The Importance of Knowing your Worth
Hey, Sunshine. Today’s topic is on self-worth. This one felt heavy on my heart and I knew I needed to share a little bit of what I have learned though the years. Self-worth is something so incredibly valuable, yet we all struggle with it at times. There’s a multitude of different reasons as to why that is, but here is what I can share with you:
Why we struggle with our self-worth and how we can improve:
- Mastering the art of not giving a F@%#
Excuse my French. I could write entire blog post about this, but this is one of the most pivotal factors in really understanding your self-worth. Of course it’s easier said than done, but there are some ways we can improve upon this valuable skill. First and foremost, it’s important to understand how incredibly powerful you are. I mean, you are YOU. Nobody can take that away from you. I cannot stress this enough. Let me paint you this picture: you are sitting on your couch, 80-something years old, reflecting on this precious life you were given. Looking back you realize you were only living to satisfy other people and their perception of you. You cared so much about what people thought that you refused to just let loose and be…weird. It’s almost as if you were a puppet the entire time and you were just letting people string you along. The real question, then, is are you really living, or just existing? Nobody is perfect, but if you can get this skill down it can change your entire mindset.
2. Our true enemy: comparison
I can’t think of a better way to put it. Today there are too many expectations of what to look like, how to act, what to wear, etc. etc… With social media it’s almost inevitable to compare yourself with someone else. If you just scroll through Instagram, you make subconscious judgements about the post itself. Or even on your own post…I mean when’s the last time you felt pressured to delete a post because it didn’t get “enough likes”? Comparing yourself with somebody is one of the biggest jabs at your self-worth because most of the time, it is something in which you have no control over. Also, I watched this Youtube video once and the girl made a good point. You cannot compare your chapter 6 with someone else’s chapter 26. Everyone moves at their own pace. Let me insert the link to one of her videos here. Bottom line here is that you don’t know anyone’s entire story, and comparing is only setting yourself up to get hurt.
3. Positive Affirmations
What are all of the traits you want to embody? Whether it is being funny, smart, kind, protected, worthy, strong….whatever you imagine your best self to be, take every single one of those traits and say, “I am…”
Look at yourself in the mirror if you have to. “I am worthy. I am beautiful. I am strong.”
I don’t care if you think it’s stupid. If you wake up every morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and say these positive affirmations you will feel a difference and start to believe these things about you. It’s almost as if you are subconsciously manifesting these traits, but in reality you have always been beautiful, smart, kind, etc. It’s just a matter of believing it.
4. Gratitude
How truly lucky you are. Some people can’t even imagine the life you are living. You are sitting down right now reading this post on a personal device. Incredible! First, I want you to watch this inspiring video. Click here to watch. Counting our blessings can relieve some of our struggles with knowing our worth. Just as you say your positive affirmations, listing things that you are grateful for can remind you of the things you may take for granted. Big or small. Seriously anything. It’s crazy how much our perspectives change once we actually list what we were given in life.
5. The power of growth
Have you ever heard the phrase If you aren’t uncomfortable, you aren’t growing? I want you to try something every (or every other) week that gets you a little uncomfortable. By this it should be something that benefits you. One time I was at a basketball game and there was no one to sing the national anthem….Next thing I knew, I (along with one other girl) was standing in front of the entire crowd, extremely scared and unprepared, belting the words that I was almost sure I was going to forget. It was one of the most uncomfortable situations I had ever been in. But you know what? It was something I had always wanted to do in the back of my head. Whenever you do something a little outside of your comfort zone it allows you to explore yourself and show yourself how truly capable you are. It doesn’t have to be this huge thing, you can start off smaller. Maybe it’s reaching out to someone you want to get to know better. Maybe it’s changing up your routine. Trying a new food item? Anything. You got this. I know you have it in you.
6. Environment is everything.
Really ask yourself why you are feeling the way that you are. Is it your friend group? Is there someone so toxic in your life that he/she just drags you down after every step you take? Sometimes we fear losing people because we don’t want to be alone. Sometimes we rely so much on one person that we refuse the idea of letting them go no matter how much they hurt us. You have no time for part-time friendships. Talk to this person/people about how they genuinely make you feel. If nothing changes…it is in your best interest to let them go. It will feel weird at first, but when you get through it you will feel so relieved for not letting somebody completely damage your self-worth. You are way too special to let someone else control the way you think about yourself.
Conclusion
Having said all of this, people will criticize you, judge you, etc. etc. Although I am telling you to value yourself, sometimes when people point out what you need to work on they really do care about you. It’s so important to know your worth, but it’s also essential to take constructive criticism into account and work on the traits that maybe aren’t so great. Maybe you have a short temper or you lack patience. If the person that is pointing this out is somebody you know has your best interest at heart, listen to them and apply it to your self-imporvement journey.
Alright, Sunshine! These are my very best tips for improving your self-worth. Trust me, I am nowhere near perfect and I struggle too. Sometimes a lot. I am here for you, though. Please reach out if you need someone.
You matter. Never forget that!
With love, Xoxo
