Everything begins and ends with value. How we value ourselves, the people we lead, the business we build, and the clients we work with reflect what we value.
Ultimately, this is influenced by our conditioning, family and environment.
Not valuing yourself can lead to:
✅ Struggling with saying no or holding your ground
✅ Choosing the wrong partnerships – personal or business
✅ Accepting mistreatments, and bullying at work and at home
✅ Being a people pleaser as you constantly seek approval
✅ Undercharging and undervaluing your expertise
✅ Offering discounts at the first objection
✅ Being afraid to push back or challenge a client (I had a client who was afraid to go back and ask further questions because the potential client was a major name brand, and they were in awe of them)
Knowing your value is displayed by:
✅ Your self-esteem and the self-confidence you exhibit
✅ The clients you choose to work with
✅How you position yourself – as a transactional supplier or strategic adviser where the client seeks your counsel
✅ How you manage and develop your team
✅ Your courage and confidence in marketing your services and not playing small
✅ Your boundaries, personal or professional
✅ You and your client can accept pushback respectfully
✅ You can look others in the eye while communicating
✅ See putting yourself first as healthy and not selfish
I vividly recall my speaking coach pushing me and saying, “the story you have here, Morton, is missing something; you need to go deeper.” I resisted because I felt there was nothing more to give.
Then it came to me – from my childhood, the absence of self-value had been the common stream in my life – starting with low self-esteem and self-confidence, developing into business relationships with accepting poor payment terms and undercharging for my services and not valuing my expertise.
Later growing in confidence, believing in my skills and expertise, recognising and being able to communicate my value – the difference I make.
Just like you, if you were to look at the work you do, your relationships and how you serve, you will see that, on some level, it is a reflection of what you value, as what we value lies at the core of everything we do.
If you don’t value yourself, no one else will..
