Value: Part I

Recently, I led a workshop on Self-Empowerment. I love teaching a subject because so much inspiration occurs to me while I am focused on it. In this case, my awareness fell onto stepping into my own power and uncovering what blocks others from stepping into theirs.

It was a beautiful and illuminating session. The crux of my learning was that our notion of power is based on a misunderstanding. It’s skewed to societies’ definition of power: money, reputation, status, looks, the type of dog you own. (In my case, Maltese!)

But true power is a feeling one has inside him or herself.

A feeling of value.

This feeling doesn’t rise with success or fall with perceived failure.

This feeling is unshakable.

This feeling is Self-Love.

Self-love values the being rather than the doing or having. That is… self-love holds the individual as precious and incredible without condition.

I am not amazing because I own a house. I am simply amazing in and of myself.

This is a hard concept for some to wrap their heads around. Especially since we’ve been taught from a young age that one’s value is connected to one’s belongings or accomplishments. One is defined as ‘a good mother’, ‘an accomplished pianist’, ‘a millionaire’, or ‘married to a doctor.’

The reason our value cannot be measured from the outside is simple. One can lose his/her belongings, one can lose his/her job, one can lose his/her spouse, but one can never lose his/her essence.

You are still you.

You are still valuable.

When we value ourselves for ourselves, we can feel good and happy and valuable no matter what the circumstance.

How you might ask? How can I make this shift in my belief system?

Unconditional self-love.

No matter what your situation, no matter where you wish you were, love yourself as you are.

Love your flaws and prize your good aspects. The essence of you is neither of these, but the process of loving and accepting yourself is important.

Accept everything about yourself. See yourself as you really are:

“A divine being having a human experience.” (quote from Ron and Mary Hulnick)

That is why only unconditional love can encompass our true value. All the flaws and failures and mistakes are part of the “human experience” and the human experience serves to transmute negative energy to positive in order to create more love for the divine.

Here was another big discovery: We can’t judge ourselves for making mistakes if our purpose on earth is to learn lessons.

When we forgive our mistakes and let go of blaming other people, we grow in love. I can actually feel my heart expanding in these moments. Try letting go of some limiting belief about your value right now. Feel that misbelief lift off your body. Feel what greater value feels like.

Self-value feels delicious. It feels like bliss in my body. It feels like a day at the beach. Like a permanent orgasm.

This is what we can all feel like if we give up societies’ fantasy of what is valuable (which is based on consumerism to drive a fruitful capitalist market) and we realign to our innate, limitless, priceless, inner value as part of the divine.

Stay tuned for Value: Part II… Where Are You Giving Your Power away?