A dear mentor of mine Pastor Harry Mashego shared a great parable on a mother's day Sunday :
A father gave his son a beautiful stone . He then instructed the boy to raise two of his fingers every time a prospect buyer asked how much it would cost .
Day 1 - He went to a local pawn shop .He raised two fingers When asked how much he wanted for the stone . The cashier answered ,"R2 , that's cheap ,I will take it " . The boy smiled and ran back to his father . He told his father what was offered to him . His father then sent him to go sell the stone at the museum the next day .
Day 2
The boy met a historian who was interested in the stone so much that he asked ,"how much? The boy raised two fingers again . The historian answered " R200 000 , thats cheap ,I will take it " . The boy smiled and ran back to his father. He told his father what was offered to him. His father then sent to a gemstone prospector the next day .
Day 3
The boy met the gemstone prospector who had much interest in the stone the boy had that he asked the boy how much he wanted for it. The boy raised two fingers again in response. The prospector answered " 2 billion rand you say then I will take it" . The boy smiled and ran back to his father to tell him how much was being offered.
My lesson from this is :
What you have to offer will vary in price depending on the mental receptiveness of those you are selling your solutions to in business. A dog will buy fish for less than anything but a cat will buy fish for everything.
It is not easy to get people at a ground level mentality to buy what they think tbey should be getting for free but if you are willing to not settle for less because you know that you are the best then you are on the right path. There is always temptation to under-sell yourself especially if you allow your circumstances and environment to condition everything that you are.
You need to spend time with people who understand your value , who will endorse your value and be prepared to do exactly what you require from others to others again.
Somebody out there is looking for the uniqueness of what you carry . The only way to find that group of people is to first understand your value , increase it daily in your habitual routine, capitalize on volunteering because that's part of your preparation, keep a humble attitude and continually devote yourself to God Almighty.
Just like the boy who endlessly continued to inquire of his father so should we . We inquire before and after the victory to avoid having conditional submission .
As he obeyed his father's instructions , the value of what he carried increased. Even with the increasing value. He came back home. The boy was grounded.
Don't be afraid to reject offers that don't serve your value right unless there is a preparatory directive from the Almighty .