You Are Worthy of Greatness
The month of December begins for the year of 2020, which is filled with virus, lockdown, work from home, masks and gloves.
It also marks the countdown to the end of the year.
Many things happened this year that are:
- Good for the few (Count your blessings)
- Bad for the many (Keep on surviving)
- Terrible for the rest (Pivot and fight for a better tomorrow)
Regardless of the circumstances that we’re in due to the unpredicted pandemic, the fight for survival has been real and I respect every single one of you.
As 2020 is ending, I’d urge us all to lift your head and take a breather.
On that note, I’d like to share 2 inspiring stories to kick start this month. Keep fighting on, champions!
Short Story: Worth of a $100
During one of my darkest career days when my self-esteem was beaten down, a colleague shared this story to us.
She began by taking out a $100 note.
“We all know that this is a $100 note. What can we exchange for this note? A delicious meal in a decent restaurant, a ride to the airport, a fit band, a book, or a lot of other items. If I were to offer you this $100 note, will you take it?”
Nods around the room.
Then she smiled and continued. “Good, so we all can agree on the value of this $100 note. Now, what if I do this?”
She proceeded to take a cup of water… and dunked the $100 note into the water!
She patiently stirred the $100 note in the water. After a few seconds, she took it out and once again held it up high.
“What about now? What is the value of this soaked $100 note?”
Nobody said a thing because we all collectively came to the same conclusion.
She concluded her session by saying, “We are all our own $100 note. It doesn’t matter what kind of shit we went through or going through, in the end we are our own worth. The most important thing is to acknowledge that and go find the person who appreciates us for our worth or more!”
BTM’s closing note: My takeaway from this story was pretty straightforward. Working in an environment where I wasn’t appreciated (e.g. constant scolding by le boss and getting told how useless I was), it is time to wake up and know that I should no longer commit time to someone who doesn’t appreciate my efforts. Moreover, the career advancement will be so very limited.
Business Story: Finding Our Niche
This is a truly inspiring story of a client of mine.
They are in a business of manufacturing wooden pallets for the transportation of goods. If you understand the industry, anyone can technically start a business in wooden pallet with just wood, nail and hammer.
As such. the wooden pallet industry in Malaysia has been filled with many small players who are constantly competing with each other.
This is akin to going to LowYat and you see the different merchants competing to sell you the same gadgets.
The problem? It becomes a price war because there is no difference between company A and company B other than the pricing.
My client has been in this business for many years. The profits waned from year to year as clients continued to press on prices… till a point they started to make losses.
Things were looking to be depressing as they continued operating. The opportunity came one day when a client called up and complained about the wooden pallet’s fungus / mold problem.
This is actually a very common issue that has plagued the wooden pallet industry since forever. What was different this time round was the combination of a new CEO and an open mind.
When my client went to examine the issue, my client began formulating a solution to this issue. In doing so, the company started a transformation process. The CEO started to brainstorm with the original founders – What could we do about this issue that is plaguing the industry since forever and breakthrough from the constant price wars?
Rather than being just a wooden pallet business, the company transitioned into a logistic solution provider to their clients.
How, you may ask?
- They came up with wooden palleting that will not have fungus / mold
- They offer a solution to their clients and not a product
- Their price point is at a premium
- They do not compromise on quality
- They do not negotiate (much) on their prices
On the last point, they would turn away clients who are asking for prices that they cannot do. They would willingly pass on the client to their competitors who can charge at lower prices. Citing – we won’t be able to deliver our solution at your budget. Why not you go try out companies A, B and C who can meet your budget?
Alas! In a year or two, they see that same client come back to them for their solution because by using the cheaper product, their (expensive) goods suffered damages when it was shipped away.
With this transition, they began to turnaround the business from a loss making company to over RM10 million in profits within a mere 5 years.
Ultimately, they:
- Found their niche in a long established industry,
- Know how much they are worth and do not compromise on that,
- Continue to improve and grow their business beyond Malaysia
This is actually similarly done by some of the most successful companies, just look at what Apple did to the commoditised phone industry.
BTM’s closing note: My takeaway from this business story is to find what we’re good at, hone that skill and do not compromise on the value that we give out. The right people will value us for our skills, which would help propel ourselves to the next level.
Closing Remarks
I hope these 2 short stories could inspire you as much as it inspired me.
We are all worthy of greatness. The first person to know that is ourselves, then the right people will slowly come into our lives.
Let’s all win in December 2020 with better finances, better relationships, better life and definitely a better us.
Allow me borrow a quote to end this post:
โDonโt waste your energy trying to change opinions โฆ Do your thing, and donโt care if they like it.โ
Tina Fey
