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WHAT IS VALUE?
I shared a post on my Instagram stories this week from Matt Gottesman that really hit home. (Matt writes a great newsletter called Permissionless here on Substack. Definitely check it out.) Here’s the quote:
A bottle of water can be $0.50 at the market, $2 at the gym, $3 at the movies & $6 on a plane.
Same water.
Only thing that changed its value was the place…
So the next time you feel your worth is nothing, maybe you’re at the wrong place.
-Kobi Simmons
OWNING VALUE
I wanted to share this thought with you today because I think we all need this reminder from time to time - especially as we age.
You probably feel like you carry tremendous value in certain areas of your life. And, you probably want to share that value to help others. But, maybe it feels like no one wants to hear it.
Am I right?
And, it’s true. Our culture really doesn’t value the wisdom of age + experience. But, that doesn’t reduce its value.
We get to decide the value of our water bottle.
We can be a $0.50 bottle or a $6 bottle. That’s up to us.
But, if we decide to be a $6 water bottle, we probably aren’t going to be very successful standing in the market next to all of the $0.50 bottles trying to convince a shopper to spend the extra $5.50 with us. We need to find a plane. A new environment.
About 12 years ago, my husband + I started an online business to deliver meal plans, grocery lists + recipes in an effort to help people reconnect with the idea of cooking from home, using primarily plant-based, whole foods.
It was right around the time when social media started to explode.
We didn’t get it.
We would share life-changing, important health information on our pages + get very little engagement, but if we posted a picture of us doing something goofy or meaningless, the ‘likes’ + comments would explode.
We were so passionate about passing along information that could absolutely transform the health of our friends + family. We shared articles, tips, resources + recipes, but it really felt like no one valued what we had to share.
It was so frustrating + disappointing. Eventually, we stopped sharing.
As the years go on, I realize more + more the value of the information we have to share. Not just information, but the way we have integrated it into our lives in such an enjoyable, sustainable way.
When it comes to nutrition + healthy living, I have invested a ton of time, money, resources + energy into figuring these things out. Things I would LOVE to share with others so they can shortcut their own path to better health.
That said, to this day, I get more engagement posting a picture of my cat than sharing wisdom from my life - which if I’m honest, keeps me from really owning the value of what I have to offer.
This is just one small example, but you get what I’m saying. I know you’ve felt that, too. We all have. We all want our experiences to matter. To be helpful. To have value.
And, they do. But maybe not in the space you are currently sitting.
Don’t let that determine the value. And, don’t stop offering your value. Even when it feels like no one is listening. Maybe you’re just in the wrong place.
HOLDING VALUE
Somewhere in you, you hold tremendous value. Your stories have value. Your successes have value. Your failures have value.
When you find yourself pushing that value aside. pushing it down, I invite you to remember the water bottle + how it changes value depending on location.
Sometimes we are measuring our worth in the wrong location. In the wrong surroundings.
Don’t get stuck there.
We have two options:
Move.
Rather than trying to convince someone of your value, offer it where it is already valued. Someone is looking for what you have. Help them find you. Show up where they are. Keep sharing what you have to offer until you find your people.Shift.
You can’t always ‘move’. Sometimes we are somewhere where we are undervalued + it’s not really an option to ‘move’ - whether a relationship, a job, etc. It happens. During those times, we can still shift our perspective. Rather than allow ourselves to become bitter for being undervalued, we can allow ourselves to feel generous for being in a position to give such value at a discount to someone who needs it + doesn’t know it. Allowing ourselves to be generous with our value is okay, as long as we don’t let it feel like we are being taken advantage of or devalued. Ultimately, that’s our choice to make.
There’s not really a wrong answer. Both options are options. Neither changes our true value. It just changes the way we experience our value. We get to decide.
YOUR MISSION:
This week, I invite you to think about the places where you feel undervalued + think about the environment around you. Maybe you’ll see something you had never noticed. Where are you offering your water bottle? How can you feel more valued?
IN SUMMARY:
Another thing Matt Gottesman said when he shared this water bottle quote was that Michael Jordan didn’t win with just any team. Sometimes your true value is not realized until you find the right team. So, be very selective with the environment you build around yourself.
Don’t be afraid to move or shift as needed until you reach that place where you get to fully express all of who you are. We need you + all of that amazing experience + perspective you have! I can assure you, you have more value than you can even imagine, but you might need to move or shift to see it.
See you next week?
Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!
Email: karen@becounter.com
Instagram: @redefiningkaren
So much truth here! I’m at a place in my life (been here before) where I feel out of place. And I haven’t moved! Actually ......as soon as I wrote that last sentence...I realized I already have the solution. If Im in the wrong place, I may need to ‘move’!! (and quit asking ‘who moved my cheese’). And I don’t have to pack up and travel or buy a new house in order to move.....for me it’s a mental move. I can move away from stale thoughts, explore new ideas, nurture new relationships, explore new ideas. The options are endless. I can move my own cheese. I love how the The Lift stirs the creative thinker in me without telling me what to do.....but rather stimulates my own thinking about where I am and the many available options. Thanks for the Sunday morning Lift.....it’s the highlight of my week for sure.
Yes! This is an awesome perspective. Thank you!!! ☀️