What do you think you deserve?

I often spend the month end in introspection and reflection.  I review and asses by asking myself the following questions:

• What did I hope to accomplish during the month? 
• Where did my focus end up? 
• Did I get what I thought I deserved?

That last question is one that my answer to has evolved over time as I continued to do the work on myself as a person and as a professional.  Early in my life and  career I was less certain of my worth and value so I was more apt to accept whatever was given to me as sufficient.  This was all thanks to low self esteem.  It was also thanks to not having a clear sense of purpose.

A lack of purpose will have you selling your soul for things that are less than your worth.  It will have you working and grinding in unfulfilling ways for a paycheck or prominence that you may not even really want.  It will have you seeking…no hustling for validation from others when, on the inside, you feel like a total fraud. 

Trust me…I KNOW!

Don’t even get me started on self-esteem or a lack thereof.  I can recall holding back or dumbing down my abilities because I didn’t feel good enough or worthy.  Add being bullied to that and I learned to retreat inward, play myself down and make other people comfortable with their mediocrity at the expense of my own abilities.  Even now I am mildly uncomfortable accepting compliments, personally and professionally. Such a hard habit to break.

Now I won’t get in to all the ways in which I had to do the work in this post.  I’ll share that in future posts.  What I will say is this: In life, you generate the results you think you deserve.

If you think you deserve the world, go out and get it!

If you think you deserve that pay raise, go ahead and ask for it.

If you think you need a change of scenery, go ahead and make a move.

If you think you aren’t being appreciated, go ahead and demand it.

Because you deserve it!

Don’t let a lack of purpose or low self esteem cause you to give of yourself at a discount. Stop settling for what people think you deserve. Upgrade their perception of you by upgrading your perception of yourself so you can get what YOU think you deserve.”

So, I’ll ask you. This March,  what do you think you deserve?

I think you deserve any and everything you want and are willing to work for. You just have to believe you’re worth it.