Value

What would happen if we were to see ourselves as valuable?

In today’s episode, we look at value and what it means to each person. One of my most precise visual definition of value comes from years back when I attended a workshop on value. The facilitator had a crisp brand new fresh off the press fifty dollar note she then with her hands crush it up, and the brand new fresh of the press fifty dollar note now looked so different to seconds before. She explained that no matter what life throws at us, we still hold the exact value and that this fifty-dollar note is still worth fifty dollars even after what she had done to it. The lights came on, and I saw myself in a different light!

Value is an interesting concept! The Mona Lisa is one of the most valuable paintings in the world. The artwork was painted by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It holds the Guinness World Records for the highest known insurance valuation in history at US$100 million in 1962 (equivalent to $660 million in 2019). In your option, what is it about this artwork that holds such value? Is it the artist who painted it, is it Lisa herself, how about French King Francis 1 who acquired the artwork as part of his royal collection? Again, value is an interesting concept!

I began to look at the artwork from my 13-inch laptop as if I was in front of the painting itself. I was drawn into the details. I saw things that I have never noticed before, like the backdrop of valleys and rivers. From the winding road, a bridge, a body of water and mountains, could this imagery symbolise life’s highs and lows? While every portrait comes with a story, so does every human life. Sometimes we need to stop long enough to appreciate the complexities and awe of what we all bring to the table starting with ourselves.

What would happen if we were to see ourselves as valuable? Or let’s flip this on its head what happens when we don’t see ourselves as valuable? For myself, it was making choices that were not ideal because I didn’t believe my worth. Placing value on yourself isn’t necessarily coming from a place of being better than anyone else. It’s holding yourself as priceless and worthy of love and living life from that place. Understanding our value can serve as a compass and help determine where we place ourselves and the choices we make. We can’t afford to downplay our worth!

Some questions that you can ask yourself around value are:

1. Do you let others determine your value, or do you set your value? Defining your value starts with you, and perhaps leaving it in the hands of others can cause more harm than good.

2. Are there aspects of who you are that you are yet to appreciate and discover? For example, believing that you are unique, loveable and capable. It isn’t about the things you do but instead about who you are.

3. Do you see value as your birthright, what is stopping you from making it your truth? Regardless if you believe it or not there has never been anyone like you nor will there ever be anyone like you.

On a finishing note, life is a journey of growth and understanding. Sometimes we learn new things, and sometimes we unlearn the things of the past that are not aligned with our value and worth. As I mention often be kind to yourself in the process, perhaps this act in itself can place a sense of value no matter where you find yourself.