Do you know what you are worth?

Self-worth...such a small word with such big connotations. It is easy to see what the lack of self-worth can do to us- those feelings of not being good enough or “worthy” can be hard to shake off. Sometimes, I feel that I’m not measuring up to the Standard Unit of Worth (SUW), and to be honest, it kind of sucks!

It may simply be because no such mandated unit of measurement of self-worth exists. We all might have a different way to define our self-worth- maybe the university we attended, some natural talent we may possess, a skill acquired over time with patience, or an accolade earned with sweat and toil. We are quick to associate things we are proud of with our self-worth- like the number of YouTube followers we may have or the current job profile we may be in. But it begs the question, that if that factor were to be removed, would it change the way we feel? Would it make us feel less worthy?

The answer, at least for me, is yes. I have often characterized my studies/job to be a major part of my identity and self-worth. And now that that safety net is temporarily gone, it is hard to feel confident. There is no job that I can refer to in order to feel “worthy” of myself. It is a source of turmoil and uncertainty, rather than pride and happiness. Does that mean that I worked less hard than others, or that I possess fewer skills? It most definitely does not. It is so easy to confuse unemployment with worthlessness.

It is perhaps important then to seek self-worth inwards, and not through external factors outside our control. Rather than letting the most recent failures and successes lead us on a fluctuating path of emotions, let the achievements and accolades be testaments to our tenacity and perseverance, and in that show light to what we are capable of doing. This helps us get in touch with who we truly are, and to believe (and that’s my Word of the Year, too!) in ourselves, even when the going is tough.

It is a tedious process to unlearn certain ways of thinking which are ultimately detrimental to mental health. How we choose to measure our self-worth has a profound impact on our lives, in the decisions we make, and the way we feel about ourselves. Our self-worth should not be determined by just one part of who we are. Everything we have done and learned in our lives contributes to it in infinitesimal ways. A single change in our trajectory may have landed us in completely different circumstances. And yet, here we are. And it is high time we appreciated what we are worth!