I heard goal setting is a waste with low self esteem. Is there truth to this?

Yes, there's a certain truth in this statement because when we set goals, we usually aim for things that are too far away for us to reach, and that kind of behavior usually makes us feel more like we can't do anything or that we aren't capable of reaching certain goal. However when we set an achievable goal, (e.g. "i'll stop biting my nails'' or ''i'll eat an apple everyday"), it becomes a lot easier to deal with accomplishing it, and when trying to accomplish a goal like this, we feel better about ourselves.

Of course not! While our self esteem may affect how motivated we are to pursuing and continuing to pursue our goals it is not a reason to go without setting some. My advice would be to start small. Have your first goals be things you can achieve quite easily- it might be a household chore task (I will make my bed today, I will mop the floor) or a monetary one (I will save one dollar a day this week) or anything else (I will go for an X minute walk). For every goal you successfully achieve,you may find your esteem naturally rises too- you become more confident that yes,you can achieve things. It teaches your brain that you can succeed and that it feels good to complete tasks. Then you can increase your goals to longer term or more personally significant things. Good luck!

No. This is a falsehood. Taking the steps to find goals can actually INCREASE self esteem by a whole lot! Not to mention, it helps you to think about things you value and enjoy, which gives you a sense of self and direction. It's a wonderful thing to be able to truly find things you like and enjoy, and when you find a way to actually accomplish your goals-- that is even better! Setting goals, working through them, adapting them as you adapt, these are all things that are extremely important to character and self growth! Thank you for reading and I hoped it was inspirational to someone!- Dylan