Build Your Karma

Continuing from my last blog, the question I have for you this week is “How do you make others realize your value?”

I was watching a Ted conference video by Casey Brown, a pricing consultant. She has a very clear message “No one will ever pay you what you’re worth. They will only pay you what they think you’re worth.” You may have a number of great qualities, amazing talent, and educational qualifications, but if you do not market them properly, you will be valued at their estimate, not yours!

There are two aspects of her statement that are very important. The first is, do you know your value? Have you done a thorough introspection to list down all your hard and soft skills? We love to plan practically everything in our life. But rarely do we plan for personal development. Something that comes very normally to you, may be a very difficult skill for someone else. It is vital to not only do this once but to make it a regular routine. For example, every year you can earmark some time for your self-evaluation and assessment. We all evolve as a person over the years of our life, and it is important to recognize that and amend our self-image on a regular basis. It also helps to develop a plan to acquire more skills, knowledge based on current or future needs.

The second aspect of her statement is “How can I convey my value to my target?”. The target can be my current or future employer, a client, or it can be anyone I am trying to influence. According to Casey, it depends on how you position your proposition. It is not just about you bringing something to the table, it is mainly about conveying how your efforts/ talent/ experience will benefit your target. How can you create a niche for yourself? How can you put in that extra effort to be the only SME in a certain field? How can you be one of the very few go-to people having specific software expertise? Make yourself a problem-solver rather than just a solution provider. While there are many who can provide options, there are very few who can successfully deliver.

I hope these questions will stimulate your drive toward self-awareness and self-development. Feel free to reach out if you need any support.

Wish you a wonderful week ahead.

now •

Following on from my last week’s blog, the question I want to pose to you this week is “What is your Story?” Many like to refer to this as the “Elevator Speech”. There are different ways of looking at this question. The first point of course is, do you have a story? All of us have had many different ambitions when we were very young. As we grew older, most of our ambitions fizzled out through various life events and choices. Ultimately we ended up where we are, either by default, accident, or routine. But today if we were to meet someone who is very important to our career, our ambitions, do we have a story to tell?

Assuming that you have a story to tell, the world-famous motivational speaker and life coach Anthony Robbins then ask you: Where do you focus on your story? Do you focus on the past, the present, or the future? Are you still lost in the accidents and troubles you faced in the past? In case your present is where the issues are, are you focusing on those issues, or rather, on the path ahead? How much of your current time do you spend on thinking about the future and preparing yourself for that one opportunity that may present itself in the most magnificent manner and are you ready to accept it with both hands?

The best-selling author and coach, Valorie Burton, recently posted about “Thought Awareness”. She asked the audience a very important question “What are you saying to yourself about your situation? Is it moving you forward or getting you stuck? She says that your thoughts create what you say, what you feel, and what you do. Anthony Robbins mentions, in one of his speeches that over the years he has developed a routine whereby his mind recognizes negative thoughts and stops dwelling on them in a maximum of 30 seconds. It then forces his brain to divert his thoughts toward thinking about something positive, motivating, and energizing.

Finally, having a story is not just a one-time affair or exercise. It is a constant, iterative effort. You can do it every day and ensure that you have your positive juices flowing all the time. So think about a story, even if you do not have one. Feel free to share with me if you need a listening ear. Have a wonderful, exciting week ahead!!