#173 – How does the Ghost of Undervaluing derail your life?

The words validation and valuation have the same Latin origin: 'valor,' which means courage, value, and worth.

Feeling that we need external validation (or valuation, i.e., assignment of worth) is the work of the Ghost of Undervaluing (GoU). It powers over us when we don't have the courage to stand up to it, making us a pale, distorted reflection of our True Self.

Like a car salesperson, the GoU urges you to "get the sale" no matter what. Throw in a set of all-weather floor-mats, the Sirius XM 1-year subscription, free oil changes for life... As long as they buy!

What the car salesperson doesn't realize is that with these low sales tactics, they're sending the message to the customer that what they're buying isn't all that valuable.

Inside our own mind, the courage-lacking, meek and anxious GoU uses these same tactics on us, with our own worth. Unless you go the extra mile, it says, you're not worth it. Unless it takes a lot of effort, what you're doing isn't valuable. Unless someone buys it, your work means nothing.

That's the voice I listened to for too long: how could I call myself a writer if I did other things besides writing; if writing came so easily to me; if no one was buying my writings? Until someone asked me/gave me permission to write, I didn't have the courage to stand up to my GoU.

But if you don't assign value to yourself, who will?

What will you write, create, or do when your True Self stands up to your GoU?

Love,

Carolina