12 Keys to becoming a person of value : The case study of the proverb 31 woman

12 KEYS TO BECOMING A MAN/WOMAN OF VALUE: The Case Study of The Proverb 31 Woman.  

 BY OLAKUNLE PAUL

A WRITER AND A PROSPECTIVE AUTHOR

 EMAIL: OLAKUNLEORIMAYE@GMAIL.COM

Becoming a person of value is very much pivotal to being successful in life. Your success in life and the fulfillment of your destiny depend so much on how valuable you are.
Being valuable is what makes you relevant to your generation.
To be valuable, according to the Oxford English learners dictionary, simply means to have the ability or to possess the quality of rendering something desirable. What makes you valuable is your ability is not only the ability to offer something which people so much desire to have, but also the ability to proffer solutions to problems.

You need to understand that, in life, if you are not loaded, you are not needed. You can only be influential and successful in your chosen endeavor if only you are very much valuable. Your significance in life is tied to your value. And, so when you commit yourself to developing value in you, you are, by implication, making yourself needed and sought after.

The significance of being
a man/woman of value to the fulfilment of your purpose, achieving your dreams, fulfilling your God given destiny and being successful in life cannot be overemphasized.

The book of proverbs. 31:10, says, "who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies"

 She is so much valuable that not even rubies could meet up to the standard of her value.

You need to understand that being valuable is not a function of predestination; rather, it is a function of your choice. The fact that you are not born with a silver spoon is not an excuse for you not being successful in life. Also, the fact that you came from a family who live in extreme affluence does not in any way guarantee your success/being valuable as well.

 Success in life answers to choice and not to  chance. If you don't chose to be valuable in life, you may never get any any chance to succeed because those who celebrate as being successful are all who are valuable. The renowned international international speaker and minister, Dr. Myles Munroe, says, "If you want to be successful, do not seek success, see to become a person of value" So, if you try want to make your life count and to fulfil God's purpose for your life, a commitment to make yourself valuable is not just an option but a necessity.

However, there are some keys that are fundamentally required for you to become a  person of value whom people will seek after. The keys are what i have taken time to highlight in this article. They are not just carnal motivational keys but scripturally proven keys that can make you relevant to your world by making you valuable if applied.


1. She is trustworthy and dependable:

This is a fundamental key to becoming a man/woman of value. The scriptures says of the woman in prov. 31:11 that, “the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” She is so much trustworthy that her husband need not to worry at all. You need to cultivate the virtue of being trustworthy and dependable. How much can people depend on you? To what extent can people trust you? Can they ever commit things to your care without them having any doubt of you mismanaging them? So many people have made themselves unnecessarily worthless and irrelevant due to the fact that people have lost trust in them. Endeavor to be transparent, honest and open in your daily dealings and interactions with people. If you are not dependable, you can never be valuable.

2. She is proactive.

“she seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands” — Prov.  31:13. This verse describes her Pro activity in her approach to life. This is a key you cannot do without if you must become a person of value. Be proactive in your approach to life. Passivity — a direct opposite of Proactivity — is the easiest route to unproductivity. If you are a kind that is passive, always waiting for things to work out themselves, and never rising to make things happen, you will never achieve anything meaningful. Those who are sought after — valuable — are those who make things happen. Success in life does not come to those who fold their hands and rationalize whatever happens to them to fate. For you to become a person of value, you must seek and not sit to be valuable.

3. She is positively minded and optimistic.
“She is like merchants’ ships; she brinngeth her food from afar” — Prov. 31:14.
This verse describes her possibility mentality and positive mindedness. She goes as far as possible to make sure she gets what she wants. Being a person of value will, of  course, place a great demand on you. You will need to rise up and give it what it takes to be valuable. It might seem unattainable, but just be positive minded and oriented.  To be valuable will require you to go some miles further than where you currently are; and, work harder than what you currently do. The best is reserved for only those who are, out of positive mindedness, willing to give it their best.

4. She has a sense of responsibility.

 “she riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens”. You see that? Such a responsible woman! Having a sense of responsibility is the key to becoming a celebrity. If you are not responsible for anything in life, you will never amount to anything worthwhile. All those who you celebrate for being successful and valuable are very much responsible. Many people are too lazy, and they expect to become a person of value, no sir! It doesn’t work that way.  If you are not responsible for something, you will never be needed for anything! To whatever is it that you are engaged, having a sense of responsibility is the key to making the best out of it. Be responsible!

5. She is entrepreneurially oriented .
“She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” — Prov. 31:15. She does not only have a sense of responsibility to her work she also has a sense of productivity.— an ability to productively think of how to maximize things to bring more profits. As much as you are responsible to your duty, endeavor to be productive as well. Look for ways through which you can overhaul yourself and that which you do. This makes people find in you what they may never find from anybody else. It makes you optimize your life. It’s a very important key to being valuable.

6. She is task oriented :
“She girdeth her loins with strength and strengtheneth her arms.” — Prov. 31:17. She is very much task oriented. Due to that, she commits to developing herself in all ramifications for the task before her. If you are not task oriented, you will never achieve anything worthwhile, because you will not fully engage in personal development. Being task oriented is a very important key to becoming a person of value because it makes you want to engage in personal development. And, personal development is more than pivotal to making yourself valuable. If you don’t see the purpose and assignment of God for your life as a task, you will not fully commit your time and resources to fulfilling it, and this is tantamount to becoming a valueless individual.

7. She is value minded.
 “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night” — Prov. 31:18. Seeing that her work (merchandise) is good (valuable) she never gets tired doing it even till night.  For you to be valuable, you must see value in whatever you do. This is what will make you persevere in the night times (times of trouble, tribulations and discouragements). As much as you are task oriented, make sure you are also value minded. Do not underestimate whatever you find yourself doing. See it as a task and also see it as a treasure and do it with all your power and might. This is what guarantees success. Many people have wandered off the course of God’s plan and purpose for their lives because they feel what they are called to do is worthless or not lucrative enough. Whereas, if they stay in it, and see value in it, it will definitely pay off for them. That it is not, in your own perspective — or rather, the majority's  perspectives — lucrative does not make it bad or insignificant if it is God’s plan for your life. Stay in it!

8. She is generous:
 “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor, yeah, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy” — Prov. 31:20. This is another important key to becoming a person of value. How generous and kind are you to the needy? As much as it lies in you, be kind to those around you. The best way to keep living after you die is to impact and influence people’s lives while you are still alive. Never be cruel and wicked. Do good to all those around you. As much as God is blessing you, commit yourself to bessing others also. When you do this, I tell you, you are making yourself a person of extreme value

9. She has a good self esteem.
 “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple” — Prov. 31:22. Knowing quite well that she’s a person of value, she carries herself properly. She doesn’t look down on herself, neither does she carry herself uselessly. She makes bed coverings and she put on clothes of nice value — silk and purple. It is one thing to possess some characteristics that make one valuable, it is another thing to see yourself as valuable. One of the keys to becoming a person of value is to have a good self esteem. Many people suffer from low self esteem and often wish secretly to be like others. The way you see yourself determines the way in which you carry and comport yourself. Your dressing, comportment, character, etc. are all a reflection of what you see in yourself. The truth of the matter is that you are a product of what perception you have of yourself. When you see this woman, even from her dressing and comportment, you treat and approach her respectfully. The way you free, they stay, the way you will be addressed.

10. She is excellent minded:
 “She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delievereth girdles unto the merchant.” — Prov. 31:24. She doesn’t just make linen of any kind, she rather makes fine linen. Becoming a of value requires that you do things excellently. Whatever you are engaged in doing, do it excellently. Shun all forms of nonchalant attitude to whatever you do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit, says Aristotle. Being valuable is a function of an excellent mindset. If you are a singer, sing excellently; a preacher, prepare yourself and deliever your message perfectly; a writer, write excellently well.  Try as much as possible to be flawless in whatever you do in life. People will definitely be attracted to you if you inculcate this kind of attitude.

11. She talks wisdom.
“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” — Prov. 31:26. When she talks, wisdom is taught. Why? Because, she doesn’t just talk; rather, she does when necessary. Minding your speech is very important in you becoming a person of value. Don’t just talk to say something; rather, talk because you have something to say.  Be very careful in your manner of approach people and situation. They count greatly in making you become a person of value.

12. She is a good manager of her home.
“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.".— Prov. 31:27.  You don’t find her staying idle in the wrong place doing wrong things; you rather find her very busy taking care of her home. Whatever God has committed to your hands in respect to your purpose in life, face it with all that is in you. Mind your own business, and never be a busybody in others’.  You don’t see people of value everywhere every time;  you rather see them somewhere every time. Stay with your God given career/vision and manage it very productively and prudently. Then, you become a person of value.

Meticulously imbibing these attitudes in your life will not only enlist you among the valuable, but will also place you above them.  As a result of these characteristics exhibited by this woman, the scriptures says, “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all”
Let me again close with the words of Myles Munroe who says
 “if you want to be successful, do not seek success, seek to become a person of value”