What is Abundance without Self Worth?

How self worth and abundance are connected

Self worth and our ideas of abundance are so vitally connected.

Many of us have been conditioned from an early age to believe that the most worthy are the people who have the most status or possession.

However, if we are chasing outer determinants of success to determine our inner worth, we will inevitably get to a place of lack and searching for a life of more value or importance.

A lot of money, possessions, or even relationships and status will get us to that dopamine hit that gives us the illusion we are fulfilled and worthy, but inside we may not not feel like any of it has any real meaning or purpose. It can be a very hollow feeling and can lead to feelings of emptiness, low self-esteem, and even depression.

Ultimately, it is important to recognize the importance of self-worth in order to truly appreciate and enjoy the abundance that can come from life.

Building your self-worth helps you set the right boundaries and standards. When you set the right boundaries, the right opportunities also come up.

What determines our self-worth?

Self-worth theory proposes that an individual's main objective in life is to achieve self-acceptance, which is often attained through accomplishments.

The self-worth model comprises three fundamental components: ability, effort, and performance. Our self-assessed abilities and performance in activities that we consider significant are the primary factors that determine our self-worth.

However, people often resort to other factors that do not reflect their ability, effort, or performance when evaluating their self-worth. These common measures of self-worth are usually not healthy indicators and stem from cultural, familial, or social pressures.

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It can be helpful when we are on this path to take a deeper look at our internal meaning behind the term abundance as well. If you take a moment to become intentional about your life, you will see what I am talking about.

For example, when I walk through my home and open my closet door and see it full of clothing options for me to choose from and healthy food in my fridge that nourishes me and my family daily, I am able to access that level of abundance where I am no longer feeling that I must self judge or be out of my present moment.

Tip: Having a gratitude practice is a powerful way to attract abundance into your life. Speak out or write down 3-4 things you’re grateful for each day.

The most important part of a gratitude practice is being fully present in the feeling and the energy of being grateful. When you’re in this energetic state, that is when you’re aligned with abundance.

“How we value our outer world is directly related to how we value our inner selves”

As children, if we were not given the time, energy or attention that we needed and craved, this can manifest in so many ways where we may become over productive, over achieving, people pleasers or simply just hoarding objects and status to make up for that lack.

This is a very common trauma response many have inherited and the only way to move through it is with creating a deeper sense of self connection.

When we don’t think we are worthy, we feel like we can’t access abundance or success because of our unworthiness or we feel like we must prove our worth in order to be successful and experience abundance.

We may even hold ourselves back, reject positive things, or engage in self-sabotage. What is your orientation to positive things happening in your life?

When we know we are worthy unconditionally, we are able to welcome abundance into our lives because we believe we are worthy of it. We’re no longer caught up in the anxious energy of trying to prove our worth and trying to compete and get the few spots at the top.

When we know we are worthy, we’re able to own our gifts and strengths, knowing we are guided by our wisdom to pursue the life we most desire instead of being guided by fear. Then, we have trust in ourselves and we can relax into the good things in life. Sounds fabulous, right?

Ignoring or pushing aside the symptoms of unworthiness can have long-term effects on how we operate in the world. It is important to recognize the signs of these behaviors in yourself and to be gentle and understanding as you learn to nurture yourself in healthier ways.

Allowing yourself to pause, look at those old wounds and triggers and take time for your healing is essential for overall longevity and emotional and physical well-being.

Your thoughts create your reality

Many people see self-worth and self-esteem as the same thing.

Psychology Today defines self-esteem as confidence in one’s value as a human being. It relates to achievements, good relationships, and overall satisfaction with the way you live.

Self-esteem can also be about what the world perceives about you, what they see and hear from you and the physical representation of who you are. On the other hand, the self-worth definition by Psychalive talks about the value we assign ourselves as people and individuals.

Self-worth is how we see our internal being. It’s our personal value. Simply put, self-worth talks about how much you appreciate and like yourself.

Dr. Lisa Firestone got it right when she said self-worth is more about valuing your inherent worth. It’s all about loving who you are and not about what you do.

Tools to support increasing self worth

There are many somatic tools you can use to help increase your self-worth. Examples include mindfulness meditation, yoga, breathwork, and progressive muscle relaxation.

You can access my Centered Vibrancy practices HERE and receive a guided meditation and 10 page workbook filled with valuable tools that I use on a regular basis to stay grounded in my own worth and vibrancy.

All of these tools can be used to reduce stress and anxiety and to help you connect more deeply with your body and your authentic self-worth. Additionally, journaling and affirmations can be helpful to reflect on and reinforce positive thoughts about yourself.

Some might say you should just shift your beliefs and that beliefs are nothing more than thoughts you continue to repeat to yourself. So to shift your thoughts, you can start with positive affirmations.

For Affirmations to work however, you have to actually believe them. You have to believe in the core level that the statement you are saying out loud is of you and for you.

If you repeat an affirmation that on a deeper level you truly haven't embodied or believe to be true, then it will more than likely create even more stress and elevate the trauma response, thereby keeping you stuck in old familiar patterns.

For true transformation to take place, you need to feel your emotions, feel the feelings that come with the change and desire for growth and release them to truly heal.

This is where somatic, trauma informed coaching comes in to support the client who has tried it all and is still struggling with these feelings of lack.

If you want to experience more abundance or more success in your life, start by becoming aware of your thoughts, seeing how they inform your feelings and then allowing yourself to feel your feelings and release them somatically though the body.

This, coupled with affirmations and a regular gratitude practice are a beautiful way to build and grow your worthiness muscle from the inside out!

A few self loving positive affirmations to try;

I am worthy of what I desire.

I have everything I need to be successful.

I am grateful for the positive things in my life.

I am smart, capable and talented.

I believe in myself.

I am open to receiving unexpected opportunities.

I am worthy of positive changes in my life.

I am grateful for the abundance that I have and the abundance that’s on its way.

I am capable of achieving greatness.