A common mistake that creators make is to set their asking price for their services or skill at what they think the market will bear (usually asking too little). The paradox is that when you set your value, the market meets you.
As a writer and artist, I’ve been conditioned to donate my gifts or discount my rates for as long as I can remember.
• Part of it is because I can tap into the well of creativity and summon my product from the ether, so I tend to devalue what I create, based on the false narrative that ‘everyone can do this, right?’ — no. They can’t.
• Part of it is I’ve been afraid that people won’t pay my asking rate.
• Part of it is because I haven’t always been good at figuring out where to apply my talents.
There’s a mindset shift that Takers and Givers experience (and I’m speaking as a former Taker). Takers will ask Makers for a deal or a discount up front, leveraging their friend status as the reason they deserve a financial break. Upon becoming a Maker, most creators find that they morph into Givers and would never presume to ask for a deal from a fellow Maker.
That’s not to say that I don’t have a friends and family discount. I do. But it is mine to extend and not for others to demand or presume.
As a creator or maker, have the courage to conduct an honest assessment of your skills and gifts against what you know you can deliver. Believe that your figure is accurate and that you’re worthy of receiving it. Set your price and then watch the polarity of your market shift.
We live in an abundant universe.
Don’t sell yourself short.
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