At its core, your sense of self-esteem or self-worth has a huge impact on how you live your life.

It frames how you feel about yourself, how you relate to others, how much you achieve in your work - and how you feel about pretty much everything.

In a recent article the well-known speaker Zig Ziglar said, "Many years ago as a young, aspiring speaker, I heard an older speaker who was quite philosophical say that you are where you are because that's exactly where you want to be."

There is some wisdom there. I think our actions and choices do determine where we "are". And all too often our perceptions of ourselves and the choices we make do place limits on how close we get to truly being "where we want to be".

Many of us have dreams and ambitions way beyond what we are actually achieving right now. There is something inside us that holds us back. We are prevented from achieving what we really want, what we really could do.

Why? I think the answer has its roots in our level of self-esteem.

In a 1992 Gallop Poll 89% of respondents said self-esteem was the most important motivator in driving people to work hard and succeed.

If you think of the people you know or have read about who achieve a great deal in their work and their lives, the foundation you will find supporting each and every one of them is their high sense of self-esteem.

They believe in themselves. They have a lot of self-confidence. They like themselves.

This gives them the freedom to reach higher, achieve more and bounce back from their mistakes with apparent ease.

If you feel that your own sense of self-esteem is at the root of disappointments in your career and life, it's time to explore some ways to address the issue head-on and make some real improvements.

Nick Usborne is a freelance writer, author and speaker. For more on building your self-esteem, read his review of the Core Inner Strength hypnosis CD program.