B ... Is For Beliefs 
A belief is a state of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing. Our beliefs are so deeply ingrained in our lives that a lot of the time we may not even be aware of them and how they affect the way we conduct our lives. We may not be aware that these beliefs are behind our actions.
A belief is something that you experience at a fairly deep level in your being and that becomes apparent in your actions. It is not enough to simply give lip service to a belief. If talking is all you do, it's not enough. I guess this is what that saying means, "actions speak louder than words".
There are beliefs which lead us toward our best interests, and these are the beliefs that we should be nurturing and strengthening. The beliefs that are not in our best interests need to be uncovered and discarded. The beliefs that work toward building our self esteem, our best interests, are valuable and are more valuable than any gain or temporary comfort that we obtain for going against our beliefs.
Having integrity is a belief that will greatly add to one's esteem for oneself. Integrity consists of keeping your promises, doing the things you say you will do, and making sure your actions match your words.
Self-assertiveness is a belief where you feel that you have a right to express yourself and where you have a right to stand up for what you believe in ~ that your feelings and judgement are important.
Responsibility for yourself is a belief that is a very large part of having self-esteem. It may be a little scary, but the freedom to create your life is heady stuff. You are responsible for how you relate to other people and how you spend your time. You and only you are responsible for your happiness. You are responsible for your self esteem and no one else is going to give you esteem for yourself but you.
Self-acceptance is the cornerstone belief in self esteem. We must always accept ourselves regardless of what is going on with our minds, emotions or actions. We may not like what we're thinking, we may not like what we're feeling and a lot of the time we may not like how we're acting, but we must always accept ourselves. These thoughts and actions are a reflection of who we are at the time.
The saddest thing you can do to yourself is to deny the reality of you, or to pretend your feelings or actions are not real. You might as well not be on this earth at all, if this is what you're going to do, because what you're doing to yourself is making yourself invisible.
So the most important belief you can have is belief in yourself.
Suggested Ideal/Affirmation
Erroneous belief systems are created when our conscious mind misinterprets what it has experienced and 'programs' the subconscious with false information. As Sherry said above, some of our deeply ingrained beliefs are unknown to us, but prompted by our subconscious, they still express themselves in our behavior patterns. The following Affirmation, spoken by the conscious mind to the subconscious, is wonderful for obtaining help from God/your Higher Power to identify and transmute any beliefs that don't reflect Truth about ourselves, others, situations...anything and everything. If repeated morning and night in a sincere manner, this will work 'behind the scenes' in your mind. Like 'defragging' your computer this can and will correct our beliefs and put them in order. Over time, you will observe yourself feeling and reacting differently to things than you did previously:
"From now on, Subconscious, you are no longer amenable to suggestions given you by my Conscious mind, unless those suggestions are confirmed by the Superconscious. You are free from all misinterpretations I have made in the past."
