Value vs Gain

I had a meeting today that kind of put me out of sorts.  The information that I received at the meeting was not in any way news to me, but today it came very close to home, that I am forced to take a really hard look at myself and the things that I do and ascertain if I can say someday it has been worth it.

In 2008, I fell ill and was diagnosed with a condition I didn’t even know existed up till then.  It was not terminal, but for someone who stayed away from any kind of diagnostic findings this was not good.  To make matters worse within a week, I went from a size 14 to a 10, to the extent that people who used to know me didn’t recognize me.

That experience made me take time out to ask myself the question that I am asking today and hope that you will be able to ask and answer in the affirmative when you do.  My question then was and today is, “Does the Value that my life gives, outweigh the gains? " 

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Some people argue that you may not be able to ascertain what the volume of your value is in comparison to your gain, especially when you provide a service and do not sell goods.  I believe however, that it doesn’t matter what it is we do, we can always tell the weight of the value we create.

For anyone who wants to pursue or run with a dream, this is a question you must ask even before you begin.  I know that I said two posts ago that you must ask the question, what value it is you are going to create with your dream, which is a great question to ask. 

However, today, I thought about it again given my peculiarity and realized that Value is great, and everyone is trying to give value these days.  What separates a great dream chaser from a good one is the volume of the value that is given.

To take your dream to the league of really great and successful ones, there is a need to be able to answer in the affirmative that your value outweighs the gain.  I remember an analogy drawn by one of my sisters of people who spend a million naira to renovate a school block and spend 5 million to announce it.  The noise, which is the way I classify the announcements, overwhelm the good that had been done.

If we start our businesses from the premise that we will ensure that our value every time outweighs the gain, there is no reason why we will not end up successful.  The noise and the hype in my opinion distract and take away from the good that we are trying to do.

Remember that questions help you think through the process before you set out.  Ensuring that you are able to establish how your value will outweigh the gain is bound to put you in the league of great dreamers.

This is not a call not to make gain, but this is a call to start out with the mindset that the gain is not why you are stepping out.  In the words of Bob Burg author of The Go Giver, “Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.”

Gain is good, because every business or dream that will endure will have to make gain, but let it be clear that you are sure what your bottom line is, and be sure that your bottom line is what is truly important.

I know you will make it, NeverTheLess.

Hugs

Sistar B