My mother is devoted to the phrase “God doesn’t make junk.” She will repeat the phrase over and over again, until it has become ingrained into your head. Taken from my grandfather, my mother believes the phrase to be true. Although I have distanced myself from religion, this quote has resonated throughout my life. For years, my mother has preached it and for years, I didn’t believe it.

I’ve always thought that there is something inherently lesser in me; a natural failure. For years, I’ve worked to fight my “natural” state of inferiority. I thought I was naturally “dumb," so I gave my heart and soul into school. I thought I was naturally unlikable, so I became the funniest one in the crowd. I morphed myself into the person I always wanted to be, despite my inherent lacking.

Finding worth in life for anyone is difficult. The world is loud and daunting, screaming at us to do the impossible, and to be all. However, finding worth starts with the individual. Over the years, I found that I could hide in the noise. I surrounded myself with people to block out the silence the world offered. However, finding worth in yourself starts in the silence. Spending days alone, walking and thinking can really benefit you. Hidden in the silence of solace is individual worth. So, plan a coffee date with you, yourself and I.

Finding worth comes from outside forces as well. Worth doesn’t come from letter grades, awards, achievements or money. Worth comes from you and the people you surround yourself with. The noise of people around you can be negative or positive, which causes you to have a negative or positive self-worth. When you are told everything you’re not, instead of everything you are, self-worth plummets. And when Vice versa happens, self-worth soars. My new positive self-worth comes from years of being told by my mom being "junk" is an impossibility. From my best friends who stand by me and make me want to succeed. From organizations that challenged me to rise and I did. Individuality may be essential, but so is a team to pick you up.

My mother’s anecdote of “God doesn’t make junk” has been a fairy tale for me. It’s been there in the background, but it hasn’t seemed realistic. The world isn’t full of castles and white knights, but worth isn’t a fairy tale. Self-worth is a reality that is stolen from so many, but cherished by those who allow themselves to buy into the idea that God doesn’t make junk.