When I was a baby, my parents gave me anything I wanted. Then my dad died when I was two and a half, and I got even more stuff as my mom, friends and family gave me more and more to try to make me feel better. But when I was seven, my world changed.

That was when the real estate market(房地产) crashed. My mom had thought that buying houses was a good idea as a way to invest her money to take care of us. After the crash, I went from the kid who got an iPod when his tooth fell out and who had the coolest house to hang out in, to literally, having nowhere to stay.

After the real estate crash, when I would ask for a new toy, or bike, or even to see a movie my mom would say “maybe for your birthday” or “I’m sorry honey, but we can’t really afford that right now.” I didn’t know it then, but my mom had grown up in a family where money was never a problem, so this change was as big for her as it was for me. My constant requests for toys and video games were not helping my mom, who was to deal with her feelings about our new crisis—our financial situation. But I wasn’t used to hearing “no” so for a year or two I kept asking.

Then something happened that would change my way of thinking forever. My mom had been working really hard all year, just to pay for the necessities, like our water and power bill. When she asked me what I wanted for my birthday I said that I wanted a new video gaming system. I didn’t know that it was expensive. All I knew was that my friends had them and that I wanted one too.

On my birthday, I believed that I would get what I wanted when opening the presents.

From then on, I learned the difference between what I wanted and what I needed.

There was an old, wise man who grew sicker by the day. However, his son was still young and had yet to reach his full potential. So the man decided to teach his son the ways of the world before death comes knocking.

One morning, the man handed his son a watch passed down for generations. The boy had never seen it before so he didn’t quite know what to make of it. “What am I supposed to do with this watch, father?” “I want you to take the watch to the jeweler (珠宝商). Show him the watch and ask him how much it’s worth. But don’t accept any offer. Instead, come back home with the watch.”

The boy did as his father had instructed, but only to be told it was only worth $100. He complained, “The jeweler said he was taking a gamble (赌注)on buying the watch and that he’d have a hard time finding a buyer. And if I’m being honest, I kind of agree with him. I don’t think this watch is anything special.” The father was nodding, seemingly in agreement with the jeweler’s assessment. “Okay,” the father said. “Now take the watch to the pawnshop (当铺). See how much you can get for the watch.”

In his mind, the boy disagreed. But he didn’t want to argue with his father so he did the job anyway. However, he still went home looking defeated. “Father, the best I got was $20. They told me that the watch had problems. There were scratches (刮痕) that even I didn’t notice after carrying it with me all day.” The father, yet again, nodded in agreement.

“So what do you want me to do? Should I go back to the jeweler? After all, he is willing to pay more money.” “No,” said the father. “I want you to go to the museum to talk to my friend. The lady will have a better idea of what this watch is really worth.”

The son, getting annoyed by going once again, unwillingly agreed.

Confused, “What do you mean by saying value and self-worth?” the son asked his father.