Contribute to society, community and other organisations.

It’s not for the money, per se – the work I do. Maybe the same goes for you. For me, I can safely say I’ve come to a stage where I’ve embraced my profession as a vocation. Sounds all lofty, I know, but much easier on the spirit, trust me.

After much soul searching and frustration, I finally see what I do as a means by which I can contribute to society, community and other organisations that want change and to achieve growth.

Always getting the wins.

Maybe you, like me, regard money as not enough of a motivator to commit earnestly and passionately to the job. You want to do a fabulous job and enjoy yourself while doing it. That’s where you derive inner satisfaction. To you, that what’s life is about – how much you can give.

I’m convinced, and actually, I’ve witnessed many people, not necessarily all, but a few who are devoted to doing such a formidable job, that they always get the wins they’ve sought. And even though it hasn’t been a driving force, their efforts have been followed with significant monetary reward.

Having said all of that, I do believe that when you are doing a good job, you have to be fearless in asking for the money you want.

Up until the beginning of 2021, I was anything but fearless. Despite always putting in my best, I doubted myself, and I doubted anyone would want to pay me for the effort I would give. I thought nobody would choose me. A shame because I always do my utmost no matter what I am paid.

That may sound arrogant.

Everything changed when I realised that my company wouldn’t lose out if an organisation weren’t willing to pay what we are worth. It would be their loss. To some of you, that may sound arrogant, but premium goods and services come at a price.

If you work for peanuts, going above and beyond, delivering a premium service, you still never have all the resources to do amazing work.  You’ll be putting in work, with little reward, nothing to reinvestment, and not enough hands on deck. You’ll have to cut back on materials, research and development would suffer. There would be no money for advertising and you would have to give new and faster technology a miss. You wouldn’t be able to grow and or compete. So if you look at it, whilst you may feel like you are doing your best, it really isn’t good enough. I was in this situation.

I always got frustrated at how much more I could potentially do if I got paid for it. Working for peanuts when you’re worth your salt is a lot like running fast on the spot. You get hot and bothered but get nowhere.

It makes perfect sense.

I know there is so much advice out there to say when you start out, be prepared to work for next to nothing or absolute nada. And that’s fine. It makes perfect sense. But I strongly advise you to treat this stage like an apprenticeship where you learn, gather and understand as much information in your chosen field as possible, more than expected to be honest.

After the apprentice stage, you put into practice all the skills and techniques you’ve gained and begin to get creative. Break rules, make your own rules, invent something new. Eventually, after you practice and test and practice some, you become a master of your craft and you deserve to be paid more.  This is when you must be fearless in asking for more money. If you are as good as you think, customers will be willing to pay.

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