Blog | Personal development

4 Questions to Answer for True Success

We all lose sight of how we can add true value. Here’s a quick reminder that you too can make a dent in the universe

“Greed is having a gift, and not giving it.”
– Anonymous

Most people don’t understand true value. We are quick to see the greatness in others (especially if you have children) but we often lack the ability to recognize the greatness inside of ourselves.

We listen to motivational speakers and we get that euphoric rush but we don’t internalize the meaning behind the message.

But by not spending the time to recognize the greatness inside of us we’re not only cheating ourselves but prohibit your talents and gifts from benefiting everyone else.

We all have something to offer

We are quickly approaching 8 billion people on this planet and I believe every single one of us has something to offer the greater good.

Steve Job once said, “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” I agree.

However, we often let that intimidate us. We don’t need to cure cancer or reverse the negative effects of climate change or create a billion-dollar company. But we all have something to offer, a gift. And it’s our job to figure out what it is and use it in the limited amount of time we have on earth.

But is that how you look at the challenge of making your dent in the universe?

If you were able to see yourself how others do, you would probably let that challenge drive you, not intimidate you.

Here in the West and most developed countries, we get so much with so little effort. It’s easy to take things for granted. Our basic needs are taken care of for us. We don’t worry as much about putting food on the table, finding shelter, or securing health care. Our governments, schools, and families help provide those things and more. These are all great things and we should be both proud and happy about the progress we’ve made.

However, along with it our ability to properly assess value has been distorted.

I see this all the time in my corporate training seminars. The biggest obstacle salesmen encounter is price. People compare prices and choose the cheapest one because they assume the value to be equal. They are used to getting something for nothing.

Think about what you had as children compared to what your children have. There’s a good chance they have their own room, their own cell phones and computers, and quite possibly their own car. How many of those things did they even have to work for?

Again, we are talking about the difference between price and value.

My great-grandfather didn’t have two pennies to rub together but found a way to make things work. That’s after he migrated here from Eastern Europe. He sacrificed literally everything to make a better life for his family. In order to make things work, he sold rags on the streets of New York to bring the rest of his family to America.

How many people are willing to do that today? Certainly there are families seeking to do the same thing across the southern border of the U.S. But for many, assessing value properly is becoming a lost art.

The worst outcome of this isn’t only the lost ability to understand the value of goods and services, but the ability to assess our own value.

We see teenagers create apps worth millions of dollars. Celebrity actors and singers grace the cover of magazines. It’s easy to forget those are the outliers. That’s not the norm.

To help you get a better understanding of your own value, here’s a quick exercise.

Below are four questions. I want you to carve out a few minutes to answer them honestly.

• What do you want to be?
• What do you want to have?
• What do you want to accomplish?
• What is it that you want to create?

If you want to learn more about how you can find your true value, grab a copy of my book, Little Voice Mastery.