"Worth" is a funny thing. What is someone worth? What makes them worthy?
We talk a lot about self-worth and self-esteem in this world of ours, but — ironically enough — most of these metrics are derived from externally referenced sources, rather than from ourselves.
Where Does YOUR Worth Come From?
Thinking about one's "worth" can be an interesting exercise.
How exactly do we perceive ourselves to have value? What makes us "worthy?" Moreover, how does our sense of what gives us our worth match up (or not!) with society's sense of "a valuable person?"
I have met more than a few people who will argue that they are finding it really difficult to navigate life and they "don't understand why" because they insist that they are "nice people." And surely, they argue, being nice is important.
But what is the value of "niceness?"
I certainly prefer to have nice friends, but if your yardstick doesn't value niceness very highly, and instead values you according to how much money you make... well, then there's a disconnect.
Personally, I have always placed a good bit of my "worth" on trustworthiness and integrity. But those are also characteristics that — to most people — don't give me much "worth" without some additional context to wrap them around. I also value my sense of dependability.
Conversely, people often look at things like ambition and power and material success as essential components of someone's worth... but does a fat bank account make someone worthy?
Monkey See, Monkey Do?
Whenever I think about the whole worthiness issue, I always end up back at the whole "worthy... to WHO?" question.
Ultimately, worth is not only a very individual thing, but also a very situational thing. Which leads me to thinking that "it depends" is perhaps the most accurate response.
And yet? Many seem to derive their sense of worth as a result of copying others," rather than generating an attribute of their own. History even gives us the old truism "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Clearly, people copy others because they believe those others offer something of value.
At times... that could even be a criminal activity, at which point we might want to look at what our sense of worth actually says about us!
It can be a surprisingly accurate indicator of what our life orientation is. What we value in others often serves as an indicator of what we value in ourselves, regardless of whether or not we strongly represent that particular attribute.
Over the years, I've come to realize that much of of what I value in life is more about intangible things than tangibles. It's not always a very practical approach... but it's genuine!
Thanks for reading, and have a great reminder of your week!
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Created at 2023-05-04 00:18 PST
0819/2074
Economically speaking, value is always subjective. What something is worth is purely speculative in the absence of an exchange, whether with another individual or when weighed against alternative options you must choose. Growth means learning what we really value ourselves in contrast to the value scales others seek to impose upon us, whether culturally or in bad internet advertisements and commercials. [/my2¢]