Everyone is a potential value source. At least for some subject. Being looked upon as a value source is a good thing. It has advantages….a sense of responsibility, a lot of respect and influence, being a point of reference etc
So we all should be value sources. In fact, you have the responsibility to be a value source in society. Let’s call it your “human social responsibility”.
How do you become a value source, then? A well others can drink from, that can pour without running out of its source.
Answer: by filling that well with something it can never run out of.
So step one is to get learned. Read. Watch value content. Reflect. Talk to people you consider value sources. Repeat cycle. Fill your cup. Imbibe the value.
Literally no one was born with knowledge of how to do land surveys. A teacher is able to teach Math because they acquired the knowledge of Math. A doctor is able to diagnose and treat because they acquired this skill through learning. Everybody you see with a full cup learned it through some form of acquisition (for 99% of people). Remember that.
The human brain is way too smart and lobulated to be left empty. Fill it.
It is not a good idea to let formal education be the only mechanism by which your brain gets fed. Formal education is great, but it is strategically filtered and periodically delivered knowledge. It is to be supplemented via your “getting learned” process, if you want to achieve more comprehensive and holistic learning in less time.
And now about insight. A natural and acquired aptitude for learning, as well as upbringing, do influence how insightful some people are. To be insightful means to possess a penetrative discernment; to be able to see and understand the true nature of things, people or situations. And yes I am saying some people are born with this ability.
But just like some people are born with the natural ability to dance and others learn to dance (acquired ability), what actually differentiates who becomes a value source for dancing is who hones their ability and deliberately transforms from “I know how to dance” to “I know how to dance and I know about dancing”.
The latter, beyond having the ability, also has an understanding of the art, of its place in society, its origins, opportunities, gaps. They’re aware of its outlets and forms and can project its future, which makes them better value sources.
I have come to notice that people who acquire knowledge or skill on a subject tend to be greater value sources than the naturally gifted.
This is my opinion. I think it is because their process of acquisition saw them acquire other values like hard work, resilience, niche knowledge, branding etc and saw them interact with teachers and experts of the subject – things a value source requires.
I believe however, that optimizing a natural ability will give the most explosive results. Serena Williams is an example.
In the end it all shows that anyone can be a value source if they choose to be; whether by enhancing natural endowment, by strategic acquisition or both.
Who are your value sources? And what are you a value source for?
