"Self-esteem is truly the way you feel about yourself when no one is around, when the doors are closed," explained Cristal Jacobo, soul embodiment mentor and founder of She is Made for More Movement.
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Every year, Jacobo hosts the Central Valley's only self-love event -- with the goal of uplifting women by teaching them they are capable of whatever their heart desires, as long as they are able to appreciate and value who they are.
"Our limits are what our beliefs are," she said. "So even if I say 'Hey, you know what, this year I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.' If internally, I do not believe it, there's a disconnection from what's actually possible for me and what I can do."
If you find yourself struggling to stay committed to your goals, Jacobo suggested it could be due to low self-esteem.
"Because our brain is looking for facts to prove itself that it's right. It's going to start pulling up all the reasons that you failed yourself in the past. If something small, like you say, 'Hey, I'm going to drink a gallon of water,' and I don't, it'll save that memory," Jacobo said. "So if I say 'Hey, you know what, it's the new year! I'm going to start working out. I'm going to do all these things. I'm going to be in the gym 24/7!' My brain is automatically going to feel like that's not true."
How do we show our brain we keep our promises?
First, Jacobo said it's important to develop self-trust by creating small goals, writing them down and crossing each one off once we reach it.
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"Your brain has to make that concrete connection of 'I did this,'" she said.
Also, she encourages celebrates and writing down your "wins" at the end of each day. They can be little wins too, such as waking up 10 minutes earlier than usual.
"It starts adding up and saying 'I can actually do whatever I want, regardless of what how big the goal is,'" said Jacobo.
Lastly, she says it's important to know you can still appreciate who you are right now while also working to improve yourself.
"Allow yourself to say 'Hey, this is a chapter where my story closes, and I get to start a brand new one,'" Jacobo said.