Self Worth vs. Net Worth
Father to son — a short letter
Worth means value. A high net worth implies one is financially strong and may have lots of cars, houses, cash, etc.
Self worth is how a person thinks of thinks of him or herself. Does one love and respect oneself?
Logically, you would respect yourself if you did something worth respecting, like worked hard to get good grades, persevered through a rough patch in life and came out stronger, helped someone in need and made a difference in their life, finished a school project on time despite being overwhelmed several times, etc.
You actually did all of the above at one point or the other. In every example above, you faced some hurdle, something unpleasant, some friction. And upon overcoming the roadblock you went further down the road to success and fulfillment than before.
Feel good about yourself? You should!
None of the examples I shared, involved making money or growing your net worth. But you still felt amazing about yourself. You basically got a boost in your self worth.
Go ahead, give yourself a little pat on the back.
Self worth may also be described as a feeling of confidence in one’s abilities. By facing adversity you first got humbled, you then persevered and sought solutions to challenges, some required complex problem-solving, some required patience. It was different every time. You were exposed to many new things and
you found many new ways to get through each.
This is why self worth is priceless. It is not being full of oneself but having poise and confidence that you can handle life’s twists and turns. A sense of self worth doesn’t let you get enslaved to external validation. You don’t have to act or talk like others on TV or YouTube. You don’t have to constantly seek attention from others to feel that you are someone and worth something. In other words, a high self worth frees you mentally and emotionally because you are at peace with who you are, where you have come from and where you are headed and you don’t need to fake someone else’s life to boost your self worth — you just live yours!
High net worth may be built with high self worth, as the former is more of a byproduct of being consistent, focused and patient. People with confidence and other positive virtues described above are likely to be more successful in life. But sometimes people feel the opposite — i.e. their net worth is driving their self worth, though that often doesn’t work too well. If you go bankrupt, then what? Do you lose your identity? Do the people who were around you for your money desert you? Do you quickly go from being ‘loved’ to lonely? Do you slide down into deep depression?
Self worth doesn’t care about your bank balance. It is unconditional and is built over time with the kind of identity you develop. If you are a responsible, honest, street-smart individual, you will most likely carry a healthy self-esteem, i.e. one boosted by confidence in your natural and developed abilities and not ego, but also kept in check by practical humility and not a negative mindset. Your self-esteem should not be at the mercy of outside forces, including what your friends or for that matter, anyone else may think of you.
In the end, what matters is what you think of you? Are you doing right by yourself and your community? Are you tapping into your potential and curiosities? Are you progressing towards your best self daily? Discover your self worth through these questions and don’t let the world tell you otherwise.
The original article was published in Medium.