Life Value - The Christian Online Magazine

http://www.stacistallings.com

Everyone understands that if you sell something, you get a cash
return. This return may be large or small depending on the quality of the
product or service. The cash value of any particular item may be
expressed in dollars and cents. A widget may cost $5.00 or a super-widget may
cost $5,000.

What most people don't understand, however, is the concept of "life
value." In other words the value in enhanced life-terms that the
purchaser gains in return for trading their cash for a product or service.
Recently when I read about this concept, I went, "Wow! I'd never thought of
it like that." What I was particularly impressed with was how
different this makes life itself feel as it is expressed through me and as I
look at others.

A simple example (and the one I am most familiar with) is brought to
expression in my books. My first collection of short stories
"Reflections On Life" was recently published. The cash value of this book is
$12.95. In order to purchase the book, that is what a reader would have to
pay for it. However, the life value can vary widely depending on the
purchaser.

Let's say I talked someone who never reads into purchasing
"Reflections." This person would turn over $12.95, take the book home, put it on
their shelf, and the life value of that book would be zero-unless by some
miraculous intervention it fell into the hands of another person who
was a reader.

Now, let's take that same book. The cash value is still $12.95;
however, this time the purchaser is not only an avid reader but fully engaged
in learning about life and putting that knowledge into action. In this
instance, the life value may well be immeasurable because that person
will take the concepts in the book, apply them to their lives and the
lives of those around them, and life increases for everyone
involved-whether they directly read the book or not.

As I thought about this concept, I realized how transferable to other
circumstances it is. My brother-in-law for instance is a banker. He
deals mostly in granting loans to farmers and individuals for homes and
cars. If he were to talk someone into taking out a loan that they did
not need, the life value of that loan could well be negative because it
would drain the borrower's spirit as well as their pocketbook. However,
if he lends money to a farmer for instance, and that farmer uses the
loan to purchase seed and equipment to grow and harvest the crop that
results, the life value of that loan is surely immeasurable. Not only does
the farmer make a profit and thereby enhance his life by being able to
provide for his own family, but the fruits of his labor enhance the
life value of every person who then purchases and consumes or uses the
products that results from this crop.

Isn't that an awesome way to think about what you do for a living?

And there are other prime examples in my own family. My mother and my
sister both baby sit. The cash value of what they do pales so far in
comparison to the life value of that endeavor that it's ridiculous! And
another example, my brother sells tools to fix cars. Each tool he sells
has the capacity to enhance the life of the mechanic who buys it
because he can now do in 2 minutes what would've taken 2 hours to do with the
wrong tool. Not only that, but that one tool has enhanced the life of
every person whose car it is used to fix. It also enhances the lives of
all those other drivers on the road who are now safer because that car
is working properly. It also conceivably enhances the lives of those
who drive and ride in that car-to work, to school, to Grandma's for
Christmas. Think of the life value of that one, simple sale!

My brother's wife has recently begun cleaning houses. Think of the time
these families now have to be together enjoying life rather than
picking up and vacuuming because of her contribution to their lives. She
also gives her time (not paid) to help at her children's schools and their
various teams and clubs. There is literally no telling how much life
value she is adding to the existence not only of her children but of all
of the children who benefit from her efforts. Life value abounds from
her efforts!

My husband builds things. He builds houses. He fixes doors. He builds
cabinets. Each and every fix-it job and new construction that he lends
his hands to increases the life value of someone and sometimes that of
many someones. Innumerable people have walked through doors that work
because of him. They have stored important information in cabinets he
built. They have lived and raised their children in houses that he
built. Life. Life. Life in the extreme-not because of cash value but because
of life value.

And it gets better, my father is the janitor and the baseball coach for
my hometown high school. He spends his days making sure the teachers
have what they need to be able to impart knowledge to a whole passel of
children. The cash value of this may not be huge, but the life value is
astronomical to the point that you cannot even count it!

So the question is: When you think about the value of what you are
doing, do you assess your success only in terms of cash value-thereby
trying to sell whether the product will enhance or diminish the purchaser's
life, or do you make a serious effort to greatly multiply the
purchaser's life experience through your product or service? It's a great
question, and life looks very different depending on which "value" you are
focused on.

The examples are everywhere! Walk down an aisle at the grocery store.
Look at a box of cereal or a bottle of medicine. You pay cash value of
$3 to $10 for this purchase, but it makes you full or makes you well.
Life value.

Once you understand this concept, take a moment to visualize those who
have traded hours of their lives to enhance YOUR life value. There's
the life value of the person who came up with the grocery cart you are
pushing. Think of the time-savings and therefore the life value that
represents. There is the person who built the shelves so that the products
can be displayed in an orderly fashion.

There is the person who put those shelves together. There is the person
who stocked those shelves so you can just walk in and buy what you need
without hours of searching. There is the person who created the item
that you are buying-the person who came up with the type of cereal, the
person who figured out that "this combination of molecules" will cause
your body to do this and thus get well.

The reality is that life value is everywhere you look. When you take
life value for granted or discount it because you are focused on cash
value, you're missing the point completely. Try it. I challenge you.
Begin to look at life value for one day, and if it doesn't completely
change how you look at life, you can always go back to measuring everything
in dollars and cents.

More inspiration and more inspiration... Find it at the cyber home of Staci Stallings, the author of this
article. Visit http:// www.stacistallings.com You'll feel better
for the experience!