by Elizabeth A. Grant<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n One A I A I She She After In A How And Elizabeth A. Grant<\/a> is a Photo credit: estgirl99<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Guest blogger is Elizabeth Grant, “the quantum coach,” is filling today for Victoria Moran. And she’s asking, “Do you use the guest towels?” In other words, just what do you think of yourself?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":177,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-delights-abounding"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"estgirl99.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/133\/import\/estgirl99.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n
\nof the greatest obstacles I see with clients is that people have trouble
\nvaluing themselves highly. Somewhere along the line, they took on a belief that
\nthey aren’t worth much.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nfriend of mine is an artist, and she’s really struggling with this. She feels
\ndiscomfort charging people for what she loves doing anyway. I told her, “My
\nhairstylist, doctor and realtor love what they do. But I expect to pay them,
\njust like I would expect to pay you for one of the beautiful glass pieces you
\ncreate.” The fact is people feel “icky” getting something for nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nknow a man who is a wedding photographer. He decided when he launched his
\ncareer that he would be “the” photographer for high-end weddings in his area.
\nHe averages $80,000 per wedding – more than four times what most people pay for
\ntheir entire wedding! Now, does he have to deliver, so to speak, to charge that
\nmuch? Well, yes, he has to be a very good photographer. But is he 20 times
\nbetter than people charging $4,000? No way. People are willing to pay him
\n$80,000 because he told them he is worth<\/i><\/span> $80,000.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nfew years ago, three friends were supposed to come and stay with me for the
\nweekend. In preparing for the visit, I realized I only had one set of guest
\ntowels. So I went out and bought two more sets. Something came up at the last
\nminute, and they weren’t able to make it. The following Monday, I was telling
\nmy friend about it. I said, “I guess I’ll just return the towels since I don’t
\nneed them anymore.” She said, “What do you usually dry yourself with?”<\/span><\/p>\n
\nsaid, “The old towels.”<\/span><\/p>\n
\nasked me to describe the towels to her. “Well, they don’t match my new bathroom
\ncolors, and a lot of them have stains from coloring my hair,” I said. “And a
\nfew of them have rips and snags from trips through the washing machine gone bad.”<\/span><\/p>\n
\nsaid, “And if you had a new set, what would you be doing with these towels?” I
\nthought about this for a second and said, “Cut them up and use them as rags, I
\nguess.”<\/span><\/p>\n
\na pause she said, “So, basically, what you’re saying is you dry yourself with
\nrags.” <\/span><\/p>\n
\nrealizing what I’d been doing, we burst into laughter. Oh my goodness, she was
\nright. I valued others’ comfort much more than my own. It was such a perfect metaphor
\nfor what I thought of myself! That night, I went home and took all the old
\ntowels out of my closet and put them where the belonged … in the rag basket!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nstrange thing happens when we value ourselves highly. People first gauge our
\nvalue by what we tell them it is. Then, we show them who we are. Then, they
\nform a judgment as to whether or not we are worth that amount of money, effort
\nor attention. When we undervalue ourselves, it’s not a case of people thinking,
\n“Wow! I really got a bargain!” (I mean that both in terms of money and of
\nemotional effort.) It’s human nature to treat things better that have a higher
\nvalue.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nhighly do you value yourself? Do you keep a neat and clean home, or quickly
\nclean before guests come over? In relationships, do you tolerate unloving and
\nsubstandard behavior from people? Do you value yourself enough to eat healthy
\nfoods, and take care of your body? Do you value yourself enough to charge what
\nyou’re worth?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nof course, I just have to ask: Do you value yourself<\/i><\/span> enough to use the guest towels?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nwriter, editor and life coach. She specializes in helping people make their
\ndreams a reality. She can be reached at http:\/\/www.thequantumcoach.net<\/a> <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n