All human beings have these egos, this mind-made conception of who we are. And it only survives when it feels important.

And when this ego feels threatened, because it is comparing itself to the wealth or success or looks of someone else, it suffers, and it makes us suffer immensely.

To really get to the root of this suffering, we need to recognize that we are not this ego, and that we are, in fact, these perfect beings of infinite potential, not limited in any way, not defined by our bank accounts or this temporary physical body.

And in order to get this ego to leave us alone and stop making us suffer, one thing we can do is remember that we are specks of dust in an infinite universe. These physical bodies and these specks of dust in this 15-billion-year-old universe. We are significantly insignificant.

When we let our ego know that no matter how big it wants to be, that it doesn’t matter, then that cannot weigh on our true sense of importance. So instead of fighting worthlessness, I say embrace worthlessness. And when we do that, a freedom emerges.

We aren’t dependent on some artificial, temporary feeling of importance. We aren’t dependent on some bank account or idea we have of the perfect life. We don’t need to take on any stress, any insecurity. And we can replace insecurity with humility and modesty.

The most powerful way to do this is to turn our attention from this ego-created sense of self, and turn our attention to those around us, and how we can make their lives better. Because this is the ultimate medicine for lacking the feeling of self-worth and for feeling worthless, because we find value in the value we give to others.

Not in the value of what our ego craves. Not in the value of filling up that scorecard of life that says: perfect spouse, perfect job, perfect car. And as we focus on helping others, as we recognize that we are more than these bodies, these bank accounts — then there is no place for a feeling of worthlessness to come in.

And that’s the key to having a life of value.