Thinking more positively about your life was the first part of the Secrets of Happy People series. The second secret is about the importance of thinking positively about yourself: believing in your self-worth. An essential component to happiness is developing a view of yourself that is based on the premises that you are a worthy and valuable human being.

It is important to be aware of how your self-concept is impacted poorly by relying on the opinions of others to define your worth. If we rely on individuals opinions or external markers of worth, these markers can shift and change constantly. When the externals fluctuate so will your mood. If you sense of worth is constant internally, your mood will be happier more often. For example, if you don’t get that big promotion at work you were looking for, you can end up feeling worthless and like a failure for days. But instead, learning to value yourself and give yourself positive feedback and reinforcement can free you from relying on external markers of success or feedback from others. Someone with a good sense of self-worth would be able to see that there could have been many other reasons why someone else was better suited for the job that had nothing to do with their own abilities. They would be able to see that small failures are stepping stones to success and they would learn from the experience to help them prepare for their next goal. Although the news would be temporarily disappointing, the person would not waste energy getting down on themselves but instead channel that energy in continuing to go after what they believe they deserve – and they would eventually get it!

Human beings tend to be self-evaluators and oftentimes are overly critical or judgmental of their own abilities. So start being a little easier and compassionate with yourself! Remember that you are only human and you are doing the best that you can in life! Be proud of yourself. Take the time to discover the things you love most about yourself and recognize your inner qualities. A positive sense of self-worth can help maintain a sense of happiness and success despite experiencing the natural setbacks that we will all encounter in life. Self-worth is a fundamental aspect of leading a happy life, having successful relationships and taking chances that can shape your life and future. You deserve it all!

For more information on how you can integrate more positivity into your life and boost your self-worth, I recommend reading these articles on negative self talk: “5 Reasons I Hate Me” by Michael J. Formica and “Breaking Free You Are Worth It” by Susan Biali.

To learn other happiness tips, check out Part 1 of The Secrets of Happy People series and stay tuned for Part 3!

Article Written By: Stacie Courtney-Mustaphi, Bac. Soc. Sci, MA Candidate