Don't Settle for Less

Ever been in a place or in a team where your efforts and contributions are not been appreciated?

It's heartbreaking to be in a team where you run on the forefront to make the project successful, only to hear someone say, "What do you expect from us?" This would feel like a stab in your arm.

Certainly, there are periods when one receives little appreciation or recognition for the work done and there is no choice but to learn to live with it. But sometimes you really feel the difference in the level of engagement. When you work with some people for some months, you feel that your contribution will be useful and important. It is not fair if some do not see it that way, even though your performance for the entire team is good and has brought success to the project.

That is why in today's communication revolution, it is critical to communicate your level of commitment to a project. Often, there are people who over-promise and under-deliver what they promise. People do it because they are able easily and people do it simply because they believe they are able. Don't promise too much and deliver too little; rather, make a promise to yourself that you will make every effort to go beyond what was expected.

As a writer, I had the chance to join several projects team in the promotion and marketing areas and in my opinion this is the most important phase in every project. Making commitment is sometimes hard, therefore I don't promise to make one. I simply give my best to win the projects. When you are made to be a promoter for a project you become the selling point. The reason for this is simple, you are the bridge between the team and the client. Your focus is to make the project a success.

But after you have done your best and helped a project to gain visibility, Then someone says you have not done enough and wanted you out. This will be a stab in your shoulder. It will break your heart and cause you to go around with pain in your heart. I have had this kind of a stab in my shoulder, even from a person I recommended to join the team.

Often, people expect more commitments from you than you can actually give and blame you for the negative reactions they get from the public over a product they bring to the community that was not well received. In this kind of situation, what can you do if you are the one being blamed?

In my case, I simply throw in the towel and move on. I think it's better to let go than to keep hurting myself over the judgment of others. If my contribution to the project is no longer considered valuable, I can't settle for less than what I do on other projects that am not committed to. It's just not worth it.I work with a team where I took the responsibility for marketing and promotion. I did this promotion for a period of 2 months, brought many sales for the team, and helped the project gain credibility. I was expecting around $500 for my work but was paid $250 of which $50 was to be invested back into the project. This to me was not right, and I was told that my contribution does not worth it.

I would not have accepted the project if I had an indication that it wasn't worth my time. This is a person I trust and recommended to be a part of the project team. Just because he has the technical capacity to work with the team leader made him the one to decide what others should receive. And as the initiator of the project, I feel much pained to be treated like that.

Nevertheless, I couldn't settle for less. I moved out from being a member of the project's team and in another 5 days, I landed a promotional job that paid me $350 for just one piece of a promotional article without doing any marketing whatsoever. I don't even know what the person who requested the article will do with it

That is what I mean by not settling for less. If you find yourself in a position where you are not appreciated, do not stay in such a position. Do not allow yourself to be undervalued. Let it go there are plenty of opportunities that will have in which you will have better acceptance and appreciation.

This is a brief summary of what I have learned about accepting and not accepting to work with people in the virtual world.