What is your WORTH?

Over the many candidates that I have met over the years, the people that I have encountered at leadership sessions or even while facilitating programs, I’ve seen one common challenge faced by many and that is that they do not understand their self-worth.

?Acknowledging, recognizing and rewarding one’s achievements, accomplishments and accolades are great starting points for understanding what our worth is. We look around for answers before judging what we can do with our own ability.

Best of coaches can be engaged, best retreat sessions can be attended or world class sessions can be attended for us to identify our ‘worth’. The fact is that all of the above can be worthwhile if we were to start with a self-evaluation first and then engage with external help. This is because there should first be self-belief of ourselves. We should try to understand and know our inner selves better before seeking for external help.

Here are my 5 easy-to-use tips in knowing and valuing your self-worth:

Wise:

As human beings, we have been blessed with the gift of reasoning and understanding. We are naturally gifted by the Almighty. While there are natural gifts, we should accept it and use it to make decisions that aid our growth and that of the other. Human intelligence was, is and will be part of our integral lives. In more ways than one it will continue to reign superior to Artificial Intelligence. We are gifted with this reasoning ability to decipher and discern what is best needed for us. So, while there are good reasons for us to base our decisions on external parties like Reviews, Ratings and Testimonies, let us also remember that we are gifted with our own mind which knows what it wants and knows how it can satiate our own demands.

Outstanding:

In schools or colleges, we want to see ourselves in the outstanding category. We aim for the top by looking up to outstanding performances. While we like to be at the top of our achievements, we should give that timely pat on our back as a mark of encouragement and motivation. This motivation of wanting to be at the top often decreases for many people. They feel that their peak has passed and it's time to play a sober game. One should remember that each person is unique and could bring their uniqueness to the party, irrespective of their age. Appreciating who we are and what we stand for is in itself being a hallmark icon and acknowledging one's self-worth.

Radiant:

Being social beings, we thrive on inter-personal interactions. We love to meet, greet and share with the world all our thoughts and actions. There are many who have their entire life on social media - from the break of dawn to dusk. While on the other hand; there are others who like to have friends only to show them their new possessions like their car, phone or outfits. But the essence of we human beings comes to the fore, when we radiate joy and happiness coupled with a mood of celebration. We can accelerate the success of others around us by lifting their spirits when they are down. This practice can help not only the other but also help our own mood as this could be very gratifying. Often this results in recognizing our own purpose of life as well.

Talented:

All of us are talented and gifted. It’s just that we don’t unwrap our gifts. Often we look out for talented people by overlooking ourselves. It is great to be modest but it isn’t necessarily being fair for us to overlook our talent if it is definitely better than what we have from our talent pool.

Over a recent conversation with a friend, I realized how I am guilty of downplaying my talents as well. She told me that she was engaging a vendor for an activity which I thought was rather expensive. I came to this conclusion because I would have performed that activity for 'free' and with utmost ease - Now, this is a classic example of not recognizing our worth.

Humane:

In the midst of all our clamour to be recognized and for us to showcase ourselves to the outside world, it is also important to be humble of our achievements, accolades or position. The focus should always be on bringing our talent to the table, using it to the full potential and ensuring that we are recognized for it. All this is for maintaining or enhancing our own self-esteem and confidence.

Being grounded can help us have and practice an attitude of gratitude. This thinking leads to win-win opportunities. Being humane is determined by how we navigate through our work or even in our personal lives - Are we able to work through trying times or celebratory moments by being grounded?

I would like to leave you with these few additional thoughts which you can practice in order to be positive and appreciate your self-worth.

1. Network to find out your net worth.
2. Meet people and share.
3. Acknowledge your achievements by celebrating the same.
4. Journal your successes and you will be surprised to see so many in number.
5. Practice an attitude of gratitude everyday.
6. Be proud of your ethical values and live it everyday.

This article is written by?Willis Langford,?an unbiased, result driven & passionate HR professional who has a flair for technology and keen interest in making this world a better place with a zest for life.

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