Butterfly stilshot

Butterfly stilshot

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Art of Investing: What's Your Worth?

I usually start off my workshops and classes by talking about the fact that as women we often invest in the baddest handbags, shoes, clothes and hair but we don't often put much attention into our face/skin which is what people see the first and most when they see us. But the truth is deeper that the quality of your skin or the creativity of the makeup you are wearing, what shines the brightest when encounter you is THE VALUE OF YOUR SELF WORTH. How you esteem yourself and the value you have or have not placed upon yourself is what speaks the loudest. What's your value? How do you increase your value? How do you assess your value? Let's talk about the art of investing!

Invest- To endow with a quality; To devote time, effort and energy to something for the purpose of receiving a gain. Without investing in something, it is practically impossible it's increase its value. In my talks with women of all ages, from the ones who have no esteem to the ones with great, healthy esteem; there is a direct correlation with how much they invest in themselves. Ladies the simple truth is this: No matter where you are on the scale of Self-Worth and Self-Esteem, YOU MUST CONTINUALLY INVEST IN YOU!

Here are some key ways to invest in yourself and increase your value:

1. Spirituality- Strengthen your relationship with God by more time spent in prayer, Bible study and worship. There is nothing like an intimate relationship with the creator of the earth that will increase your esteem and worth. Do you know why He created you? Are you who he created you to be? There is nothing like knowing whose you are, who you are, where you're going and how to get there. Once you know this, maintaining healthy self-esteem and self-worth will be effortless.

2. Socially- Not only is it important how you to relate to God and yourself but life is all about relationships. We were created as social beings. How well do you interact with others? How do you handle conflict? How are your friendships and family ties? Often when God goes to bless us He uses people. THERE IS POWER IN PROPER ASSOCIATIONS! Anywhere worth going, you can't make it there alone. For some of us the reason we aren't growing/achieving the way we'd like to is because we can't sustain relationships that are intended to push us further. Take inventory of who's in your life. Who else do you need in your life to get where you need to go? Ask God to bring the right people into your space! Who needs to go in order to progress? Ask God for the strength to dissolve those relationships. Your circle of friends is a prophecy of your future...

3. Financially- Papa may have, Momma may have, but God bless the WOMAN who's got her own! Financial stability and empowerment often assist us in properly attending to other areas of our lives. What is your actual networth? How is your credit? Do you have adequate savings, cash reserves, investments? Do you own any property? Many of desire to do more than we currenty do but our biggest challenge is not having the financial resources. Take the steps to become completely debt free and financially empowered. You will be blessed to be a blessing!

4. Physically- Your body is a temple and should be treated as such. Some of us keep up our cars, clothes and offices at work better than we do our bodies. Women who truly have placed a high value on themselves understand that physical health must be a priority. Eating nutritiously, getting adequate rest, drinking sufficient water and exercising are the basics. Do you like who you see when you look in the mirror? I am a firm believer that every woman should have the ability to look at herself in the mirror in her birthday suit and feel beautiful. But unfortunately I know too many women can not do this. But why do spend so much time complaining without making changes. If we don't like what we see, we should make the changes that we can and embrace and accept the rest. Your body is a temple and should be treated as such!

5. Emotionally- I was interested to learn as I got older that there is a such term as emotional intelligence. I would dare say that as we would aren't naturally as gifted in this area as our male counterparts. We tend to think with our emotions way more often than we should. Do you have a firm grip on your emotions? Are they helping to push you forward or hindering you? Perception is reality for so many of us. As we move to become women of significance and not just success, it becomes extremely imperative to ensure that our "perspective" is not jaded with emotional traps. Check the glasses with which you are looking at life. If they are cracked or tinted, there is a possibility that everything you see is distorted. Emotional wholeness helps us to have a much healthier outlook on life.

You are worth investing in! We as women take care of husbands, children, and family. We are business owners, stay at home moms, and employees. We wear so many hats that it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. REMEMBER: If you don't refill your pitcher daily, at some point you won't have enough to pour and everyone will be affected. Take time for yourself, refresh daily and be a lifetime learner!