FIFTEEN

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt 

Once you learn how much you’re worth, you’ll stop giving people discounts.

It took a long time for me to truly believe how much I was actually worth. I was raised in a loving family and I knew, intellectually, that I was valuable. I was raised in a religion that taught me I was the beautiful creation of a loving God. I spent time with Indigenous communities that taught me all of creation was valuable. But then I spent time with people who I allowed to blame me for anything that went wrong. I took on responsibility for all the mistakes, even if I wasn’t involved. I thought things like if I had just been there or if I had helped it would have been better. I even thought at one point, it would have been worth the abuse if it helped someone else.

Thankfully, my God put other people in my life who made it their mission to help me see that by being the best and most authentic me I was the most beautiful and valuable individual on the planet. That is true of each of us. I cannot be you, not even a bad imitation. But I can be me, completely and authentically. And no one else can do it better.