Value Added

One of the marketing strategies that is widely used in retail stores is called “value added.” That means providing some product or service at a deeply discounted price to get people into the store or office, expecting that they will purchase other things or need other services once there. It works.

The whole concept of “value added” might be one that is good for our personal lives as well. We’re not selling anything, but maybe, every day, we can consider what we can add to our lives to make that day more valuable. It might be as simple as saying “I love you” to a family member. Perhaps your spouse and children hear those words frequently from you (hopefully), but how about saying them to a parent or aunt or uncle. Or step out of your comfort zone and say it to your friends. It will astound you as to what adding that small value to your day adds to someone’s life (they may not say so, but trust me, it will – they may never forget it).

Or add value by doing some small act of kindness – hold the door for someone, wave and smile to a stranger, give an outlandish tip to a waiter, visit someone you know who is in a nursing home or hospital.

In adding value to your day – giving something valuable to someone (even something small) you brighten that other person’s life and you enrich your own.