our worth, human worth, success

As I sit and contemplate my observations of how people act and treat each other, I ponder how we measure our worth, and others'. In religious communities the lesson is that we are all children of a higher power and we are loved for just the way we are. Oh, the warm and fuzzies are awesome. To be loved unconditionally. But, later we walk out to the "real" world. A world where materialism seems to be "king" and not too long ago you would see posters and bumper stickers with sayings such as " the one with the most toys wins". How do we measure success and what is success? Do we find Mother Theresa or Donal Trump to be more successful? Why? How do we define that? I have come across people in the world that feel that it is not very "smart" to get a Master or Doctorate degree in Liberal arts. Psychology? Why? English? Why? I remember my college years where it seemed everyone was in the Business program. I, a liberal arts student. The irony is that if your strengths are not in the areas necessary for "business" work, you may not get a job. I am a believer that we all have strengths and weakness. We need to accept that. We can't change that, we can try and maybe be less weak in certain areas but we need to accept how we are "programmed" find what is our calling by looking at our "gifts". We may be good at math but lousy at writing or the reverse is possible. We may have introvert qualilities or be an extrovert. We need to like ourselves, appreciate who we are. It may be beneficial to find others who are like us as a way to help us feel that we are "OK" and not alone. This world needs teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors. We also need waitors, chefs and just about every profession inorder to have a complete life. We need police officers, security guards and the list goes on. No job or profession is deaming or should be looked down upon. We all have strengths and callings. We have passions. As long as we work and take care of ourselves and our responsibities, I think we are OK. I know that I have met people that think my choice was not smart. Sometimes I actually doubt myself. Psychotherapy is not highly paid and when you look at graduate school education costs, I can't say that there is a "return on investment" but you know, that is if I am speaking on purely financial terms. In those moments of doubt, I seem to always have a client tell me how I have helped them. It is almost like God speaking through people, and letting me know, I am where I am supposed to be. Be proud of what you do, you are needed where you are. If you are not "happy" then look within what your strengths are and explore other options. All jobs serve an important purpose.