What are you worth?

There are people who can live their whole lives with the belief that they are worth nothing. Whether or not it is because of the message they received from their parents or friends, these people don’t know what their true value is and it makes them doubt their own skills and even the things they deserve from the world.

A boy asked his father “What is the value of my life?” Instead of answering, the father placed a colorful stone, shiny and smooth in his hand and said “Go sell this stone in the market. If someone asks about its price, just raise two fingers and say nothing more.”

The boy went to the market and a woman asked him “How much does the stone cost? I’d like to put it in my garden.” The boy just raised two fingers and the woman said “Two dollars? I’ll take it!” The boy went and told his father happily that she had bought it for two dollars.

The father gave him a similar stone and told him to take the stone to the museum and if someone wants to buy it, not to say a word but just raise two fingers. The boy went and a man in a suit there asked  “How much does the stone cost? I want to add it to my rare stone collection.” Saying nothing, the boy raised two fingers and the man said “Two hundred dollars? I’ll take it!”

The boy was in shock and instead of selling it, ran back and told his father.

The father listened and told him to take the stone to a store that sells precious gems and show it to the owner, not to say anything, but just raise two fingers.

The boy did and the owner asked where he had found the stone as it was one of the rarest stones in the world and he wanted to buy it. Asked how much, the boy said nothing and just raised two fingers. The store owner said “No problem, I’ll pay you $20,000 for the stone.”

Instead of selling it, the boy ran back to his father to tell with pride about the owner wanting to buy it for $20,000.

The father said, “Son, do you understand the value of your life now? It doesn’t matter where you came from, what color your skin is, or even how much money you have. What matters is the place you choose to be in and who you surround yourself with.”

“There are people who go through a whole lifetime believing they are only worth two dollars, when in fact, they have just surrounded themself with people who see them as such.”

“But everyone has a diamond inside them and we can choose to surround ourselves with people who see our worth and the diamond inside of us. We choose whether to place ourselves in a marketplace or in a precious gem store.”

“My son, you too can choose to see another’s priceless value and you also have the ability to help them see the diamond hiding inside of them. Choose the people who surround you wisely, it can make all the difference in your life.”

And remind those around you of their value!