Nothing can kill the spirit of a person as easily as convincing him that he is worthless. Many life and brilliant careers have been ruined because the person being subjected to the disdain and ridicule, allowed himself to believe other’s opinion.
Self-worth is the fuel that actually runs the life, without it one just survives. Often people put others down; make them feel inferior, without realizing the immense harm it may cause to an innocent, guileless person, especially if it is a growing child.
The Story of the Solomon Islanders
Making someone lose his self-worth is a powerful curse that works. It is said that in the Solomon Islands, in South Pacific Sea, when the inhabitants want to fell a large tree, they gather around it in large groups. Then they start cursing and yelling at the tree. This is repeated often, and after a month the tree withers and dies.
Incredible, it may sound; but this is what happens to people when they are made to feel inferior. Without self-worth, a person cannot achieve any goals in life; he just merely manages to survive.
Don’t Sell Yourself Short
How much do you value yourself? You are what you think of yourself. If you think you are beaten, then you are. If you think you are hopeless, you cannot achieve anything, then these become self-fulfilling prophecies and you end up with being hopeless and achieving nothing.
If you do not value your worth, if you yourself do not know your self-worth, how can you expect others to know your worth? This is where the question of your consent comes in. If you are willing to accept the valuation of others, you give your consent to be inferior.
Appreciating One’s Own Self-Worth
Everyone in this world is unique and bestowed with unique abilities. The very fact that every human being was created by one of the fittest sperm out of millions, itself lends credence to the fact that one has braved the worst early in life even before he was born.
Unless you learn to love yourself, it would be foolish to expect other’s to love you. Unless you yourself recognize your self-worth, others can never have any idea on what you can achieve.
Stop accepting other’s judgment on your worthiness. But then, first you need to redeem your own self-worth.
There is always Room for Improvement
Wherever and whatever you may be in your life, you can always break the mould that surrounds you. If you have been playing the same script, change it now. Stop accepting other’s assessments of you if you feel it belittles you.
Many a great person started their life by ignominy and disdain. Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a first class coach on a train in South Africa. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, who wrote the Indian constitution, was discriminated and insulted for being born in a low caste. Both these architects of India refused to consider themselves inferior. They never let others devalue their self-worth. They later went on to leave their mark in history.
Mahatma Gandhi famously said,“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
You Can Choose to be what You Want To Be
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” is a very profound statement. It says that you have a choice. You can make a conscious choice whether you agree to feel inferior, if someone wishes to make you feel inferior. Or, you have enough of self-esteem inside you, then you will understand and value your self-worth; and refuse to feel inferior.
In your journey of life, you will meet many spectators and bystanders, who will not cheer you or motivate you. You can either stop and listen to them; or continue on your journey ahead as the jeering and booing die down in the distance.
The only way to silence those repugnant opinions is to put so much distance ahead of them, that their despicable voices stop reaching you.
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