A speaker walked out onto a stage in front of a packed room.
He held up a crisp twenty-dollar bill and asked: "Who wants this?"
Every hand in the room went up.
Then he crumpled it in his fist, squeezing it tightly. He opened his hand and smoothed it back out. It was wrinkled and creased.
"Who still wants it?" he asked.
Every hand stayed up.
Then he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it. He ground it under his shoe. He picked it up, now dirty and crumpled.
"What about now?" he asked.
Every single hand was still up.
He held up the bill and looked out at the room.
"No matter what I did to this twenty dollars, you still wanted it. Because it did not lose its value. It is still worth twenty dollars."
The same is true about you.
Life is going to crumple you sometimes.
People are going to step on you. Circumstances are going to beat you down. You are going to go through things that make you feel like you are worthless, like everything good has been squeezed out of you.
But your value does not change.
Not when you make mistakes. Not when people leave you. Not when you fail. Not when you feel broken. Not when you can barely get out of bed.
You are still worth everything.
The things that have happened to you are not the same as who you are. A hard life does not make you a lesser person. Struggles do not mean you are not valuable. Pain does not lower your worth.
You are worthy right now, in this moment, exactly as you are.
Do not let anyone make you forget that.
Not a boss. Not an ex. Not a parent. Not a voice in your own head. Not anyone.
You matter. Your life has value. You are not disposable.
And no matter how many times life has crumpled you up and stepped on you, none of that has changed what you are worth.
You are special. Do not ever forget it.