[Self Series] Dignifying Yourself

“I will what I want,” “I am what I am,” “Nothing is impossible,” “Love the skin you’re in,” “Let yourself shine,” “Because you’re worth it.”When it comes to skin-care products, maintaining our health, or protecting our preferences, we do not have a hard time believing in our worth; but what about when it comes to ourselves? Do we see the worth in ourselves? It may be easier for us to declare: “I care about my skin,” “I care about my hair,” “I care about what I put in my body,” “I care about what I put on my body.” But it becomes substantially harder to declare: “I care about myself.”Dignifying yourself is a responsibility you have to yourself to see your own worth and then to act out of that worth. So, dignifying yourself first begins with knowing yourself. Know that you are unique. There is no one else in the world exactly like you; that in itself makes you worth it. If there is no one else in the world like you, then there is no one else that can impact the world in the way that you can. Be proud of who you are. Throughout this series, we have been learning to love ourselves, express our thoughts and feelings, overcome self-doubt, grow into ourselves, and grow comfortable with seeing ourselves. There is a unique way that each of us will continue to grow in these areas. The different ways that each one of us approaches these concepts adds to our uniqueness which adds to our worth. Loving ourselves, expressing ourselves, overcoming self-doubt, and growing in ourselves add to our worth. You are worth it. You are worth it, not just because a cosmetic product tells you that you are, not just because consumerism wants you to buy the latest thing, not just because you want to get the best skin, the best hair, the best make-up, the best clothes, the best job, the best house, but simply because of who you are. You are worth it because you are uniquely and completely you.But, seeing your worth does not end there. Dignifying yourself continues with living according to your worth. Once you know or realize your worth, you should accommodate your life in such a way that it represents that worth. Respecting your own worth requires action. It is a responsibility to yourself that requires you to behave out of your worth. This means that your attitude should reflect your worth. When you realize your worth, self-deprecation, self-loathing, and negativity should have no place in how you think about yourself and how you carry yourself. When you realize your worth, you should continually uplift yourself. You should challenge yourself, but you should do so in such a way that only edifies yourself. Respecting your own worth means not only that your attitude should reflect your worth, but that your actions should also reflect your worth. You should pursue endeavors that give you the opportunity to grow and that strengthen how you view your worth. More than that, you should make every opportunity one that allows you to grow and to strengthen how you view your worth. This is a responsibility on your part, to make that job you hate, that friend you do not get along with, or that thing that you think is a waste of your time into something that is teaching you and growing your character, because ultimately it is contributing to your worth.Finally, dignifying yourself continues with surrounding yourself with people who believe in your worth. Now, this does not mean that every person in your life should be your cheerleader. Rather, it means that the core people in your life should support, edify, and challenge you. Your coworkers may not be your best friends, your Facebook friends or Instagram and Twitter followers are not your best friends. Do not mistake the desire for acceptance for the support of your worth. The people that truly see your worth will not seek to feed your desire for acceptance; they will not merely cheer you on, but they will challenge you to pursue your worth, to act out of your worth, and to live according to the highest fulfillment of your worth. It is okay to interact with people, and even befriend those people, who may not realize your worth. The reality is that not everyone will care to get to know you on an intimate level, and that is okay. You should not pursue everyone’s acceptance of you, but you should purse close and intimate friendships, and surround yourself with those friendships, that allow your worth to flourish.So, start believing that you are worth it. You are worth being cared for. You are worth being invested in. You are worth being believed in. You are worth being fought for. You are worth other people’s time, thoughts, and feelings. You are worth all the opportunities that are given to you. You are worth being lavished. You are worth being respected. You are worth being adored. You are worth it because you are uniquely and completely you. Live confidently and securely out of your worth. Believe in your worth, because you are worth it.