Only You Can Determine Your Worth

Your worth should never be determined by anyone other than yourself. Nor should it be determined by the skeletons of your past, especially the ones that have long since decomposed. Your worth is whatever you decide it to be right in this moment. And no amount of rejection letters, dodged phone calls, cheating partners, declined RSVPs, or Instagram unfollows can ever diminish that worth—unless, of course, you give them permission to.

Sometimes outside factors trigger our amnesia and make us forget just how much value we add to this planet. We let strangers decide what boxes to cram us into and what labels to brand us with. We even let them define us as the sum of our mistakes. You are human—it’s okay to be a work of art and a work in progress at the same time. You’re allowed to have an inquisitive spirit. A fickle mind. A bleeding heart. You’re allowed to be slammed against the wall by fusions of self-doubt and insecurity. You’re even allowed to mess up royally on an ongoing basis. And none of it subtracts even a sliver of your worth.

If you ever find yourself being shred to pieces by someone else’s judgments, don’t let it be the thing that breaks you. And trust that those prickly opinions have nothing to do with your true essence. They are simply survival tactics used by those unable to keep their head above water on their own. It’s far easier to judge someone else than it is to examine the self. This is why some might try and pull you under and sink you to the murky bottom. Just be mindful that everyone is fighting the same battle. But the heartbreakers and the narcissists and the covetous colleagues cannot be the reasons why you let yourself become the inferior, no matter how fatal the affairs. You have to take some responsibly. Because although you don’t deserve to ever have to question whether or not you’re enough, it is still your duty not to allow the actions of others to dictate how you view yourself.

Brainless remarks regarding your weight, athletic ability, bra size, attire, skin color, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, IQ, socioeconomic status, upbringing, the way you walk, talk, spend your leisure time or whether or not you engage with the digital world should not even make it into your orbit. And if they do, let them roll off you like water on a duck’s back. It’s none of your business anyway. And if they’re being that overly critical of you, can you imagine how harshly they must criticize themselves?

So, if you ever find yourself teetering between self-love and self-loathing, I hope that you choose love. Because if you can do that, then perhaps your strength will inspire others to do the same. To look past the ugliness of humanity, and to instead rediscover its untapped beauty. And if you see someone else struggling to remember their own worth, don’t hesitate to jog their memory. We could all use the reminder every once in a while.