Remember, half the people you know are below average.
I didn’t make that one up, I read it many years ago and it’s both funny and true. Our United States Declaration of Independence states, “that all men are created equal.” That’s also true, but I don’t believe it’s prideful to acknowledge that they don’t stay that way. We’re all conditioned by some very silly thinking.
Here’s one of my favorites:
What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
Seriously, what kind of probably well intentioned but mentally deficient member of the human species came up with that? I can easily accept that we have various levels of intelligence surrounding us but to perpetrate this kind of stupidity on the masses and for them to accept it verifies what I said about being conditioned to silly thinking. Let me carefully state that every person needs to be treated with the dignity they deserve, I’m just pointing out facts and will lay out success principles in the process.
The area of social conditioning I want to address is likely to take you by surprise but you already knew this instinctively in some form and I should be able to help you quantify it or reinforce it. If you’re just starting out in your trade or skill, this is the best time to learn this but it will benefit all levels of experience.
We’ve all been trained by a wage mentality. If someone sees your work and asks, “How long did that take you?”, you’ll likely answer in terms of hours. That’s not actually true. Whatever your age and experience are, that’s the correct answer for how long it really took you.
This is important for a couple of primary reasons. First, your rate may be too low. What you know as you perform your work has added value your customer or client can’t get with someone less experienced. It may save them money even if it appears you’re more expensive. You should already have a list of why you’re more than worth your rate, this just adds perspective to it.
Second, you can probably do a particular job faster and better based on your experience. That increases your value even more. Society on the other hand will tell you your rate needs to be such and such. They’ll literally try to penalize you for being efficient and skilled. In the job market, people are kept in their place in this regard. Don’t let that mentality hinder your success in business.
