Know Your Worth: Choose to Value Yourself

The most significant relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself, and you alone have the ability to give yourself value, to have a positive self-worth, to make that relationship the best one you’ve ever had. The problem lies in what negative thoughts you let invade your mind, coming from the environment in which you live. Learning to know your self-worth is one of the best tools you have to use to ward off the negative feelings that can bring you down.

People will treat you the way you let them. If you don’t value yourself, you are liable to just accept the negative things that occur in your life as part of who you are; you will let yourself feel that you somehow deserve to settle for less than the rest of the world. But that can change.

Finding That Value

Your value is right in front of you. You just need to choose to see it. Maybe your company didn’t get that big account. Maybe your team lost the championship. Maybe you got denied the vacation time you asked for. In order for you to have a positive self-worth in these situations is to realize the valuable part you played.

Without your contributions, your company may never have even been in the running to get the big account. Without your excellent performance all year, your team never would have even made it to the championship. And just maybe you were denied vacation time because your boss needs your smarts in the office, not because he is trying to punish you.

Take Control

Take control of how you value yourself. Learn to boost your self-esteem by absorbing the positive things in your environment. Let go of the negative emotions that you have been harboring, the ones that are making you feel that you aren’t worthwhile. That is easier said than done, but with practice you can do it.

Start with the Obvious

If you aren’t happy with yourself, it’s up to you to do something about it. Your appearance is an obvious reflection of how you value yourself. This is an easy enough place to start helping yourself feel better, and it offers immediate results. If your self-esteem is suffering, you tend to neglect how you look. Pay more attention to what you are wearing each day. Maybe start hitting the gym. Keep your hair neat and take care of personal hygiene. Look like you care about yourself, and soon, both you and others will notice the change. Often, the better you look, the better you feel.

Love Yourself

Learn to love yourself, warts and all. The more you can be comfortable with who you are, as you are, the more comfortable others will be with you as well. As you perceive others accepting who you are, you will begin to value yourself more and know your worth.

Be Kind to Yourself

Nobody is perfect. Forgive yourself if you make a mistake. Surround yourself with people who appreciate you for who you are; avoid those who want you to change who you are. The more you can focus your energy on the good parts of yourself and your environment, and the more you can discharge or deflect the negative emotions that are keeping you down, the easier it will be to value yourself, improve your self-esteem and know your self-worth.