How important is your self-worth? Ask anybody who’s ever been the subject of criticism. Without self-worth, a negative comment could have the power to change your world. You might start seeing only the negative aspects of a situation. You might doubt yourself. With enough criticism, your mood could shift, becoming more negative and over time, this could lead to depression. This is why self-worth is such a powerful concept. As Sandy Hale said, “Self-worth is so vital to your happiness, if you don’t feel good about yourself, it’s hard to feel good about anything else.”

When you experience positive self-worth, criticism can roll off your back. There’s no way it can touch you. This ability to bounce back from adversity enables going on, even if things haven’t been going well.

Let’s look at some suggestions for developing self-worth and the benefits you can reap. Self-worth exposes the lies and reminds you of just how wonderful you are. But more than that, self-worth is what motivates, inspires, and takes you to the next level. Read on to discover some ways self-worth can prepare you for success.

Just Be You – Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of self-worth is recognizing your special uniqueness. You can just be yourself and you don’t need to prove yourself or force yourself to fit in. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Accept Compliments – When you have self-worth, you’ll be able to accept compliments graciously and not deflect the compliment. You can even enjoy compliments, because deep down, you know you add value.

Decisions Come Easier – Having self-worth, allows you to recognize your strengths. You’ll have less self-doubt and second-guessing. This means decision-making is easier.

Stand Up for Yourself – Know what’s important to you. When you have self-worth, you more fully understand who you are and what you want in life. You can voice your beliefs and live your values without being in fear of what others will think. You won’t settle for abusive situations.

Advance in Life – Assess what you are good at and enjoy doing. When you have self-worth, you may already have a pretty good idea of your skills, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.  This knowledge enables you to dream more and challenge yourself to grow to reach your goals.

Enjoy Better Relationships – Self-worth allows you to be authentically you in relationships. This is crucial. How can you expect to have successful relationships with others if you’re not being real around them?

Be More Positive – When you have self-worth, you’re more apt to have positive self-talk overall, and not put yourself down.  Be encouraging to yourself and more accepting of your mistakes because you know you’re a valuable person.

Be Healthier Mentally and Physically – When people have good self-worth, research shows they can have less stress. Less stress leads to better health and enhances immune systems. Also, when people feel better about themselves, they’re less likely to use poor coping mechanisms such as overeating, alcohol, or drugs to deal with criticism and external stress.

Define Yourself – It’s too easy to put negative labels on ourselves. With positive self-worth, you’re less likely to label yourself in ways that are demeaning or negative. Placing a high enough value on yourself allows you to stop negatively defining yourself, even in your thoughts.

Don’t Settle – When you’re lacking confidence in who you are and what you’re doing, you’re more likely to settle for less than what you really want. With this negative mindset, it’s easy to undercut yourself. With positive self-worth, you become choosier in your career and even in personal choices. You no longer want ‘good enough’ but you want something you deserve.

Live Life Fully – With positive self-worth, you can gain the confidence to try things and to experience more in life. As you risk trying new things, you’ll likely gain confidence, which increases self-worth. You can become more fully who you were meant to be.

What about you? Are you struggling to develop your self-worth? We encourage you to use the suggestions we listed to help make changes in your life, so you are one of your biggest fans. Self-worth means you’re no longer fighting against yourself. Enjoy who you are and let go of worrying about social media comparisons. Then you can have good self-worth and be even happier and more at peace with life and yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@TheBalanceCenter.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2023 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.