What’s the basis of Your Self-Worth?

I came across this article recently which made me think:

What’s the basis of Your Self-Worth?

“One morning, a businessman saw a fisherman lounging on his boat drinking coffee.  ‘You’re back early,’ he shouted. The sailor replied, ‘I’ve caught enough. I’m through for the day.’

The businessman said, ‘Why not go out again? If you keep going out you can catch more fish and increase your income, buy a second boat, hire a crew, and become rich like me.’

The man replied, ‘Why should I do that?’

The businessman said, ‘So you’ll be free to do what you want and enjoy life.’

Grinning, the fisherman said, ‘But that’s exactly what I’m doing right now!’

Wise people say, ‘Be satisfied with what you have,’ yet many of us base our self-worth on what we own or achieve.

We only feel good about ourselves when we’re involved in certain relationships or live in certain areas or reach certain goals.

We tell ourselves, ‘When I earn more money, or become CEO, or get fitter, etc., I’ll be okay.’ So, what’s the basis of your self-worth today? If you’re not sure, ask yourself, ‘What can I not live without?’

Is there somebody you’re afraid will leave you? A job you’re too involved in? Is there something you need to accomplish before you feel complete?

It is wise to have goals for your life, but don’t undermine yourself by believing that you’re ‘less than’ because you’ve achieved or acquired less than someone else.”

What do you base your self-worth on?

It is dangerous and self-destructive to base our self-worth on the things we own or the things we have achieved because the odds are we will never achieve everything we set out to do or become and so we will never be happy or feel good about ourselves.

If we are always striving to ‘make it’ we will never get there and therefore we will never be content, happy or fulfilled. Our life journey is short and if we can’t be content with what we have today then we will never be happy.

I was never happy

I used to believe that I would be happy when I hit my monthly sales target, or my annual target or when I retired. This meant that all month long I would have my head down and be striving to hit that target.

When the end of the month arrived, I celebrated hitting my target for about an hour then I would have my head down again striving to hit the next one. This meant that I was happy for about one hour a month!

There is a better way

Over the past 6 years I have discovered a new way to live which entails appreciating what I have right now and who I am right now. I don’t live in a mansion, but I am extremely happy with the home Julie and I share. I love everything about it, and I am not looking at other homes in envy.

Every day I find things I love about my life – my wife Julie, my mother, my brother and sister in law, my home, my car, my garden, the trees and sunsets. I dwell on these things for a short while then I get on with my day. I do these multiple times a day and it makes me feel good.

Focus on the good things in your life every day

There isn’t a single thing I can think of that I am envious of or would like in my life right now. This makes me happy and content. When I am happy and positive, I have more energy, so I achieve more.

When I achieve more, I feel happy and positive and therefore have more energy and so it continues. What we think about is what we feel so it’s important that we are content with what we have and where we are in life, because none of us knows how long we have to live.

Gary Rhodes OBE

Celebrity Chef Gary Rhodes OBE was fit and well and was aged 59 when he suddenly died this week from a ‘Subdural Haematoma’ which is usually associated with a fall. He had just enjoyed a meal with his wife Jennie and was in the middle of filming a television series in Dubai where he has successful restaurants.

Don’t leave it too late

Don’t waste valuable time worrying and fretting about things in your life. Everyday spend moments appreciating the good things in your life and enjoy the feelings you experience when you do this. Be Happy Every Day.

Thoughts for the week.

1. Do you spend most of your time striving and worrying?
2. Do you focus more on the negatives than the positives?
3. This week spend moments each day simply appreciating the good things in your life.
4. Be happy with who you are and what you have.

Well that’s it for this week have a wonderful weekend and stay Positive.

Warm regards

John

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