EP32: "On Self Worth" Jourdan Ash

One of the most important, if not THE most important item to keep in check is your self worth. I was fortunate enough to have a mother, a stepdad and grandparents who believed in me - and always reminded me that I could do whatever I set my mind to -a tool which shaped me, and got me through many difficult yet luckily not detrimental moments in life.

My motto has always been “if I don’t know the job I’ll learn it”, words which I still default to today. But I did lose my sense of self worth along the way.... And how? Was it internal or external forces that dissolved it? Was it my own wounded ego or that of others? For many years it seems I was rolling through life, measuring my value in financial gains, and along the way letting my true self go.

A few years ago I stood up. As I began walking my true path. I was reminded in mysterious ways that simply being is enough. Now I walk in integrity and clear in my purpose - but this took a while.

Meeting Jourdan Ash reminded me of the strength I had as a young woman. Her presence is regal. Intelligent and dark humored - her confidence is inspiring. I was humbled during our conversation, she’s very clear on her worth, she doesn’t take BS from anything or anyone, and she’s able to manifest what she wants and clearly detect what is a test.

Known on Rihanna's internet as LifewithJRDN, she’s a New York based writer with words in Complex, Pitchfork, her own blog, LifeWithJRDN.com and more. When she's not behind the pen, she's hosting, editing and curating her bi-weekly show, Dating in NYC: The Podcast, an hourly show that focuses on the many lessons in love, sex and dating as told by creatives of color.

On this New Moon I leave you with an exercise in introspection… Find a quite moment and ask yourself this or journal it if inspired: Are you in alignment with your self worth? Are your values based on your core beliefs or on other’s expectations? How do you want to feel? What do you want?

JOURDAN’S FAVORITES

Favorite beauty ritual: My favorite beauty ritual is oiling my cuticles! My nail artist always tells me that the hands are the first things to show age. So a few times a day, I take a moment to oil my cuticles. It's a mini moment in my day that helps me to pause and remember to think about myself.

Favorite wellness tip: My favorite wellness tip is to get up. I recently started taking classes, that I love. But the hardest thing for me to do is to get up to actually go. To encourage myself, I try to remind myself how proud I feel when I make it to class and how great I feel afterwards. The feeling alone is all the encouragement I need.

You can learn more about Jourdan on Instagram @lifewithJRDN