Know Your True Worth

There’s nothing wrong with sharing motivation, not only to try and get yourself on the right track, but it feels good when you’re able to motivate others. January 1st is the time when many of us set goals for the year. Maybe we want to lose weight, get in shape, learn a new language, finish a project, or break a bad habit.

This past year was a good one for me. I maintained a five-day-a-week exercise routine throughout the entire year. I also started painting with acrylics. And, for what it’s worth, I worked on myself. I meditated more often, I wrote in my journal every day (give or take a couple of days when I was traveling). I identified things I wanted to change about myself and made an effort to be a better person.

One of those changes was realizing my true worth, not just as a person, but as an employee, a friend, and a life partner. I think that’s something I didn’t realize was weighing on me until I began looking back at my life and remembering times when I was stuck somewhere miserable. It was jobs, friendships, and even family relations.

The thing is, realizing who I am and what I’m worth was eye-opening. I found that I no longer felt out of place when I was at work. I was able to pull away from toxic relationships. I was able to see myself through my eyes instead of worrying about how others saw me. Boom. Mind blown.

Earlier today, someone send me a screen grab of a tweet from NBA player Kobi Simmons. Here’s what he posted:

“A bottle of water can be fifty cents at the supermarket. Two dollars at the gym. Three dollars at the movies and six dollars on a plane. Same water. The only thing that changed its value was the place. So the next time you feel your worth is nothing, maybe you’re at the wrong place.”

So yes, this does show the ridiculous pricing of bottled water, but taken at face value I like what he’s saying here. I was in a job that I felt didn’t appreciate me, so I found one that did. No, it wasn’t easy, but I didn’t settle. When I had an interview, I looked at it as an opportunity to interview the company that was interviewing me. Were they worth my time and effort? Did I feel they were being honest with me? Did I feel as if it was a good environment where I’d be happy?

Same thing with relationships. Are the people around me supporting me? Encouraging me? Accepting me for who I am? It doesn’t matter if it’s friends or family. If they don’t support you emotionally, have your back when you need them, or don’t treat you as an equal, then they aren’t worth your time.

It all comes down to knowing your true worth as a person. Change takes time and effort, but it’s worth it if the goal is to be happy with yourself, with your environment, with your life.

This year, focus on getting to know yourself better. Find things to improve about yourself, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. The more you better yourself, the more you increase your self-worth.

Aren’t you worth it?

RB