A Lesson in Knowing Your Worth

A Lesson in Knowing Your Worth

 

Ashley Mason Greene
Ashley Mason-Greene (Credit: Jeff Martin)

by: Ashley Mason-Greene (@Aye_Ash)

If you’re doing this whole “growing up” thing right, you’ve probably managed to learn a thing or two.

You’re able to look back on your college days and cringe at the things you once said and did (Kitten-heeled flip flops, anyone? No? Just me? Oh.). And hopefully, many of those things aren’t even comprehendible to you anymore (read: You can’t comprehend why you thought dating 80 percent of the people you dated when you were younger was a good idea).

You’ve read The Secret and The Alchemist. You’ve tweeted quotes from both. Super Soul Sunday is (sometimes) your Sunday Service.  You’ve conquered a lot of fears and demons. And you’ve grown a lot along the way.

But I’ve found that sometimes people see [the changes] you’ve made and make it their job to stunt your growth. So now you not only have to work on and be mindful of yourself, you also have to be aware of those growth stunters.

That’s where I fucked up. I couldn’t fathom anyone else being even remotely interested in my personal journey and blamed their dismissive and negative behavior towards me on flaws in my personality. I kept tunnel vision on the areas of my life that I thought needed my focus—faith, relationships, that 10 okay 15 lbs I had gained from being a very good PR girl (lots of cocktail parties in Washington!).

I didn’t think to consider that even those people who had been a huge part of my professional life might not have my best interest at heart. I didn’t think that they might see their insecurities in my strengths. I didn’t think that they’d actively work toward bringing me down to “their level.”

[Tweet “”I didn’t think people would see their insecurities in my strengths,” – @Aye_Ash”]

The author walking on the pathway of more success in Monte Carlo.
The author walking on the pathway of more success in Monte Carlo. (Credit: AMG)

Everyone Isn’t On the Same Path As You (And, that’s okay!)

That may be the most important lesson of all: Go on your journey, grow in your purpose, and know your worth, but also know that everyone else isn’t on the same path as you.

You must be just as diligent about defending your purpose as you were about discovering it in the first place.  On this road, you will encounter a lot of naysayers and that negativity can trip you up—it may even knock you down—if you aren’t [fully grounded] in who you are now and who you’re becoming.

Knowing your worth may mean knowing when to walk away from situations that are no longer serving you. Or, ending your friendship with your bestie who wrote a scathing blog post about your new relationship (bye, girl!). It could mean leaving a job where your creativity and contributions are dwindled down to being the authority on “black” things or the face of diversity for them. Or, it could mean chasing your dreams despite being told not to by your less courageous loved ones (And be like you? STILL here?).

[This year and beyond], walk boldly in the direction of your goals and away from those things and people that try to deter you.

And if you can’t do it boldly, it’s okay to be ‘scurred’, but do it anyway. Let that strong desire you feel inside pull you towards your purpose. Know that that’s the universe calling you to your greatness.

And KNOW that you are worthy of everything you want.

Ashley Mason-Greene is currently an Account Director at SimoneInk. Follow her on Twitter @Aye_Ash.

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