TOW: How Much Are You Worth?

You know, I have been thinking a lot lately about what I should charge people, and how much I am 'worth' in terms of value to a company, to myself, to other people.

If we add up our value as simple chemical elements in our bodies, we're worth about $4.50.

As a cadaver, we're worth $80,000.

Living body parts that we insure are about $125,000-250,00.

According to Time, a year of life for a human being is worth $50,000.




If we gave all our bone marrow away, we would have $23 million dollars.


But how much is our work worth?  How much is our work and ability to provide a service and produce products worth?

As a freelancer, no one can determine how much you're worth, unless you let them do that.  And frankly, you should already know how much you're worth before you start taking on clients. 

I have to think about what I would charge people, every day.  Some days it's hard to explain to people why you're worth anything at all.  I mean, they can just replace you, right?  How about we just hire a student to do it, like an intern?  (The term intern cannot die soon enough.)

The thing is, you're not totally replacable.  Everyone thinks that they can do your job, and you know what?  They usually can.  Can they do it as well as you can, or as quickly?  Maybe.  But I know that it is something I struggle with daily to make sure that I deliever something that no one else can, yet still deliver on the same things that matter to everyone.  In other words, you have to be the product, and provide the service.  (That sort of thought is for another post, I suppose.)  You are unique when you work, and when you really love what you are doing, you are worth much, much more than other people are in the same position, doing the same work. 

You have to fight for what you're worth.  The amount of cash you charge directly depends on how confident you are in your own abilities and your own feelings.  The more confident you are, the more you will provide services that you are happy with and a paycheck you can take home at the end of the day.  The less confident you are, the more likely you can be questioned on your value. 

I know that I have to work on being confident sometimes and asking for money from people is not something I like doing on a regular basis.  But, on the other hand, we all deserve to thrive and have success, whatever that means to us.  And we don't get there without ensuring that we are paid what we are worth.