It is Saturday morning and I’m standing in line at Starbucks next door to the yoga studio where I just spent the last hour and a half bending, stretching and sweating myself into a healthier me. I sometimes feel selfish for taking this time for myself. While I wait for my to order I glance at my phone and read a Thrive Global email that asks, “What does self worth mean to you?” The idea of self worth can be so many things. In this moment after my yoga practice I’m feeling strong, relaxed, and even a little taller than I was when I woke up. I thought this is how I measure my self worth – good health. Being in good health keeps me capable of serving myself and others.
When we get hurt or sick we are often rendered worth less or even complete worthless. Whether it’s a bad back, sinus cold, or chronic exhaustion. When we are ill we can’t do our jobs with as much value as we do when we are healthy. We can’t take care of our families the way we would want to if we were healthy. I know when I have been crippled with chronic back pain and debilitating vertigo, those two sickness took over my body and mind. Even as my health improved they still kept me down and not able to tackle the smallest of tasks like make my young son breakfast or return an email to a client.
Reflecting back on those two scenarios and how I felt not physically, but emotional I suffered a tremendous sense uselessness. As an entrepreneur and sole employee of my company, I am the only one responsible for propelling my company forward each day. If I’m not healthy and productive my company can not be healthy and productive. I now realize it is not selfish to take care of myself like attending a weekend hot yoga class, it’s an investment in myself, in my company and in my family.
This effort to maintain good health gives me the ability to stay out of the doctors offices and out of bed. Keeping more money in my pockets and doing more worthy things with my life.
Originally published at medium.com