I remember being in my high school chemistry class with a girl named Andrea. Pretty, popular, and cool in a 90s teen movie kind of way, she was everything I felt I wasn’t and wanted desperately to be. During class, she was sweet and attentive, often writing me notes and laughing about the events of the day. Over time, I began to think we were friends. That was until I smiled and said hi to her in the locker room as she stood with a bunch of popular girls and happened to catch her roll her eyes and making a face as I was turning away.
Needless to say, I was crushed and I tortured myself, wondering how I could ever believe that someone like her would never truly like someone like me. Looking back now, I see that it wasn’t about my worth at all, but about her own insecurities. But at the time, it was a hard lesson to learn.
We live in a world that often makes us feel like we need to “prove” our value and it’s easy to forget that we are enough just as we are. Sure, we might not be where we want to be in a certain area, but it is important to remember that advancement is about growth, not worth. The first is progression, the latter is intrinsic. Understanding this allows us to claim (or reclaim) our power, honor our personal development, and recognize that our worth is not conditional.
While many people think of affirmations as a woo-woo concept, there’s scientific evidence they activate key brain regions associated with self-processing and positive valuation, including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), the region that plays a crucial role in emotional regulation and how we perceive our own self-worth. This means that, by engaging in affirmations, people can actually enhance their brain’s capacity to process positive self-information, helping to reduce stress and build resilience.
Today, I am sharing three affirmations to serve as your daily reminder that your worth is non-negotiable, and the love you give to yourself is the foundation of everything you’ll achieve.
“I forgive my past self, honor the person I am, and am excited about the person I am becoming.”
One of the biggest setbacks we face as human beings is allowing shame to bully us into a corner. We walk around with a scarlet letter on our proverbial chest, assuming that we are forever tied to past mistakes, and that is simply not true. We are constantly growing and evolving, and as Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “When we know better, we do better.” This affirmation encourages you to forgive who you have been, appreciate who you are right now — flaws, and all — while holding space for the growth that’s on the way. It’s not about perfection, it’s about progress. The bottom line: Show respect for both your present self and the person you’re working toward becoming because both are worthy of love and respect.
“My worth is not tied to others’ opinions or approval.”
It can be difficult to deal with other people’s projections and narratives but it is important that we remember that our self-worth isn’t determined by what other people think, feel or say about us. You are not defined by their opinions but by who you actually are. This affirmation helps you release the weight of external judgment and realign with your individual truth.
“I release comparison and embrace the uniqueness of my own journey.”
If you have ever spent a Saturday night scrolling through friends’ feeds and feeling FOMO, or worse, like a failure, you know how devastating the effects of comparison can be. It not only triggers nearly every insecurity we have, but it robs us of enjoying the many things we have that other people are still trying to achieve. It’s time to let go of the idea that someone else’s success or happiness diminishes your own or that there is not enough to go around. Your path is yours alone, and there is no timeline for how things should unfold. When you see other’s happiness and success as proof it can be done, you embrace the beauty of your own journey, you give yourself permission to thrive at your own pace. The truth is, you are exactly where you need to be and you can absolutely get where it is that you want to go. You just need to focus on your own path.