When you are complete, it does not matter if a friend betrays you, a lover leaves you, or the world turns its back on you. You will always feel whole. And that is what it truly means to have a great self-esteem.

Our identification with external things is often the root of our suffering. When your favorite basketball team loses, you feel as if you lost. When your car is damaged, it feels as though you are hurt. If someone criticizes who they think you are, it stings as if they’ve reached inside you and attacked your very being.