The value of you

Come with me, we are going on a field trip; A trip down to the local hospital to behold the majesty and miracle of new life. That’s right, the nursery. The room is clean and quiet. The babies are sleeping and the nurses are busy caring for the infants that have just come into the world. “Would like to hold one?” asks the head nurse. “Sure” you say hesitantly, knowing intuitively that the life you are about to cradle is more valuable than anything in existence. “This one’s name is Jewel,” the nurse proclaims with pride even though she has no relationship with Jewel’s family. “She’s a precious gem indeed.” As the transfer is made from the nurse’s arms to yours, you instantly become aware that you are holding something priceless, something special, and something unique with untapped potential. A piece of the divine. And you know that such is the case with every single child in that nursery. In fact, every nursery around the world, in every culture. Suddenly you are filled with an array of feelings that seem to emanate form this little life: Feelings of respect, purity, peace, and sacredness. “Wow”, you think to yourself. “The miracle of life. Who could not be drawn to the innocence and potential of this ‘Jewel’”?

Then like a like a douse of cold water ripping you out of a pleasant dream I say to you, “Jewel? Yeah right. She is never going to amount to anything. Her life doesn’t matter. What value is she?” If I were to say such a thing, you would think I was pure evil, and I would be. Why? Because we all instinctively know that all life is sacred. We know that every human being is precious and is like a seed coded with possibility. Diminishing the value of a child is about the most insensitive and inhumane thing one could do. Now hear this: YOU ARE THAT CHILD! You may have a different name or gender but you are that same sacred life, just older. Now you may battle acne or wrinkles but you are still priceless, special, unique, and contain great possibility. In fact you are more valuable now than ever because of your life experience.

Some of our experience is good and some is bad. Some we are proud of, and some, ashamed of. You may have made some mistakes and had your share of hurt and failure, but you are still that child, just older. Even if life has not turned out the way you planned, you are still that sacred life that is of great value and has amazing potential. Maybe you have surprised yourself up to this point in your life with how much you have accomplished and what you have become. You might be filled with incredible confidence at this season of your life. But here is what I know: Weather you consider yourself to be a success or failure, an over-achiever or under-achiever, we all need to better understand our value and how we can add value to others.

Regardless of how you feel about yourself currently, we all need strength to manage our perception of ourselves. In fact, it is my experience that highly successful people are often the most insecure. They live in a constant state of threat that what they have worked so hard for will fade or be surpassed. So self-worth is a universal struggle and a universal need.

The only thing worse than someone else saying you are not valuable, is saying it to yourself. Nothing is as defeating and destructive as sabotaging your own worth. Yet this is the case of far too many. They are their own worst enemy. All the affirmation in the world, all the success in the world, all the achievements in the world, cannot replace what you think about yourself deep down inside. We all have failed and will fail. We all have done things we are ashamed of. But that does not make us less valuable. It just means that we did not live up to the value we truly possess, and we need to try again. So here is my question to you:

• When will you decide that you are valuable?
• When will you believe and receive the truth that you matter?
• When will you allow yourself to become your best version of you?
• When will you realize that failure doesn’t decrease your value?
• When will you realize that your worth is not attached to what you have or what you have done?

Only you can answer those questions. But you know what the answer should be: TODAY! RIGHT NOW! Not only is there no better time, but there is no other time. You can choose to accept yourself right now. You don’t need to wait until some event occurs. You don’t need to wait until someone else agrees. You don’t need to wait until you feel like it. It needs to be a choice, a decision, and a belief that you hold onto always. You need to be able to declare with conviction “I AM VALUABLE”! This is the foundation your life must be built upon. Everything else is shifting sand. In this book we will explain why this is the case and will help you lay a foundation at the core of your heart that cannot be moved. But unfortunately, if you don’t accept your own value, you can expect the following results:

• You will never experience peace, love, and joy at its deepest level.
• You will never find anyone or anything that can give you value if you don’t believe you valuable.
• You will constantly be searching for something on the outside that can only come from the inside, and therefore you will be lost.
• You will try to prove to the world why you are NOT valuable instead of expressing your self worth.
• You will never be able to truly love and be loved because you won’t even love yourself.
• You will try to make others as miserable as you are.
• You will pass onto your children your frustration with life, your fear, your apathy, and your negativity.
• You will act like a victim and blame others for your sense of low self-esteem.
• You will become a negative person who looks on the dull side.

This is just a partial list. Unfortunately, the list goes on and on depending on the person and their personal situations. But can you imagine living the life I just described. Sounds like a nightmare doesn’t it? All of us have either struggled with feelings of low value, or know someone who does, or are out and out entrenched in it ourselves. There is nothing in the entire world more painful that feeling like you don’t matter. Nothing more depressing. And yet here is the truth: you hold the key to your own prison. You are the one who allowed yourself to be put in there, and only you can take yourself out. You may say, “No I didn’t do this to myself, it was the man who abused me; it was the parent who belittled me; it was the friend who betrayed me; it was the spouse who cheated on me; it was the business partner who used me.” I am not trying to minimize your pain. There is a lot of it in this world, and it hurts. But listen to me carefully because what I am about to say can change your life and set you free. You are not responsible for the wrong that is done to you, but you are responsible for your response to it. Only you can decide what those trials mean. Only you can give them power. And if you have given them power, then you can take that power back. You can redefine what those events mean. You can choose to use it for motivation instead of poison.

Your responsibility is your ability to respond. If you are powerful enough to let that hurt, hurt you, then you are also powerful enough to let it heal you. Its up to you! Now some people don’t like that. They don’t like taking responsibility for their lives. Why? Because its easier to blame others, to roll over an be a victim. The number one reason why people don’t take responsibility for their lives, is FEAR. Fear is why people don’t live their dreams, live up to their potential, or live free. It’s a killer. In fact, did you know that most often given commandment in the entire Bible is “fear not”? God commands us not to be afraid over and over again. Why? Because he knows our human nature is to let fear operate in us rather than faith. Fear is the enemy of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. The only thing you should fear is God. And if you fear Him you won’t fear anything else. And He is the one who values you more that any other. It is scary to take responsibility for your life, because when you do, you have the fear of failure. But isn’t it true that if you let fear dominate your life that you have failed already? Weather you consciously acknowledge your responsibility or not, you are till responsible. But here is the good news and what this book is all about: When you make the switch in your mind from victim to victor, from reactive to proactive, from fear to faith, you will take back control of your life, and blossom into a new you. The “you” that you were created to be. That simple paradigm shift will change everything. It will be like being released from prison. You will experience true freedom and that freedom won’t scare you but liberate you. You will feel like you’re born again. You will experience newfound energy, creativity, passion, and compassion. So fear not. Get excited. You are a “jewel” that is about to shine brighter. I can’t wait to see what becomes of your life as you discover the value of you.