who do you think you are?
what do you think you're worth?
by reeta bochner wolfsohn

Whether you work for yourself or you work for someone else, your value to the company depends upon how much you value yourself.

People who think highly of themselves have the confidence to charge appropriately and sufficiently for their products and services. Those who do not, usually charge too little (or occasionally too much) and eventually cannot afford to stay in business.
Capitalism, the foundation of the American economy, measures success by the amount of profit a company generates. Money certainly isn’t the only yardstick by which to measure achievement, but it is the one that determines whether or not you can pay yourself, your suppliers and your staff, whether or not you can meet your own wants, needs and goals and whether or not you can afford to remain in business.

The business world is pragmatic and demanding. To succeed in it requires a wide range of skills, knowledge and talents. While there is no substitute for a good business plan, a broad knowledge of sales, finance, marketing and advertising, unless you know who you are and what your value is, you are unlikely to achieve your full potential.
Who do you think you are? How well do you know yourself? Do you know what is special about you? Do you know what you bring to your work or to your job that makes you the person to buy from or to hire? Do you know why you want to start a business or to get the job you are applying for? Do you like yourself? Do you treat yourself well?

The better you know yourself, the more comfortable you will be letting potential clients, or a potential employer, know why he or she should choose you or your business. The more comfortable you are with yourself, the more confident you will be in all of your business actions, transactions and interactions.

The better you know yourself, the easier it will be for you to maintain balance between your personal and your professional life and to remain patient, focused and motivated. Knowing who you are and what matters to you also facilitates setting healthy boundaries, meeting challenges, coping with uncertainty and asking for what you want as well as for help when you need it.

The better you know yourself, the more you will value yourself. How much do you think you are worth? The underpinning of any question having to do with worth is self-esteem. In order to have healthy self-esteem, you must know what you base your feelings of self-worth on and how accurate those feelings are. If you don’t value your time, your work and your effort, why should anyone else? If you undervalue and undercharge for your products and services, why should anyone else consider them to be worthwhile?

Female-dominated professions, historically referred to as “women’s work,” traditionally pay less. That costs women hundreds of thousands of dollars in their paychecks, in their social security payments, in their pensions and in their ability to save and to invest. In a society that equates earning less with being less, women often feel less worthy – a feeling that reduces self-esteem, self-confidence and sense of self. As a result, women are often reluctant to ask for the sale, to negotiate the best deals or to take the risks that maximize profits, income and financial security.

The most important relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself. Celebrate the woman you are today, honor the woman you were yesterday, and imagine the woman you can be tomorrow – then become her.
“Everything that happens to you is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem. We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” Iyanla Vanzant

Reeta Bochner Wolfsohn, CMSW, is the founder and president of the Femonomics Institute (femonomics.com). She is a therapist, author, and consultant who has appeared on the “TODAY” Show and been written about in numerous national publications. The Femonomics Institute provides counseling, support groups, products and programs that help women to create long term emotional and financial security. 828-658-1919.