Someone who I admire greatly reinforced something very important to me the other day when she said, “know your worth”. Three small, yet powerful words that upon reflection made me take a step back and think about where my self-worth lies.
For me self-worth lies in valuing our inherent worth as human beings. It is our sense of self and knowing our existence on this earth is purposeful. But most importantly it cannot be increased or decreased by anyone, because it comes from within. 
So why is it important? Self-worth is what enables us to believe that we are capable of doing our best and that we deserve to lead happy, fulfilling lives. A valid sense of self-worth is necessary in order to attain love, peace, joy, and a sound mind. Without self-worth, doubts and fears about our very existence will persist until they invalidate our dreams and vision, and undermine our greatest accomplishments.
That said, accepting ourselves and knowing our self-worth can feel like the most difficult thing in the world because its goes against our training, education and culture. From the very beginning we are bombarded with direct and indirect messages about how we ‘should’ be and rarely are we told that we are good enough as we are. Society places excessive value on the outward appearances of success, such as money, material possessions, physical appearance, marital status, career and so on. In contrast, little consideration is ever given to the more important values of a person, such as love, integrity, kindness, emotional intelligence, forgiveness and inner balance, when defining one’s success. But basing our self-worth on external sources is a dangerous path.
When our self-worth is lacking, it is all too easy to listen to our critical inner voice which tells us we are underserving of love and happiness. But the more we listen to this voice the more poisonous it becomes and we end up being paralysed with the fear of not being accepted or ever being good enough. That is why it is so important to challenge our inner critics and take back control. It is not always easy but we need to remind ourselves that we are worthy of love and belonging and take the active steps necessary to regain our sense of self.
So, next time you feel your self-worth dwindling remind yourself of the unique qualities that make you you! We are all different but that is where the beauty lies. Stay true to your values and always have faith that you are exactly where you need to be at this very moment. And most importantly never seek your importance through the standards of the world. Know your worth because you matter, you are important and you are loved.