We strengthen our value to the marketplace by prioritizing our commitment to an ongoing self-improvement journey. By learning, developing, and creating professional competitive advantages, our labor becomes more valuable. The sooner we understand that this is the key to prosperity, the sooner we can adopt this powerful philosophy, increase our value, and earn more money. When dad leads by example, we can better teach this truth to our children, helping them prepare themselves for a successful future.

“Value to the Marketplace” is all about receiving more rewards for our labor. These concepts are best shared with children as part of a gradual and ongoing process—first considering their level of maturity—and then tailoring our teaching approach based on each child’s age, interests, and abilities.

Things the Marketplace Does Not Reward
When it comes to financial struggles, some folks blame their job, the government, or the economy. Rather than worrying about things we cannot control, acknowledge that the marketplace doesn’t reward desire, it rewards value. The less valuable we are, the less we earn. American author, Jim Rohn, said, “You get paid for bringing value to the marketplace, and if you’re not very valuable you don’t make much money.”

Fair or Unfair, It’s Reality
Fair or unfair, neither experience with the same occupation nor tenure with the same company will strengthen someone’s value to the marketplace.

Even when someone is good at their profession, if someone else can deliver the same (or better) production for the same (or cheaper) labor cost, it is THE POSITION that establishes the value to the marketplace. We might say, “I have 25 years of experience, I should get paid more.” While this long tenure certainly proves loyalty, we only increase the value we can create (and earn) by improving or gaining new skills. The marketplace is an old miserly penny pincher and in the above scenario, even the hardest workers are only credited for one year of experience—repeated 25 times.

The Ah-Ha Moment
The earlier in life we realize the magnitude of power we receive by working on ourselves, the sooner we strengthen our value to the marketplace. Then, we shall work towards—and eventually, achieve—the financial success we desire. Only as we change do our financial prospects change.

Invest Time Wisely
Time is our most precious of all assets. When we adjust our mindset from being paid for our time to being paid for our value, we are compelled to invest our time more intentionally. We start by integrating growth within our daily agenda, continuously increasing our value, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, and year-by-year. Ten years from now, when we wake up in the morning with visionary leadership skills and a fat bank account, these are not the results of overnight success—but the natural progression of a woman’s continuously evolving professional capabilities.

Ten Things That Require Zero Talent
These ten virtues require zero talent while automatically boosting our value to the marketplace:

1. Being on time.
2. Work ethic.
3. Effort.
4. Body language.
5. Energy.
6. Attitude.
7. Passion.
8. Being coachable.
9. Doing extra.
10. Being prepared.

Extra Areas to Focus On
How do we create extra value? We become antifragile, so that as we encounter difficulties, they make us stronger. When we are consistently better today and tomorrow than we were yesterday, we become irreplaceable and cannot be ignored. The short list below is a decent starting place:

• Relative to our talents, interests, and professional aspirations, which skills and areas of expertise might help us most?
• How can we become more effective or efficient?
• Are we completely committed to learning new things every day?
• Do we surround ourselves with people from whom we can learn?
• Do we have a reputation of honesty? If not, can we commit to being 100% truthful with every single future thought, word, and action?
• Can we duplicate or even multiply our impact by helping junior teammates level up and perform some of the tasks which may have fallen below our ever-increasing pay grade?
• How goes our leadership journey?
• Are we developing the leadership capabilities of our teammates?
• Are we likeable and influential in our dealings with others?
• How healthy are our relationships in our network / sphere of influence?
• Do we recognize the supreme power of a positive mental attitude? Do we capitalize on this truth?
• Are we working towards becoming, or are we already, an excellent public speaker?
• Can we visualize things that others cannot? If no, why not and what are we going to do about it? If yes, how can we apply what we see to create more value? How can we develop our ability to see further?

Summary
As we change, our fortunes change. Improved and additional skills strengthen our ability to create, and therefore earn, additional value. Rather than looking to external forces or comparing ourselves with others, we can differentiate by becoming a better version of ourselves. Jim Rohn says, “Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job you can make a living, but if you work hard on yourself you’ll make a fortune.”

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”
—Matthew 25:29 NLT