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Friday, November 2, 2007

How much are you worth?


Worth (wûrth) noun
The quality that renders something desirable, useful, or valuable

How much are you worth? In daily life, one's worth appears to be measured in dollars. I don't mean to sound cynical, but it's true.

Last year I asked for a raise at a facility that I was teaching at. Even though my hours of training had over doubled since I began teaching there and my hours of experience teaching over tripled, the response was that, "You may think you're worth it, I may think you're worth it, but the market does not."

It was that simple. People were happy to spend $65 (in the area I live in) for a massage -- sometimes every week. But these same people wouldn't commit to a weekly Yoga class for $10. Some might say it's because Yoga is not worth it. If what I do for a living is teach Yoga, then am I less worthy? Are all teachers (such as elementary teachers) worth less than doctors or lawyers?

One thing that I have found over and over again in the most confident of people: A lack of self-worth.

Perhaps it's due to the fact that everything was a value on it. You go to the store and one brand of ice cream is more money than another. Is the more expensive one "better"? When you set out to purchase a car; as the quality goes up typically the price tag does as well.

So, when you select a career and the pay (price tag) is lower, it only seems natural to feel less worthy. Right?

Sure you can justify in your mind that what you are doing is worthy, but there's something bigger going on. It's a general guideline of our society that money = worth. When the money you make falls short, have you as a person fallen short? I don't think so.

This is where we need to bring awareness to the picture. Know that:

Money does NOT always = Worth

As soon as you realize that your price tag (how much money you make) does NOT determine your worth, maybe--just maybe--we'll all start feeling a bit more worthy. And who knows, when you feel worthy, you just might see more coming your way.


Love Much,

Kris
www.TotalHealthYoga.com
www.TotalHealthYogaClasses.Blogspot.com

Today is the first day of the rest of your life!

2 comments:

Mary said...

Another great post! I was at my happiest when I was earning less. The more money I earn, the more I consume. I will be changing careers soon and my pay will almost halve. It'll be interesting to see how I adjust. But at the end of the day, what I will be doing will bring more joy :-)

Mary said...

It's funny how much people spend on alcohol and cigarettes too! I can't get a particular friend to even just come out to dinner but to the pub, sure. They spend more at the pub. I guess it's all relative to how much you enjoy whatever it is you are spending your money on.