Higher Self Tech: Valuing Self

My daughter is my teacher sometimes. She has a unique sense of style that doesn't quite fit into the mainstream. It doesn't quite fit into the goth crowd. She's definitely not a preppie. She defies categorization, and she loves that. She values herself and most importantly, she values who she is more than what she can or can't buy.

I, on the other hand, had succumbed to the mind set that if I can't buy what I need when I think I need it, that there's something wrong with me. Particularly in some of the reality creation circles, it becomes doubly troublesome when you realize that you create your own reality and for some reason you have chosen to create poverty or lack. It may be temporary, but it's enough to bring on self-doubt and the inner critic. That points to self-denial, according to some metaphysical teachers. But, heck, what I think it really points to is the challenge to value ourselves regardless of what the abstract imagery of our creation chooses to present to us.

Tied into all this is the "keeping up with the Jones mentality." One of the richest people I know laughs every time he sees the commercial with the man who has a big house and is the envy of all his neighbors. He asks the viewer: "How do I do it?" And then he explains: "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs, that's how I do it." This rich man suggests that this is the typical American person. In debt up to their eyeballs and yet they think this is wealth.

So, what is wealth?

It took my daughter for me to realize what wealth is to me: health, happiness, and adventure! Yes, adventure! My daughter actually said to me: "Being rich is boring. It's no fun!" She had just come home from a weekend with her father and she had decided that money bought too much security for her tastes. She wanted a life that was a little more on the edge of society, a little more adventuresome, a little more entrepreneurial and a whole lot more fun. She turned to me and said: "Your life is fun!"

She was just the first person to tell me this. Another person began talking about her daughter who had a colostomy and I empathized saying: "I always think it's very sad when people get sick." She said: "Why's that?" And I said: "Because I never get sick anymore." To be honest, it had been over two years that I have not been sick. Not even a little cold. I have allergies but they had improved tremendously too. She looked at me and said: "That's what's called being blessed."

It stunned me for a moment. Most people don't view my life as blessed. They're usually the people who are struggling to climb the corporate ladder and make something of themselves. To them, I've missed the boat somewhere. It doesn't occur to them that on some level that was a conscious creation. Yes, I do enjoy my life for the most part, but for the first time I noticed people are looking at me and seeing a different way of living and considering maybe a different path. I am astounded. To me it's just a natural extension of who I am, to them it appears fun, exciting, miraculous!

So this month's higher self tech is all about COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS. Think about how many days we spend counting our bills, counting our cash reserves, counting our money. Now, start to count your blessings. If you don't know what they are: ask someone to tell you something they admire or like about your life. You will be amazed at some of the answers that come forth. In a capitalistic system like ours, we are often trained to perceive our lives through the dollar signs in our bank account. But that does not create our life nor make us who we are. So, now is the time to notice, how have we blessed ourselves in the way we have chosen to live our lives? You may find you are far wealthier than the person society dictates as "successful" but who has given up his freedom for status.