For a moment just think about what steps you would take to find out how much your house is worth.
Firstly you may organise for several estate agents to come and evaluate the house. Whilst getting those valuations you would also be keen to seek advice on how you can increase the selling price of your house. Secondly, you may then plan to execute some of the advice given to you to increase its value, whether this be structural or cosmetic changes.
The question is what happens when we apply this analogy to ourselves? We often let others determine our worth, i.e. employers, families and or friends. This may sometimes be in a monetary valuation, but quite often it is in the currency of time, attention, respect, love and care we receive from others.
More often than not, our perception of how much we do for and receive from others defines our own ‘self’ worth. But our ‘self-worth’ really needs to be defined by ourselves, and how much we want to invest in developing ourselves in terms of time, education, care, health and nourishment. I recommend reading the ‘The myth about self-worth’ by Dr Albert Ellis, as he discusses ways to develop your self worth without being dependent on the approval of others.
Kick start 2014 with the ‘end of year’ in mind! Ask yourself, how much would I like to increase my own price tag of ‘self worth’ this year? The answer to this question will help you determine how much time, energy and care you plan to invest in yourself this year.
4 easy steps to increase your self worth in 2014:
- Do something for yourself each day, whether it be small or big – something that makes you smile or feel a little lighter (read a few pages of you favourite book or go to your most preferred coffee place).
- Pick up the phone and connect with someone that is special and dear to you. Have a short conversation with them, letting them know how you are. By sharing a part of you and connecting with others in a positive interaction increases how good you feel about yourself.
- Nominate 2-3 things you would like to do or conquer this year i.e. quit smoking, lose weight, gain a promotion, improve a relationship, reduce your depression or overcome your anxiety.
- Create a short bucket list of the experiences you would like to enjoy in 2014, whether this be places you would like to visit or activities you would like to do (you don’t have to think too big, but your list should excite you!) –To learn how to write your bucket list visit Laura Vanderkam’s blog, the author of ‘What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast’.
For steps 3 and 4, take a few days to digest what you have written and then come back to plan how you will achieve these goals. For some of your items, it will depend entirely on you to make them happen, whilst other things may involve other people or other resources such as finances or the support of professional assistance. You may want to contact our team of psychologists to assist you with achieving the significant things you would like to conquer in 2014.
Once you have your plan, take a step THIS WEEK to action any one of your items. Remember each time you take action and make progress on these four steps, you are increasing your own self worth for 2014.