I believe we are natural negotiators as kids. We negotiate with our parents, trying to buy new toys, or stay longer at the playground. We are born negotiators. It is only later, as adults, we start to grow more timid. What will people think? What will our boss think? What might people say?
We also had a sense of self-worth that may have been more easily accessible at a younger age. Yes, I am worth it! Whether you can tell that or not right now, you can simply decide to act as if you were. Men struggle with this much less than women.
There is a story of a woman who after years and years of feeling frustrated and undervalued at her job, finally got up the courage to go into her boss’ office and ask for a raise. She said “I feel I have been severely undervalued.” He said “I think you’re right.” He agreed to a raise on the spot. After overcoming the initial shock, she thought “If only I had done that years earlier!” We are all of us so much more powerful than we realize. And we will never know how powerful, unless we keep trying things.
#StartMyBusinessToday with Judi Rhee Alloway
