Don’t underrate yourself — in the dance of life, you have an important part to play. Autumn Dance, original oil painting by Steve Henderson.

From Start Your Week with Steve, the free weekly e-mail newsletter of Steve Henderson Fine Art.

Steve Says:

Carolyn recently published an article, Is Your Job Meaningless? based upon a recent Internet search I did on the terms, “meaningful jobs.”

We were both intrigued — and a bit saddened, but not really surprised — by the results I found. Essentially, the top answers said this:

“Meaningful jobs are those that make a lot of money.”

Based upon this criteria, the most meaningful people on this planet are the richest ones, and theoretically, they bless the entire earth because of the extreme generosity they exhibit with the resources at their disposal.

It’s Monday. Always good to start the week with a smile.

But actually, there’s nothing particularly funny about the attitude of

Unique, unusual, one of a kind, and irreplaceable — that’s you. Mesa Walk, original painting by Steve Henderson sold; licensed open edition print at Great Big Canvas and Light in the Box.

judging our worth by how much we make, or even what we do — determining that this person is useful and good because he does this for a job, and that person is not useful or particularly necessary because she does that kind of job.

And while deep down, we know that this attitude is wrong, deep down, we’re also afraid that it’s true.

Allow me to make your Monday, and the rest of the week, by assuring you that, no matter what you do or how much you make, your life is meaningful.

How do I know this? Take a look at the painting above, Autumn Dance, and focus on the little girl dancing with the man.

That’s not just any little girl, and she’s not dancing with a random stranger. That little girl is dancing with her father, and he is the only person in the world who can be what he is in her life.

Bill Gates may make more money, but he cannot be the person in that little girl’s life that the man dancing with her is. Warren Buffett may make impressive investments, but not in the life of that little girl.

You play a part in other people’s lives that no one else can fill, or fulfill. Christmas Story by Steve Henderson.

There are people in your life who interact with you, depend upon you, care about you, in a way that nobody else in the planet can achieve. In your capacity as son/daughter, husband/wife, father/mother, nephew/niece, friend, coworker, even acquaintance, you fulfill a niche in different people’s lives that nobody else can fill for you.

That’s indispensable.

Most of us who are honest recognize that, no matter what our job, someone can take over for us if we have to leave. But in individual lives, we play a part that is unique to who we are, and the meaningfulness of the part we play has nothing to do with our title or our pay rank.

How much are you worth?

In the lives of the people around you, there is no number that can answer that question.

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Find Steve’s artwork on his website, Steve Henderson Fine Art, and his licensed work at Great Big Canvas and Light in the Box.

Learn how to save money, and live on the resources you have been given, with Carolyn’s book Live Happily on Less.

Improve your writing skills with another of Carolyn’s books, Grammar Despair.

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