How do we measure our worth? I would like to say that I measure my worth by my character, my work ethic, my ability to love, my kindness; and while I do value those things in myself and others, I know deep down we all have other factors we use to measure our worth we are not as proud to admit. Maybe for some it’s grades, or amount of friends or maybe money (all still valuable and desirable at our age). For many, it’s even attention from others, followers on social media, or weight on the scale.

It is easy to claim that those superficial things are insignificant and do not bring us worth or value, but as teenagers we must admit they all do. We all care how people perceive us, or how smart we may seem, or how we look in the mirror- we just do not like to admit it.

It is estimated that nearly 95 percent of teenagers have felt inferior at some point in their lives. This feeling of inferiority directly stems from our feelings of self worth and value, and I guarantee this inferiority did not come from feeling a loss of integrity, or lack of honesty, or lack of compassion for others. I do assume though this feeling of inferiority comes from not feeling pretty enough, smart enough, good enough; and that is the center of every negative feeling regarding our worth. How can we measure our value as people by something as arbitrary and subjective as being good enough?

This phrase “good enough” is in itself the problem because there never will be a “good enough” if we cannot see and appreciate all that we already have. No wonder teenagers measure their worth with the wrong things– it is because we measure those materialistic factors of attention, followers and appearance based on this unattainable level of “good enough.” It is impossible to feel worthy when the goal is too vague to even exist.