It can be a struggle to truly know your worth. Here’s how to start recognizing that you deserve more and deserve better.

Well, I guess I can’t hide it anymore…I’m a huge Real Housewives fan. I watch all the cities. I listen to several different housewives podcasts. My sister and I will spend hours on the phone debating Bethanny vs. Carol (I can see both sides but mainly hate that they’re no longer friends.).

If you’re not a fan then let me explain…Siggy Flicker was a housewife in New Jersey for about two seasons. People loved her the first season and then her second season she got a little too much. She was known as a “relationship expert” and she would give workshops on empowering women. Her catchphrase was, “Know your worth.”

Whether you love or hate the housewives and/or Siggy Flicker — she wasn’t wrong. We all struggle with truly knowing our worth. Knowing our worth at work. Knowing our worth at home. Knowing our worth in relationships.

Across the board what I see is many young women (and men) who are settling for less than what they truly deserve. They just don’t believe they’re worth more than what they’re getting.

This week’s topic: Know your worth

If you’ve never heard the phrase then here’s how I define “knowing your worth.” When a person knows their worth they recognize they bring value in every aspect of their lives.

This person is aware of their boundaries and what they are willing to do and not do for other people and for themselves. When you know your worth you don’t put up with people or situations or experiences that don’t make you feel comfortable, valued and appreciated.

There are two parts to knowing your worth:

• You have to recognize you’ve been selling yourself short and that you deserve more and then;

• You have to be willing to ask for what you want (aka what you’re worth)

This month is about cleaning out your emotional closet and in order to “know your worth” you first must be willing to let go of anyone or anything in your life that make you feel worthy.

Action Step to Know Your Worth:

The first step is to start recognizing you deserve more and you deserve better. Who in your life makes you feel unworthy? Let that person go. (This may be your boss or someone you’re related to so letting go can be deciding to look for another job or creating emotional distance and setting boundaries between you and your sister/mother/brother to how much you’re willing to do for them.) Are there any behaviors you’re taking part in that make you feel unloved or unhappy? Let those go. This could be a bad habit or behavior that doesn’t align with how you see yourself and how you want to live your life.

Once you start to let go, start asking for what you want. Ask for that raise. Ask your partner to go to couples counseling. Ask your co-workers for help. You may get a “no” along the way but knowing your worth is about asking — not about the outcome — the outcome you have no control over — but the ask is within your control.

Find out whether or not you’re on the right path by taking the following quiz. Click here to find out.

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If you want to receive more love in your life, you have to love yourself first