Virtue only flows in the direction of value

“Virtue flows in the direction of value.”

I had heard this quote before, I was in secondary school and my principal, Mrs Soyinka has said it while addressing us on one of the morning assemblies. But when a guest minister made the same statement in church months back, I had a better understanding because experience had taught me. Virtue does flow in the direction of value.

Building two businesses and working on a number of teams have shown me that you can only get as much value as you have to give. Per adventure you get “more”, it’ll only be an advance as unless you work to measure up to what you have gotten, the lapses will show and if you can’t pay the deficit, you get tossed.

It’s the value offerings of your business that will cause people to patronize you. Your mentor will only pour out as much as he sees you can take. That promotion will only go to the most valuable employee.

“Seeth thou a man who is diligent in his work…”

Adding value gives you access to opportunities, places and people you can only dream of.

How do I add value, you ask? Let’s look at 5 ways that you can add value to yourself.

1. Focus on your own growth.

You have to be committed to on your own development. Commit yourself to your own growth. Read, learn, get trained, take risks, unlearn … do things that helps you grow in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, relationship with people, the result you command etc.

2. Offer More Value

Start offering the little value you have. By that, you grow more and in value. The more value you offer, the more you become a person of value. Offer more value daily.

3. Sharpen Your Skills

Do you have skills? In fact the question should be; what are you skilled at? Discover and sharpen that skill. The only way to sharpen your skill through constant practice, using it as a point of value to other people. Skills are valuable.

4. Work Harder on Yourself

Always strive to be better than you were yesterday. You need to go to work on yourself. If you change, everything will change for you. You may change companies, you might change tactics, strategies or mentors but YOU are always the constant, and you will still be there. Strive to become a better person, and instead of comparing yourself with others, differentiate. The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

5. Value your Time

There is nothing more valuable than time invested wisely and intentionally. Never waste nor let anyone waste this precious gift because with time, anything can be accomplished.

As you start to apply this list to you lives, you will notice a gradual shift from your positioning to a more favorable one.

Share your thoughts about the quote; ”Virtue flows in the direction of value” in the comment section. It’ll be interesting to see what you got from it.