Historically our sense of self was defined by our community and cultural values. But in the modern world, we’re left on our own to decide what our values and beliefs about ourselves are. This is further complicated by our societal views on masculinity, telling us that men should be strong and in control.

No amount of prestige or financial success can make us like ourselves more. Having low-self esteem can originate from many sources like childhood bullying, unsuccessful romantic relationships, perfectionism, comparing yourself to cultural ideals (especially in the day and age of social media), and even how we were raised (typically by parents who showed transactional love based on the grades you got in school, rather than giving unconditional love).

Men of all ages, races and professions struggle with low self-esteem, and no amount of power or money will fix it, because feeling adequate has to do with internal, rather than external, approval. Working with a counsellor can help unravel where self-esteem comes from and provide practical tools to approach life from the top.