What Does Bringing Value Really Mean?

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon

You might have heard from different sources about the concept of bringing value. I know when I first heard about it I thought – that’s just a fancy way for rich people to justify making money. But is there actual value in bringing value through our actions?

Value starts with caring. You might care about your parents who can’t find online classes suitable for their group category, your toddler whose needs are not being met by your local nursery, the planet, people in poverty, women and access to sanitary products, ideas of masculinity that inhibit men’s behaviors and the list goes on and on. Needless to say, we as a global community didn’t get many things right. And that’s great, pain means there’s a need for change and an opportunity for us to make it happen.

Witnessing a lack can get your solution oriented mind working and your creativity beaming. When we create for profit or non-profit projects that before any monetary value they create social value, that’s where our legacy begins. Know that value is always linked with action. Waiting for things to happen doesn’t produce results.

The Advice that No One Wants Is the Advice We Should Stop on Giving

Photo by Kate Kalvach

The advice that no one wants is the one that we deliver regardless for selfish reasons. We have an opinion and we believe we should always have a say. While no one can take that away from us, having a say over putting the best interest of the other person first damages relationships.

In certain cultural being franc is interpreted as being honest. But no one wants brutal honesty 24/7. Sometimes we just want to go out and feeling good about ourselves. We want to have a friendly meal or party without fearing that what we do might get us the disapproval of the other person.

As someone who thought at some point that my opinion matters over other people’s feelings, here’s what I’ve learnt: what you think doesn’t matter as much as how someone is feeling. We can soften our edges and become easy to be around just by being nice to people. Is that really such a great price to pay?