I am amazed at the people that will drive a block out of their way to buy gasoline for their car which is $0.02 per gallon cheaper than a more convenient gas station. They probably save $0.40 or less. But these same people will walk into a grocery store and pick up a name brand item spending $2.40 more than the generic without even checking the price.
We all have a different perception of value. In this example we may see all gasoline being equal, so we are wanting to pay the lower price. But we don’t see the name brand as equal to the generic brand so we are willing to spend $2.40 more.
This is also true of how people see the value you bring as a person to whatever activity in which you engage. How do they perceive your value, and how do you perceive your value?
Seeing value in yourself is the first step of increasing your value in the eyes of others. They will not see value that you do not see in yourself.
You can also continue to increase your value both to yourself and to others, by investing in yourself. Do you spend more money on your big screen high-definition television and the 200 channel cable package than you spent on developing yourself last year?
I admit there was a time in my life when I would have answered that question, “yes”. Not anymore. Spending money on my personal development seems more like an investment than my television.
Maybe the question we should answer this week is, “Am I aspiring to be a generic brand, or am I developing my name brand?”