What if I told you that there’s a way to increase your cashflow, work satisfaction and overall value? Seems too good to be true, but believe me when I say that it’s possible. How? The one true proven way to earn more and gain more is to invest in yourself.
- Have you ever felt under appreciated in the office place?
- Has your income remained the same for the longest time?
- Do you find it hard to find new clients or new customers for your business?
We all long to grow our value career wise. And sometimes when we are deprived of recognition, promotion or business opportunity, we become so quick to blame external circumstances. The market is bad. There’s too much work politics. People don’t appreciate your work. Not all of this could be true, but ask yourself this- how many of these circumstances can you control?
We will not always have control over external factors whether they’re true or not. But one thing can control however is the value that you bring upon yourself. The number one way to get noticed in the workplace, to get that raise, that promotion or that reward is to build your value. Give people a reason to notice you. Here are a few simple practices that you can do that.
Be Nice
Being nice builds your value by making you a catalyst that builds the value of people around you. In other words, you become more valuable because you make people around you better. In a study published on Harvard Business Review it was concluded that showing compassion in the work place increases the productivity of people around you.
The number one simplest way to grow your value to people is to be nice. As the old saying goes, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” It’s not always easy, but with practice and a conscious effort, your compassion will bring you a long way.
Go Over and Beyond
Most people don’t like being underpaid by a company or by clients. But allow me to tell you a little secret about myself. I’m still underpaid until today. Not because the rates for my services are still the same. In fact, it’s ballooned over the course of three years. I’m underpaid because every time my income increases, I make sure my effort increases as well. That’s why I still consider myself underpaid.
If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind going the extra mile at any point, the right people will acknowledge that value and will be willing to pay you more.
Keep Learning
According to Inc, most CEOs read at least one book a week. Successful people never stop learning. Most life coaches will tell you that successful people value education more than entertainment. And nothing could be more true.
One of the best ways to gain value is to consume value. What kind of content are you bringing upon yourself today? How is it helping you become better at what you do? A person with an insatiable desire to learn will consequently grow and build his or her value regularly.
Be Passionate About What You Do
We’ve all heard of delayed gratification. Work now, play later. There is truth to the power of delayed gratification. Sadly, some people have twisted that by thinking- “if only I spend the next two years working hard, I’ll have a bigger salary and do whatever I want.” Am I the only one seeing what’s wrong with this picture? Too many people today focus on the perks of our work completely ignoring the satisfaction that work itself brings.
When we’re all about the financial rewards, the things we can buy and the vacations we can take, we endanger ourselves of missing the true point of work. There is nothing more gratifying than work done passionately and excellently. It’s time we started focusing on that more than the “play” we get after. Like Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
