More valuable than you think

I once read the story of a teacher who stood before a class full of students and showed them a hundred Dollar bill in mint condition. He asked if anyone wanted it and instantly, all hands were up, indicating that they wanted the money. He said “hold on a moment”, and he squeezed the money in his hand thereby making it pretty rough. He straightened out the bill and showed it to the students; it didn’t look as good as it did before. He asked them, “who wants this one hundred Dollar bill?” Once again, all the students indicated interest.

“Just a minute” he said, as he dropped the money on the floor and stamped on it several times. The students watched wide-eyed, wondering what their teacher was up to. Finally, he picked up the money with the tip of his fingers as if trying to avoid dirtying his hands, and looked at the faces of his students. Then he asked again, “Now, who still wants this money?” For the third time, all hands were up. He smiled and said, “I squeezed the money and I stamped on it. It is no more as attractive as it used to be. Why do you still want it?” One of the students responded, “for as long as the money remains in one piece, its value doesn’t change irrespective of what you do to it”.

The story above is very instructive. Some people have been through such difficult times that they no longer believe they are worth much. From the story, we can learn that:

• Your appearance is not your worth: there are some people you come across; a single look at them will show that they have experienced several challenges in life. But hey, look is not everything. The students in the story were smart enough to know that the dirt on the hundred Dollar bill won’t matter seconds after they have used it to buy what they wanted. They saw through the dirt to see the worth. Your looks don’t define you. Anything that is external is temporary. Clean or dirty; your worth remains intact. You just have to look within you and let the light shine out.
• Your circumstances cannot destroy your value: You were born with a gift and situations can’t change that. Perhaps you have been so disadvantaged for so long that you are beginning to accept it as your natural state. You shouldn’t do that! A piece of gold or diamond in its natural state is unattractive and may remain in the ground like that for years until it is found. That doesn’t make it less gold or diamond. Unfortunately, some gold or diamond may never be found and they remain underground where they will never be useful to anyone. You don’t have to accept your situation as your reality because situations are, by nature, capable of changing.
• It is not what you are but what you make out of it that matters: the students in the story did not focus on what the money is, which is dirty; rather, they focused on what they could make out of it. You don’t know the value of a piece of wood until you give it to a gifted carver. You don’t know the value of a lump of clay until you give it to an expert sculptor. A piece of paper and a pen may appear ordinary but not in the hands of a skillful writer. A lot of things in life are really ordinary until the person who knows their value processes them. Discover your gift and acquire the skill to process it or it will remain ordinary. Knowledge bestows on us a new pair of eyes; when you discover what you’ve never known, you see what you’ve never seen.
• Dirt is good: most people like to spend currency in mint condition but sometimes, the dirty notes are safer. The new notes need to be doubly certified to be genuine while the old notes have gone from hand-to-hand. If they have been in circulation for that long, they should have passed the authenticity test. If you have been battered by situations and you are still here, you must be stronger than you think. Several people didn’t make it this far but you did. Your experiences have deposited some virtues in you. It is time to turn your challenges into the raw material for your greatness. Several bread recipes recommend punching down the dough to release air so that we can knead it and form loaves. The punching you have received is to bring something beautiful out of your life.

Thanks for reading my article today. I would really love to hear from you. So, do share your views with me by sending SMS to 07034737394, visiting www.olanreamodu.com and following me on twitter @lanreamodu. Remember, you are currently nothing compared to what you can become. This can be your year if you want it to be!