A little girl goes up to her father and shows him a sparkly stone she has found.
Her father smiles and says, ‘I want you to go into the village and find the bakery. Show the baker the stone and when he asks how much, just hold up two fingers and don’t say anything. Listen to what he says and then come back and tell me.’
The little girl does as she is told and goes to the bakery. She shows the baker the stone. ‘How much is it?’ asks the baker. The girl holds up two fingers. ‘$2! Great! I’ll take it.’ She returns home with the stone and tells her father what happened.
‘Now I want you to go back into the village and find the jewellery shop. Do exactly the same thing, show the jeweler the stone, and when he asks how much, say nothing and just hold up two fingers.’ The child heads off into the village for the second time. When the jeweller sees the stone, he asks how much, and the little girl holds up two fingers. ‘$200! Great! I’ll take it.’ Once again, she returns home and shares what happened.
‘Now, I want you to go back in just one more time and see the man in the antique shop and do exactly the same thing, then come back to me.’ Once more, the child heads into the village. When the antique man asks her how much, as before she says nothing and just holds up two fingers. ‘$2,000! Great! I’ll take it.’ And once again she returns home with the sparkly stone.
I love this Jay Shetty story. In life, people will always place a value on you. Some will treat you as if you are worth $2, others $200, and others $2,000 or much more. At the end of the day, the only value that really matters is the one YOU place on yourself – what YOU think you’re worth.
When we associate with people that treat us as if we are worth $2 worth, it can gradually dilute or evaporate our self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. It can leave us spiraling out of control and believing I am not enough.
Yet what others think of us is really none of our business. What matters is what WE think of us. Each one of us has the power to place our own value on ourselves whenever we choose and only WE can decide what that value is.
It may seem cliche and not overly important with everything else we have going on, but hear this. If you want to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, the value you put on yourself is absolutely critical.
Placing a high value on our worth is essential for our personal growth.
It is the foundation of our mental health and will dictate the quality of our relationships and overall happiness.
When we value ourselves and believe in our worth, we feel more confident regardless of whether we know how to perform a particular task or navigate a particular challenge.
Our self-worth has a direct correlation with our abilities. When we are confident and have a high belief in ourselves we are more likely to take risks, try new things, embark on new projects, and explore new horizons. Trying new things leads to learning new skills, which increases overall satisfaction and quality of life.
High self-worth and belief in ourselves contribute to greater resilience. We are more likely to get back up after setbacks or failures and we begin to view these as opportunities for learning and growth.
And perhaps most importantly, placing a high value on ourselves, allows us to establish healthy boundaries in our relationships. We are less likely to be mistreated or tolerate neglect or abuse from others. We are usually better at communicating our needs and desires resulting in more meaningful and fulfilling relationships. And let’s face it, if you are with someone who makes you feel like you are worth $2, then they are probably not your person.
And so, I leave you with the following thoughts, feel free to claim them as your own:
💙 I might not be for everyone – but I am right for ME!
💙 You might not like me – but I like me!
💙 I might not be enough for you – but I AM ENOUGH!
Much love
Dalya xx 💙