Dear Destiny Friend,
No one likes a liability. No one wishes to be a liability. These are undisputable facts in our contemporary society. As a result, anyone without a value is considered an anathema in the scheme of affairs. He can neither help himself nor someone else.
Regardless of how one sees life, value is at the centre of any assistance programmed to or fro any productive mind. Most persons, who need assistance, however, find it difficult to show a genuine reason such assistance should be rendered to them. It is worthy of note that most resourceful and selfless leaders who empower entrepreneurs, donate to Non-Government Organizations and support worthy causes, do it because they see value in the work. The reason is not farfetched: it is easy to build on existing foundation as opposed to breaking new ground without any track record.
Without a iota of doubt, free lunch is not guaranteed anywhere, and a good number of generally put their mouths where their money is, except one percent of the most celebrated people. Only selfless people who can support without any form of attachment are on rare occasions open to valueless adventure. These set of people can support someone who can’t pay them for the service or opportunity. It is pro bono opportunity.
Even at that, anyone who wishes to assist another generally has a reason for doing so; if for nothing else, at least they believe the creator will reward and favour them.
What therefore, is value? Value can be defined as the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. It can also be seen as a person’s principles or standards of behaviour. From another angle, it can also be the monetary worth of a commodity or property. Just like we all have different taste buds, value means different things to different people. What Mr. A appreciates might be what Mr. Be detests. Value is indeed priceless and, in some cases, it cannot be estimated.
However, Value in this context, means offering a service or selling a product.
As a Human Capacity coach with expertise on self-discovery, most times I come across youths and career professionals who need opportunity to thrive. Sometimes, I see people begging for money, sometimes, I see people who would like to meet their idol (mentor, celebrity, benefactor, etc.), but they don’t know how to navigate the process.
Each time I come across such people, I ask them several questions like, who are you? What’s your talent/gift? What can you do with relative ease? What makes you happy? If you are told, don’t work again in your life, what will you do with your time? What kind of causes are you passionate about? All these questions are targeted at knowing what the person likes to do, and what brings fulfilment to him.
What uninformed minds don’t understand is that one can literally get anything he wants in life if he know hows to cultivate his value.
For instance, anyone, who wishes to meet an influential person, must in the first step know what that person likes. He must come to terms with the fact that the person supports any of the causes relating to education, good governance, youth, health, women empowerment, sports, etc. It will be wise to know how your value can play a role in alleviating the problem or challenges that sector or cause is experiencing and see how you can solve the problem by adding value to the sector.
Hear this:
When you know the value you offer, and how to present the value to the desired people, the world will resonate with your service. The reason most people are poor is simply because they are not solving the right problem for the right people. One of the major reasons most people are neglected is because they don’t have any substantial value to offer. When you have value, people will generally be attracted to you.
In my personal relationship with the high and mighty in the society, I have discovered that nobody is too busy to pick your call or respond to your message. If they don’t pick your call instantly or respond to your message, they always find time to revert when you are a person of value to them. Your goal is to be sugar that ants will naturally be attracted to.
Proper use of value can attract wealth, opportunities, and relevance. When you know your value, you won’t be priced cheap. Most of the great people the world has celebrated have either been able to make a great impact in the world or solved a problem with their value. It should be noted that no value is higher or has more relative importance than another.
If you can sing, dance, teach, write, act or draw, you can literally use it and get whatever you need. I strongly believe that any day you discover your gift, that’s the day you become a millionaire. It should be noted that talent is not enough to make one valuable; hard work should also play a role. In addition, a progressive mind must endeavour to hone their talents by seeking ways to improve themselves because we live in a competitive world.
If you are in the academic space, continuous education should be your friend. If you are in the training space, taking certification classes should be your friend. If you are in the entertainment industries, getting theoretical knowledge should be your ally. All these added benefits help to add value to your life. Sometimes, it’s the extra work you do that adds value to your life or craft that makes you valuable and priceless because of the experience you have acquired.
Value can either be in the form of a product or service. A cursory look at the Forbes list of billionaires, will reveal that all the billionaires on the list either have a product or service they are offering to the world.
Sometimes, price is used to know the value a commodity possesses. The price of a Toyota Camry is different from a Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, Tesla, Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Porsche, etc.
Do you know your value can be used to determine your expertise in a particular field? Your expertise does not have to be related to a degree or years of experience. Your expertise can come from your unique perspective or approach to your craft, your knowledge of your industry or a particular field career due to your gift or talent you pose.
When you know your value, your next big target will be to use your value to solve a problem in order to be compensated. Your value is not meant to be a hobby, rather, it should be horned for the service of humanity. You must understand the market to know how to market your value.
In conclusion, as you sojourn through life, endeavour to seek ways to add value to your life. Whether you are single, married, an entrepreneur, career professional, skilled or worker, the more value you have, the more opportunities, resources and relevance you will attract. This is simply because we live in a competitive economy. Nobody is indispensable in life. Never believe you are the best because somebody somewhere is competing for your position.
Isn’t it true therefore, that it’s easier to get first position, but it’s more difficult to remain in first position? Hence the reason one should endeavour to continually improve himself by getting additional value
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny and Unleash Your Destiny. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
