Value myself?
Here’s another one of those concepts that may make people frown. Value myself? Well, maybe I’m an okay person, but value?
I believe this is probably another left-over from our days as children or teenagers. How many times did we hear “No!” or “Don’t!”? Probably a whole lot more than getting praise or attention.
Depending on the interaction of others with us, we created our sense of personal value. Did people seek our company? Did they want to sit with us in school? Or did they keep a distance? How was it for you?
If it was anything like it was for me, who had few friends in school, who lived too far out of town to have those friends visit often, who had only her younger siblings to play with – it can be difficult to develop a good sense of personal value.
The good news is that this is another part of our mindset and that we can change it. So if it’s hard to value yourself and your abilities and successes, it’s possible to learn how to do it. And it’s okay to be proud of yourself, as you value yourself.
Being a good team player is much easier if you know how valuable your contributions will be. It feels great to know that your abilities will help the entire team create something wonderful, that they complement the abilities and potentials the other bring into the team.
So is being a leader – because the best leaders are team players.
But I’m no leader, I hear you say. And that is possible. However, there is always one person you have to lead – and that’s yourself. And it gets much, much easier when you value yourself. Because then it’s worth the effort to lead yourself and do things even if you’re not in the mood – because you value yourself and your goals.
Feel ready to up the value you feel for yourself? Let’s tap!
Even though I have a hard time valueing myself and acknowledging all the good things that I can do and have done, I’m okay the way I am and I now open myself to seeing my very own value.
Even though it’s so hard to allow myself to know that I’m good when I’ve always hidden my abilities, I’m okay the way I am and I now allow myself to shine and value myself.
Even though I’ve been chided so often for bragging, I am totally okay the way I am and I now choose to see the huge difference between bragging and truly valueing myself and my abilities.
So, what do you value about yourself? Is there anything you would like to share? Please comment below.
PS: This post is part of a blog challenge. Find the other participating blogs in the comments here.
Image source: F. Moebius
Thank you so much for being part on my Blogchallenge. I love the topic of being leaders to ourself. I offer Leadership training in firms and I see that many people struggle with this. Humans have the tendancy to give their power away by outer things instead to take the full responsibility for their own outcome. I hope you will join me on November 4th when we meet again with the topic of Abundance. Love, Andrea
Dear Andrea,
thank you so much for running the challenge! It’s always great fun to think up something for your topics. And Abundance is right down my alley!
Leadership is something we can grow into, I believe. It takes courage, dedication and the inner strength to be ourselves and value ourselves.
Love, Frauke
Your school-days experiences sound entirely too much like my own — except I didn’t even have the benefit of siblings I could play with. I had exactly one really good childhood friend, and few close relationships outside of my own family otherwise. And yes, I was a bit of a loner for much of my school life up through and including college — and I don’t know when I got it, but at some point my inner voice developed the personality and cadence of the “evil” drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket. When you couple that with my upbringing to always try to put others before myself, you can understand how this would make it quite difficult for me to learn to love myself.
I have to thank you, yet again, for giving me a way to try and reverse some of the emotional damage (I think I can call it that, anyway) that I now realize this has done to me today.
You are very welcome!
Just remember: You are not your history. You can rise above that and be someone you enjoy being.
(And yes, I tell that myself, too.)