Know Your Value

I have been fortunate to mentor a lot of people in my career. More often than not the common theme that I find is that the person doesn't know their value. They lack confidence because of years of being told that they are not enough, not given the chance to show they are more, and they start accepting the value placed on them.

Let's be blunt - if you do not know your own value, the world will discount you. Not out of ill intent but out of convenience.

When you underestimate yourself - you carry teams without credit - you fix problems in the shadows - you accept roles that are not challenging - you let the loudest voice (not the smartest voice) speak for you.

When you recognize your worth - game over! You stop chasing the approval of others - you stop over-explaining your competence - you stop accepting being tolerated instead of being valued.

Knowing your value doesn't make you arrogant. It makes you accurate! It sharpens your standards - forces people to rise to your level - it establishes the criteria for your decisions.

Power doesn't come when others validate you. It shows up when you validate yourself!