VALUE

     How do you value your skills?  Do you expect to be paid a fair wage for the talents and services you do.  When you make a living doing what you do do you happily give your time and talent away?  How do you feel about someone else expecting you to do what you do for free and think you owe it to them, or even to the community?
     A lot of questions?  Well it should not be hard.  We are all willing to do things for others from time to time and we even feel that we are appreciated by those it benefits in many cases.  That is until someone expects it and is not even aware that you charge for the things you do to pay the bills, put food on the table, and make a life for yourself.
     So then after knowing that this expectation by others is an irritant to you do you turn around and do it to someone else?  Shoe on the other foot now.
     I once knew a man who built his business from a one tractor and blade into one of the biggest dirt construction companies in the Midwest.  And after building a business and giving back to the church and community, developed the attitude that those who do 'services' such as teach, fight fire, police, etc., should not expect a great amount of compensation but do it out of dedication to their profession.  However the man did not discount or volunteer to dig our lake out of dedication to his craft.
     So do you have a musician, entertainer, or artist in your community that you rely on to drop what they do or alter their schedule to give of their talents for free.  So you value their talent as worth nothing?
     If you give away what you do, are you valuing your time and talent as being worth nothing?
     Many talented people are very happy to help out their communities, organizations, or favorite activities and that is a good thing.  But it can be taken too far to where it is a burden to the person and what they are working for in a career.  If you value yourself you in turn should value others.  I do know people who put no value on anything beyond themselves.  Some determine that if it is not a product that is being produced it holds no value.
    Artists draw value out of the talent that has been given them and a craft that they work hard on.  Many never make it to the level of celebrity.  Even when the make that achievement those familiar, or from their home town, take them for granted.
     If you value talent, yours or others, stop and consider that offering to compensate the ones you ask for services, not only recognise you value their talent, but that you do not expect what they do.
    If you respect your worth but not another, maybe you should review your true values.