These days, it can seem like your success is quantifiable.
Pounds on a scale.
Percentage on a test.
Likes on a photo.
Friends on social media.
Price tags on clothes.
It is easy to feel like you are defined by these numbers that surround you; like you are only as good as the numbers allow. And frankly, the constant struggle to maintain “acceptable” numbers in all those categories is exhausting. One bad test grade and it can feel like your very identity has been shaken. One ice cream cone and you are no longer yourself.
I am as guilty of this as anyone. It is all too simple to put your feeling of self-worth in these fleeting numbers that are constantly changing. But how can we put our own happiness in the hands of our Instagram followers? How can we depend on a price tag to tell us we are beautiful? If we rely on outsiders to judge our success, we can never be good enough. The grade can always be higher, your weight can always get lower, and suddenly we are trapped in a never-ending battle of just one more.
I heard an interesting quote that opened my eyes to this struggle: We are comparing our behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. We cannot compare our inner struggles to what we see in others, because what we see as outsiders is only a glimpse of them at their best. Everyone has their own struggles, and we can never know what others are going through just like they cannot know what we are going through. So it is unfair to put our value in the judgment of others when the only person who really knows what you are made of is you. We are all made up of laughter and love and adventures and mistakes, and these individual experiences add up to a whole lot more than one number can properly portray.
You have to find your self-worth from within, because nobody truly knows what you are made of except YOU. Don’t let numbers tell you that you are good enough. Tell yourself that you are good enough.
