How Much Are You Worth?

I've thought about this during the break in between semesters. I am returning in a week to tutor undergraduate students and I shall help them learn and master the art of writing essays and research papers. I do it thankfully because this part time job assists me in carving and sculpting my goal in writing and facilitating workshops through my business Workshops by Wolford, and I do gain great satisfaction in helping others since my purpose in life is to encourage. I do all of this, though, with an end goal and time limit in mind. And with a keen and growing realization that everyone who performs a service deserves a fair and engaging salary to go with that assistance.

Never continue in a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined. - Johnny Carson

Recently, I found myself tutoring a graduate student who had many challenges. It became a major amount of work and each time I went home tired with a capital T. Finally, I was given clarification that it was never in my contract to tutor grad students and so I did not have to assist this student anymore. I was relieved, yet also agitated that it had gone on for an entire semester. Worse yet, the actual student had the nerve to tell me that "maybe I had learned something" regarding the topics. This led me to realize the audacity of such a response, such a stubborn, boastful statement to make rather than having gratitude for my incredible assistance, especially on my humble hourly salary.

In my professional career, I look back now and think about the times when I accepted a job without knowing the actual salary, especially since I was a single parent. And then later, how I sought jobs that fit my skill set and motivation, trying also to balance it with a higher salary.

It didn't work.

So once I burned out in 2007, I decided to work on my own and find work to supplement it. However, what I didn't know yet was that I had extremely low self esteem and even though I could dream up some incredible job opportunities and projects, still my low regard for myself and my weak confidence made it impossible to accomplish. So things got worse as I began to accept gigs that paid the lowest amount of money I had made since my early twenties.

Now I understand and am working on my self esteem by being completely honest with myself on EVERY issue in my life. I am the ONLY one who needs to give the bottom line approval and this is where I have found the difference to be between low and high self esteem. This takes going inside and uncovering the fears and layers of worries in needing other people's approval. Now I understand I deserve a good, strong salary for my workshops, writing, everything I DO in accordance in knowing who I am and what I have to offer.


How much do you want to make in your life?

I have a brother who does not flinch at asking for an incredible amount of money for his skills. And when he picks up freelance jobs, he gets it. I admire him for this. And if he learns to carry this in every area of his life, he will be a true success and will live a happy, generous life.

If your self esteem is low, I recommend you seek out the lectures by Caroline Myss. She is remarkable. My growing knowledge in myself tells me I can tutor for another semester. I enjoy helping the students -  the undergraduate students -  who need enormous amounts of help to gain confidence in using writing and research skills.  And I am fine with helping any student within a decent time frame and who possesses the correct frame of mind. But, I am on a mission to do other things, too, and am honoring that, as well and it is looming closer and closer, and so my time is valuable.

I want to pay my bills and loans. I want to be paid a salary that allows me to do that. And I want to love what I am doing. Thus Workshops by Wolford is important to me. And so is the amount of money I expect to come from this noble work. There was a time I would expect the minimum. Now I receive the proper amount reflecting my worth. And like my brother, I intend not to flinch in asking for it. When I do, I too, will graduate with my self esteem degree, walking the stage I've built and waving to the audience in appreciation, yet knowing the respect and approval lives, as it always has, solely within me.