Excuse my bluntness; everyone has a price. Your price is the amount you agreed to for the position you’re in today.
The price is the salary you negotiate, the car you drive, and the house you own. Society places great emphasis on these external markers of success. We’re conditioned to believe that a higher price tag equates to greater worth. But is that really the case?
It varies from company to company but the market generally sets your so called price. It’s an amount in exchange for your experience and skill set.
Most of us are continually looking to increase this price mainly driven by lifestyle choices.
In order to raise this price, you have to raise your skillset through experience, education or leveraging your talents and continuously networking within your field.
I once worked in a place where a legal consultant billed the company £1000 per day for her time. Clearly, her price was set according to what she thought she was worth and what the market value of her expertise at.
The best part was she leveraged her legal network for projects she didn’t specialise in and was still able to get the work done through a third party and invoice us for her time. Despite what it cost her, she still billed her £1000 per day worth.
On the flip side, I worked at a restaurant in my younger years. I’ll be honest, it was very long hours and physically draining. Although it felt like at the time I was getting my money’s worth, in reality, I wasn’t. My physical labour didn’t equate to more money or a better price.
My point in all this is the price you agree to is rarely ever your worth.
It doesn’t make business sense for companies to pay above market price. You’re capable of so much more than what you are paid for, but what are you willing to sacrifice in order to match your price with your worth?
Instead of demanding an annual pay rise or a bonus, check the market and see how much you are priced at. If you don’t like what you see, get to work on levelling up your skills or learning some new ones.
A sudden job loss, a financial crisis, or a health setback can drastically alter our perceived value.
When our worth is tied solely to our price, we become vulnerable to external forces beyond our control.
We sacrifice time with loved ones, compromise our health, and sometimes compromise our values to climb the ladder of success. Yet, despite achieving these external markers, we may still feel empty inside. Why? Because success alone doesn’t define our worth.
