Love yourself—accept yourself—forgive yourself—and be good to yourself, because without you the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things. Leo F. Buscaglia

Today I am thankful for the gifts I have yet to discover.

Often times, we are our own worst enemy.  Socially speaking, a fine line has been created between accepting, admitting, embracing our gifts and talents AND being conceited.

While, it is true arrogantly boasting about your talents is an unattractive quality, to say the least….we need to be cautious in not diminishing our personal gifts and worth by not recognizing them in ourselves.

If we are debilitated in the discernment of our gifts, not only do we extinguish ourselves, but we also neglect to illuminate the lives of others in an enriching way.  If we barrage ourselves with negative talk depreciating our own worth and value, then we leave ourselves ineffectual.

Some of our “personal tapes” of self-hatred are so embedded and ingrained deep within our psyche that we fail to even identify them , much less understand the power of their imprisonment upon our lives.

This is not to say we should all run around announcing to the world how great we are….how unbelievably fantastic and awesome we are….it is not about superiority, nor is about inferiority….it is simply about being openly aware of the goodness that resides in you, the gifts…uniquely yours….to embroider yourself with the gifts of others.

Sidenote:  Talents and gifts are often thought of in terms of grandiose measure….a best selling author, reaching millions with their knowledge, a person in a position of power etc, and sadly this truth only aids in the demise of individual worth.  A gift could be whipping together a meal by which great conversation happens, it could be your way with words, your listening ear….the list goes on.

Recognize your gifts….the value of yourself.

This week jot down 3 positive things about yourself….3 attributes that enhance the lives of the people around you.  Ask a friend, if you are really frozen.

After writing down your 3 things….brainstorm and write down ways which you can use those attributes more often.

Post it in a place you see everyday to remain cognizantly aware of your worth, while putting forth a greater effort in employing your gifts.

Be easy on yourself and speak to yourself in kindness.

Enjoy your day!