We all have a personal assessment of our own value and sometimes we judge others by similar measures. These may be based on circumstances currently in our lives, the things we have or haven't done in our lives, the things that we do or don't have, or the ways that we do or don't appear to others. Recently, my mother gave me two tiny clothing tops that she had made when I was less than a few months old. I spotted those cute little tops again this week and it hit me that this larger sized and adult body this very same body that stands here today used to fit inside those teensy garments! What I was totally in touch with for that moment was the miracle of that - the transformation of a tiny body into this full-grown body and all the experiences and growth through which this individual had journeyed. Incredible! A few days later I came across a little story of a well-known speaker who started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. To his audience, he asked, "Who would like this $20?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this money to one of you, but first ..." then he started to crumple the note and asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands went up. "Well thenwhat if I do this?" He dropped the $20 to the stage and ground it into the floor with his shoe. Then he picked it up again, asking, "Now who still wants it?" Again, many hands went into the air. No matter what he did to the money, the audience still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Had he given the $20 note a pat on the back for a job well done, would that have increased its value? So, how then can we consider ourselves to be less in value and less worthy, purely because of the kinds of things we haven't done, the things that we don't have, or the ways that we are not pretty? How then can we consider ourselves to be more in value and more worthy, purely because of the kinds of things we have done, the things that we have, or the ways that we look good? Are we nuts? Plus here's a little more humor for you according to www.HumanForSale.com I am worth $1,269,046! Consider this. Could you create another "you"? Could Microsoft, Toyota or Sanyo whip up a duplicate of "you"? Will there ever again be another "you"? Was there ever another "you" that walked this planet? You are invaluable and a treasure just because "you are" and "exactly the way you are". No reasons, justifications and qualifications needed. No adjustments, fixing and changes warranted. Nowwalk, act and talk like you know that! "Be" the way a person, who truly believes that, would "be" - just because you can - again, no reasons. There's a Chinese Proverb that says, "Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are." So go right ahead, give yourself full permission to "just be" and relax a little! You may now be left with the question, "So why then bother at all with personal growth and making changes to us or our patterns of behavior?" I'll leave that one for a future article. |
