You Are Worthy...

Hey "dollface" ~ this one's for you! I LOVE YOU!!!!

" You are always a valuable and worthwhile human being ~ not because somebody says so, not because you are successful, not because you make a lot of money ~ but because you decide to believe it and for no other reason."

~ Wayne Dyer

"Self-worth" ~ a concept many of us struggle with...one that I constantly refer to in my personal journey. The concepts of "self-love" and "self-worth" have been forefront in many of the choices and paths that I have chosen to explore this past year or so. I have spent a lifetime struggling with those concepts, as many of us do. There are days I see great gain in these areas and then there are days where I struggle greatly to have that faith in myself, that belief in my worth and that I am truly lovable.

Human nature (as they call it) and societal influences have created this "illusion" that our worth and purest of love can be attained through external measures. There is the pressure to "climb the corporate ladder"...to achieve status within the business world. To be financially successful, because then you are truly worthy....you are envied. There is the pressure to colour your hair, whiten your teeth, get cosmetic surgery, purchase the "trendiest fashions"...so that you can look "perfect"....because then you must be truly worthy....everyone will love you! There is the pressure to create a certain lifestyle...what is it they say have the house with a white picket fence, with 2.5 kids (how do you have a half a kid)...because then you are living the "All American Dream"....the fairytale with your "prince charming"! There is the pressure to donate this, volunteer our time, give of ourselves to others before our self because then we are truly worthy.....not selfish. And of course my latest ultimate "favourite" there is the pressure to "conform" to "community" standards and views, to not differ from the "norm"....to follow what other's deem to be the "good path" because then you are truly worthy and lovable....anything different and well....you just aren't good enough.

These pressures create conflict, confusion and stress in our lives. We are all designed unique...not designed to conform, to fit in, to be just like others, to follow a path that others deem righteous. We focus our energy on gaining worth through means which we will never fully achieve because there is "always better" instead of finding our worth from within.

I spent years trying to "fit in"...yet stand out in my own unique way at the same time....to be important. I have lived my life trying to create the illusion of a perfect life, being a perfect person and living up to other's expectations. I truly believed my worth was gained through my status and other people's views. And when I felt that I didn't live up to such standards, I felt like a failure, that I was worthless and unlovable. I was constantly putting on a "mask" in order to be the "right person"....and inside I was struggling to understand who that "real person" was. In that state of conflict you end up feeling like you are either stuck going nowhere, or spinning around and around with no clarity or truth in your life....you, in essence, end up hating yourself because you don't even know who you are. Finally you hit the "breaking point" ~ the choice between "life or death" in the sense of true living coming from living in a place of truth, of love for yourself, of finding your worth from within...instead of being a "mannequin" going through the motions.

It is a daily struggle to find that self-worth, and even more so, that self-love....but I see it more frequently now. I have chosen to take care of my mind, body, spirit and heart. I have tried to make healthy choices and live without my "masks". I choose to love myself....to feel worthy....simply because I am created!

My friends....know that you are worthy, know that you are lovable....because you are designed to be YOU....however you may look, think and be!