true value, not her perceived inadequacies. The Director would praise her for her excellence and encourage her to see herself as the contributing professional that she was. When improvement was needed in any area, the secretary was advised and asked to improve. As her self-esteem improved, the ugly duckling started turning into the swan she really was.

Finishing her college degree was her first big hurdle. The fact that she could learn at home made the plan more palpable. After one free Internet lesson, she took advantage of free Internet training and free Internet tutorials. She became quite a savvy Internet user and discovered that it was a valuable resource. She took courses online and earned the credits she needed to get her BA.

As she took more creative writing courses online, she became more confident with her talent. She stopped wearing drab outfits and started wearing clothes that were more suited to her age and figure. Her makeup brought out her bright eyes and lovely smile. She sat straighter and smiled more.

One day, one of the designers was in a creative session and needed some files. He yelled out the door, “Hey! Secretary person!” The secretary came to the door and very confidently replied. “Hey! Designer person. Learn my name and learn some manners.”

It was at that point the Creative Director knew the secretary had the self-esteem he needed in a new writer. He offered her the position and she accepted it with a firm handshake.

And they lived happily ever after.

The moral of the story? Unless your self-esteem allows you to believe you deserve better, you will never seek anything better than what you already have. Once you start believing in yourself, you can start improving yourself.

About the Author:
Elaine Landau is a freelance writer, publicist, web site editor, and television writer with more than 15 years of experience in marketing, advertising, and publicity.

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