What Are You Worth? By Alexander Heyne

By Alexander Heyne

Have you ever worked a job where you were grossly overqualified or underpaid?

I once had a job where I was getting paid $12/hour for doing stuff that I thought I liked.

I was working in a field very closely aligned with what I wanted to do in the future, and I had access to all kinds of experts that I could talk with.

At the start, I thought it was great; I was young, the pay was tax free, and it was my first job after a long absence from the United States.

But as time wore on, I was using all kinds of skills that, in their respective marketplaces, fetched much more than $12 an hour. I was suddenly doing tech work and website alterations, newsletter creations, and online marketing.

I still thought nothing of it because I was learning and helping my employer.

One night I was eating dinner with a friend who sowed the seed of something insidious in my head:

She said, “Are you serious? You should be getting paid three times what you are for what you’re doing. They are paying you to be a secretary essentially—not to do web design and marketing. That’s absurd. And that’s not what they hired you for.”

I went home that night and couldn’t sleep. Am I worth $12 an hour? Or am I worth more? What am I worth? Should I demand more pay or just quit?

I didn’t realize it then, but I willfully decided I was not going to be happy at work from then on. I spontaneously decided I was worth much more than $12 an hour—but instead of quitting, I stayed and felt indignant about being devalued.

That day I realized something pretty significant about being content in life: it’s about what you think you’re worth and how you respond when you feel you’re not getting what you deserve.

People who feel like they deserve a lot in life can end up feeling unhappy if they think they’re not getting a lot.

People who feel like they deserve nothing can find themselves in situations that reinforce their low worth—which can also lead to unhappiness.

I pondered this “being content” thing for a couple days. I realized that even if I was making a six-figure salary (more than I needed), but still felt like I deserved more, I wouldn’t be happy.

Clearly this wasn’t logic running the show.

I realized that the mind is a special thing; it has the ability to put you through hell day after day. It also has the power to set you free.

The day I questioned what “I was worth” I chose to poison my daily work until I felt so dissatisfied that I quit several months later.

Through this experience, I learned a few important things about myself and being content in daily life:

Other people rarely have control over how “content” we feel about our lives.

Nothing changed in my job except for the belief that I should be unhappy with how much I was getting paid—even though I felt satisfied before someone else suggested I shouldn’t be.

Focusing on getting “what we deserve” can end up making us unhappy if it limits us from recognizing value in what we have.

Sometimes we don’t get the results we want right away, but we find the process enjoyable and we’re learning from it. That’s worth something.

That being said, we are only worth as much as we think we are.

If you feel that other people aren’t valuing you, take a look inside and recognize whether or not you’re valuing yourself.

If you think you’re worth $12 an hour, you likely won’t strive for more. If you think you’re worth more than that, you’ll work to confirm that belief.

Next time you feel dissatisfied with your work or life and find yourself thinking you deserve more than you’re getting, asking yourself:

What do you believe you’re worth? Is there some value in where you are right now? And lastly, are your thoughts about your worth limiting your ability to enjoy the present and work toward the future?

Being Patient through Transformation: Trust, Change, Believe

By Andrea Johnson,

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~Charles R. Swindoll

Ever noticed a chrysalis hidden within its cocoon? The final few moments before it emerges as a butterfly compose what science terms as metamorphosis, a transformation.

If you have been lucky enough to observe this process, which I highly recommend watching, you’d notice it has to struggle quite a bit before it gets all the attention for being the magnificent creature it is.

It’s long and painful. However, while watching it, you may be tempted to clip off the outer covering of the chrysalis with a pair of scissors. And you might do it, thinking you’re doing it a favor. But when it finally emerges, you’d be sorely disappointed.

The chrysalis’ covering holds within its shell vital fluids that are important to its wing formation. But your act of kindness, of clipping that outer shell deprives it of that, and as a result, the butterfly that emerges is crippled, deformed, and nothing like the butterfly it was supposed to be.

On the other hand, if you can muster up the patience to watch this metamorphosis take place, without any intervention from your side, you’ll see one of the most beautiful miracles of nature, and one of life’s best lessons.

Our lives are journeys to this same type of metamorphosis, to find a sense of purpose in life. We cannot achieve this without the difficult situations or the pain that life often brings in generous doses.

Each one of us has had to let go of a dream, compromise, and experience pain and the entire gamut of emotions that an undesirable change can bring. But by no means did it ever spell the end of all dreams.

I graduated from law school with big dreams to help the world, to fight for justice, and to make a difference with my education, because I considered myself fortunate to have had an academic training— unlike the millions of other kids who haven’t had a chance to study at all.

I joined the non-profit sector with high hopes and zero expectations of financial rewards, because all I wanted was to make a difference. But life had other plans, as it always does.

Eight months down the line, I quit my job over the lack of work ethics. I couldn’t stand to compromise my principles, or to allow myself to be manipulated for what I held to be good and true. That was the end of a long cherished dream. It was a difficult decision because it certainly didn’t look good on a resume!

My family was disappointed with me, and when you don’t have the support of your loved ones at times like this, it hurts. I knew I had broken their dreams in the process, too, but I had to stand up for what I believed in. The weight of their expectations—and my own—was too much to carry. I had barely started my career when it ended. (Or so I thought at the time.)

And yet, in those eight months, I learned everything I possibly could about the field I had chosen because I was passionate about it (and the learning continues). All was not lost. I could still try for another job or back up and try something else.

I always had a flair for writing and editing. I loved the English language and all the nuances associated with it, so I was entrusted two manuscripts for editing that I’d religiously try to complete in my free time.

In the time after I quit my job, I took my editing work on the manuscripts a lot more seriously. And quite suddenly I had a realization about what I was supposed to do—I felt liberated me from all the anxiety and stress I was feeling regarding my future career plans.

I quickly drew up a plan of the options I could explore. Self-employment was beginning to look like an attractive option, and I was excited by the possibility of making the best use of my creativity, talents, and varied interests.

Today my heart is at peace because I am doing something I enjoy and staying true to my heart’s calling. I didn’t realize it before, but this is the metamorphosis I was headed to all along—I just needed to allow myself time to emerge.

The seemingly “impossible situation” of quitting a career that barely took off might have plunged me into the deep abyss of hopelessness; but looking back now, I remember the chrysalis going through the struggle to emerge as the beautiful creature its meant to be.

If you stay true to your conscience and live your life the way you believe it should be, you can be rest assured of this:

Every bad experience, painful relationship, and compromise you’ve ever made in good conscience will somehow transform into a beautiful inner reservoir of spiritual gifts and blessings.

Life wants you to take notice of three things when you’re going through a difficult time that may seem eternal:

Trust life. There’s a higher purpose behind every seemingly impossible and difficult phase. You’ve just got to hang in there and know that it’s for the best.

Change. If you find yourself feeling bad a lot more often than not, take time out to reflect on whether or not you’re happy deep down with what you’re doing.

Believe. Believe in yourself, even if the world around you doesn’t. If you don’t, who will?

Hold onto what you believe in. You’re meant to emerge as a beautiful butterfly from your chrysalis. Always remember that, with a smile, and give yourself a chance to delight and revel in the mysterious workings of the universe.