Spinel
There’s something perplexing about spinel. You’d think being harder than emerald, as bold as ruby, and as clear as sapphire—not to mention rarer than any of them—would make spinel at least as costly and popular. Strangely, it isn’t so. For reasons no one can quite explain, few have even heard of this mineral, despite the fact that it rivals any other gemstone for brilliance, hardness, durability, color, and historic connection to royalty. It seems that the other precious gemstones are more prized simply because they have name recognition that spinel lacks, but those willing to look past the popularity contest are well rewarded, for they discover a gem that is every bit as spectacular, at a fraction of the cost. In this sense, spinel reminds us of what we may miss when we follow trends and give too much weight to name brands and popular opinion. If spinel is showing up for you now, it’s nudging you to look past the hype and seek out what others have failed to value.
The Bottom Line
THINK FOR YOURSELF
“Make up your own mind instead of following the crowd.”
One Or More Of These Messages Are For You
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- In your current situation, trust your own judgment over popular opinion.
- Don’t get taken in by hype.
- Now is the time to look past trends and popularity and decide for yourself what the value of a person or thing is.
- Do you feel perplexed by who or what is valued in our world, and who or what is overlooked? Public opinion is often a poor reflection of true worth, so trust yourself and feel secure in your own assessments.
- If you’ve been identifying with a group lately to the point where you’re mindlessly adopting their stances without stopping to think for yourself, consider this a nudge to change course.
- Have you become overly focused on awards, recognition, and impressing others? You’ll feel better if you refocus on doing your best without regard to how you’re received.
- Surround yourself with those who recognize your true worth.
- If you feel like you’re just as good as folks who are getting the prizes and honors, you may well be right! But don’t let it sour you: Your true worth can never be affected by the opinions of others.
