In some cases, you might be worth even more so.
Most of us, by the time we reach adulthood, have a habit of underestimating ourselves. It's not our fault. The whole societal and educational system is designed the industrial way so the people in higher places could easily order us around.
But tell you what, thankfully the world doesn't run that way anymore.
Now, more than ever, people are free to do as they desire. Be it from a closet or out there in the open. The best part, you will find more like yourself. People who think the way you do, people who like what you like. Well, maybe not exact replicas of you, but surely similar choices. So you still get to savor your uniqueness.
What else can one ask for?
So yeah, coming back to the topic. Looking back to the 7 years of career I have had, I realized how often I sold myself short. I didn't want to. But I thought I wasn't good enough, not talented enough, didn't have enough skills. So instead of being humiliated while in the negotiation stage of a job interview, by being told that I was worth less, I would just end up asking for what I thought was average.
Which by the way wasn't average at all. It was less.
You see, the world runs like that. Everyone negotiates. Everyone wants to save that one extra dime. And that does not mean that you are worth less. It means nothing really. Most people negotiate out of habit and not because they really have to. The same people when standing in a luxury brand showroom would buy the most expensive thing their budget can offer.
Don't take it to heart. That's just how they are programmed to act. It's not entirely their fault.
That doesn't mean that you need to sell yourself short. What you do need to do is to quote the number that you think should have been your salary by now. If you think you are worth let's say 50, but you could have been 80 if x, y, z... then DEMAND 80.
Don't be a slave to your insecurities. Set all your ifs and buts aside. Go for it. You will never get what you want if you don't ask for it. Charity can only get you so much. If you want to get to a comfortable place, you of course need to work for it, but you also need to ask for it.
Try not to discuss too much with your colleagues, friends, and family, they all think limited in their own way. It's not their fault. My family wants me to be comfortable in a way that they think is the only definition of comfort. But for me, comfort means something entirely different.
So even though they love me, and want the best for me, I have stopped discussing financial and professional matters with them. I just go for it.
After all, it's better to oversell and negotiate than to undersell and regret. One extra tip, no matter what number you demand, know that your personality, attitude, and body language should match it as well. No one's going to believe your words, they will believe what they see.
We'll discuss it tomorrow.