Undervaluing Ourselves (Blowing It Scenario #145).

It’s High Time We All Come Together And Each And Everyone One Of Us Find Our True Worth And Charge The Correct Value Of That Worth.

Two articles came out this week that brought about just how disconnected we are with our proper value of our work. One of which was about the gig economy and it’s race to zero. How everyone around the world who uses the internet to sell their professional skills and services, skills most acquired through many years of hard work and dedication. All these freelancers and entrepreneurs are all now in a race to the bottom, speeding steadily toward giving away all their hard work for free. When we don’t control the paradigm the value is skewed. There is a story I once heard that Picasso was sitting at a café sketching on a cheap napkin when a lady witnessed he crumpled the napkin and shoved it into his pocket she than asked if she could have it. He replied, “Absolutely you can have it, for $20,000 dollars.” She says back to him, “but it only took you a few seconds to create.” His final response to the women is a telling symbol of knowing your value. He tells her, “No this took me a lifetime to create.” This is a one of the biggest lesson we can ever take about our value. We put so much hard work and effort into being able to create that work of art, some put their bodies through so much, why diminish its value?

Value is not only tied to the moment we create something new, that is simply the event. Most people don’t see the work that goes into creating, the education and learning of the process, the practice, and the many failures. All most people see is the final results and that is just the tip of the iceberg. When we get to a point of such mastery, we should not simply be relegated to charging five dollars for that work on a website that in turn takes 20 percent profits on your effort. We should only charge five dollars if we are complete novices and are using it as practice to get better. We should be creating our own domain where we control the paradigm. Where the perceived value we create is translated into intrinsic value to others. And when we all pay the correct price we all rise the tide together.

The second article that came out was about one of the best NFL running backs in the game holding out for a better long term contract from the team. He wants to protect is body for a better long term deal. And he should do that. Currently his company is putting a high short term price tag on him and trying to squeeze very last drop out of him before they release him and that is not fair. So he has exercised his right to put a higher value and in his eyes investing in his future is more important than the short term. This is a man who knows his value and is not backing down from it. Take a lesson from this. A great player on defense recently did this and another team saw his value and paid him his worth. The running backs team is controlling his paradigm and not allowing him to shop his skills on the open market and this lack of control is hurtful to true value. Just know your worth and except nothing less even if it requires you lose in the short term. Just be cognizant of the fact that others won’t always see that same value.