What's Your Take On Original Content?

Origina;

What’s your take on original content?

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Just yesterday I was asked by a friend to search for something on LinkedIn. I was blown away by what I found. Before I share that with you though let me share this.

A few weeks back, I had just cleared security at the airport and needed some water. I stopped into the nearest news store and grabbed one for the trip.

Now I knew inflation was bad but $5.00 for a bottle of water. I would have walked had I not been feeling so dehydrated.

As I made my way to the gate, I walked by one of the little sandwich kiosks and the same bottle was there with a $3.00 price tag.

I started thinking why was there such a price difference in the waters? Of course, that made me realize how stupid it was to pay $5.00 in the first place.

As I was waiting to board, I couldn’t stop thinking about the water. I took out my phone and went to my office supply store app to see what my cost would be. Are you ready? $1.57 a bottle. Now I know people are intitled to make a profit but that was almost half of the kiosk price and 69% less than the news store.

I should have stopped while I was ahead, but I didn’t.

I Googled the water and found that I could buy it at a big box store by the case and my cost was down to .17 cents a bottle. Crazy huh?

What was the difference?

Why was there such a HUGE price difference?

Then it hit me.

The bottle, the label, the ounces, everything was the same. The only difference was the place.

➡️ To the big box store, the value was cheap. Move it out.

➡️ The office supply store viewed it as a “convenience item” to add on for what their real business was, office supplies.

➡️ The kiosk saw it as something to wash down the dry bread that kept the sandwich meat together.

➡️ And the news store saw it as an opportunity to fulfill a purpose, to replenish what you just dumped out going through security.

They all valued the same water differently. Have you ever felt like that? Valued differently?

Maybe when you are around one set of friends you feel cheap and worthless, while the next set views you as a convenience because you own a car.

Then your boss might look to you as a person that holds the company together. (not a bad thing)

But then, your family, those closest to you, they see you for who you are and the purpose you serve. They value you the most.

I say all this so you can learn to not settle for anything less than the purpose you have in life. Be with those that know your worth. Hang out with hose that appreciate you for you and are willing to pay the price.

Ok, back to my original question and the search that I was told to do.

In the LinkedIn Search bar type “A water bottle in the supermarket”

You will see post after post from people who have copied and pasted the same words into their posts. THE EXACT SAME WORDS. Now if they were in college that would be considered plagiarism, but this is LinkedIn, so I guess that makes it ok.

There were some people who added their own take or spin with things like “I ran across this the other and it changed my life” or “I don’t know who wrote this, but wow is it profound.”

Kudos to them, at least they tried to change it up.

Now, if you are still reading this let me share something with you. I made my story up. It didn’t happen, none of this is true, well except the price of the water at the big box store and office supply store, I did look that up.

What I want you to take away from this though is the content is mine.

👉 I wrote it.

👉 I didn’t steal it.

👉 I didn’t share someone else’s post.

👉 I took an intriguing story and made it mine.

That is what you should want for yourself. Be the best version of you and not a cheap imitation of somebody else.

Now go, find what intrigues you and make it yours.

#AuthenticLeadership #leadershipdevelopment #coaching #executiveleadership #troubleshooting 

#Lifecoach #leadership #lifelonglearner #success

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Photo credit Gavin Attwood on Unsplash