I was turned on to a recording by Dov Baron the other day, and one of the concepts he talked about was so simple, so memorable and so powerful that I felt compelled to share it with my children, and now with you:
Imagine you’re here with me in my living room. I’m pulling money out of my pocket. I take a bill and hold it up. You see that it’s a $100 bill.
“How much is this worth?” I ask you.
You say, “one hundred dollars.”
Right. So, I ask “How much would it be worth if I took it to the bank?”
You answer, “$100.”
And I ask: “How about if I took it to a restaurant? A clothing store? To Target? To a gas station?”
It’s still worth $100.
What if I threw it on the ground and stomped on it?
$100.
What if I crumpled it up? What if I cupped the crumpled mess in one hand and used my other fist to hit it? What if I yelled obscenities and insults at it?
It’s still worth $100. Its value hasn’t changed.
That’s how our self-worth must be. We are all worth every bit as much as that first moment we came into this world and our mother and/or father looked into our eyes with love and awe.
So, whether we’ve been hurt, called names, insulted, physically abused, verbally abused, no matter what our boss or co-workers or friends or enemies or neighbors or family members have said, our worth and our value in this world has not changed. We are still precious, miraculous and worthy…and to live with this knowledge is bliss!
Of course, at the end of this lesson, I asked my children how much they are worth.
My son replied knowingly, “Two thousand and three dollars,” for the year (“moment”) of his birth.
I assured him he and his sister are worth much, much more.
the life and loves of Alisa B 