100 Million! Seriously! Who in their right minds would pay that kind of cash for a board with colored scribbles on it? Someone did! Some one bought this Jean-Michel Basquiats untitled abstract for a cool 110 million. Why? Value! Twenty years ago, I too started putting paint to abstract portraits. The five thousand dollar club is the highest I’ve gotten so far, but hey! I’ll take it! At the time, I thought, there’s no way anyone would even pay a $20 dollar bill for my work. But, they did, and did very willingly! Why? Value! While I may not have valued it at that price, someone else does. I realized early on that, value is in the eyes of the beholder.

Self Worth

It all starts with value you put on yourself. Success in any area of your life is about self worth first and the rest will follow. No one else has the right to do so, only you. And it’s no one else’s business on that amount. Years ago in my business life, I learned this same lesson. I was charging too little of a fee for my services because I didn’t think I was worth more. My mentors all agreed I needed to double my price. No one would pay that kind of money. I first thought. But, I did it anyway and the next day my business grew and grew and grew. So did my fees and self confidence.

Value is what the individual puts on themselves. Personally, this is why I have always been in business for myself. I have maintained that no one, no boss has the right to tell me how much I am worth in an hourly amount. Just me, not cut out to be an employee. I learned that only until I determined my worth, will others see my worth. Would you pay thousands or millions for a mess of colors on a wall? Maybe not! But, someone will! Will someone see you for what you are worth? Absolutely! But you first have to believe in yourself, even when it looks like no one else does!

The Mentor