Throughout October 2012, we’ll be working on the concept of “self-esteem.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand why they should regard themselves highly and feel good about who they are.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

To inspire your own discussions at home, here are six of our favorite quotes about self-esteem:

“Act, speak and dream as if you are valuable. Because you are.”
—Dr. Robyn Silverman

“Productive achievement is a consequence and an expression of health and self-esteem, not its cause.”
—Nathaniel Branden

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self- esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
—Sam Walton

“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand- break on.”
—Maxwell Maltz

“Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.”
—Thomas Carlyle

“Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.”
—Louise Hart

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 Self esteem defined: What is it, what we say and think about ourselves
Week 2 Self esteem and our abilities: Talent, effort and outcome
Week 3 Self esteem and comparisons: Body, mind, skills and strengths
Week 4 Self esteem, friends & family: The people who we want to surround us

Image Credit: rAmmoRRison on Flickr