You Are Worth As Much As You Believe You Do

I have been a freelancer for over 10 years now. Every now and then I stumble upon a customer that questions my pricing. Instead of trying to explain based on market dynamics, I decided to always share a popular story about Picasso. It almost always seems to end the argument. The story has different variations, as one would expect. The one I know, goes like this:

Picasso was sitting in a coffee shop in Paris, doodling away a pigeon on a napkin. A woman was watching him curiously. After a few minutes he stands up and crumbles the napkin. When he was about to throw it away, the woman rushes and stops him. "Wait, I'll pay you for it. How much do you want?" she says. Picasso responds: "Ok. $20.000". The woman went on complaining about the outrageous price Picasso was asking. "But it only took you 2 minutes!", she continued. Picasso took a good look at her and responded "No, it took me 40 years".

Never let anyone set a price for your abilities. Price is an entirely subjective concept. If you doubt this then check what the Wall Street is doing every day. Heck, check how most cryptocurrencies are valued. They are based on pretty much empty promises. Their value is determined by them, for them and the public is just expected to fulfill their expectation.

The most valuable thing you have is experience — experience that has been crafted with time. There is nothing more valuable than time.

When someone starts comparing your worth based on a given average then they are devaluing you off the bat. There is no such thing as "average" price because the concept of "average service" is also illusive. Your service is unique and can be valued by any means you wish. The first mistake people often make is to start comparing themselves to others. Sure, it can make sense when you are selling potatoes or standardized equipment, but your person is completely different thing.

I often walk out of deals when I see people trying to lure me into their marketing tactic. Some of them call later to apologize, trying to come up with a better offer. Most of them though will try and find the next desperate person in line so they can squeeze as much as they can. If you have found yourself in situations where you constantly have to do more while being paid less then get out as fast as you can. It will only get worse.

We have been conditioned by our system to believe and follow certain guidelines. Rules that have sculpted most of us into puppets for someone else's pleasure. We are taught specific subjects and learn focused skills so we can fulfill all other dreams instead of ours.

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We chase careers based on salaries or how much everybody else is valued. Think about it a bit. Every month you are valued the exact same amount. That is your "salary". It is as if you are a slave in a plantation and you are allowed 2 loafs of bread with 3 olives. Every. Single. Day.

The idea of the salary is nothing more than the evolution of slavery. Historians won't see much of a difference considering that today most people work without making enough for rent and food.

Next time you find yourself in a situation that questions how much you are worth, stand your ground. No matter how desperate you are, just be willing to sacrifice at least one customer or employer to try this little experiment. Something new will wake up inside of you. Even if you end up losing the deal you will feel fantastic.