farmdoc's blog post number 68

Since 1987 my work has been medically assessing people and writing detailed medical reports about them. Until January 2008 I charged the same for each assessment and report (though between 1987 and 2008 the unit price increased with inflation). Then in January this year our dear friends Norman and Veronica visited from England for sweetheart Vivienne’s birthday. Later, sipping tea around our Mole Creek table, we got to talking about fees. Norman (a Professor of Public Health) and Veronica (a top-notch Speech Pathologist) said they don’t charge a fixed unit price, but rather an hourly rate. They urged me to do likewise. So I did. I changed. It happened. It’s nice that the hourly rate charging has produced 20% more income than the status quo would have. But I’ve noticed two other – and more important – changes: First, the demand for my services has increased substantially despite me charging more. And second, I feel very much better about myself now I consider my work’s value to be close to its true worth. Folks, the message here is clear: We can sell ourselves short and feel belittled and awful; or we can value ourselves at our true worth, and stand tall and proud. Thanks, Norman and Veronica. And congratulations, darling Meg, who last week declined a job offer because she thought the remuneration too low.