Is there a difference between Cost and Value?

COST VS. VALUE

I've always been a Craftsman kind of guy, you know the kind of person that is going to spend more money on an item in order to have that item last a lifetime.

I'm not big into extended warranties either, I think if a company makes a quality product they should back that product with service equal to it's cost.

With Craiglist, EBay and Amazon taking the world by storm, a form of ignorance has taken hold of the modern consumer. No longer is customer loyalty factored into a purchase, the new mantra is "How low can you go"?

This same attitude has swept into our personal lives as well as our shopping world.

Today I was talking with some friends about a very successful person, they faced incredible odds in uncharted territories and why they were still able to accomplish so many incredible things in their life time. The short answer is, they placed a very high value on those around them and they understood the cost of life itself.

Until you understand what something costs you, you can never appreciate it's true value in your life. This is true in business and relationships as well. What ever you consider to have little value will most definitely take a position of little importance in your life.

So, is there a difference between Cost and Value. I believe there is and its more complex then you might imagine. Cost is something of an attitude towards losing something. With Cost I most give up something, I loss, I have less. With Value, I am looking upward in a positive and secure future. Value adds quality and longevity to my life, I am gaining something that increases my worth and makes me a better person.

Always look for the Value and you'll never have to worry about the cost!

A final thought, I heard this poem many years ago and I repeat it to myself all the time when faced with a choice between being a positive and influential person or an antagonistic doubtful person.

"Two men stand looking through bars, One sees the Mud, the other the Stars."

Look up to the Stars!