VAL-YOU

We give value to everything. Cars, houses, and people are all worth something to someone. When we value someone or something, we give it worth because we believe that this person or thing is important and beneficial to us.

We value our family and friends. We value technology. We value material items and new opportunities. We value many people and things, yet we all tend to undervalue ourselves.

If other people add value to our lives, and we add value to their lives, why cannot we not see the value that we have?

We each have an indescribable value. We are priceless, yet so often when people compliment us we don’t believe their words. For instance, the last time someone told you that you are strong, beautiful, and good enough, did you believe them or just pretend to? More often than not, we diminish our own worth. We don’t all undermine ourselves in the same ways, but we all tear ourselves down.

Are you your greatest friend or your worst enemy? Self-worth isn’t the same as confidence because, in order to display confidence, we must first value ourselves. We have to build an internal support system so that we can be our biggest supporter.

Would we live our lives differently if we knew for a fact that we were priceless? In reality, we are worth more than all of the diamonds, pearls, and jewels in the world. We may feel like we don’t measure up, but what are we trying to measure up to… perfection? Perfection does not equate to worth.

As you may have heard, your value does not decrease based on someone else’s ability to see your worth. You determine your value. When we compare ourselves to others, we determine whether or not we measure up to their terms. Their terms are not what matters. Our journeys are unique and not worthy of comparison to someone else’s journey. We find happiness and joy when we stop comparing ourselves to others. With that happiness and joy comes self-worth.

Last week’s blog post talked about beauty. Outer beauty doesn’t impact our value, but our inner beauty does. When we recognize our own unique beauty, we can understand our worth more clearly. The same God who created the mountains and the sea created you and me. Imagine that you valued yourself as much as you value the sunrise from the mountaintops or the sunset by the sea. That would be pretty incredible, right? We are worth just as much as the tallest mountain and the deepest sea because our value is incomparable to anything else.

Embrace your quirkiness, your imperfections, and your individuality.

Check in next Sunday for a blog post on gratitude.