We spend our life counting and measuring. As children we start with the small stuff, like learning how to count our fingers and toes. Then we learn the art of measurement. We buy our first ruler and use fat pencils that make straight lines. We love measuring -- it becomes something we look forward to. We measure how many hot dogs we get during hot lunch. We measure how many times we win at hopscotch. Then we measure ourselves. Well our teachers measure us first by using a grading system. Then as young adults the measurement system morphs into quantifying how many college acceptance letters we have received, how many boys or girls think we are cute -- how many friends we have, how much our GPA measures up to -- then we grow up.
Yet we are still measuring -- we count our calories, our suit/dress size, how much money we have, how many job offers we have landed, how many children we have, how big or small our cars are, how many boyfriends or girlfriends have left us. How many marriages we have said "I Do" to. If we are religious, we might measure how many good deeds we acquire, how many people accept us. We measure everything. Suddenly the childhood trained counting that started with how many fingers we have on each hand has morphed into an accounting that I believe creates a harmful cycle.
We count how many awards we have won how many likes we have on Facebook, how many people like our pictures we post on Instagram.
Suddenly counting and comparing morphs into measuring and weighing our self worth, then our character, who is smarter, prettier, liked more, accepted more. It becomes a self Olympics of measurement that never ends.
But to end it we must begin to realize that self worth is not a reflection of any number. Because how can that be true when infinity exists? What number will you possibly stare at and feel complete? Infinity is the quality of having no end. We have locked ourselves into an endless race with no finish line.
And because there is no adequate number that will fill our insatiable appetite of measurement this cycle that we believe and trust to measure our successes and our downfalls cannot truly be realized especially when it will never be satisfied.
To satisfy ourselves we must only look inside ourselves. Rather than counting what we have acquired let's count on who we have become. Let's count on how our trials and tribulations have taught us how to transform. Let's count on how we are loved or how we love others.
To truly realize our self worth let's count on God and let's count on each other. Let's count on overcoming obstacles. Let's count on becoming courageous. Let's count on being nice. Let's count on releasing judgment. Let's count on understanding one another. Let's count on dancing. Let's count on having fun and playing. Because there is infinity to the power of what the self can display. That is the sort of infinite measurement we should be counting on.