Watch teenagers long enough and you'll see it everywhere. If you aren't around teenagers, just think back to your teenage years.

A kid changes who they are around a friend who only shows up when it's convenient. They chase a text back for hours. They let one comment from someone who barely knows them wreck an entire day.

It looks like a teenage problem, but it's not.

You do the exact same thing as an adult; you just dress it up differently.

If you don't value yourself, you overvalue how a social media post performs. If you don't value yourself, you overvalue the opinion of someone who doesn't actually know you very well. You hand your worth over to people and platforms that will never hand it back.

Here's what I want you to remember.

When you don't value yourself, you overvalue people who don't value you.

In order to truly value yourself, you have to believe two things.

Your value can change day to day. Your self-worth doesn't have to. It doesn't matter if you're 11, 21, 43, 55, or 75. Learn to and keep valuing yourself, or you will overvalue things and people who don't value you.

P.S. The Optimistic Outlook is a Podcast! Leaving a rating or review wherever you listen to podcasts would mean a lot.