Do you ever see yourself as less than valuable and worthwhile? I am sure that many of us do. There has been a school of motivation -- not literally a school, perhaps, but a set of attitudes -- that beats you down so that you will fight back and bounce up.
You know the kind of thing -- punishes you for your failures more than rewards you for your successes. You could end up feeling that you can never be good enough.
Life may do that anyway by giving you challenges which you could overcome, or not. You have probably read inspiring motivational stories of people who have encountered all kinds of hardship and yet have made their lives remarkable. Helen Keller, W. Mitchell, Victor Frankl and of course many more.
But if life has not dealt you a significantly harsh blow, do you have to deal it to yourself? I mean with self-judgments, an overly self-critical nature?
Many years ago, I began training myself to recognize the beauty and natural spirit in clients who came to see me, over and above the issues that were troubling them. I came to realize that no matter how disagreeable the personality or issue, behind all of that is the -- I can only call it shining -- truth that is sustaining their life.
That truth for the most part is shadowed by our awareness until we awaken to it. Do you awaken to it all in one go? Not in my experience. It reveals itself, little by little. And how does it do that? Again in my experience, it comes through with loving. Loving from yourself and receiving the loving from others.
Loving -- that is to say, through a condition of acceptance -- the accepting of whatever happens to be present in the moment, good or "bad." When seen with eyes of loving acceptance, nothing is bad. Why? Because everything is changing, all of the time. Nothing stays the same. That which is bad informs new movement or change toward something else, potentially better.
The loving within each of us moves us toward greater good.
This news report caused me to reflect: "Apple holding more cash than USA."How do the attitudes at Apple differ from those in the government? Is there anything that the government could learn from Apple? How could things be done differently, for the betterment of all? I am neither a politician nor a corporate boss, but I sense that a shift in accountability and value could make for an improvement in fortunes.
So how does value and appreciation of yourself fit in wealth school? When you truly value and appreciate yourself, you will stress and struggle less because you will find a greater trust in the process of life. You will feel more connected to good and positive outcomes taking place for you and your loved ones. You will be less driven to follow the herd because it seems like the right thing to do. You will know a more profound authenticity from which to relate with others, for a start.
You will feel wealthier. You will relate to your world as a wealthy person, regardless of your bank balance or possessions. You will attract opportunities to express your gifts and talents, which in turn will provide you with income and the needs you have.
Here are a few suggestions for valuing and appreciating yourself. Feel free to add more in the comments below.
How do you value and appreciate yourself? I would love to know. I am still on my learning curve and welcome your comments below, or drop me a line wealthminister@mac.com
For more tips and hints for living a wealthy life, turn to The Wealth Book -- Winning With Spirit
Follow Anne Naylor on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Anne4Joy
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What a deightful post.
You say many things that resonate with me at this time. Thank you for reminding me to be less hard on myself, and to be more caring for me. Your point about taking a rest is vital, particularly if we want to feel more energy, laughter and joy.
Take care,
Malcolm
How great to hear from you!
Please be more caring for you. It is so important. Recently, I have been taking short "love me" breaks during the day. They are making a sweet difference in my life.
Joy, laughter and delight to you,
Anne
The sixth paragraph which starts: "That truth for the most part is shadowed by our awareness until we awaken to it."
This sentence should read: "That truth for the most part is shadowed 'from' our awareness until we awaken to it. " Awareness is a process of enlightening ourselves.
I love the quote - thank you!
Peace - and joy to you,
Anne
btw - I clicked above on top of your blog 'liked' & it would not register - it only said error?
Big love,
Ed
It was also pulled off any page that I could find! This one I do not understand.
Oh yes, to the gift of life - greater than we can ever imagine.
Joy to you!
Anne
But you're here, and that's what matters, with yet another wonderful offering to invite readers to explore this rich terrain within.
I love how you've framed these discussions around "wealth", for what is wealth if not the experience of one's inherent abundance? You're pointing to an essential understanding of our true nature that changes the way we see ourselves and the world.
I hope you'll keep writing on this topic, Anne. This is a juicy one to explore!
Much love to you
Judith
For a while now I have preached five elements of living well: Financial Knowledge, Physical Fitness, Mental Capacity, Emotional Stability, and Spirit. They sound simple, but consider the rates of debt, obesity, ignorance, insecurity, and malaise… the five elements are harder to master than they appear.
In your suggestions for appreciating and assigning value to yourself, I saw reflections of those elements:
Financial Knowledge: not having buckets of money, but having an attitude supportive of making the right choices with it; ultimately, the only thing money gives you is choice.
Physical Fitness: the mantra of many, because poor fitness is a fertile field for lethargy, depression, sour attitudes, and ill-fitting self-image.
Mental Capacity: focus, meditation, contemplation of that surrounding beauty, and the beauty within. The ability to focus on the moment as you prepare for your journey. Understanding what for and why you should be grateful you have within you, an instrument upon which to play the tune of your life’s purpose and passion.
Emotional Security: Healthy Attitude is the core… not smiling like a ninny… but choosing positive response to both success and failure, gain and loss, and other ups and downs in life, in a manner that serves your growth toward finding your greatness: relying on your inner compass more than the directions from others.
Spirit: loving doing, loving the process of living, loving yourself and others, loving those treasured gifts of awareness, appreciation, and life!
Life’s wealth is there!
Lawson
OK, Security is not the same as Stability when applied to "Emotion." In fact, security itself is often more myth than fact... then at times it is just a big typo... :)
Lawson
Security is an inner thing deep down. A bit of money in the bank can help.
Joy to you!
Anne
I love your five areas of learning and endeavour. This week, I met a mother whose son starts university in September. He is studying music and wants to be a performer. The course includes business management. He is keen to be a performer. Does she want for him to be rich and famous? Not at all. Simply to make a living doing what he loves most. Ah! How precious is that!
Life's wealth is with you!
Anne
Wow, coincidence time, just a couple of days ago I spoke with a mother who was trying to convince her daughter, pursuing a music major (voice), to take business courses so she would be prepared for that side of her chosen profession.
I added my 2 cents in support of her understanding that understanding the money aspects of any business serves to protect her from the bad guys. I didn’t preach, which seldom works, but asked questions I thought she may not have faced... yet.
Being a parent surely requires both support and guidance. I know when I was young, I thought, like so many, I knew all the answers. But over the years, I came to understand the significance of Mark Twain's belief that what causes us the most grief is less what we don't know, and more what we are sure of... that is wrong. Good guidance goes a long way to light the way.
With warm affection,
Lawson
I truly think that the very key is trust in the evolutionary process of life. That process is distinct and different for each and every one of us. Every day, as I work with people committed to their own evolutionary process, I realize the importance of taking this journey. It is critical not only for ourSelf but also for the gift we are to the world. There within, embedded in our deepest purest desire is not only our own 'wealth' but the wealth of contribution we are in our world.
Thanks for writing this post. I invite you to check out my own article on HuffingtonPost that you may find interesting in light of the thoughts you share here. Here is the link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-turcic/be-your-true-self_b_913471.html
The healthy relationship between our inner world and the outer seems so much where we are now being called. We will be the richer for it. Literally.
Project You - what a wonderful concept.
Appreciation to and for you,
Anne
As for me, I'd rather have sufficient money to pay for living, and a far more vast inner wealth.
Much love to you...
Anastacia
With loving appreciation to you,
Anne