Trying on Dignity

As the word geek that I am, sometimes I fall deep into exploring the world of a single word. Lately, I’ve been really into the word dignity. 

I first fell in love with the word dignity about ten years ago when my friend and then-yoga teacher Kerri Kelly offered a definition of it during a particularly challenging yoga class:

Dignity is believing that your best is good enough.

I had needed those words. Hearing her say them in that class, my back straightened and my whole body felt stronger and softer. 

I adopted Kerri’s definition for years, and used it like a talisman anytime I needed the reminder to straighten up even when I wished I could do or be better.

But in recent months, I decided I wanted more understanding of dignity and what it means to me. I started by thinking about how I recognize it in others, but then I got curious about what it feels like to me and what’s possible when I feel it.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Whereas everyone’s birthright is worth, someone who possesses dignity knows their worth.

A person with dignity is unflappable, not because they never get stressed or scared or upset, but because they have a strong connection to what is deeper, more meaningful and most essential for them. 

Having dignity means taking responsibility for yourself and not taking responsibility for the feelings and actions of others.

It means being able to give and love fully without giving away parts of yourself.

Dignity balances love and strength, gracefulness and power, fluidity and rootedness. 

Dignity embraces love, respect and compassion, along with an unfuckwithableness. (Talk about a great word!)

What about you? 

What does dignity feel like in your body when you try it on? What image do you associate with dignity? What’s possible when you embody dignity? 

If you like, join me in exploring your experience of dignity to come up with what it means to you.

Or pick a quality that’s been calling to you and attempt to get to know it, not just in your mind, but in your body and heart, too. 

Because there’s a difference between knowing what a word means and embodying it. And the more you seek to embody it, the more you will understand it.

Want to learn more about embodying the qualities that are important to you? Check out Yours Truly.