What is a person worth? More importantly, what are YOU worth?

There are many mathematical ways for arriving to an answer. For instance, you could take your hourly wage and say that that is what you’re worth.

• So, let’s say you’re earning $45/hour. That would round out to roughly $90,000 a year. And with a working span of about 35 years, you’d be worth about $31.5 million.
• Or, let’s say you’re earning $45/hour. And unbeknownst to you, this is the last day of your life. So on this day, the last day of your life, your life is worth exactly $360.

Either way, both forecasts are pretty ridiculous. (They were intended to be!)

Let’s face it; every person IS the center of the universe (and no, you don’t have to be living in Toronto to achieve this! ). And the center of the universe holds NO DOLLAR VALUE.

I liken life to a person looking at a tree (see the sixth paragraph in Closed Minds Live Quiet Lives entry). There are many perspectives to be had, and each person is gifted with her own view of that tree. When she dies, that view ceases to be. Forever.

This uniqueness of her experience, of her “world” (or tree) view, makes her (YOU) invaluable.

You have your way of seeing, of experiencing, of speaking, of describing, of interpreting and of articulating your world view. You as entrepreneur have your commitment, your product, your service. And guess what folks? No one can do it better than you. Because no one is you.

Here are some things you can begin doing right now to recognize your tremendous self-worth:

1. Enjoy your hobby! Take the time in life to do what moves you, to do what your heart (not your family or your wallet) says is best.  Your skill set is a big determination of your self-worth. The more you follow your passion, the better you feel about yourself.

The more you enjoy what you do in your life, the more you’ll also enjoy who you are as a person.

2. Take a class. As with hobbies, learning something new is a great way to bolster your self-worth. It’s like a deposit into your knowledge bank.There are plenty of options for this choice:

• Take a class at a local community college.
• Register for an online seminar.
• Look in the local newspaper for free classes in your area.
• Call your local school district. They offer inexpensive continuing education classes in almost every subject imaginable, including hobbies!

3. Read more. Reading is a wonderful way to stimulate the mind. When you spark your imagination, new ideas emerge from the depths. Nothing builds self-worth like learning more about the world you live in!

4. Learn a language. There are a huge number of tools available that can assist you in mastering a new language. Learning new languages builds self-worth because it allows you to communicate on a completely different level with others.

5. Do something out of the ordinary. Take a chance, conquer a challenge, and step out of your comfort zone. These kinds of activities stretch you as an individual. Doing something you never imagined gives you a glimpse of your true potential.

Anything that boosts your self-confidence will also increase your self-worth, since they’re directly related. On the other hand, our self-worth becomes stagnant if we become arrogant and believe that we’ve accomplished all we can in life.

Start each day by making the commitment to your success. After all, you are worthy of great things! Even if you have a hard time believing this, take action anyway because where action is, emotions will follow.

Try something new, pick one of the topics from above, give it a shot and see for yourself how much of a difference it makes. Just remember the great words of Henry Ford:

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Which will you choose?

Think you can! Because it’s really truly all about you!

To your forever continued growth and success,

Britt

PS If your interested, I’m developing an online course on Confidence (especially for women) to be released in September 2009. Stay tuned to this blog or periodically check in on my business website for more information! There will be a special promotion for dedicated readers of my blog. So speak up, keep up and read up, because this one’s for you!