What Am I Worth?
- Rosetta Mandisa
- Dec 6, 2020
- 2 min read
Worth – the value equivalent to that of someone or something under consideration; the level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated.
Photo by ShonEjai on Pexels.com
Who gets to decide your worth? Who gets to measure it? When do you know exactly, what your worth? How do you know when you’ve achieved it? A few days ago, I got paid from my employer. While I am very thankful and grateful to be working during a time when so many are struggling to keep their jobs or even find a job, staring at my paycheck this past Friday made me think about how others value my worth. When I think about the time I spending preparing for work, actually doing my job (and several other jobs) and the time I spend listening to others tell me how to do my job, I swear my paycheck doesn’t reflect that effort.
After looking over my paycheck, I decided to call our payroll department because I was concerned about a couple of deductions that didn’t seem right to me. While I was hoping for some sensible answers, what I got was a lady telling me that she was a payroll specialist and she didn’t understand my concerns. When the call ended, I felt a bit defeated. Someone who only knew me by an employee number on a computer screen was basically saying that I got what I deserved and there was no use trying to debate it.
I realized in that moment that no matter how much work, time or effort I put in at my company, what “they” wanted to give me as compensation for my tireless work was their choice, not mine. It doesn’t matter how many degrees I have or years of experience, “they” were going to decide my worth and their was nothing I could do about it. So I was left, in my mind, with two choices:
I could quit, right? That is an option and although I would love to, that is totally not an option right now seeing that I have a mortgage and all.
I can continue to be determined to seek better for myself as an entrepreneur.
I have been pushing myself toward becoming a successful entrepreneur for the past four or five years. While I haven’t yet made a consistent amount that will allow me to branch out on my own, the conversation I had with the payroll specialist only further fueled my flame to become independent from any one person, company or entity deciding for me what my time, effort and experience are worth.
It’s either now or never…:)
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