Value vs. Appreciation and Respect
“Appreciate the things and people in your life while remaining independent of them. Give thanks for them, but realize that they do not complete you. Only you can complete you.” – Serenity Rey
When I worked in the casino industry, I came across very few individuals who had the discipline to earn a living as a professional. What set the professional apart from the (unlucky) gambler was the professional their respect of the chips they played and the game. The professional played a five dollar bet the way they played a $500 or $5,ooo chip. The chips had no value, rather the professional had a respect and appreciation for the chip and the best strategy to win a game. In recent months I’ve tried to take away my perception of value to all I see and focus on respect and appreciation.
I started my practice by trying to think less about the value I give to my money. I try to treat a dollar with the same respect and appreciation I do 100 dollars. When I see a penny in the parking lot I pick it up. In fact I recently was walking and found change scattered on the sidewalk. I stopped to pick it up. It was 45 cents, 2 dimes, 4 nickles, and five pennies. I felt a little embarrassed but no matter, I’ve learned to appreciate and respect money, and this lesson spilled over into all areas of my life.
This shift if thinking to respecting and appreciating money led to a new level of respect for earning. I work as hard for a client that pays me $200 per hour as I would for a client who payed me $50 dollars, or for someone I offer my time to pro bono. I appreciate opportunities to be of service. Don’t get me wrong, I value my time but I don’t set the price for my service, the market does. I charge standard rates and adjust according to supply and demand. One project isn’t better than another. One customer is no more important than another. I appreciate the work and I love to be of service. Since I’ve really learned to value my time I try to work on projects that make me feel appreciated and respected. If a work project pays well but doesn’t feel good, I don’t take it. This was the start of understanding how and when to assign value and appreciation.
The most important lesson I’ve learned is to take away the value I assign to people. I use to assign rank and order to people and assign a level of importance based on their value to me. This person can help me in some area of my life while the other is a burden. This person is famous so they are better than that person. This person is rich so they are better… The thought that I would rank people makes me feel a little ashamed of myself. Luckily, I’ve been able to acknowledge my bias and try to appreciate people for who thy are. I’ve just now come to understand how important it is to have appreciation and respect for each and every individual. To remove value from people, places and things allows me to have an appreciation and respect that makes my relationship to whatever I see so much better.
I don’t know if this blog is just one long incoherent ramble… I wanted to share a small shift in my perspective that has have huge affects of my emotional health and overall feeling of joy. I use to assign value to things that really have no value and learn to appreciate them for what they are. By focusing less on assigning value to people, places and things, I’ve learned to value what really matters my time. Which only encourages my feelings of appreciation, respect and gratitude for all I am surrounded by. My time is valuable and there are people I hope to help and inspire who I hope to spend more of my time with. A better understanding of value and appreciation has allowed me to see a deeper level of a GREAT LIFE all around me. I hope you will try this exercise and that you are able to see the beauty and appreciate all you see.
