There was a time in history when formal money was not in existence. However, humans found ways to exchange services for goods or trade their surplus as a way of building value.
For instance, the farmer with a healthy wheat crop could take his 50 bales of wheat to the marketplace and trade them for two oxen. His hard work, commitment, and skills created the potential to make his future even more abundant by acquiring the oxen.
Over time transporting one’s product to the marketplace was simplified as the value was translated into coins and paper.
Today we are going to explore the root of our sense of value and worth.
You see, if we quantify our sense of worth and value based on who we are, what we do, and/or what we have, then it can be a moving target dependent on many circumstances and conditions.
Here’s a story to consider:
Jill was eight years old, and her older brother Jack was 12. Her parents both worked very hard and tried their best to create a secure and stable home. Except, money appeared to have always been scarce.
Jill often heard her parents argue about money. There never appeared to be enough for extras, like some of her friends had.
Jill and her best friend Samantha had so much in common; they especially loved arts and crafts. They enjoyed making colorful braided friendship bracelets and sharing them.
All was great for Jill until Sam announced that she was going away to camp along with a few other girls from their school. Jill desperately wanted to go as well, except her parents couldn’t afford it.
To make things worse, her brother Jack was going to sports camp that year. They justified the expense because Jack was good at sports, and going to sports camp would help him improve his abilities and potentially earn a scholarship to college in a few years.
Jill didn’t like sports. She loved being creative, but that wasn’t viewed as being a path to college in her parents’ eyes.
That summer, Jill spent lots of time alone, imagining and designing new bracelets she couldn’t wait to share with Sam. However, when Sam returned from camp, something changed. Sam was sporting new, crafty jewelry she had created with the other girls at camp. Sam also seemed different, a bit distant.
Jill felt their relationship had changed; her heart was broken, and she was willing to do anything to win back her best friend. If only she could show Sam that she had designed a new and better bracelet, except Jill didn’t have any money to buy the materials needed to create the masterpiece.
One night Jill saw her mom’s pocketbook sitting on the table and decided to peak in her wallet. There she spotted several ten-dollar bills and thought if she were to take just one, her mom would never miss it!
This was a defining moment for Jill. The little girl who had always been so obedient and nice had suddenly turned into a thief. But she was willing to win back her best friend – at any cost!
The next day she walked to the store, secretly purchased the supplies she needed, and created these amazing new bracelets. Sam loved them, and so did the other girls, who, of course, all wanted one. Jill felt proud of her creation and, more importantly, noticed by Sam and accepted by the others.
However, there was one BIG problem; she didn’t have enough material to make everyone a bracelet. So, what did Jill do? You guessed it. This time she found the material money in her dad’s wallet.
This could very well be anyone of our stories.
Defining moments like these establish our relationship with self-worth, value, and prosperity.
It often is not that anyone parent or person intentionally sets out to make us feel unloved, de-valued, or unappreciated, and yet it happens. And with these conditions, we can carry the stories and behaviors well into our adult life, playing them out in every part of our lives.
For example, Jill may have spent a better part of her life feeling not seen by her parents. She may have also adopted a belief that to be accepted, she had to give, overdo, and people-please. Because she took money without permission, she may have developed a tendency to self-loath, filled with shame and guilt, which is a perfect recipe for attracting people who mistreat us.
The answer: Self-love. Forgiveness. Compassion.
Are you ready to peel back the layers and explore what is holding you back from experiencing more prosperity and abundance in your life, relationships, creativity, and JOY?
Come join us, the PROSPERITY TEAM, on Sunday, October 9th, for a full day of self-exploration, where we will be emotionally, physically, and spiritually shifting the energy of prosperity in order to attract more abundance.
Click here to find out more and take advantage of the $30 savings if booked by September 4th.
In the meantime, I invite you to consider how your earlier life experiences have impacted your sense of value and self-worth. With awareness, all things can be transformed!