![How To Lift Your Own Spirits](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/232/700064/60ed8c602196f/Self-Esteem.jpg)
ON A FREEZING January evening, Ashley Austrew sat in her car in an Omaha, Nebraska, parking lot, working up the courage to go into a comedy improv class. For 20 minutes, the 33-year-old journalist and mom of two sat with swirling thoughts of self-doubt: “OMG, I can’t do this. I’ll be the worst one.” Then she turned off the engine, took a few deep breaths and went inside.
For Austrew, trying improv was the first small step to improve her self-esteem. “All my life, I’ve lacked confidence,” she says. “I didn’t have the courage to try anything new.” So she made a list of all the things she was afraid to attempt and then asked herself, What if I didn’t let my excuses win? Improv was her biggest target.
Her fear dissolved as soon as she walked into the class. Her classmates were also beginners, and she discovered that she was perfectly capable of earning a few laughs and making new friends. Over the next two years, Austrew went on to tackle other what-ifs, including writing a book. “Self-esteem is like a muscle—you have to work it constantly,” she says.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2021 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2021 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
![ME & MY SHELF](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/nU_OyWlCr1721888389615/ME-MY-SHELF.jpg)
ME & MY SHELF
Chitra Divakaruni is the author of 23 books including The Forest of Enchantment, Mistress of Spices and Palace of Illusions. Her latest book is An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayan Murthy.
![RD RECOMMENDS-BOOKS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/IsynfI7lj1721888060395/RD-RECOMMENDSBOOKS.jpg)
RD RECOMMENDS-BOOKS
Hanuman Chalisa and More
![Who's Getting Colon Cancer](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/IOWwMhBz21720528008390/crp_WHOS-GETTING-COLON-CANCER.jpg)
Who's Getting Colon Cancer
With rates rising among younger people, testing should start sooner
![25 Lessons That Last A Lifetime](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/-4oz_GG4W1720522283064/crp_25-LESSONS-THAT-LAST-A-LIFETIME.jpg)
25 Lessons That Last A Lifetime
Suggestions about life are a little like lottery tickets: You may collect a lot of them, but they rarely pay off. Yet if you are truly lucky, you receive a few words of wisdom that inspire you forever. That's called hitting the jackpot
![A Symphony Of Irritation](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/5PFqGG6B31720527754140/crp_A-SYMPHONY-OF-IRRITATION.jpg)
A Symphony Of Irritation
In the 2022 film Tár, Cate Blanchett played a conductor who was affected by misophonia—an acute sensitivity to certain sounds. For Lydia Tár, Blanchett’s character, the clicking of a pen or the beat of a metronome was enough to drive her to distraction.
![Is Poverty Alleviation Truly Possible?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/fqK0bpngj1720527278622/crp_IS-POVERTY-ALLEVIATION-TRULY-POSSIBLE.jpg)
Is Poverty Alleviation Truly Possible?
We ask economist and Nobel laureate Esther Duflo
![The Alpha Dog](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/T5wTXKUvH1720527563640/THE-ALPHA-DOG.jpg)
The Alpha Dog
To rescue lost animals, she climbs into places most of us avoid
![Let's Say Yes!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/LbkybjTnM1720527115337/LETS-SAY-YES.jpg)
Let's Say Yes!
What started out as a way to get my son to try new foods opened up a world of adventure for my family
![Hey Dad, Can You Help Me Return the Picasso I Stole?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/hj4jPmkc91720526326152/HEY-DAD-CAN-YOU-HELP-ME-RETURN-THE-PICASSO-I-STOLE.jpg)
Hey Dad, Can You Help Me Return the Picasso I Stole?
A painting went missing in 1969, then turned up at a museums doorstep. No one knew how or why—until now
![Band of Survivors](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/232/1759019/XfAb9CgWL1720526020638/BAND-OF-SURVIVORS.jpg)
Band of Survivors
Armed with his drum kit, a Holocaust survivor fights anti-Semitism one musical note at a time