You Have Great Worth!

Feature Photo by White Book

I mentioned in my last article, The Gift of You, that you are more precious than silver and gold. At the end of that article, I left you with the question: “How do you measure your worth?”.

So, here that question is again. How do you measure YOUR worth? How do you measure anyone’s worth? We hear and read love quotes about how someone is priceless or what he or she does cannot be measured on an earthly scale. The Jerry McGuire quote is a great one: “You complete me.”  Magazines and other media sources give unrealistic guidelines, nearly impossible to follow, let alone keep a ritualistic account of our everyday lives.  Too many try to follow those media ideals of the “IN” way to do things and who we should “BE” and end up portraying someone other than themselves.

Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, take some time to reflect on who you are. What do you want to do? What makes you happy? What are you passionate about? Do you know that whatever you answered WILL help you measure your own worth? When you apply those discoveries to your life, instead of what everyone else says you NEED to do, you become a better you, a happier you.

I have become a happier me by stripping away the facade created by the who people think I need to be, and the what I need to do and say. I cannot be all things to all people. I cannot satisfy everyone. Though there are a few people I try catering to, I only do it out of love and respect. But there are times when I have to say no as not to lose my own worth and self-respect.

We can go through life feeling beat down and struggling with our self-worth for many reasons, including what others teach us in childhood. Prejudices and stereotypes develop from the influences all around us:  Parents,  immediate and extended family, media, government, co-workers and friends all place their ideals, beliefs, and opinions in front of us from the moment we are born. We have to, for sanity’s sake, start a knowledge revolution to truly understand who we are. Once we do that, we can aspire to be authentic.

I have often let what others think dictate what I can accomplish. What about you? Are there things others said you could not do, believing them left you drifting in the direction of complacency?
Have you avoided doing something that would make your life more genuine because you were afraid to take that first step? We are all special with God-given talents to be used for a greater good. We can share ourselves and love others more effectively when we take time to realize our own value.

Life can be a struggle at anytime for anyone. Even those who seem to have it better than others experience loss and defeat. No one is immune from the occasional beat down…tragedy visits us all. Did you know that Abraham Lincoln lost several elections before he finally won the presidency? And, Isaac Newton was probably hit with more than one apple  before he theorized gravity. Thomas Edison did not invent electricity with the first shot: He failed over 100 times before accomplishing his goal.

As we clearly see from the above examples, failure should not be a measure of self-worth. However, the willingness to work past it should. Get up from discouragement; dust yourself off, and know you are just one step closer to success. It is not too late to give yourself a mental face lift that in turn will give you a life-lift. 

In closing, once you realize you are worth more than silver and gold, pass it on. Spread infinite possibilities (positive) to others by letting them  know their worth is not defined by past hardships or failures. The world needs you!