Do you ever have trouble doing things that you know are good for you? Like exercise, for example? Eating well? Taking a break to get more rest? Staying away from that addiction?
Do you ever hesitate in fully pursuing your heart's longings? Maybe making that change in career you fantasize about? The move you'd like to make? Or telling someone you love them?
These are just two examples of the many ways we can hold ourselves back from fully committing to doing, having, or being what we deserve. Why is it sometimes so hard to do what's good for us or take the risk to make a positive change in our lives?
There are, of course, a wide variety of reasons. One big one is that doing things requires effort, and it just feels too hard to put in the effort at times. Or we might feel we don't have the time, money, resources or opportunity to really do what we want. And maybe we fear change or the risks involved.
I think behind all these reasons is another, often hidden, obstacle that holds us back from showing up for ourselves. I think there's a part of us that doesn't feel we are worth the effort or that we deserve what the change would cost in terms of time, money, resources, etc.
This idea of self-worth is something I've been working with since I went on my pilgrimage to Mexico in March. As part of the pilgrimage, we hike up to a sacred mountain at dawn in order to do a sunrise ceremony at the top followed by prayers.
My prayer this year was to really own my worth and to embody it fully in my life. Working with this idea through shamanic practices, prayer, ceremonies, and healing sessions has been so enlightening.
It's brought my awareness to the many seemingly little but important ways in which I sometimes don't give myself my very best in terms of self-care, time, love, attention, kindness, compassion and understanding.
I find that when I'm working with something, the Universe brings me many opportunities to put it into practice and also many confirmations along my journey. This happened recently in a yoga class when the teacher spoke about self-care and said, "You are worth the effort."
The words really resonated with me, and she repeated them each time she nudged us to push a little more to hold a pose longer or stretch a little deeper. Hearing her say, "You're worth the effort," hit home and inspired me to give more of myself to my practice.
Since the class, it has become a favorite mantra. When I feel some resistance and want to take the easy way out, I say to myself, "You are SO worth the effort!" It's amazing how that little saying inspires me and helps me take the right action for myself. And I end up feeling great each time.
So, next time you hesitate in being good to yourself, remind yourself that you are so worth the time, effort, money, risk, resources, or whatever else it will take to do what's good for you. And then take immediate action and enjoy how awesome it feels to show up for YOU.