26 June 2013
Ascertaining Self-value to Further Excel
Many retired people often lose their sense of value when they step down from their job position or the role as 'bread-winner' in their family. Subsequently, they become negative, emotionally disturbed and eventually lose their passion and energy in their daily lives, which in turn undermines their physical and psychological health.
'Self-value' is the core component of psychological functioning of people as well as the pointer of our lives. Our self-value originates from the interaction of our inner value and value of life: our inner value reflects how we look at ourselves (or commonly coined as 'self-esteem'), while our value of life refers to the beliefs and moral values that we uphold.
The feeling of inferiority owing to the loss of self-value reflects our ascription of our own value to achievements, social status, roles and wealth, which is why the loss of all these would result in the loss of our inner value. This is in fact a very common but significant misperception.
Life is Priceless
We must not forget that life is priceless. The fundamental value of life should be life itself, regardless of one's status, wealth or achievements, which are all external elements of life. In short, our self-esteem is underpinned by the belief that life is priceless, which is why retired people should not have their self-esteem shaken due to change in roles or loss of jobs.
Once retirees can ascertain their inner value, they will be able to see their past, present and future from a totally different perspective. They will no longer consider themselves as losers but a proud possessor of an enriched past; they will no longer cling on to their lost positions and roles, but instead treasure the plentiful valuable experience and knowledge that they have accumulated. Similarly, their perception of the present life will no longer be directionless but fulfilled instead, because they would not waste their time idling but contribute their valuable knowledge and experience to their families, friends and many others in society. They will not perceive their future life a burden but in the form of contribution to their families and society as they will continue to contribute themselves in all aspects.
If we can ascertain our inner value, we can ascertain our value of life. People who can ascertain their inner value are positive, happy and active. Moreover, they uphold the correct value of life and are better equipped to strive for further excellence in their pursuit of life goals.
Self-value is like a coin, with inner value on one side and value of life on the other. To live well and healthily, one needs to ascertain his/her own self-value so as to enhance the wellness of one's own mind and facilitate the setting of clear directions in life. To conclude, an ascertained self-value is the key for retirees to further excel themselves.
Dr Wong Chung-kwong, JP
Chairman of Honorary Advisory Board
Whole Person Development Institute
