Value is a V-Word! (Do we know what it's worth?)

Those who are familiar with the Lucky Mushroom know that I have not surrendered to the algorithm when it comes to frequency and posting, thus they are not shocked nor are they surprised by this late (according to marketeers and the algo) newsletter. However, I do offer my humblest apologies to new subscribers.

Before I go any further I'd like to say to those who have surrendered to the algorithm and/or have higher appetites, I have decided to do an audio-only podcast called "The Lucky Mushroom ABCs of EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT", to feed those appetites. The podcast is about how we learn to communicate with the world around us in our early childhood and how this plays out when we enter the office, school, public spaces, etc...as grownups.

But for now, let's get back to, "value", that often misunderstood and misinterpreted v-word.

The funny thing about value is, in order to truly understand it, one has to accept the premise that nobody has a value and that's what makes the individual priceless. Skeptics claim that's empty blah blah until you ask them how much they cost. They would readily put a monetary value on another individual but would deem themselves priceless. Or they will preach the pricelessness of the individual as they weigh you on their scale in what they see as the "human marketplace". You will come away from the conversation amazed at the stark contrast of value and value.

People nowadays pontificate "Know your value!"

Well, I see that mantra as complicated. Calculating one's value, in monetary terms, to another has become too normalized. By that, I am referring to the speed at which we have become willing to reduce ourselves to currency. To use money as the metric when assessing ourselves has a shadow side. To be able to articulate one's value quickly in monetary terms is being sold as a positive development and I'm not so sure it is. I AM NOT ADVOCATING UNDERSELLING YOURSELF. Some people are triggered by even questioning placing a high value on oneself. They conflate the services that they are trying to sell to themselves. They embrace the concept that they are always on sale. When they hear that you consider yourself too valuable. When they begin to understand that they can not sell you as cheaply as they were willing to sell themselves, they feel offended. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?

I'd like to point out again for those who are not familiar with the newsletter; The Lucky Mushroom ABCs of Business English. This newsletter was made to give non-native speakers the confidence to use the vocabulary they pick up here and elsewhere when discussing business matters in English. It's designed to spark their curiosity and challenge their knowledge of Business English. The ideas and concepts expressed here are meant to be shared with native-speaking colleagues as well. You will definitely be surprised by the responses you get from them.

What people don't mention when they are preaching the principle of giving one's self a price tag is that the word value has a flip side in English. The word is like a coin; heads or tails. On one side of the coin value is related to a service that you are selling; but the other side of the value coin is related to how one sees the material. A world where they are willing to put a price on themselves the way they would put a price tag on you or anything in the material world. People who are considered to have a warped( for lack of a better term)sense of value are often referred to as materialistic in English. If you don't believe me, ask an English-speaking colleague.

Knowing what you are worth does not always correlate with what you are charging for your services. Take a coach like JT Foxx for example, he literally knows how much to charge for a minute of his time. However, gives away his time in what one would think is a direct contradiction to his philosophy. There is another principle at play and it says things like," I am not for sale!" "Who do you think you are?" "You did not buy me! You bought some of my time."

So the next time somebody is talking to you about "value" listen carefully; make sure they are not talking about what you are worth.