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.
