You’re Worth What You Believe You’re Worth.
I picked up this little story from Sahil Bloom. As was the case with Sahil, its message couldn’t stop caroming around in my brain. Only for me, it said something about creativity, our sense of what our ideas are worth and why we sometimes feel the need to sell ourselves short.
One day, a boy approached his father and asked, "What is my life worth?"
The father handed his son a small stone and replied, "Take this stone to the market. If anyone asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."
The boy did as he was told and went to the market. An old woman approached him and asked, "How much is that rock? I want it for my garden."
The boy held up two fingers, to which the woman replied, "$2? I'll take it."
Before she could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.
His father nodded and said, "Ok, now take the stone to the museum. If anyone asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."
The boy did as he was told and went to the museum. A man in a suit approached him and asked, "How much is that stone? I want it for my home."
The boy held up two fingers, to which the man replied, "$200? I'll take it."
Before he could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.
His father nodded and said, "Ok, now take the stone to the precious gem store. If the owner asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."
The boy did as he was told and went to the stone store. The owner of the store approached him and asked, "Where did you find that rare stone? I have been looking for it my entire life. How much will you sell it for?
The boy held up two fingers, to which the man replied, "$20,000? I'll take it."
Before he could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.
Creativity for its own sake is not something to be dismissed, of course. Making something out of nothing, in and of itself, is as gratifying a thing as I can imagine.
But it’s also worth something. You’re worth something. Very likely more than you know would be my guess.
What if instead of asking his father “What is my life worth?”, the boy had asked, “What is my idea worth?”
Yes, you want your screenplay to get picked up. Yes, you want to sell that painting you spent 7 months on. If you’re an advertising freelancer, then you of all people know how hard it is to resist lowering your day rate right now.
But remember this.
Ideas, the really great ones, are rare as black pearls. I know it. You know it. I also know there aren’t a whole lot of oysters in this world that are capable of producing them.
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