Self-Worth and the Law of Attraction

Don't you just love it when the universe "guides" you by putting all kinds of neat synchronicities and surprises in your path?

This was my experience recently when I began pondering my limited success with the Law of Attraction. I've long been a believer that our thoughts attract (and often create) the experiences we have day to day. I've worked diligently on attracting a better quality of life in all areas, from money to health to peace of mind, and I've made some great progress. Over the past few years I've transitioned from a fearful, lack-focused existence to an almost constant state of passion, joy, and enthusiasm about my life.

I've found new purpose in my work, increased my financial abundance, attracted my dream home, and more - but I still kept feeling like there was some vague, intangible inner blockage I was bumping up against. As much as I had accomplished, I still couldn't seem to advance beyond a certain point. In a moment of frustration, I closed my eyes and asked the universe to help me - show me what I was missing.

A few days later I was searching for something online (I can't even remember what now) and I stumbled across a page that described a process called the "Midas Method." At first glance it seemed to be a wealth-building program and I almost clicked away from the page, but something compelled me to look deeper. Within minutes I was downloading the e-book and reading it voraciously.

Finally, I understood what the missing piece to my puzzle was, what that inner blockage was all about: SELF-WORTH!

It may seem at first glance that self-worth has nothing to do with the Law of Attraction, but it has EVERYTHING to do with it. You can be the best visualizer on the planet, make lists, recite affirmations and "feel good" until you're blue in the face - but if you don't believe in yourself you will RESIST anything good you try to attract to yourself!

Finally, I understood that I was doing just that. I was only accepting into my reality that which my existing level of self-worth agreed I deserved - and pushing away everything else.

Further, I discovered that there are two types of self-image, and I needed work in both of them:

1) Belief in yourself as worthy and valuable. This is tied in with your perception of who you are as a person, and what you deserve to have in life. Indicators that you are lacking in this area would include feelings of negativity (or downright hatred) about yourself, a feeling of hopelessness and lack (or emptiness), and a defeated acceptance of the negative aspects of your life. You want to create a better life, but you don't believe you deserve one so you continue to suffer in silence.

2) Belief in your own capabilities. This is tied in with what you believe you are capable of achieving in life. You can have a strong belief that you deserve to be happy, but if you don't believe you have the ability to make positive changes, you'll falter and remain stuck in negative circumstances.

In order to improve your self-worth, you need to create a healthy self-image in BOTH of these areas. Exactly how to do this is more than I can cover in this short article, but here are two quick tips to get you started:

1) Get into the habit of speaking kindly to yourself. Most of us have a very negative, consistent stream of thought that we're not even aware of most of the time. Now and then you might become aware that you're berating yourself, or bullying yourself, or otherwise speaking negatively to yourself. This practice will continue to damage your self-image! Instead, little by little, work on speaking kindly and lovingly to yourself as often as possible. Address your inner self directly and say things like, "Hi there! You are really great, you know that?" Let feelings of love and appreciation flow from your conscious mind to your inner (subconscious) self. Remember that this isn't a quick fix, you'll need to re-write years of negative scripting and beliefs, but you should see some noticable improvement (even on a small scale) within a few weeks.

2) Get into the habit of taking action. A negative perception of your capabilities often causes you to hold back on taking any action at all! If you continue with this pattern of belief, you eventually end up feeling "trapped" with no way out of dissatisfying circumstances. To overcome this blockage and strengthen your belief in your capabilities again, you need to PUSH yourself into taking action. The trick is to not worry about the outcome. Don't worry about whether you'll "fail" or "succeed." Let the action itself be a victory. Take action on something small to start with, on something that makes you feel a tad anxious. Example: If you have a belief that you're not a good conversationalist and you usually avoid meeting new people, try striking up a short conversation with the person behind you in the supermarket checkout line. As you get more comfortable with taking action, you can make the actions themselves bigger and more daring. But start small - one baby step at a time!

You may be wondering what's happening with me since I discovered all this about my self-worth and began changing it around? The changes have been modest, yet I can feel a shift beginning to occur beneath the surface. It's like a logjam is beginning to untangle itself, and I'm getting ready for the flood of joy and prosperity that's building up on the other side. I'll have to update you on the rest at a later time. :-)