Why You’re Not Worthless

There’s nothing more saddening to me than to meet someone who truly feels worthless. Sometimes, they’ve made a mistake and have allowed it to eat away at their self-worth. Other times, they missed out on something they were vying for – perhaps they lost on out a client, job opportunity, promotion or something else they were competing for or were bullied or abused to the point where they feel worthless. In most cases, there’s a way to reclaim your worth.

The bottom line is that no matter what happens to us, we still have the same self-worth and potential that we had the day we were born. A great way to visualize this is to imagine you’re a $100 bill (or whatever the greatest value of your country’s circulated money is). When a $100 bill gets soiled, crumpled or ripped it has the same value. Even if it is shredded and then taped back together, you can bring it to a store and purchase $100 worth of goods.

Life isn’t always easy. We face obstacles and challenges from time to time. We sometimes lose battles or make mistakes we’re not proud of. We get hurt, wounded or beaten (emotionally as well as physically) and it doesn’t feel good. In fact, sometimes it makes us wonder if we’re truly cut out for what we’re trying to accomplish.

But if you go back to the $100 analogy, we still have that same value and potential inside us that we did before we made that mistake or suffered that defeat. People that have faced drug and alcohol addictions are now using their experiences to speak out against that behavior.

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to see a young woman speak who was a great example of dealing with the most heinous crime that can be committed against a woman – rape. This woman was a victim of date rape – a crime that eats away at a woman’s self-worth and can lead to severe depression. No one would have faulted her had she simply lived a quiet life and kept it to herself, but she used this event that damaged her very soul and used it to help prevent other women from having to experience the same disgusting violation.

There’s an old saying that goes something like “whatever doesn’t kill you just makes you stronger.” There’s some truth to that saying and sometimes these low points in our lives can become defining moments. But no matter what you’ve done or what’s happened to you, you’re still worth what you were the day you were born. Yes, you may have been pushed back a few steps and need to make up some lost ground, but you do have worth. All you need to do is decide that you’re going to claim your worth back and act like the person you know you can be.

James Feudo

James Feudo owns the Boston Web Design Agency JVF Solutions and loves blogging about personal development and communication in his spare time.