Worth Is a Flow State

The cat doesn't audition for the sunbeam. Neither should you.

You’ve been running “valuable.exe” for so long your nervous system thinks it’s a startup requirement. Like your entire operating system will crash if you stop providing... something. Anything. Your ego shows up to first dates with a résumé, a list of references, and homemade soup. “Hi, I’m useful! Here are seventeen ways I can improve your life before you even decide if you like my face. Also, I brought pie. And emotional support. And a five-year plan for your personal growth that I drafted in the Uber on the way here.”

Your body learned that love is a transaction. Somewhere along the way, your blood encoded a simple equation: I receive when I provide. Your bones memorized this before you had words for loneliness.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about worth: it was never a thing you could earn. It was never an achievement you could unlock. It was never a line item on a spreadsheet your amygdala has been maintaining since childhood (color-coded, cross-referenced, filed under “Evidence …