06/07/2025
Worth Gaps Are an Illusion
There is a silent chart running in the back of your mind. It ranks you against everyone you meet. You see some people as “above” you: more successful, more attractive, more admired. You see others as “below” you: less accomplished, less refined, less important. This invisible scorecard fuels insecurity when you feel behind and fragile pride when you feel ahead. Either way, it traps you.
When you feel inferior...
You chase approval, shrink in rooms where you should shine, and second-guess your worth.
When you feel superior...
You live in fear of falling off your pedestal, clinging to status and image to feel safe.
But the truth is, those gaps you see, whether above or below, are not real. They are just illusions you've created.
Everyone has the same worth simply by existing. The people you envy? They don’t have more; they just have different. And often, their advantages come with trade-offs you wouldn’t choose if you knew the whole story.
Sit at a table with people you deeply admire. By the end of the conversation, after hearing their full reality, you might gladly choose to keep your own life, your own values.
When you finally see through the illusion of worth gaps, you stop living to impress others and start living to become your true self.
No more chasing status.
No more defending your rank.
Just being you, walking forward, becoming the best version of yourself.
Reflection from the book: “The Courage to be Disliked” by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi
