Context | christopherhildreth

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more th>n, less th<n

October 7, 2012

How many of you have ever sold something you did – a service or item you made?

What did you price it at?

Did anyone say the price was too high or did someone tell you that you were selling too low?

We tend to value ourselves less than

Matthew 10:29-31 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

What does it take to make the transition from less than to more than?

It is amazing how much the price on an item can fluctuate
– different stores have different prices
– different times of the month or year dictate different prices
– one small thing can alter a price significantly…….a story

Attach a story to a product and watch its value rise and rise

“Stories are such a powerful driver of emotional value that their effect on any given objects subjective value can actually be measured objectively”, assert Joshua Glenn and Rob Walker on their website significantobjects.com. The entire site is home to an experiment that sets out to prove it.

The experiment went like this Glen and Walker bought cheap, throwaway objects from thrift stores and garage sales, always for pocket change or a couple dollars at most. Then a writer would create a fictional story about the object in any voice or style. The once unremarkable object (now transformed into a significant object by virtue of the fictional backstory and information associated with it) then would be listed for sale on eBay the winning bidder would receive the object and a printout of the story.

The difference in original purchase price and story-enhanced resale price would be recorded as the value added by attaching story to an object.

Examples:

A pair of plastic shark and seal pens cost $1.99 to buy. Its resale price, after Suzanna Daniel added a story was $35 – an increase of 1659%

A yo-yo with the Amoco logo on it cost 25 cents. It’s resale price, after Mark Sarvas added a story, was $41 an increase of 16,300%

The overall results for the first 100 items bought, storied, and resold on eBay: average object purchase price: $1.29. Average resale price after the story was added: $36.12. Average increase in value: 2706%.

What’s the moral, besides the obvious? It’s hard to avoid this upshot: when selling something, meaning matters. Even, apparently, if the meeting is made up.

Sometimes a yo-yo is just a yo-yo, other times, it’s a 16,300% return on your investment. How? When it’s got a backstory like this: “when I was 17, I was expelled from high school. My father, reasonably enough, give me a choice: get a job or get out. The only job for a 30 mile radius was the night shift behind the counter at an Amoco station on a deserted road off the interstate.”

The story, from the significant objects website, continues to unspool, sending the objects value on a stunning trajectory. By the time the narrator has “walked the dog, dealt with a fat hairy boss, and encountered a girl (of course, girl), the yo-yo has been transformed. Put another way $.25 yo-yo plus story equals $41.

Remember these were fictional stories completely made up

We have already discussed that we tend to value ourselves less than and God values us more than.

We’ve also seen how story can change the value of an object.

What can help us to see more than instead of less than in our own value?

Hearing the story that God attaches to us.

I used to think I needed a big, compelling story about prison time and Satan worship before I could have a good story.

Turns out I was wrong, here is what God thinks and tells about you –

1. God has expressed His kindness to you (Eph 2:7)
2. God’s power works through you (Eph 3:7)
3. You are a citizen of heaven (Php 3:20)
4. You are a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:22)
5. You are a holy temple (Eph 2:21; 1Co 6:19)
6. You are a light in the world (Mt 5:14)
7. You are a light to others, and can exhibit goodness, righteousness and truth (Eph 5:8-9)
8. You are a member of Christ’s Body (1Co 12:27)
9. You are a member of God’s household (Eph 2:19)
10. You are a minister of reconciliation (2Co 5:17-20)
11. You are a new creation (2Co 5:17)
12. You are a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Ac 1:8)
13. You are a saint (Eph 1:18)
14. You are adopted as his child (Eph 1:5)
15. You are alive with Christ (Eph 2:5)
16. You are assured all things work together for good (Ro 8:28)
17. You are blameless (ICo 1:8)
18. You are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)
19. You are born again (IPe 1:23)
20. You are born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1Jn 5:18)
21. You are chosen and dearly loved (Col3:12)
22. You are chosen before the creation of the world (Eph 1:4, 11)
23. You are Christ’s friend (Jn 15:15)
24. You are completed by God (Eph 3:19)
25. You are confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Php 1:6)
26. You are crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20)
27. You are dead to sin (Ro 1:12)
28. You are delivered (Col1:13)
29. You are faithful (Eph 1:1)
30. You are forgiven (Eph 1:8; Col1:14)
31. You are given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Eph 1:5,8)
32. You are God’s child (Jn 1:12)
33. You are God’s coworker (2Co 6:1)
34. You are God’s workmanship (Eph 2:10)
35. You are growing (Col 2:7)
36. You are healed from sin (IPe 2:24)
37. You are hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3)
38. You are His disciple (Jn 13:15)
39. You are holy and blameless (Eph 1:4)
40. You are in Him (Eph 1:7; 1Co 1:30)
41. You are included (Eph 1:13)
42. You are more than a conqueror (Ro 8:37)
43. You are no longer condemned (Ro 8:1, 2)
44. You are not alone (Heb 13:5)
45. You are not helpless (Php 4:13)
46. You are not in want (Php 4:19)
47. You are overcoming (IJn 4:4)
48. You are part of God’s kingdom (Rev 1:6)
49. You are persevering (Php 3:14)
50. You are prayed for by Jesus Christ (Jn 17:20-23)
51. You are promised a full life (Jn 10:10)
52. You are promised eternal life (Jn 6:47)
53. You are protected (Jn 10:28)
54. You are qualified to share in His inheritance (Col1:12)
55. You are raised up with Christ (Eph 2:6; Col2:12)
56. You are redeemed from the curse of the Law (Gal 3:13)
57. You are safe (IJn 5:18)
58. You are salt and light of the earth (Mt 5:13-14)
59. You are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
60. You are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph 2:6)
61. You are secure (Eph 2:20)
62. You are set free (Ro 8:2; Jn 8:32)
63. You are the righteousness of God (2Co 5:21)
64. You are united with other believers (Jn 17:20-23)
65. You are victorious (1Co 15:57)
67. You belong to God (1Co 6:20)
68. You can approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph 3:12)
69. You can be certain of God’s truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Eph 4:17)
70. You can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Eph 4:2)
71. You can be kind and compassionate to others (Eph 4:32)
72. You can be strong (Eph 6:10)
73. You can bring glory to God (Eph 3:21)
74. You can forgive others (Eph 4:32)
75. You can give thanks for everything (Eph 5:20)
76. You can grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ’s love is (Eph 3:18)
77. You can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Eph 4:21-32)
78. You can honor God through marriage (Eph 5:22-33)
79. You can mature spiritually (Eph 4:15)
80. You can parent your children with composure (Eph 6:4)
81. You can stand firm in the day of evil (Eph 6:13)
82. You can understand what God’s will is (Eph 5:17)
83. You don’t have to always have your own agenda (Eph 5:21)
84. You have access to the Father (Eph 2:18)
85. You have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood (Eph 2:13)
86. You have been called (Eph 4:1; 2Ti 1:9)
87. You have been chosen and God desires you to bear fruit (Jn 15:1,5)
88. You have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2Co 1:21-22)
89. You have been justified (Ro 5:1)
90. You have been shown the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Eph 2:7)
91. You have God’s power (Eph 6:10)
92. You have hope (Eph 1:12)
93. You have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2Ti 1:7)
94. You have peace (Eph 2:14)
95. You have purpose (Eph 1:9 & 3:11)
96. You have redemption (Eph 1:8)
97. You know there is a purpose for your sufferings (Eph 3:13)
98. You possess the mind of Christ (ICo 2:16)
99. You share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Eph 3:6)
100. Your heart and mind is protected with God’s peace (Php 4:7)

If you are not convinced let’s look back at the verse we talked about in the beginning :

God sees value in you – think about this fact this week.

This is a small scratch of what we could talk about concerning this subject, if you have questions, want to talk more, we can talk here, Facebook, or even on my blog.

I stopped writing my blog a few years ago because I listened to the wrong person who didn’t give any value to me, now I see that I do have value and you do too.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Character, Context, Creativity, Goals, Influence, Leadership, Life, Vision

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Don’t Be an Amateur – Be a Pro

October 3, 2010

There are many people who have interests that they call hobbies. They spend time tinkering with these interests, but it sits as a “weekend warrior” type committment. These days you can not have that kind of mentality about your life or your pursuits. In the deep recesses of your mind, you know the ideas you have, the plans you would like to make, the accomplishments you would like to achieve. Whether it is creating a piece of music, painting a masterpiece or leading a village to freedom, you have heard the echoing voice in your mind for years. At times the voice would rise in volume and your heart would race with the thought that “maybe” this could be the time.

Sadly, you shrugged off the feelings because you “had to make a living” or you needed to be “reasonable” in your aspirations. You must shake yourself free from such damning thoughts and thrust out your hand and begin. The greatest resistance and frustration you will face is when you begin your work, that thing that you know you were meant to do. In the genesis of action when the hand touches the plow, that is the moment when the pull from the opposition is at it height. It does not come from some outside place, you know that very well, it comes from within, the center of your individual universe. A cry bellows out from the caverns of your core and screams for you to stop and let things remain as they have always been. Out comes reason after reason for you to quit and go back to the “normal” life you have been living. This is indeed the moment of truth and you must face this moment alone. At this time it is just you fighting with your own ego for supremacy of the control of your Self.

Something happens in the ether when you make contact with your work, when musician touches her instrument and artist picks up the brush. When the writer grasps the pen, a surge of energetic passion envelopes him and suddenly he is no longer alone. The Source has brought to him help and supply. Once you have set you face in the direction of your inner call, all of Heaven is allied with you and your certainty grows. From seemingly nothing the seeds of inspiration begin to germinate and flourish. A once barren mindscape is now fertile with ideas and endeavors.

In the eyes of those around you, you may seem a little off – mad even. What the onlookers do not know is that you have connected with the Muse that will bring sustenance and peace. Not in the form of success or reward, but of accomplished work. To do a thing for the money is to prostitute the Divine. To do a thing for the doings sake is the work of the professional. An amateur does not understand the importance of finishing, staying late or misery; the professional understand that nothing is done without it. The diabolical nature of the Ego is to make you believe that you are all that matters – the individual. It gives you the OK to think that you are separate and what you do bleeds over into no one else’s life. This sinister lie is only emboldened by those around you who want you to maintain the equilibrium of the group by not trying to be who you were made to be. The pack wants to set the rules and punish those who break them.

You look around at your adopted pack, but find no solace as before. Your mind has been awakened and can never return to its previous state. The only way to continue to stay with the pack is to renounce your feelings – your “knowings” about yourself – and submit to the culture of the pack. Submit to the unwritten law that we will all keep the peace as long as no one tries to step out and be their real Self. The reasoning is simple. To be one’s real Self is to succeed and accomplish and achieve, and that is what we most fear. The greatest fear we have is that we will become who we know, deep inside, we are.

But that side-eyed contempt of life will not do for the professional. Perhaps the half-hearted amateur will never write the novel, or the symphony, or the play; but truth be told it was never going to be written or sung anyway. Amateurs abuse the gift, they tarnish the sacred and humiliate the holy. Amateurs are enamored by their own unrealized visions. Professionals know that the work is flowing through them from somewhere else. Professionals honor the work.

Step free from the shadow of the pack and step into your Self. Acknowledge and begin the path to be who you were meant to be. The first step is the hardest, but the result will be the upswell of inspiration and ultimately the completion of the task. Don’t wait, procrastinate, piddle, dwaddle or put off. Step up, step out, move up and press on. Do what you know you must do…now!

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Character, Context, Creativity, giving, Influence, Leadership, Life, Music, Starting, Strengths, Vision
Tags: amateur, artist, begin, ego, gift, move, musician, painter, pro, professional, start

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Ali and Change

April 6, 2010

Make room for changing opinions and views for yourself and for others. Muhammad Ali once said, “the man who views the world at fifty, the same as he did at twenty, has wasted thirty years of his life”.

He could not be more true. Our minds should always be seeking to learn and expand our views and knowledge of the world around us. As we learn more, our views become panoramic as the depth and breadth of humanity is taken in.

The longer a man lives, the larger the world should be.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Life, People, Vision
Tags: Ali, big world, change, Life, opinions

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Failure is a What not a Who

March 24, 2010

When talking about business, many people talk in absolutes. Wins – Losses…Good – Bad Investments….Smart – Stupid moves….Success – Failure. In discussions like these it is imperative that we remember that a failure is “something ” that happened; not “someone”. With that context clear in our mind, we make it alright for others and ourselves to pursue great things and risk incredible failure. The reason is simply that whether great or not, they are just events and not people, like ourselves.

Categories: Awareness, Business, Context, Creativity, Life, People
Tags: context, event, failure, good vs bad, Life, success

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Wise and Patient

July 15, 2009

Will Henry wrote, “Fools live to regret their words; wise men to regret their silence”. Just reflect on those words and realize how much patience is involved in being wise. remember, patience does not mean silence or inaction; it is action and speech at the right time.

Categories: Awareness, Context, Cultural Ideas, Influence, Leadership, Life
Tags: fools, patience, realization, will henry, wise

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Look

May 7, 2009

One of the most important action steps that we can take when improving our lives is to Look at the life we want to improve. It may seem like a simple task, but you would be surprised at how many people do not take time to Look at their own lives. It is an easy thing to talk about how someone else should be living – an entirely different animal when examining our own self.

Self examination is the key to continued success in every arena. In this step there is no short cut and no easy way to proceed. When we chose to honestly evaluate ourself we must do so with as little subjectivity as possible. In other words we have to Look at our lives the way we Look at others. We have to judge our personal progress without the justification and excuses for why we haven’t progressed in certain areas.

If you can succeed in objective self examination and use what you find within yourself as motivation to move further, then you have achieved a milestone in personal growth. You have also taken the greatest step toward personal fulfillment and success. With continued self examination you will progress even further and see your list of goals accomplished one after another.

To make self examination and action based on the results a habit will launch you into the highest percentage of successful people and a future that is bright with great expectations.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Goals, Influence, Life

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Success Question Pt 5

April 19, 2009

This next question has to do with what you should do with your life. In the next thirty seconds answer this question:

“What have you always wanted to do but have been too afraid to attempt?”

This is a core question that reaches deep into who you are. Something to remember is that the fact that you have wanted to do this could mean that this is what you are to do. Whatever is your hearts desire could be what you are supposed to do with your life. The real answer here is that your experiences and relationships have been directing you toward something that is one step ahead of you. Fear of failure is the only thing holding you back from doing that thing you have always wanted to do.

You always have the choice to proceed forward or hesitate.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Creativity, Goals, Influence, Life

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Success Question Part 4

April 15, 2009

This next question is similar to the last one but involves a different commodity – time. Take a minute to answer this question:

“What would you do, how would you spend your time if you knew you had six months to live?”

I’m not talking about being sick and dying, I’m talking about perfect health for six months then death. This is a question that goes back to your values, the things that are important to you. If you would do something like spend more time with the family, then do it. I would bet that no one will answer that they would spend more time at work. When faced with only six months to live, most would chose to spend more time with their family or more experiences that they have been putting off.

This question answers what you really should be doing now. Take that trip; spend more time with your family. Typically if you planned out the trip you think you can’t take, you can. The next question will peer even deeper into who you are and what you were born to do.

Categories: Awareness, Context, Goals, Influence, Life

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Success Questions Pt 2

April 6, 2009

Take the next thirty seconds and answer the following question:

“What are the 3 most important goals you have for your life right now?”

Don’t spend more time qualifying your answers. Like the last post, write down what comes from your gut – your center. When you answer quickly you may even surprise yourself with your answers. When you let the answers come out unfiltered, an authentic view of yourself and knowledge of your real wants and desires will come out. The key is to always remember that there are no wrong answers.

Some will think that if they write down Money or Influence as goals that somehow thoses things are “bad”. The real truth is that money and influence are things that can produce positive good results if used correctly.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Creativity, Goals, Influence, Life

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What We See, We Believe

March 25, 2009

“Seeing is Believing” We’ve all heard that quote before, but what does it mean, and how does it impact our own lives. What we spend time looking at has an effect on what we allow into our belief system. What we look at also has an effect on the strength of our current beliefs. I’m not talking about negative aspects. We are familiar with those. What we are not familiar with is the positive influences that can happen because of what we chose to gaze at.

Whether we chose to spend time looking at a sunrise, sunset or a mist rising over a large field in the early morning. These images impact our attitudes during the day and our remembrances of the day in the future. Choosing to look at something that lifts us up inside can have a direct influence on the successes or failures we experience during the day.

Take time and chose to look at something beautiful. See how it effects and changes your perspective and to that end, your life.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Context, Life

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