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Writer's pictureBassam Tarazi

The Portfolio Of Self-Worth


“How are you?”

An innocuous question that 99% of the time is answered with either: good, great, fine, ok, busy, or tired.

But really, “how are you” when no one’s asking? What are the daily returns in the business of being you? Are there things that hold too much weight in how you think about yourself?

I’ve been there. I’m still “there” often, but what if we had a better way to protect ourselves from the spikes and drops of our confidence and disposition? What if it was all about diversification?

Diversi- what now?

When we hear the word “diversification” we usually think of investments, clients, and eggs. It goes that a mix of stocks, income, and baskets helps us spread the risk of our desires so that when we get cut by life, we get a stitch not a seppuku.

While diversification is key for an omelette factory and our net worth, it’s also paramount for our self-worth.

Like all good investments, it’s a balanced portfolio across a handful of categories. Some are easy to understand and measure, while others are, for me at least, a little like photographing a black hole.

And the only way to invest in how we talk about ourselves to ourselves is not with containers or money, but with time.

I give you, the portfolio of self-worth.

Financial Health - How are you providing for yourself?

Physical Health - How are you taking care of body?

Mental Health - How are you taking care of mind?

Relationships - What are your interactions like with the people you know?

Curiosity - What are your interactions like with the world?

Service - What are your interactions like with the people you don’t know?