"I've had a script running through my subconscious mind that says, "I am unworthy." I've written in this space about self-esteem, but now I'd like to dig a little deeper and get more specific about how low self-esteem is formed, and what you can do about it. I love baseball; when I was a kid, I asked my parents to let me play Little League baseball several times."
"My father took me to the store to buy a glove. I immediately gravitated toward the best gloves-soft, supple, and already broken in. Dad, however, picked out the cheapest glove they had. The leather was hard and stiff, and when I put it on my hand, I couldn't even squeeze the glove closed, which you have to do to catch a ball. I Had to Earn Everything, Including Love"
"I pointed this out to my father, and he replied, "You just need to break it in." I argued that I didn't know how and that I needed a good glove in order to catch up to the skills of my peers on the team. He replied, "If you get good at baseball, I'll buy you a better glove." In other words: I had to earn it."
Feelings of unworthiness frequently originate in childhood experiences and can become subconscious limiting beliefs that shape self-esteem. A childhood baseball anecdote shows a parent choosing a poor glove and conditioning the child to 'earn' rewards, which fostered a belief that love and resources must be deserved. The stiff glove impeded play and limited meaningful shared activities, reinforcing the message of conditional worth. Practical responses included advice from coaches about breaking in the glove, illustrating external solutions versus internal emotional repair. Practices such as meditation and journaling can help uncover the roots of unworthiness and support gradual healing and belief change.
Read at Psychology Today
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