Discovering Your Self-Worth Despite Challenging Circumstances.

Introduction

Does life seem to be a struggle for you? Do you feel overwhelmed and frustrated much of the time? Do you wish you could experience something better? Success is available to you despite challenging circumstances. It’s important to remember, also, that your circumstances do not define your self-worth.

Life’s challenges are inevitable, but how you respond to them is what matters most. You can recognize the limiting beliefs that cause you to believe things about yourself that aren’t true and change your outlook on life for the better!

What about self-worth limiting belief?

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world free of limiting beliefs?

Society imposes limiting beliefs on us from the very moment we are born, and sometimes even before.

Parents may tell their children they cannot do something because they are not good enough or strong enough. Teachers or other authority figures may try to convince us that our dreams are unattainable. Peers may make fun of aspirations that are too different from their own experiences.

 How can we possibly grow up without acquiring limiting beliefs?

It is possible to recognize limiting beliefs around childhood playtime choices, such as believing boys cannot play with dolls, but it becomes more complex once we reach adulthood.  Limiting beliefs that people hold without even knowing it can be limiting their life experiences.

The limiting belief that often keeps people from experiencing abundant joy and happiness is the limiting belief about self-worth – a limiting belief that we are not enough. Once we have limiting beliefs about our worthiness, they become a filter through which we view our decisions, surroundings, relationships, and every aspect of our lives.

How can limiting self-worth go unnoticed?

As children, many of us were unintentionally conditioned to believe lies based on limiting beliefs from those around us who held higher authority because they appeared wiser or more experienced than we did. We may have been told that receiving good grades should matter to us because it will open doors for us in the future. We may have internalized limiting beliefs about our own self-worth because we could not achieve good grades despite trying hard.

Why is limiting self-worth so common?

Because limiting beliefs are passed down from generation to generation, limiting self-worth is a deeply embedded belief that many people do not even realize they hold or pass on to their children.  In order to break this cycle of limiting beliefs, we must be willing to question the limiting beliefs that others impose on us and learn how they affect us personally.

How can limiting self-worth manifest itself in your life?

Many times it can be difficult to recognize limiting self-worth because limiting beliefs are so deeply embedded in our minds.  How can you identify limiting self-worth if it is causing tension in your life?

     1) Do you believe that you are not enough?

Are you constantly striving to prove yourself to others or even to yourself? Does your current lifestyle match what you truly want out of life, or do you achieve your dreams only when someone else holds the carrot just out of reach? If these sound like familiar thoughts, limiting self-worth may be holding you back from achieving the happiness and success that is possible for anyone who believes in their own value.

2) Do you feel unworthy when things don’t go your way?

Do you feel like you are not worthy of having nice things or that people won’t like you if your clothes don’t fit the latest style or that go you don’t go to the fanciest restaurant?  If these thoughts run through your mind, limiting self-worth is controlling your behavior.

3) Do you feel unworthy of appreciation or attention?

Does it seem like no matter how much you do for others, they never notice or appreciate what you do? Do you find yourself feeling frustrated that people don’t seem to value you as much as you value them? If so, limiting beliefs about self-value may be causing unnecessary pain in your relationships with others.

4) Do you believe that certain things are inherently wrong with who you are or what you look like?

Many limiting beliefs are in physical appearance and personal qualities. Good things should never happen to someone as unworthy as you?  This limiting belief can manifest in many different ways.

5) Are there certain relationships, groups of friends, or opportunities that make you feel unworthy?

If limiting self-worth is affecting your life, it may be limiting your experience with other people or limiting your desire to go after what truly makes you happy.  When we become accustomed to limiting beliefs about our worthiness, limiting self-worth can cause us to settle for anything less than happiness just because we believe that suffering is simply our lot in life.

How can limiting self-worth be overcome?

No matter how limiting beliefs about worthiness appear to you, there is nothing stopping you but yourself. If limiting beliefs are causing turmoil in your life, it is time to take action and start believing that you deserve all the success, happiness, and freedom from suffering that this world offers. A fresh perspective on the ways limiting beliefs affect us personally cannot replace a wholehearted belief in our own value as human beings, but it can help us recognize where limiting self-worth may be affecting other areas of our lives so we can begin to identify them and move forward with a new point of view.

When you question limiting beliefs and learn how limiting self-worth affects you personally, limiting beliefs will start to fall away, and limiting self-worth can be overcome. The limiting beliefs that hold us back from success and happiness were only formed because we believed them as a child. We can replace those limiting beliefs with empowering new perspectives that allow us to reach our full potential as human beings!

Changing your point of view about limiting self-worth doesn’t mean that you need to reject all the things that make you feel unworthy now. Instead, take time every day to remember to love yourself for exactly who you are right now, at this moment. Then, look towards the future with a bright outlook on what is possible for your life when you believe in your value.

Whatever limiting beliefs may be holding us back from success and happiness, limiting self-worth can cause us to settle for anything less than happiness just because we believe that suffering is simply our lot in life. You cannot modify your experience with others or restrict your desire to go after what truly makes you happy without limiting self-worth and influencing those decisions. It is time to take action and start believing that you deserve all the success, happiness, and freedom from suffering that this world offers.

Here are some tips!

Think of a circumstance in your life that you believe is preventing you from something you want. Write it down, then get ready to challenge that limiting belief. If you do, you’ll begin to move toward the success you deserve.

Use these strategies to maintain positive self-worth, regardless of your circumstances:

1. Find the cause. What is the reason for the circumstance in your life? Sometimes, limiting beliefs can serve as warning signs that help you avoid danger. What can you learn from this, so you avoid triggering a similar situation in the future?

* If the cause of your situation is unclear, ask friends and family for their input. Others see your life from a different perspective, and their input can be valuable in determining the root of your difficulty.

2. Get past the blame game. You can often be your own worst critic. Fortunately, negative self-talk often has very little basis in reality. Choose to replace the doubts of your inner critic with more productive thinking.

* Once a negative thought has taught you its intended lesson, it has served its purpose. If you choose to hold onto those negative thoughts, they will begin to form a negative self-image in your mind. This unbalanced view of your talents and strengths holds you back.

* Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts about your circumstances, learn the lesson and resolve to move on. Find out what you can do differently to avoid a repeat of your present situation. Then, when negative thoughts enter your mind, choose to replace your self-talk with productive thoughts instead.

3. Cut yourself some slack. Recognize that you’re human. Everyone makes mistakes, but your attitude determines your attitude in life. You are valuable regardless of your present predicament. You are worthwhile even when you slip up or falter. Your circumstances simply provide feedback and an opportunity to learn and grow.

4. Make the most of it. When you recognize that you’re valuable despite your circumstances, you’ll begin to make the most of every opportunity. Stumbling blocks you face can become stepping stones to the success you deserve, simply by changing what you focus on.

* Instead of feeling helpless, ask yourself: “What’s great about this?” Every situation provides something of value if you look for it.

5. Ask for help. Loved ones and friends often see strengths in you that go without notice. Ask them what they believe your strengths are. This is where your self-worth is found. Everyone has something of value to contribute.

* Once you recognize your unique talents, gifts, and abilities, you’ll see life in a whole new way. You’ll seek opportunities to use your talents to bless others. You’ll gain the confidence that comes from conquering challenges that once made you cringe.

* Instead of allowing your circumstances to dictate who you are, you’ll make the rules!

6. Live one day at a time. Despite your best efforts, some days simply provide one frustration after another. When this happens, you have a choice. You can let your circumstances defeat you, or you can choose a more positive perspective.

Resolve today to find your strengths, learn from your difficult circumstances, and experience the joy you were created to experience. Instead of tying your self-worth to your circumstances, choose to see things as they really are. You were created with unique talents and gifts. When you find those gifts within yourself and put them to use, you’ll know how valuable you truly are.

* Remember that God loves you, not because of what you can do, but simply because He does. When you recognize your value in His eyes, limiting beliefs will lose their power over you. You’ll begin to see yourself as the valuable person God made you be.

2 Key Factors for Discovering Your Self-Worth

Here are two key factors I’ve discovered on my journey toward finding self-worth:

Key Factor One: Make a point of knowing yourself well enough to discover your strengths and weaknesses – every single day! By understanding how both strengths and limiting beliefs affect your thinking and decisions, you can work together with God’s grace to overcome limiting thoughts and behaviors through empowerment from the Holy Spirit. Implementing healthy thinking and behavior through His grace will strengthen you to be free from limiting thoughts and beliefs.

Key Factor Two: Be open to constructive criticism. It’s hard for others to see your strengths when you don’t recognize them yourself, but it’s even harder for others to encourage you toward positive growth if there is no relationship between the two of you. Creating a supportive environment with those around you can help keep limiting thoughts and behaviors in check as you continue on the journey toward self-worth by increasing your awareness of blind spots that may inhibit your advancement.

2 Key Factors for Discovering Your Self-Worth

By accepting the responsibility…

1) Make a point of knowing yourself well enough to discover your strengths and weaknesses

2) Be open to constructive criticism

Conclusions

Self-Worth is the number one limiting factor for most people. Self-worth or self-esteem has so much to do with limiting beliefs because limiting beliefs are what affect how we see reality. Our limiting beliefs give us our negative self-talk, which diminishes our self-worth. We have limiting beliefs because we don’t properly understand reality. When one doesn’t understand how God created them or what He has in store for their future, they will lack self-worth. If you want to increase your self-worth, you must begin by understanding that who you are is absolutely amazing! You were uniquely created with great qualities and talents; you just need to search for the truth about yourself in order to find it!