The Meaning of Self Worth

As I was meditating and focusing on the light in my heart center in a yoga and meditation class I attended today, my mind was focusing on the word self worth.  A very special person in my life and one of my greatest teachers used to always ask me “what is your self worth?”

Those two words bore into my psyche and I can honestly say that it took me a while to define the meaning of self worth.  According to Collins English Dictionary, self worth is “respect for or a favorable opinion of one self.”  It is a mix of self esteem and self respect.

To me, self worth, is the ability to balance acts of service (service defined as work, family, career, or community).  It is a balance of knowing when to give in kind and when to add a value to what you are providing.  It takes both self esteem and self respect to identify the appropriate times to add value.  As people, we run on energy, whether it is the energy from within or the energy that we share with others.  That energy is what drives us to give, to work, to achieve our goals.  Our energy provides the fuel to develop a strong self esteem and self respect, which essentially gives us the ability to define our self worth.

For example, I know from experience that people will continue to take as long as you continue to offer, whether it is the great energy you exute, your expertise, your ability to love, or your resources (time and money).  Eventually that energy may subside or you may forget who you were as a person when you started this trend of giving.  At which point you realize that you have lost strength in believing in yourself and as a result you lost opportunities to define your self worth.  Life is a balance of give and take, whether in love, at work, at home, or in any interpersonal communication interaction.  So, let’s remember that our self worth is our ability to balance our acts of service and know our value to the world, while maintaining the strength of our self esteem and self confidence.

By no means am I saying in this blog to stop giving or to hinder your beautiful ability of influencing those around you with your great energy.  I am merely asking, “what is your self worth?” and how will you develop your ability to balance your acts of service in this lifetime?

Let's meet on the mat at your next meeting or event. Check out www.themeetingyogi.com for more information or email bana@themeetingyogi.com.

Namaste.