The Unmeasurable Value of me

For a long time, I’ve measured myself by the roles I fill, mother, daughter, advocate, friend, and partner. These identities have shaped so much of my life that, at times, I’ve forgotten that I exist beyond them. I’ve poured everything into being what others need, fighting battles that weren’t always mine alone to fight, and carrying weight that, at times, has felt unbearable. But here’s the thing: I am more than what I do for others. I am more than my responsibilities, more than the struggles I take on, more than the roles I’ve stepped into out of necessity or love.

There is an unmeasurable value in simply being me. Not as a mother, not as a daughter, not as an advocate, not as a friend and not as a partner but as a whole, living, breathing person. And that realization? It’s everything. Because if I strip away all the identities, all the expectations, all the ways I show up for everyone else… I am still here. I still matter. And I still have worth.

It’s so easy to get lost in the labels we attach to ourselves. We take pride in them, we allow them to define us, and we wear them like armor. But at the end of the day, those roles aren’t me. They are things I carry, things I do, things I love, but they are not my entire existence. If I let myself forget that, I risk losing the most important thing I’ll ever have: my own self.

Learning to separate who I am from what I do has been a journey. I’ve had to remind myself, over and over, that my value isn’t based on my ability to fix things, hold things together, or sacrifice myself for others. My value isn’t defined by how well I mother, how hard I advocate, or how deeply I love. I am valuable because I exist. Because I am me. Because I am here.

And here’s what I know now: If I don’t take the time to see myself beyond the roles I play, then I will never truly see myself. I will only see a reflection of what I do for others, and I will never fully recognize my own depth, my own beauty, my own power. I refuse to let that happen.

I deserve to be proud of who I am, not just because of what I carry but because of who I am at my core. I deserve to love myself unconditionally, not just when I feel accomplished or needed, but in the quiet moments when no one is asking anything of me. I deserve to stand in my own existence, knowing that I am enough. Just as I am.

Because when everything else fades away, the labels, the expectations, the responsibilities, I will still be here. And that is enough.

So this is my reminder to myself, and maybe to you, too: You are not just what you do. You are not just what you carry. You are you, and that is something so incredibly valuable, that no one could ever measure it.

xoxo,

Amy