I came across a touching story that made me stop and ponder my own worth.

I want to share it with you. Here goes…

One day, a boy approached his father and asked, "What is my life worth?"

The father handed his son a small stone and replied, "Take this stone to the market. If anyone asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."

The boy did as he was told and went to the market. An old woman approached him and asked, "How much is that rock? I want it for my garden."

The boy held up two fingers, to which the woman replied, "$2? I'll take it."

Before she could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.

His father nodded and said, "Ok, now take the stone to the museum. If anyone asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."

The boy did as he was told and went to the museum. A man in a suit approached him and asked, "How much is that stone? I want it for my home."

The boy held up two fingers, to which the man replied, "$200? I'll take it."

Before he could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.

His father nodded and said, "Ok, now take the stone to the precious gem store. If the owner asks the price, raise two fingers and don't say anything."

The boy did as he was told and went to the stone store. The owner of the store approached him and asked, "Where did you find that rare stone? I have been looking for it my entire life. How much will you sell it for?"

The boy held up two fingers, to which the man replied, "$20,000? I'll take it."

But once again, before he could complete the deal, the boy turned and ran home to tell his father what had happened.

The lesson?

You choose your own worth. You determine your value.

“Worth” is dynamic...not fixed.

Just as the stone can be a $2 rock in the market or a $20,000 stone in the precious gem store, our worth can change with the environment we find ourselves in.

We may place ourselves in an environment where others don’t value us, who laugh at our dreams, and criticize our ambitions.

Or...

We can place ourselves in an environment where we’re celebrated, highly valued, and surrounded by people who lift us up, encourage us to think bigger. They believe in us even when we struggle to believe in ourselves!

We must remind ourselves that our future is under our own control.

You choose your own worth!

Are you the $20,000 rare stone or the $2 rock?

Our answer is the most important choice of our lives!

Choose wisely.