What’s your value?

Is your value really worth your request? That’s the question that pops up in my head when people come to me with their hand out. Doesn’t matter if it’s family, friends, work, dating, or business, you’ll always find someone who thinks they’re bigger than the game, like just showing up should get them some sort of special treatment.

But life doesn’t work like that. If you’re asking for something, do you yourself think you’ve earned it? Why should I drop everything to attend to you? Why should I give you special treatment? Why should I bend rules or make exceptions just because you asked? Nothing in this world is free. Value has to be shown before you are rewarded, whether it’s in time, effort, loyalty, finances or love.

You can’t knock on someone’s door expecting a red-carpet treatment if you haven’t put the work in. Friends expecting favours but never being there when it counts. Family wanting special treatment without ever reaching out to see if you're alive. People asking for opportunities and discounts without delivering results. People acting like their presence alone is enough but not showing what they actually bring to the table.

That’s why my patience with requests has thinned out. Everything has to be balanced. If you’re asking me to shift my time, energy, space, money or emotions, then I need to know what you’re capable of giving back. Not stories, not intentions, REALITY. If you can’t, then what you’re really saying is you want me to do the heavy lifting while you sit back and gain the benefits.

People moving like their involvement alone is a gift, like just being around should earn them respect, loyalty, or opportunities. But life isn’t charity. Respect, love, trust, opportunity, these aren’t just handed out. They come from what you genuinely contribute, from showing your value in a way people can actually feel and rely on. Too many people walk around with their ego blocking their view, burning bridges before they’ve even crossed them, all because they confused wanting something with deserving it.