Do you believe in your own value and would you consider yourself worthy of being better?
Worthiness is an interesting subject. It is an indication of value, and that is easily seen in objects, people, goods, animals, money, and time. All in all, some things just mean more to us than other things.
Think about the things you find most valuable. I'm sure relatives come to mind. Probably your friends, pets, the car you just bought or paid off, your house. For some of you it's your job or an airline ticket you just purchased to a fun, faraway place.
This exercise shows us a few things. Where we place our priorities is the main one, followed closely by your own value in the material versus the immaterial or experiences. The piece that often gets ignored, neglected, or swept under the rug, however, is the value you've placed on yourself.
That's right! How many of you thought of yourself when you thought of the things that are valuable to you? How many of you would even consider yourself of any worth at all?
If you answered negatively on any one of the questions above, I have some good news for you: It's not your fault. The value we place on ourselves is directly connected to the value we're raised with and how we feel about the environment and people we surround ourselves with daily. The worse you feel about the places or situations you're in, the more likely you are to consider yourself as worthless.
So, how do we change this? Some of you may have automatically pushed back at me knowing that you are not, in fact, worthless and that this must be a joke. It's not. The reason I say that is because all people have value. In some way, every contribution you make in your life is impacting history in some way, even if it seems incredibly small right now.
But your value, as you see it and the people around you see it, is attached to all of the external factors around you. People who are on the poorer end of the spectrum tend to live and congregate in places they can afford, which attracts other people in similar situations that can also afford that, and how often do you see those people get out of that situation? By hard work and a stroke of luck, not too many of them.
The same can be seen in the successful. They usually don't fall out of favor or leave their lives among other wealthy people. And that is because of two different factors:
1. The environment you surround yourself with is the one you believe you belong in.
2. The people you surround yourself with are the beliefs you have about your own worth.
Now, if you aren't in a supportive and valued space, you might be asking how you get out and move up into a space of value. First, you must know your own worth.
Your worthiness is key to this entire process, because if you don't find value in yourself, you'll start the work and not get very far, or fall back into lack of favor because you couldn't sustain the space that value and worth require.
If you take a moment to believe in yourself and your ideas and the positive impact you could have on your life and the lives of those you care about, I believe you can get into the mindset quickly. Once you're there, start reading books meant to inspire you. The library is a great resource if you can't buy books, and you might find something that you can share with a friend if you're afraid to go at it alone.
Take time to pamper and care for yourself, too. With self-care, you are showing yourself that you matter and deserve to have nice things and be loved, which is another major sign that you are of value and worthy.
Start hanging around the places where the people you want to be like hang out, too. If you want to be a world-class fighter, start hanging around the gyms and clubs around you. If you want to be an artist, start working at a gallery or travel to fairs in the summer as a volunteer. Even spending time at a fancy hotel bar might put you face to face with some mogul in town on business that you can strike up a conversation with. Why do you think all of the aspiring actors move to LA?
Work hard for your goals. The only way you're really going to feel worthy of achieving your goals is if you know you've put in the blood, sweat, and tears to get there. Athletes are an excellent example of this. They're out there training every single day to get in shape and own their sport, and it shows when they hit the field and prove that they've done everything to be there and are worthy of it.
But mostly, I'd say that worth comes from love. Love yourself and amazing things will start to happen. Your worth depends on that much, at least.
Lexi Mohney is a self published author and a book coach living in Ann Arbor, MI. Throughout her writing and coaching career, she's lived by the motto of courage and worked with her own coaches, groups, and support system to see her Big Audacious Dreams come true so she can help others achieve success, too. She's currently got a novel up for an award that will be determined in June, and is in the process of querying agents for her latest novel, Soulkind, which is the first in the Soul Hunter Series. For any and all questions pertaining to her work, contact her through her website or find her on social media.