falls under the influence of a street hustler, becomes a
numbers runner, and ends up in prison for petty
burglary. There he reflects about his life, joins with a
Black Muslim leader, and starts his spiritual journey as
a minister and activist for racial justice. After his
pilgrimage to Mecca he learns to work with other civil
rights leaders and even whites to create a better life for
his people.Exercise 8: Acknowledging Your Weaknesses and
Learning From Mistakes
Describe how you felt when you observed the
characters acknowledging their weaknesses and
mistakes. How and where in your life could you
adopt this thinking and behavior to be able to learn
from your mistakes? How would this make you feel?
How would it affect your self-esteem?Step 4: Determination and Endurance
You might experience low self-esteem because you have some
real deficiencies or shortcomings. For example, you compare
yourself with others and feel bad about yourself because it is
not easy for you to make small talk, learn to play the piano, or
to speak a second language. If you want to increase your self-
esteem by overcoming these weaknesses, watching one of the
following films and then by completing Exercise 9 can help
you develop and increase your motivation, determination, and
endurance to improve the desired behavior patterns or skills.
Focus specifically on the character that seems to use endurance
for growth and improvement.
Seabiscuit (2003)
Seabiscuit was wrongly perceived as being a misfit
racehorse, but he overcame great odds to become a folkBuilding Self-Esteem 109