Stop Devaluing Yourself
- You want to make more money
- You hate Corporate America and dream of working for yourself
- You fear you don’t have enough experience
- You’re still getting used to this whole “new and uncomfortable situations” thing
I’ve been following Ramit Sethi‘s blog iwillteachyoutoberich.com for quite a while and LOVE the series he just wrapped up over the last 3 weeks on earning more money. He provided case studies, interviews, ways to get your first 3 clients, goes over psychological barriers and provides detailed action items rather than just fluff. He also has a really cool online series of courses called earn1k which coaches you on how to earn your first $1,000 of freelance income.
One of his posts included the short video below about devaluing yourself. Watch the video and think about how young professionals devalue themselves all the time, which then holds them back. You can think of it in terms of your job, starting your own business, or even dating people who suck.
Devaluing yourself can sneak up on you unintentionally.
For example, when someone asks you “what’s your rate/how much are you hoping to make if hired?” do you say, “well um, yeah, geez- it’d be nice to make x but honestly whatever you think is fair is fine.” Guess what you will get? A. Someone on the other side of the table who now views you as inexperienced, unconfident and possibly not that good. Or, B, s/he just sees cheap labor. They will pay you the way you respond.
Solution: State your rate confidently, stick to it, be wiling to walk away and pursue other opportunities who WILL pay you what you deserve.
Outcome: Regardless of if you landed the project or job, you just established yourself as valuable and enticing. You will now be in higher demand because you were willing to be uncomfortable for 3 minutes.
Now think of this situation in terms of dating. Perhaps it is very important to you that your life partner shares your religious background and shares your love of marathon running and traveling to foreign countries. Stick to your criteria and be willing to walk away. Not only are you more attractive, but you are more likely to get exactly what you want by confidently “naming your price” and sticking to it.
Whomever you are devaluing yourself to, you are only hurting yourself. Business people and people in your personal life will gladly take what they can get if you’re willing to give it to them.
This week, pay attention to what you say and how you portray your value to others. I bet you will devalue yourself at times without even realizing it. First gain awareness, then try putting your poker face on to get what you want. Let us know how it goes.
How have you devalued yourself in the past? How did the situation turn out? What did you learn from it?
