5 Things You Stop Chasing Once You Realize Your Worth!

Christopher Sean
3 min readJan 27, 2021

For many people, there’s a wound inside them. I had this wound. You most likely have this wound.

It’s a value wound.

People grow up thinking they need to prove their value in this world. That if they hustle, improve themselves, find a gorgeous partner, and become rich, a stamp of approval is placed upon them that says they’re of worth.

But that’s where most people go wrong; that’s why there are so many unhappy people in this world, no matter their wealth, fame, or success.

They let their value wound drive them. They live from a place where they’re never enough; they think that proving their worth is just a promotion away. Or they make choices based on believing they’ll never deserve love.

But if people stopped to consider where this feeling of unworthiness comes from, they’d see how it only exists because of outside influences. Maybe a parent shaped their self-esteem, or they hold a grudge from long ago.

The reasons aren’t inside them; they’re outside of them.

Why is it that unworthiness isn’t internal? Because people’s worth is inherent. You can’t take away or add to it. It’s why Elon Musk is no better than the man taking out the trash at Tesla’s warehouses. People — stripped away of everything that sets them apart from others — are worthy.

That includes me. That includes you.

And the moment you decide to start living from a place of worthiness, rather than feeling like you’re unworthy, some big changes happen. You realize that things you chased most in life aren’t important or never needed to be chased in the first place.

And when you make that realization, your whole life changes for the better.

Here are the things you stop chasing once you accept your worth:

Proving people wrong.

Do you feel the need to prove your parents wrong? Are you obsessed with having a glow-up that makes your ex wish they never dumped you?

Maybe you’re like I was; someone who wanted everyone who bullied me in high school to see that I moved out of our hometown and became rich like they never could.

If so, you’re heading down a path for a miserable life.

These scenarios thrive on the belief that your purpose for living is to prove something to others. The focus is on how others perceive and think about you, even though you probably spend little to none of your time around them anymore.

When I strived to be someone people from my high school would see on Facebook and be envious of, I stopped asking myself what made me happy.

Because even if you get to the point where you finally show your good-for-nothing dad you can make it without him, that moment is fleeting. What’s not fleeting is all the time you spent crafting a life that’s not even something you enjoy.

Happiness.

Why do people think obtaining new things will make them happy? That a new car, promotion, or life milestone will finally be the turning point at which eternal happiness comes?

I used to live this way. I thought marriage or a well-paying job would make all my worries disappear. But no matter the job or relationship, I still felt this lingering unhappiness deep inside me.

That’s because I bought into the idea of the pursuit of happiness. Under this idea, happiness is something that needs to be earned. It’s a reward for great decision-making and building self-worth.

The above believes happiness is a destination, not a journey.

But if that’s the case, why is it that people from all walks of life experience happiness? That a mere shift in mindset can have a pessimistic person smelling the flowers and enjoying a sunny day?

That’s because happiness isn’t something you have to earn. It’s all around you, every single day. Happiness is a choice, one you’ve always been deserving of.

Only you are stopping yourself from enjoying it.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention.”

— Brene Brown

The future.

Everyone’s chasing this dream life: a big house, fancy car, highly-respected job, and a hot spouse. You know the deal.

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