Affirming Your Value

Believing that you are valuable in this world is more than just some kind of nice gesture. It is the acknowledgment of the part you play in this amazing life. We have some say about how our life is going to go. I see it as a partnership of sorts. We cannot control all of what happens to us in life, but we do play a part in it.

When we value ourselves, we are doing our part to participate in the positive flow of life. We are saying that we want to make a positive difference while we are alive.

My uncle Nick died recently. His passing got me thinking about how a person can have a positive impact in the world. Nick was an amazing human being. He was a servant of other people and was a gentle soul. He was always looking for ways to be kind to others. He will be missed by a lot of people.

As you go throughout your day, you encounter many people. I imagine that we come into direct contact with thousands of people every day. Some of those relationships are with those we live with and see every day. Some of these people we see at work. And, some relationships last only ten seconds. Those are the people we hold the door for, we see at the store checkout, on the highway or the gas station.

Whether our relationships last one minute or 80 years, we have an influence on everyone we meet. We matter. It is not necessarily the amount of time we have with these people that matters, but the quality of how we show up in relationship with them.

In every relationship we have an opportunity to put our best foot forward. There is a chance for us to do something positive.

I go to a local sandwich shop for lunch.  I go there a lot, because the food is good. But I also go there, because the service is spectacular. The people who work there are incredibly friendly. They make me feel like I am important. They treat me well.

We have an important influence on our own lives too. How we are in relationship with ourselves influences the choices we make. When we are loving to ourselves, we will make loving choices.

Here are some things I think will help you to affirm your self-worth:

1.     Write down your strengths. What are you good at? We all have skills. We often are not aware of all our talents until we write them down.

2.     Spend time in meditation and ask what you could do that would feel good to you. Remind yourself that you have it within you to be good to yourself. Getting quiet often will remind us of how wonderful we truly are. When the negative thoughts come into your mind, notice them and then remind yourself of your worth.

3.     Ask a friend to tell you why they are friends with you. Hearing it from other people often helps us to remember our positive qualities.

4.     Listen to motivational speakers. Find a podcast or video about self-worth. There are many people who can help you remember.

5.     Write a gratitude list. You will find that you have much to be grateful for. At the top of the list make sure you include all the amazing things that you have overcome in your lifetime. When you are grateful it is difficult to feel bad about yourself.

This journey towards achieving self-worth is not easy sometimes. Many of us have been battered by life and have lost the good feelings towards ourselves. Be gentle with yourself. Healing does not take place overnight. And, there is no magic cure. It takes time and a willingness to celebrate the baby steps that you are taking. If you take some steps today towards feeling good about yourself, you will discover in time that you have grown. You are worth loving. If you are not yet aware of this, in time you can be. Patience, acceptance, and time are tools you can use to get to a place where you can see yourself as worthy of love.

I believe in you.