When his daughter turned sixteen and got her driver’s license, her father took her into the garage and said: “You are going to need a car to get to your job after school. Take this old Ford pickup truck to the local junk dealer and ask him what he’d give you for it.”
His daughter drove the truck to the junk dealer and was told: “It’s very old, but I’ll give you $200 for the pickup.” She drove home and told her father what the junk dealer offered.
Then her father told her to drive the pickup to a local pawn shop in town and ask them what they would give her for it. She drove to the pawn shop and was told: “It’s an old truck, but I’ll give you $500 for it.” The daughter returned to report this to her father.
Her father then told her to drive to the local car dealer and ask them what they would give her for the truck. They told her: “Even though it is old, we can give you $1,500 for it.”
Excited about the offer she had received, and what she thought was the best offer she could get, she drove home to tell her father the good news.
Her father nodded and told his daughter to drive out of town to a place that had a large garage owned by an older man. He told her to ask the man what he would give her for the truck. She was shocked when the man told her: “It’s a classic. I’ll pay you $80,000 in cash if you sell it to me.”
The young girl couldn’t believe such an offer and immediately drove home to tell her father.
He father said: “That pickup may be old, but it is a classic, and the knowledgeable car collector knew its true value. The junk dealer, pawn shop owner, and car dealer had no idea of the true value of the car. Let this be a lesson to you,” said her father. “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. You need to always know your true value. You know that job you have? Don’t let anyone tell you that you are less valued. If you are ever underpaid or under-appreciated where you work, then find a better job where they respect your talents and skills and where they will value you.”