Self-worth and self-esteem are two words that are usually interchanged.
Most of the time, people use it to describe how we carry ourselves and how important it is for your success.
But is it really the same?
Today we’re talking about the difference between self-worth, self-esteem, and how creates true abundance.
The Golden Buddha
Hundreds of years ago, there was a small village that took care of a golden buddha.
It was the village treasure, and everyone took care of it.
One day, intruders started attacking and looting the village’s neighboring village. In fear, the people and the monks started covering the golden buddha with clay.
The intruders came and lay waste in the village. And unfortunately, all the monks who took care of the buddha were all killed. Despite that, the golden buddha was kept safe.
Days turned into months, months into years, and years turned into decades. People forgot all about the golden buddha covered in clay.
Sometime in the 1950s, a monastery was being relocated to the same place where the golden buddha stood.
The monks rented a crane to help with the clearing. But when they tried moving the huge hunk of clay, it proved to be too heavy to lift.
Suddenly, something glimmered underneath all the dirt. And in disbelief, the monks started chiseling away the clay.
After a few hours, the clay gave way to solid gold.
Today the golden buddha sits in its own temple in Thailand in all its gloriousness.
Self-worth vs. Self Esteem: What’s a difference?
Here’s one truth about human existence. We are all born with the potential to be great.
But like the golden buddha, our potential has been covered in clay for so long that we forgot it even exists.
This seed of potential can either grow and flourish as you grow older. It can also wither if left untapped.
But the good news is, no matter how long it’s been buried by dirt, wear, and tear, this seed still lives in all of us.
And like the monk, it’s our responsibility to get rid of the dirt so our true self can gleam and shine.
See most people use self-worth and self-esteem as if they have the same meaning.
Psychology Today defines self-esteem as confidence in one’s value as a human being. It relates to achievements, good relationships, and overall satisfaction with the way you live.
For me, self-esteem is all about what the world perceives about you. It’s what they see and hear from you. It’s the physical representation of who you are.
On the other hand, the self-worth definition by Psychalive talks about the value we assign ourselves as people and individuals.
Self-worth is how we see our internal being. It’s our personal value. In much simpler terms, self-worth talks about how much you appreciate and like yourself.
Dr. Lisa Firestone got it right when she said self-worth is more about valuing your inherent worth. It’s all about loving who you are and not about what you do.
The problem with today’s society is we’re focused so much on improving self-esteem. Most of the time, our measurement of success is all about how you fare against others.
We often race against each other’s achievements.
This competitive culture drives us to focus on being the best to feel good about ourselves. Because of this, we value our sense of self depending on how we compare to the success of others.
Our confidence becomes equal to the attention that we get. Success becomes superficial and materialistic.
This cycle leads us to base our self-worth on how much applause we get. And when we lose the win, we think our value as people go down too.
This is also the reason why mental health issues like narcissism and depression are so common today.
People who prioritize self-esteem above self-worth tend to pay a high price.
A research conducted by Dr. Jennifer Crocker showed students who base their self-worth on external sources tend to have higher chances of drug and alcohol abuse and eating disorders.
The study involved getting responses from 600 college freshmen. These students looked at how people responded to their appearance, approval from others, and academic performance.
These folks had higher bouts of anger, susceptibility to stress, and weakness to failure.
On the other hand, students who had a stronger sense of self-worth did better in all aspects.
They got higher grades, had better experiences, and were found less likely to drink, do drugs, or develop eating disorders.
Now that you know how different self-worth and self-esteem is, let’s talk about how it affects your abundance.
Self-worth and abundance
Your self-esteem starts with your self-worth.
It will define how you see the world and how you want it to see you.
Building on your self-worth also helps you set the right boundaries and standards. When you set the right boundaries, the right opportunities also come up.
The same goes when you suffer from low self-worth and self-esteem.
Whenever you think about your self-worth, you do an internal assessment of your current situation. And all the opportunities that come to you confirm how much you think you deserve.
The problem is, most of us don’t have the right mindset about self-worth and abundance.
Remember the golden buddha? Most are still at the chipping stage. And it’s not easy.
We have all gone through pain and trauma in our lives.
Maybe someone told you that you weren’t smart enough or pretty enough.
Maybe a friend broke your heart and told you you couldn’t succeed.
Or maybe you’ve been comparing your progress to someone else.
These thoughts and feelings are manifestations of low self-worth and vibrations. And when you keep at this level, you won’t be able to get the right opportunities and abundance.
Read more about the universal law of money here.
What you need to realize is that we’re more than what we see and feel. Our self-worth, our value as a soul, and spirit are connected to a higher being. It’s connected to the Divine Source.
This is something that we have forgotten.
We’ve been too engrossed in the idea of this physical world that they’ve forgotten who they are.
So they diminish their value depending on their wins and failures.
They measure their self-worth and self-esteem on the standards that the world sets.
Remember, we are all born with the same potential. Nothin in this physical world can decrease our intrinsic value.
There’s no one on this planet who is worth more or less than you.
The only difference is how you are going to use your potential and how much you’re going to value yourself.
How to increase your self worth
How do you increase your self-worth to increase your value?
It’s actually simple. Focus on you.
Remember that you are in control of how you respond.
When you begin to understand who you are in your core, you will become unfazed about what others think or feel about you.
Sure, there will always be someone who has more success or better than you. But it doesn’t mean that you are worthless.
But when you realize your potential, doors will open and you will have the right mindset and tools to create opportunities for yourself.
So here are ways on how to elevate your vibrations and increase your self-worth and self-esteem.
Reassess who you are and start conversing with yourself in the way you are
Erika Andersen, author of Be Bad First talks the truth when it comes to judging ourselves.
She said most of us don’t have a fair assessment of who we are and what we do.
Oftentimes we focus on how people respond to what we do. And our happiness is based on whether or not they accept us.
The key to increasing your self-worth is affirmations. It’s a great way to build your confidence and can help improve your self-esteem.
Here are some great self-worth quotes you can use as affirmation.
Start a gratitude list
Gratitude helps you acknowledge yourself and boost your self-esteem.
Being grateful helps people with trauma and adversity push through it better and increase their resilience.
When people focus on what’s good, they also increase their vibrations. It also helps boost their happiness
Learn how to receive
People with low self-esteem can also be poor receivers. This becomes a problem because you tend to miss the signs the Universe is sending your way.
This is a huge thing when you think about it.
Receiving is an act of letting go and trusting the Divine Source.
This means learning to say yes at the right time. It also means going out of your comfort zone and trusting your gut.
Stop negotiating your worth with others
You get what you believe you deserve. And the only way to get the salary you want or the rate you want, then the only way to do it is to ask for it.
It doesn’t matter if you’re negotiating for money or extra time. What matters is knowing that you deserve the life you want.
So if you want to grow your business or change the life you’re leading, start with prioritizing your worth.
Conclusion
When you become happy with who you are, everything will fall with ease and grace.
That’s what happens when you focus on improving your self-worth.
Are you ready to change your money story?
Register to my Five Day Millionaire Mindset Makeover Challenger here.