What is the World Telling Me about ME?
There’s a perspective in the self help and personal development arenas about needing to ‘go within’ to find out who we are, to be confident and connect to the value we bring to the world. While there is definite merit in being able to go within and confidently connect to our worth and who we are, there is also tremendous value in paying attention and listening to what the world has to say about our value and who we are. For many of us, it is through the world’s continuous validation of the value of our contribution, that our confidence grows.
Earlier today I was watching a clip on Lynda.com about how she (Lynda Weinman) came about doing what she does. Lynda.com is an online “Online” teaching facility – in other words, teaching computer skills online. Lynda taught herself how to use a computer and then created a business teaching others how to do what she taught herself to do. Listening to her story, I kept hearing a message about how the ‘outside’ showed her what she was good at and enjoyed doing. As an expert on the topic of using computers, when she was first approached to write computer related articles for magazines, she mentions how scared she was to put her voice to words – she wasn’t a writer. However the magazine people obviously thought differently and valued her writing as they kept coming back requesting more articles. Her own realization which she shares in the video is; “It was the world that was telling me that I was good at this, and not me who knew inside myself that knew I was good at it.” Similarly, she also discovered she was a ‘teacher’ through the repeated experience of people coming to her to be taught, before she ever declared herself to be a teacher. She realized people came to her because they enjoyed being taught by her – which helped her discover her love for teaching. You can go to www.lynda.com to hear more of this self made woman’s inspiring story.
If the beginning of 2012 has you reviewing what you offer or how you contribute to the world and going within isn’t igniting any inspiring insight – go with ‘out’. Notice what people come to you for, what they compliment you on, what they tell you about the value they receive from you. What is the world telling you about YOU – whether it is verbally/ literally or symbolically/metaphorically? Notice, and see how you feel about what theworld reflects back. Doesn’t mean you have to do anything with what the world tells you it perceives you are good at, however I would highly recommend taking its perspective into consideration – whether it’s revealing a hidden talent, a new path or validating how awesome you are at doing what you love, acknowledge what the outside is showing you about the value of You!
Posted by Kim Barnwell on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Filed under Awareness, Value · Tagged with