Goals | 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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Grow your Dreams

May 20, 2010

Dreams are great, but they have to grow. Dreams are OK, but there has to be some “doing” integrated along with the dreaming. Dreams aren’t like magic beans that grow overnight into an incredible reality, they take work. If allowed, dreams will just sit and do nothing. They will become cowards and selfish. Harsh words? I don’t think so.

If you knew someone who had a great idea that would help humanity but because of fear of failure they did nothing, what would you call them? The magic within dreams is only seen when action is taken and we “do something”.

So….”Do Something”!!

Categories: Belief, Goals, Life, Vision
Tags: action, do something, dreams, ideas

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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 9

May 2, 2009

This is the last question, and I hope that these past few posts have been helpful to you in your search to become a better more accomplished individual. This answer, like the previous on, should be written down in the present tense. Take a minute and answer this last question about your desires and aspirations:

“What is your definite purpose in life?”

“What one goal, if you accomplished it, would have the greatest positive influence on your life?”

It is said that only 3% of the population write down goals of any kind. So, by writing down your goals you have moved to the top 3% of people in the country. The key in writing is that that act of putting things down on paper moves the items from your conscience to your subconscious and when they move to your subconscious they will begin to happen.

These past few posts have been about one thing: clarifying your goals as a person. This is your greatest aim, some would say secret. When you are clear about your goals, your desires, your future, you will achieve those goals.

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

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Success Question Pt 8

April 30, 2009

This post goes right along with the last one, and I feel it is the most important of all in terms of your personal future success. It isn’t really a question, but it does cause you to ask some questions about yourself and what you want to achieve in life.

“Write down ten things you want to accomplish in the next twelve months.
Write them out with today’s date in the present tense. “

Examples: “I have _____”; “I am doing ______”; “I am ______”

Here is the most amazing part of this post. If all you did was write these things down and put them away and then pulled them out in a year, you would be amazed at how many would have been accomplished. More than likely 8 out of the 10 would be completed.

Your next thought would be the if you accomplished that much with no effort, what could you do will a little more effort. You’d be right because the practice of goal setting is a skill. It takes practice. You do it over and over again, and you get better and better at it.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Creativity, Goals, Influence

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Success Questions Pt 7

April 27, 2009

This question is powerful and can change your life. Take sixty seconds and write out your answer on paper. This is the next question:

“What one great thing would you dare to do if you knew you could not fail?”

There are no limitations to the answer to this question. Write down the biggest goal you would have. When you’ve written it down, think about this fact, you are your own guarantee that your goal is achievable. The reason I asked you to write your goal down was that your act of writing something out means that you can accomplish that one thing.

You may think that I’m taking things too far, but how hard was it to write down those words? Or did you not even bother because you thought it would never happen?

Write it out and see what happens.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Creativity, Cultural Ideas, Goals, Influence, Life

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Success Question Pt 6

April 24, 2009

This question concerns your work right now, your current occupation or place of employment. Take thirty seconds and answer this next question”

“What part of your work gives you the greatest feeling of importance, pride or satisfaction? What are your peak experiences in your work environment?”

This is a very interesting question. Again, there are no wrong answers, but there is a typical response noted by most. It is almost inevitable that your response to this question has something to do with helping other people. This speaks into who you are and what your desires are for your own life. The moments that you have the greatest satisfaction with your job, are the moments you should seek more of. You should do this because these moments are the most aligned to you life’s purpose and desires.

Categories: Awareness, Belief, Creativity, 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 Question Part 3

April 11, 2009

This next question is one that I’ve heard over the years from many different places. When this question is placed inside this list of questions it is given more importance because is causes the light that is being turned on inside of us to come more and more into focus. The next question you should answer in sixty seconds.

“What would you do, or how would your life change if you had won $1 million dollars tax-free?”

I’m not talking about putting your money in the bank and living on interest. How would your life change? The important thing here is that if you would change your job if you had a million dollars, you are in the wrong job. If you keep saying that you would leave and go somewhere else and quit your job if you won the lottery, you should quit your job now. Your answer is saying that you don’t like your job, but that if you had the freedom to chose that you perceive a chunk of money would give you, you would chose to quit your job.

Life is too short to waste time working a job you dislike. You are doing yourself and your current employer (even if you are self-employed) a disservice. The thought that it could never happen doesn’t change the fact you wrote it down. And the action of writing it down is proof enough that it is attainable.

I’ll say that again: The action of writing it down is proof enough that it is attainable. Think about that for a few days!

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

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