Where does self­-worth come from?

Do you get it from success in your work?

Do you get it from having a lot of money?

Do you get it from attracting a lot of men if you’re a woman or a lot of women if you’re a man?

How fragile all that is, how transitory. When we talk about self­-worth, are we not talking, really, about how we are reflected in the mirrors of other people’s minds? But do we need to depend on that?

One understands one’s personal worth when one no longer identifies or defines one’s self in terms of these transient things. I’m not beautiful because everyone says I’m beautiful. I’m really neither beautiful nor ugly. These are things that come and go. I could be suddenly transformed into a very ugly creature tomorrow, but it is still “I.” Then, say I get plastic surgery, and I become beautiful again. Does the “I” really become beautiful?

You need to give time to reflect on these things.

Tags: