Dear Shirley:

These are two separate things: your worth as Shirley the person and your performance/ accomplishments.

If you don’t know your worth and you try to earn your worth by being better at pre calc or ap physics or running faster, even if you become number one in your school, in all of your state… maybe in the whole world, if you don’t have that sense of worth, no accomplishment will earn it for you.

Study and compete academically and in sports if you want (or have to being in a competitive school)- but leave your worth out of the competition!

When you look at yourself in the mirror next time, maybe in early evening, when lights are dim, look at your face, your eyes and breathe slow and deep: this is Shirley! She is worth a whole lot and nobody and nothing can take that away from you.

Tests, grades, competition, this is another matter. Please don’t mix the two.

You asked about mindfulness exercises. Well, let’s say you walk from school alone, feelt he sun on your face, the temperature of it, the wind, if there is any, how it feels on your skin, hair. Feel your feet hitting the ground, up from the ground, any noise your walking makes, any sound at all your walking makes, your breathing, other people, birds, traffic… listen, look and minimize your thinking: just see, hear, feel the touch and temperature…

Basically it is about not thinking and instead sensing, five senses.

* Did you notice the first post on this page, written by another member of tiny buddha? I think you may have missed it.

I hope you have a relaxing, mindful weekend and that you look in the mirror and see your worth. You are worthy whether you see it or not, whether you know it or not. So why not see it and know it?

anita