Saturday Musings – How Much Are You Worth?

Is it time you invested in yourself?

Have you ever been asked the question, “How much are you worth?” Most people immediately think of it in terms of dollars and answer, “I’m worth blah, blah, blah….” Is this really the best way to view yourself and is money the only measurement of a person?

If someone asked me how much my wife Roselyn is worth to me then I’d immediately respond by saying, “You can’t put a price on her.” When it comes to relationships, monetary valuations completely fall apart as we more often than not place “irrationally” high values on them…..but there are some exceptions.

Several years ago, I was asked to settle a dispute between a couple of friends who had jointly rented out a house together. It was at lunchtime and I sat down to eat my meal while they were both yelling at each other across a big boardroom table.

For about fifteen minutes I didn’t say a thing while I finished my lunch and just let them go at it. Each one was accusing the other of not paying a $600 bill. I finally pushed my chair back and said, “I’ve never been in a situation where I could put a precise value on a friendship. You both disgust me.” I then walked out of the room.

To this day I have no idea what happened with the situation but there was one thing for sure, both the friends had a lot more problems than $600. The question I’m left with is why do the majority of us find that our relationship with loved ones are incalculable?

At the other end of the spectrum, if I had a billion dollars in the bank I could just about have whatever I wanted…..but I still couldn’t buy genuine relationships. I imagine I would have a lot of false friends attracted to the money, but genuine relationships are something transcend money and can’t be priced.

I think that it boils down to this. A great relationship is when one person makes the decision to value another by spending the one thing, they can never get back again. That’s their time. The more we sow into a relationship with this highly precious resource the more the relationship is strengthened as both people subconsciously realise what the other person is spending.

The next question I would ask readers is how much time do you spend on yourself? Do you sow into yourself but looking after yourself physically and mentally? Are you deliberate in taking the time out to enjoy your own company? Are you at peace with yourself?

How much do you value yourself? Are you prepared to invest in quieting the inner turmoil that sometimes occurs when the pressure really comes on? Did your education finish after formal education or have you continued to work on improving who you are? We invest in business, others and even our retirement but when was the last time you took a serious interest in who you are?

A number of weeks ago I took off by myself with the sole purpose of examining every aspect of my life and spending some quality time with just me. I came back from that time alone completely refreshed, energised and at peace….it was a transformative time for me. The difference between before and after going away was like night and day.

When was the last time you spent some quality time with yourself? I would encourage you to get away to that special place and you may be surprised to find that all of the rest of your invaluable relationships become stronger as a result.

Have a great weekend.
Michael