Know Your Value

"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein

Value is simply the usefulness, relative worth, merit, or importance of something or someone. Everyone has value.  Everyone has a purpose. We are all unique pieces of a much greater whole. It is important to know and understand your value, and the value of others.

The problem is we often don't take the time to see our own value. And if we are failing to do that on a regular basis, it is likely we aren't placing appropriate value on others either, even if we think we might be. We must learn to value and love ourselves first if we intend to fully value and love others. Even if you’re a generally positive person, you still may not be recognizing your own worth and value. Anytime you hold yourself back, put yourself down, or give into your doubts and fears, you aren't seeing your own value. 

Let me offer this scenario: If I took out a $100.00 bill and offered it to you, would you want it? I would assume you would. What if I took that $100.00 bill and crumpled it into a tiny ball, would you still want it? I would assume you would. What if I then took that $100.00 bill and threw it to the floor, stepped on it and squished it with my foot, and then kicked it around a bit. Would you still want it, now? I would assume you would. DO YOU KNOW WHY? Because no matter what I had put that bill through, in the end it is still worth $100.00. It doesn't lose its value when it is knocked down, kicked around or put through a crunch. The same goes for YOU. We all go through tough times, get kicked around or knocked down from time to time. Through it all, we never lose our VALUE.

The more valuable you believe you are, the more successful you'll be. We shouldn’t equally forget that value is connected to influence. When value grows, influence grows. Once we see our own value, we are able to see the value and others. It is then, when we can proceed to seek out opportunities to add significant value to others.

Here are some things you can do, and some ways to become a better person of value and influence:

• Know your purpose: It is important to know your why. Why do you do what you do? What drives you? What were you born to do? Once you begin to live with purpose, then you can live 'on purpose' and intentionally seek to make a positive difference. Purpose ignites passion which keeps you motivated, inspired and focused. You need to follow your purpose to be valuable and influential. 
• Never quit learning and improving: Personal development is a lifelong process of understanding and developing yourself, to realize your full potential. But it is important to remember that this is a journey, not a destination. It's about what we become in the process. We can always be improving ourselves, our situations, what we know, what we understand. This raises our value and the value you are able to bring to others. 
• Understand the difference between Good Intentions vs Living Intentionally: It is a positive thing to have good intentions and to want to help others. But if you don't act upon those things intentionally, it won't make a difference.  Great ideas and thoughts need to be backed with action. We've all heard the phrase "You don't get paid on good intentions," this holds true if your desire is to truly make a difference and live a life of significance. We should be continually seeking opportunities to add value to others. Think of what you can do to make lives better. The more people you solve problems for, the more valuable and influential you become.
• Strive for excellence not perfection: They are not the same thing. Excellence is about going above and beyond. It's about knowing that if it is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Give it your all, and give it your best. Becoming a person of value and influence is not going to be so much about what you do as it is about how you do it, and how well you do it.
• Be encouraging, inspiring and empowering to others: Find ways to encourage, inspire and empower others to perform at their peak and to be their best. Remember, you can't change people, they have to want and choose to change themselves. We can help them change and influence their change, but they have to be the ones to change.  Share your knowledge and skills with others. Teach them how to recognize their own strength and knowledge. Your value and influence is connected to the number of lives that are better because of you. 
• Believe in yourself and your abilities: No one needs to believe in you, but you.  Know who you are. Know what you want. People admire and are attracted to someone who is confident in themselves. Seek connection, not validation.  No amount of attention will be enough unless you validate & love yourself. You are worthy.  You are enough. You are someone.  You are the only version of "you" to ever exist in the universe.  You are great.  You are powerful.  You are special.  You deserve to feel like you can take on the world, and that you are worthy just as you are. You are important, deserving, loving, intelligent, worthy, compassionate, inspiring, brave, true, strong and able. 

And I will keep telling you until you realize it yourself.

Make today great!

Curtis

“The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become.” - Jim Rohn