How to become a person of value pt. 1

Introduction 

Many people have balloon ideas about the true meaning of value and what it means to be valuable.

There are many definitions today about the concept of value and most of these definitions are either incongruent with the subject matter or are totally fallacious.

The advent of social media has introduced new terminologies into our lexicon making it more difficult for the average young person to come to terms with the true meaning of the word "value". 

For some being a person of value is measured by how many likes or comments a pictures gets. For others, being a person of value is synonymous with a fat bank account or a nice car. 

While the possession of all these things are not bad in themselves, they fall short in communicating in its entirety and essence what it means to be a person of value both from an earthly perspective and from an eternal point of view. 

In other to do proper justice to this discourse, we have divided this post into two parts. Part one deals with the dynamics of becoming a person of value from an earthy perspective while part two deals with the dynamics of value from an eternal standpoint. 

Objectives

The objective of this post is twofold:

1. To debunk the erroneous concepts related to value and being valuable. 

2. To present you with the principles that make for earthly value and eternal relevance. 

It is possible to be valuable on earth and be a disaster from an eternal perspective. It is also possible to be valuable from an eternal perspective and be useless on earth. 

Our goal is to to ensure that you become valuable both from an earthly standpoint and from an Eternal perspective

Myths about the concept of value  

There are many lies people tell their self when it comes to the subject of being a person of value. 

Most people use these misconceptions as a system of self defence or as a ploy to shy away from reality. 

1. I am a graduate 

2. I am beautiful 

3. I dress like a superstar 

4. I am married/I have children

5. I drive a nice car. 

6. I have the best wardrobe. 

All these are faulty parameters that people use to measure the level of their valuability. 

They derive a sense of worth when they compare their achievements against that of their colleagues and contemporaries. 

But what truly is value and what does it mean to be a person of value? 

What is value? 

The following definitions were taken from the dictionary:

1. Value is the quality that renders something desirable or valuable.

2. Value is the  degree of importance given to something.

3. Value is that which is valued or highly esteemed, such as one's morals, morality, or belief system

4. The amount (of money or goods or services) that is considered to be a fair equivalent for something.

From the above definitions, we can conclude that being valuable is not about what you possess or what you do. It is about who you are. 

Who you are is the foundation of your value. What you do is only an offshoot of who you already were. 

You cannot dispense value to society if you not a valuable person. 

If you focus on becoming a person of value, dispensing value and possessing items that are regarded as valuables will be automatic. But if you pursue the items that are regarded as valuables (like a title, a position, cars, clothes, houses) because you want people to regard you as a valuable person, it means you have succumbed to societal pressure and you have been numbered among those in the rat race. 

If you need society to put a particular label on you before you can become a person of value then you were not truly valuable. 

If you need people to applaud you before you can feel valuable then you were not truly valuable. 

You become valuable before people applaud you and society reward you. 

While you are in the path of becoming valuable don't expect to be applauded or awarded. In fact, people can walk right past you and not notice your presence. But focus on becoming a person of value and the reverse will be the case. 

Everyone that has truly been awarded in one field or the other received that award not so they can feel valuable but because they were considered valuable enough. 

An award is only an acknowledgement of what was already there. It is a recognition that only follows value. (for more on this watch out for our post "rise to influence"). 

These are the three benefits of becoming a person of value; applause, reward and award. 

What does it mean to be valuable? 

1. To be a desirable person.

2. To be a solution provider with excellence. 

3. To become an asset. 

These two are the clearest indicators of who a person of value is. 

A desirable person is someone that people want to be around because of their attitude or their perspective about life. They are a go-to people especially when the vicissitudes of life come knocking on our doors or when there is a conflict between people. 

They know how to provide comfort, they know how to empathize, they understand diplomacy and the right use of words. 

An excellent solution provider is someone that has mastered the art and science of doing whatever they do to provide solution to societal problems. 

There are few of these people in every society because many people only have the ability to point out what is wrong and talk about it. 

Some have taken up the challenge of providing solutions but are yet to master the art of doing so. While a select few have truly become exceptional with providing solutions.These are the people who change the course of history and rewrite the narrative of families. 

How to become a person of value

1. Develope character.

Character is the bedrock of every person that is considered valuable. We stated earlier that being valuable is not about what you do but about who you become and this is reflected in your character. 

2. Live by principles. 

A principled centered life is what gives stamina to character. A man without principles will waver when the right opportunity presents itself. 

Principles such as integrity, punctuality, honesty, courage and loyalty are factors that every individual that wants to be considered valuable need to inculcate into their everyday life. 

3. Develop a skill and be competent. 

There are many problems in society. If you don't have a skill then you are part of the problem. Your skill is your tool for solving problems and your ability to solve any problem will be dependent on your level of competence. 

4. Contribute actively to society. 

To distinguish yourself from the crowd you need to give back to society in you own little way. There are so many people spectating. There are so many people talking and there are few people doing. 

5. Continues mental transformation. 

Where you stopped in your transformation journey is the boundary of your impact and contribution to societal development. 

To do more you have to be more. The development of the mind is a continuous process. Today's delivery is a product of yesterday's transformation. Tomorrow's presentation is a product of today's input. 

6. Value people. 

How you treat people will determine their perception of you. To value people will require that you don't get obsessed with yourself. 

People tend to prioritize you when you prioritize them or when they know how much you prioritize those around you. 

Value is a reflection of who you are but it is also a perception that people have about you. 

Celebrate when other people succeed. Self centerdness is a virtue that is common among mediocre people. 

7. Maintain the right company.

Honour has its association so is folly. A wise man that is consistently found in the assembly of fools will soon be labeled as a fool. 

To value people does has nothing to do with keeping company with everyone that comes your way. You value people when you respect their opinions, decisions, principles, and personalities. 

Our associations defines us. (you can read our series on relationship for more in this.)

8. Invest in others. 

Don't only invest in cars, clothes and houses. Invest in people. It is sad that when people read their manifesto before an election or when their highlight the impact of their government little or nothing is said about human capital development. 

Every society thrives on the level of development of the human resources in that society. A society of intelligent people will always fare better than a society that is made up of foolish people.

Thank you for reading through.