Mindset
Recognize Your Value
“Try not to be a person of success, rather become a person of value.”
– Albert Einstein
A large manufacturing plant has come to a halt, with thousands of dollars of production being lost each day.
No one seems to be able to fix the broken machine that is responsible for producing the company’s valuable products.
Customers clamoring daily for the product are frustrated and take their business elsewhere.
Ownership growing angrier with each passing day, and a real sense of despair has fallen upon the company.
Their wits end, and General Manager reaches out to a highly recommended consultant who comes to the plant, assesses the machine, takes out his hammer, and pounds three times on a small part.
Suddenly the machine begins to run again, and the product starts rolling off the assembly line.
The consultant hands the general manager an invoice for $30,000.
The General Manager squints and looks again, then turns to the consultant and says, “$30,000 for 10 minutes of work and three strikes of a hammer?!”
The consultant sighs, and then says, “No sir, you were losing thousands of dollars an hour because this machine was down. The $30,000 is for the years of knowledge and accumulated experience that told me exactly what I needed to do to fix your machine in the shortest possible time.”
Your value should not be mistaken for your self-worth. These are two different things. Self-worth is how you see yourself from within and requires deep personal reflection and a great mindset.
I’ve talked about some of this work in previous posts.
But your value is something defined by external interpretation. What do you bring to the table that serves to improve or benefit those who seek your services or knowledge?
The Rapper 50 Cent began his foray into selling Vitamin Water after observing the difference between a gallon of water sold in one container for $2.89 and another down the aisle sold for .59 cents.
He speculated that no one would know the difference between the two waters if they were poured in a glass side by side. He realized that the “Brand” of Poland Spring, had figured out how to make people think there was a difference.
He later observed the difference between a bottle in a hotel room for free, in the local corner store for $4.00, and on an airplane for $9.00. Real or perceived scarcity, convenience, and brand image all play into the decision-making of the customer.
Your ability to make a living from what you do, the service you provide, or the products you sell is determined by your ability to solve problems others can’t solve, or your ability to be there when they need solving.
But it is also dependent on your ability to recognize your growth, and your unique abilities as they become enriched.
It’s also dependent on your confidence in what you offer or provide. Your ability to walk away from those who don’t value what you have to offer. But also your ability to be there when it’s needed.
Your value is complex, but it starts with knowing it doesn’t always have anything to do with the market price. The herd mentality creates market prices and expectations, but those should not define your value.
Your value is always changing and often revised depending on circumstances, environments, and needs. It’s important to keep a pulse on all of these things as your life and career progress.
Mohamad Ali once said, “A man who sees himself at 50 the same as he did at 30 has wasted 20 years.”
On second thought, your value and your self-worth are intimately aligned. The work inside is just as important as the work outside.
When you know your value, live it.
