I still make the mistake of attaching my net worth to my self worth. I can be having a terrible day full of self doubt, dread, and fear. Lately a lot of this comes from being in that dreaded space between client jobs.
All of my income right now comes from clients. If I do not have an active contract I do not have any money coming in the door.
Even though I have been in this spot several times before it is always scary. I am getting better at managing this fear. A couple of years ago I would go into panic mode.
I would cold call realtors and offer them “first time buyer deals” for photos and videos of their properties. Now there is not anything wrong with some good old fashioned grit and work ethic, but when you are panicked people can tell. You lose all the leverage.
Eventually I would get a phone call or an email from a return client. I am truly grateful every time anyone decides to work with me. It blows my mind that I am able to do some of the work that I have been doing. However what has been bothering me is how much it affects the way I feel about myself.
I honestly believe that money does not make you a better person. I would be willing to bet that some of the best people in the world are people who are not financially wealthy.
I wish I could say that I never fell into this trap, but that would be a lie. So I can’t tell you how to escape this mindset entirely.
I can tell you that if you start focusing on, who you can help and how you can help them, you won’t feel so alone the next time you are questioning your self worth. When you look at life this way, it is no longer about you and how much you have.
