Self-Worth

Self worth is something the majority of us deal with to one degree or another throughout our lives.  I know I have found a lot of “grist for the mill” in my own experience when exploring my own self-worth, and right now there is certainly work to be done as I’m working to build new friendships after having left Los Angeles.

In one recent example, I noticed an individual who I am just beginning to establish a friendship with being more friendly with other people than with me.  The part of me that still struggles with self-worth instantly began looking for what was wrong with me.  “Oh they like those people better because they are this or that and I’m not.”  In reality, of course somebody will be more friendly towards people they have had a friendship with for years than they would with somebody they’ve only known a few weeks.  But is that where my thoughts went first?  Nope.  Luckily, I noticed it and now know that my sense of self-worth is in need of an upgrade.

A few short days later, at a spiritual center, I heard the following song lyrics:
“I am the hands, I am the heart, I am the voice of Spirit on Earth.  And who I am, and all I do is a blessing to the world.”

That lyric is a pretty bold statement and it is a strong call to up our sense of self-worth.  Let's assume that on the most basic level, that lyric is completely true.  Strip away all of our personal “stuff” and the inherent nature of who we are is a perfect fit for that lyric.  How does that idea feel?  

For me, it calls me to examine not only what I do, but how and why I do it.  Am I doing something out of a sense of obligation or service?  Am I bringing the qualities (love, joy, beauty, peace, etc.) that I want to experience more of in my life to the things that I do?  Do I feel deserving of such a designation?  If not, what can I do to get there?  If so, how can I live it even more?
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So, for me, I’m using that lyric to help with my sense of self-worth.  I’m focusing on the fact that there is nothing I could ever do to get “good enough” to be deserving of life.  I already have it.  Whether or not I realize it, my inherent worth is so far beyond anything the physical world could ever represent and there is nothing I could ever do to diminish that worth.  All I can do is cut myself off from the experience of that worth… or open myself up to it.  The same holds true for you.