What happens inside a person when worth is no longer considered inseparable from being?
When simply being me
does not feel like enough.
We begin to internalise it
through what we notice
receiving attention.
Through what is praised.
Through what is rewarded.
Slowly,
a measure starts to take shape.
Not only of what we have done,
but of what we are worth.
We begin to believe
that worth belongs to those
with visible achievements—
to those whose lives appear
to demonstrate it
and persuade others of it.
But what if our worth
is not visible in that way?
We start looking
for reassurance.
For approval.
Without noticing,
others’ responses become
our measure of growth.
We start looking
for reassurance.
For approval.
For some,
the distance between who they are
and who they believe they should be
becomes discouraging.
Believing they will never be…
And something
within them
begins to recede.
For others,
the same belief becomes
relentless movement.
Passion and determination—
but with the sad reality
that beneath it
lies the need to make an impression.
No longer moving towards
personal fulfilment or happiness,
but incrementally building a life
around what will be recognised
as worthwhile.
Both grow from
the same unspoken belief:
What I am
is not enough.
Little by little,
our own voice becomes quieter.
Our measure of worth adapts.
A life begins taking shape
around approval and perceived value,
until the person living it
is no longer entirely recognisable
within it.