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“If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.” ~Unknown
I have always been a smart, dedicated, hard working person. I was raised to believe that those where characteristics required for success. So imagine my surprise to reach the working world and find unexceptional colleagues getting promoted above me.
There’s one memory that particularly stands out.
When I was twenty-five, I was on a team that consisted of amazingly smart, ambitious, hardworking people, plus one mediocre guy, Tom. His mediocrity stood out amongst a high-achieving team, but Tom thought he was a rock star.
Infuriatingly, all the right people noticed Tom. And they didn’t notice me.
In hindsight, the biggest difference between Tom and I was our mindset around self-promotion. We were both ambitious, but he was willing to push for it. Meanwhile, I was waiting patiently for my turn.
I couldn’t get past the idea that self-promotion was sleazy, manipulative, or desperate, so I refused to do it. I didn’t go in to a meeting with sweaty palms ready to ask for the promotion that I wanted. I just did nothing.
I waited and hoped that someone would notice how hardworking and deserving I was. But it never happened. I lost o…