It may not appear obvious, but we all automatically assign people by their status or worth. It is nothing but human instinct. We create a hierarchy of who you may regard as powerful or influential, indicating that you should do favors for them and stick closely with them, and who you may regard as inferior or low value, people who are not nice, toxic, not so useful, and can be ignored.
This is apparent in college - people want to stick with people who they know can help them. Whether it be someone who is smart, someone who has connections to high paying jobs, someone who is wealthy, or someone who hosts all the parties, you know that these people are ones you'd like to be friends with, as they are more likely to pass privileges and opportunities to you. In contrast, if you don't have anything to give out - for example, if you have bad social skills, have bad grades, and know no one, then it is unlikely that people would want to be your friend. You may even be ignored! You can see the positive feedback loop that makes high value people more successful and popular, while people who are seen as "useless" will get lonelier and lonelier, sometimes to the point of depression.
That is why it is very important that you continuously improve yourself so you can increase your self-worth. Take this example: At college, it is everyone's goal to graduate. There will be many who would struggle to pass a class or understand an assignment. If you are one who can help them, for example, teaching concepts to them, then you are seen as a high value individual as those students will look up to you for help. How would that benefit you? Well think about it like this - the more people you know, the more likely you can ask people for help or advice in the future. There may be classes or areas that they may be better at than you. They may have things that you don't. They may know people who you don't. The power of positive feedback allows you to increase your worth as more people will know you as the person who can help others, and more people will likely return the favor to you.
There are also other ways you can increase your self-worth. Obviously, for those who are looking to look for a long-term partner, being in good physical shape is key. This means going to the gym almost everyday on a regular basis, having good hygiene, skin care, as well as being mindful of what you eat. In addition, studies show that people who look more attractive are approached more by both genders. Again, the more people you meet, the more likely you can ask people for help or advice in the future.
In my case, I decided to take all the freshman classes I had credit in, effectively retaking the entire content. This advantage I had meant that I could help others when they were stuck with homework, or help them study for exams. Their friends came to me, and so did theirs. My name started to grow and grow within my dorm. In addition, I met a few who had past exams from previous years that were not provided by the professor. Of course, I was told not to share these with others due to the liability it had, but this meant that there were some students who had extra resources to practice leading up to exams, a tremendous advantage. I was invited to parties and road trips as a result of these connections. Even after graduation, when we all left to other cities, I still keep in touch with them so that whenever a new job requires me to relocate, I will know locals there who can give me tips.
(Unfortunately), this is the way it works in the real world. If someone sees you as high value, they will likely give you more opportunities, such as jobs. The GPA you see on your resume is a great indicator of that perceived value. In addition, the company you work for, and the grad school you go to, are all signs of your self-worth. People who have higher statuses will get better jobs and more money. More money (which means even higher self-worth) means they can invest and retire earlier.
"The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer"
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