Self-worth v. selfishness

Sometimes if we are in a situation where we need to advocate for ourselves, internally we may think, "Well, that's selfish of me.  I should just let it be."   Our self-worth gets caught up in the guilt of thinking we are selfish and so we may let people take advantage of us, or give innappropriately of our time or money.  The difference is that every precious life on the planet is inherently self-worthy.  Selfishness involves clinging to things, labels or relationships to make ourselves feel better, that is, relying on an outside force for our happiness.  Self-worth involves utilizing our internal forces for happiness and well-being.  When we realize that everyone has self-worth, including ourselves, we begin to see our relationships with others and what we can give in those relationships as gifts, instead of giving out of guilt or sacrifice.