Self-Worth vs. Self-Esteem

The dictionary defines self-worth as “the sense of one’s own value or worth as a person.” However, there are many ways for a person to value themselves and assess their worth as a human being, and some of these are more psychologically beneficial than others.

Although self-worth is often used as a synonym for “self-esteem, self-worth should be less about measuring yourself based on external actions and more about valuing your inherent worth as a person. In other words, self-worth is about who you are, not about what you do.

There is a HUGE problem with society’s focus on high self-esteem. The problem is that this focus involves measuring ourselves to others, rather than paying attention to our own value.

Our competitive culture tells us we need to be special and above average to feel good about ourselves, but we can’t all be above average at the same time. Searching for self-worth by constantly comparing self-worth vs. self-esteem is always fighting a losing battle.

There is always someone richer, more attractive, or successful than we are. And even when we do manage to feel self-esteem for one golden moment, we can’t hold on to it. Our sense of self-worth bounces around like a ping-pong ball, rising and falling with our latest success or failure.