We’ve heard the phrase, “Clothes don’t make the man.” I like to rephrase that and say, “It’s the man who makes the clothes!”
Do you feel important because you have the right title…right company…right clothes…right car…right house…and right neighborhood? Then your values of self-worth are in the wrong place.
All of us want to be valued and admired. But insecurity is the root cause of trying to prove ourselves to others. When we put our values in the wrong place, this leads us to compete with others and constantly try to prove ourselves to them.
We struggle to get our worth from the things we do, but this thinking is a never ending cycle. If these things change, then our sense of identity and security decrease. There will always be someone to keep up with, so it’s important not to get our who mixed up with our do!
It’s good to be accomplished and productive, but we should get our worth from our sense of self. Our do breeds competitiveness and leads to bragging. This leads to an unhealthy sense of competition. Unhealthy competition is when we try to prove ourselves to others and try to keep up. Healthy competition, on the other hand, inspires us to achieve in a team like manner. We need to get our sense of self from who we are and not from what we do.
You uniquely have what you need to fulfill your destiny. You’ve been given your own gifts and talents. Take the gifts you’ve been given and be the best you can be. It’s the Who and not the do!
We have gifts that differ among us. Let us use them. You have been made the way you are on purpose. Find your gift and use it. You will not have to feel inferior because you can’t do what another can do. Develop your gift, but don’t get you value from your gift; get your value from who you are.
And it is important to be open and willing and accept our limitations. We don’t have to be embarrassed or feel like a failure because we can’t do something. We not only need to recognize who we are, we need to know what we’re not.
Stick to your individual path; achieve your unique destiny. Your gifts are talents that come naturally to you and that you are good at. When you really know who you are, you don’t need to prove who you are.
Stay in your strength zones; stick to what you are good at. Stretch and get out of your comfort zone. But, stick to your gifts–the talents that come naturally. You will stop having to prove yourself to yourself and others.
When I’m secure in who I am and who I was made to be, it takes all the pressure off of me, when I realize I don’t have to compare myself to anybody.
I’m asking you today to take the pressure off yourself by running your own race. Remember, competition with others is a negative, judgmental attitude. It’s also demeaning to you, because you limit yourself to the abilities and achievements of others.
Appreciate your strengths and weaknesses. Feel good about yourself and don’t have a sense of defeat because of the accomplishments of others. Run your own race, and you will always have an optimistic outlook.
Always remember, it’s the who and not the do that makes you meaningful as a human being. So concentrate on getting your sense of worth from your sense of self. Stop comparing yourself to others because you have been uniquely crafted as a person. Go and be the person you are meant to be.
There is only one you, and that is a good thing. Stay true to who you are and experience the success life is meant to bring. Enjoy the experience of being you and not someone else. Love your individualism and don’t try to fit into a cookie-cutter mold. Make your own mark in this world and continue to bring the joy of who you are to others, for that is your legacy.
I give you permission, although you don’t need my approval; so go ahead…give yourself permission to be the one and only you that destiny designed you to be.