Not because you helped that lady pick up the coins she spilled on the ground that time.

Not because you’re in better shape than you used to be.

Not because you earn a competitive salary.

And not because you’re hurting for a job.

Not because of how well you can banter via text (that skill won’t hurt, but still).

Not because of how proud you’ve made your dad. Or your third grade teacher. Or your dog.

Not because of how high-achieving you are.

And not because after five years you finally mastered the art of setting an early morning alarm and rising when it goes off.

Not because you’ve never not pressed snooze.

Not because of how lavish the gifts you give are.

Not because you’re a highly respectable tipper.

Not because of how others view you.

Not even because of how you view yourself.

Not because of the color of your skin, your hair, your eyes, your car, or your favorite brand of pasta.

Not because of how many friends you have. Or how many boyfriends you dated. Or how many children you have. Or have lost.

Not because of how quick you are to respond to emails, or how excellent you are at upholding a work/life balance.

Not because of your pant size. Or the numbers in your bank accounts. Or the number of laundry hampers you call your own. Or the number of split ends you can locate in 7 seconds.

Not because of what you’ve been told your whole life you’re a natural at.

And not because they decided early on you were an old soul.

Because of nothing you did except be born here on this planet at the time you arrived on it.

You’re worthy.

Worthy of love, and fulfillment, and peace, and connection. And nothing you ever do except, I suppose, shrivel up into a crumbly raisin, or become a morally reprehensible, sociopathic scourge, can change that. Your worth is incontestable.

Don’t ever let anyone–most of all yourself–make you doubt it.