Never Underestimate Who You Are - Part I

We search to find out who we are and look for what will make us happy, and it is right under our noses.  There is a story called, "An Acre of Diamonds," and in it a man leaves his farm in search of diamonds.  He travels far and wide, and finally returns empty handed, only to have a reason to dig on his own land.  He finds diamonds.  Making an analogy about intrinsic wealth, we are diamonds and we also have diamonds within.  Furthermore, we all have a place in the world, and there is no one just like us.  Not only do we have our own special talents, we have inherent attributes that determine who we are, such as kindness, goodness, patience, generosity, and serenity. However, we need to make choices and decisions based on our moral values and integrity in order to direct our lives toward personal growth and satisfaction.  In order to feel good about ourselves and have self-esteem, we give to others and practice "random acts of kindness." Every good and loving gesture and act we do soothes our souls and contributes to a healthier world.  The object is to love ourselves and others, and be lovable.  In order to achieve this, we have to get to know and accept ourselves, and treat ourselves with kindness and compassion as we would a good friend. To try and see ourselves  realistically we should ask,  "What do I tell myself about who I am?"   And if we don't find ourselves worthy, we need to put effort into changing, replacing negative messages, habits, and actions from the past with positive ones.   We need to abide by the integrity of our minds, and acceptable definitions of right and wrong, and match them with our daily conduct.