12/12/2019
Last week, I attended the Women of Worth event and met some remarkable women who have rejected society’s definition of how to define your worth and taken it into their own hands. It made me think about my feelings of self-worth. On the surface, you hear it all the time, “Know your worth.” It’s so cliché now right?! But how does someone know their worth? I was born a runt. I’ve always been described as fiery and resilient. But in this digital modern age, we are relentlessly bombarded by this incessant messaging that everyone’s life around you is better and more successful than yours. So in turn, the constant framing of self-improvement and that you will never be enough can be exhausting. For me, it’s a endless mantra of, “Work hard, be better, be stronger for the people around you.” As a women, I have found that we constantly aim to please. To please our friends, our family, our partners, our colleagues, our patients, the list goes on. But, going through the exercise of asking myself, “What do I truly want?” is more challenging than I realized. Once I disconnected from society’s definitions and pressures, that authenticity allowed me to evaluate my worth. This opened conversations and created relationships that helped to define my value. When I speak to my colleagues or mentor younger physicians, our natural inclination is to shy away from financial conversations and negotiations. Building a foundation of self-care and self-worth requires financial freedom which I learned from my mother. Financial freedom, self-worth, humility, kindness, and respect for yourself and others— all in one. Not easy to manage but this regular exercise has helped me manage my insecurities and fears in order to make decisions for my life that have created authentically worthwhile experiences. Thanks Mammy for teaching me a woman’s worth. Thanks L’Oreal for understanding that celebrations like these create inspiration and open or strengthen conversations of worth. I want to hear your story. We need to talk about this more to create change in our society. @ The Pierre, A Taj Hotel Fifth Avenue NYC
