What’s Your Worth?
How do know the worth of something simply by looking at it? How do you know that something is worth $1,000 versus $100? Or even $5,000 versus $500? Is it because you were told it was that price? Is it because it is a fancy or high-end store, or what appears to be a fancy or high-end store? How many times have we seen things and automatically because of where we would see it, or because someone told us it was a certain amount of money that all of the sudden it is now worth said amount?
Several years ago, Payless Shoe Store pulled off an amazing prank, where they rebranded themselves for a weekend. Payless hired an ad agency to bring together some of LA’s Fashion influencers, designers and fashionistas, to see if they would buy their very affordable shoes, if they thought they were from a high-end brand. Hence, the fake luxury store called Palessi was born. The attendees had no idea that the shoes were actually from Payless and were invited to check out what appeared to be a luxury shoe store.
This ‘luxury’ store was filled with Avant-Garde structures and displays, and a full team of sales associates was hired. The shelves were filled with payless shoes, and the prices were raised; we are not talking about a 20% or 50% increase. We are not even talking about a 300% increase. How about an 1800% increase! In the fancy and fake Palessi store, shoes that normally sold for around $30, were now going for anywhere between $250 to as much as $645.
NOTE: Avant-Garde is a French word meaning pioneer or forerunner and is attributed to people or works that are creative and innovative and have a special respect for art, culture, fashion, and their combination with lifestyle. Due to its creative and unusual form, it attracts the attention of celebrities, famous people and the press. – SOURCE: Avant-Garde Style - Adaa.
This provocative social experiment as Payless called it, was simply a test to see if people would pay more for their shoes if they did not know that they were payless shoes. When people see certain brands, or shop in what they consider to be a fancy store, whether due to the fancy name (which you may have never even heard of) or the décor, they automatically associate such with luxury or high end. The mind automatically thinks, oh that sounds fancy or oh, this looks fancy. Let’s take a look at some of the comments that the participants said about the shoes in Palessi:
“Palessi is such high quality and high fashion.”
“It’s taking your shoe game to the next level.”
“The shoes look very well made.”
“I would easily pay $300 - $400 for these.”
“People are going to be like, oh my god, where did you get those?”
Others went on to say things such as the shoes being the kind of shoes where you would just get compliments over and over again, and how the shoes were elegant, sophisticated and versatile, and could be worn to a met gala dinner. One Italian designer in attendance even spoke about how amazing it was for him to experience something like this.
In the end, the attendees were informed that the shoes were in fact from payless, and it was as if their worlds crumbled. While they tried to keep a straight face, it reeked of embarrassment. But Payless did gift the shoes to anyone who bought them for free, so in the end the attendees paid nothing, but this just proves human psychology. Most people care more about their brand image, and most of them would NEVER shop at payless because they are synonymous with “cheap” shoes, and not the luxury, high-end shoes that they thought they were buying.
Payless said that they wanted to change peoples’ perceptions about what luxury should cost, and the ad agency said that they were trying to make a cultural statement about how perception influences buying habits and what some people are willing to pay. Of course, to be fair, we also have to take some things into consideration when some companies price their items so high; things such as what goes into the making and design of a particular item, including who is making it, who is manufacturing it, and the materials used to make that particular product.
Overall, this experiment was super interesting, and proves that for some people, you can just slap a price on something, tell them that it is worth whatever, and they will believe it. But now, I want you to think about yourself. What do you say about yourself or to yourself on a daily basis about your worth? In the words of Henry Ford, “whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”
If you say to yourself that you are not worthy, that you are not worth anything, that you are not or that you are not that, then guess what? You are absolutely right. Now this is not me telling you that you are right, but instead, it is your subconscious telling you that, and believing it and absorbing everything negative thought and statement. It’s like, “oh ok, we are now going to bring all of these experiences that make us feel inadequate and to make us feel that we aren’t worth a damn, since that is how we feel about ourselves.” You then subconsciously attract into your space these horrible men or women, horrible situations, and more, because you have already told yourself that you are not worth anything, so why would anything or anyone of value come into your space?
With the Payless Shoe Store prank, they proved that when people put a certain worth or value on something, they automatically think thoughts such as “oh, this is $600, so it must be amazing quality,” and they treated the thing differently, then if they knew it was actually a $19.99 shoe. You need to start telling yourself that you are worth it because you are! How much are you worth? You are worth infinity and beyond, because there is really no measure to how much you are worth. We like to put these tangible measures of worth, like I’m worth $5,000, $100,000, one million dollars, and so on. But I’m not talking about that kind of worth because you can always change the reality of your financial abundance and net worth. I’m talking that deep internal thought of yourself. How much are you worth?
I know that I am priceless! There is no amount on my worth. I am worth every single thing that I am going after. I deserve it all and so do you! I deserve love! I deserve peace! I deserve joy! I deserve abundance! I deserve prosperity! I deserve to be a multi-millionaire! I deserve to be a multi-billionaire! I deserve all of the desires of my heart! I deserve to live my best and happiest life in this realm of existence and beyond. Stop letting society, family, friends, and even strangers tell you what something is worth; that something being you. Your value measures beyond anything that you can imagine, so stop playing small.
So, this payless prank just shows us that if people think there is a certain worth to something and they are convinced of that, they treat it better. Notice how these people really convinced themselves that the shoes were worth more; they automatically equated them with quality and beauty, because of where they were. You too, need to equate yourself with greatness. Sometimes we limit ourselves and our thinking because we cannot imagine or fathom that we deserve that much but we do! Who the hell are you to keep putting yourself down! The world does that enough through haters and whomever else. Let them hate, but never self-hate.
Just as these fashionistas and influencers believed that the shoes were worth what they thought they were and acted upon that, acted with the idea and knowledge (even though it was false knowledge) that the shoes were worth that price, you need to do the same when it comes to you. You need to go out here and tell these people that your worth is priceless. It cannot be calculated. It is beyond any number that even exists in the universe and transcends any level of understanding that anyone may have. Walk in your greatness with your head high. Walk like the king or queen that you are and let these people know who you are. Maintain those high vibrations as you walk in your power and watch how quickly things change. Also, click here to check out my blog post entitled “You Are Enough.”
