Work is an expression of your worthiness

Last week I had one of those weeks. One thing after another went awry and instead of taking it all in stride, I allowed each incident to wash away my sense of worthiness. I slowly sunk into a puddle of self-reproach grumbling to myself, Ugh, this old story – again?

But then, something happened that demonstrated to me I need never question my own worthiness again.

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Flash back to last year when I deep dove into my creative process and birthed the Vision Journey. On the surface, it looks like a straight-forward, self-discovery course meant to help people express their inherent value in their work. However, instead of creating a traditional type of online course, I took a new approach to doing the “inner work” of work – I made it light-hearted and fun. Set in the not-so-imaginary realm of “Inspired Work”, you star as the central character in the adventure winding your way through a mysterious unknown land where you navigate the barriers and challenges of your own internal landscape to discover who you are and what you have to offer the world.

At one point in your journey, you must sail across the “Sea of Worthiness” as a symbol of leaving behind your old identity and stepping into the newer, truer version of you. When it came time to write that particular segment in the story, I remember sitting huddled under a blanket in the still-dark early hours of the morning, asking myself, What would make someone know their worthiness as they crossed a sea? The answer emerged from the depths: They would encounter whales. As I wrote about the appearance of these ancient creatures, I could sense that the abyss of the “Sea of Worthiness” is where we all originate from and where we maintain our connection to all that is and all that ever was. It ended up becoming one of the most mystical passages in the story.

That same morning, I had previous plans to travel off island, so only a couple of hours later I found myself  on a ferry literally crossing the sea. Shortly after we had set sail, the captain came over the loudspeaker and announced that earlier that morning the crew had spotted two humpback whales just outside of the cove. It was uncommon to see one humpback, very rare to see two. Given what I had written just hours before, I was a little stunned. Moments later, the captain came back on and exclaimed, “There they are!” We, the passengers, all hurried to the front of the ship. It gave me goosebumps to witness the physical realization of something I had made up only hours before.

Just a minute later, the captain came back over the speaker, this time sounding more like a kid than a commander, “Wow, there are also a pod of orcas behind us in the cove!” We all rushed to the back of the ship to catch a glimpse of the orca family swimming through the water. I was gobsmacked. In the 12 years I had lived on the island, this type of double sighting was unheard of. If there were ever a moment to believe that my worthiness was being expressed in the world, this was it. I knew I would remember this profound experience for the rest of my life. Or, at least I thought I would.

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Fast forward to the end of last week. I woke up still in the fog of my bad mood. Okay, I said to myself, what would make today a day worth living? Again, the answer rose from the depths. I knew there was nothing I could “do” out in the world that was going to change how I felt. I had to reconnect with my internal sense of worthiness. I had to remember who I was within. My personal definition of worthiness is the awareness that I exist and the knowledge that my energy is responding to me so that I may have real-world experiences that evidence my existence.

Worthiness is the awareness that you exist and the knowledge that your energy is responding to you so that you may have real-world experiences that evidence your existence.

I had already planned to go for a hike that day along a coastal trail. To be amongst the trees next to the sea tends to have a cleansing effect on my state of mind. With every stride on the rocky trail, I intentionally released those thoughts and stories that had been dragging me down. I felt lighter with each passing kilometre.

It was about an hour into my hike that I heard the tell-tale whoosh. My pulse quickened as I peered through the cliffside trees out to sea and waited for it. Sure enough, I heard its breath again, this time accompanied by the visual of the spray from its blowhole. A humpback whale had risen to the surface and then silently slipped back into the sea.

It was travelling in the same direction as I was, so we journeyed together for a short while. Every now and then, it would reemerge above the surface, the whoosh of its breath asking me, Do you remember your worthiness now? 

Eventually the magical creature outpaced me and swam beyond my sight. Still captivated by its timely appearance, it took me a moment to reorient myself to my immediate surroundings. It was only then when I remembered my previous encounter on the ferry. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten. Wow, you can’t make this stuff up, I thought, but then I corrected myself. Yes, I can. I have before and I just did it again.

I knew right away I wanted to share this story for the reminder to us all that even on our darkest days, we are worthy. It’s likely that I will forget again – that we will all forget again – but if we watch for it, life will present us with undeniable proof of the magic of our own existence.

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Questions to explore:

• What is it to be worthy?
• What does a sense of worthiness feel like within?
• What have you experienced in life that demonstrates you need not question your own worthiness?
• Does your work in the world express your internal sense of worthiness?

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When you explore the depths of who you are and bring your whole self to the surface, you reclaim your inherent value and your work becomes a vehicle through which you express the worthiness that you are.

If you’re feeling called from your own depths to receive clarity about your path, your gifts, and how to align your work with your true self, I invite you to embark on your own Vision Journey.