Are YOU an Under Earner?

How many of you have actually thought about this at one point or another?  Or ever for that matter?  Are you happy with what you make?  Or do you think that what you make is the most you can make right now?  Maybe you think thats all your current skills are worth.  Maybe you think you don’t want to leave your current place of employment because no one else will pay you what you are currently making.  These are very common thoughts/questions that many people think and are satisfied with, including myself at one point in my life.  Believe it or not, it goes well beyond just the surface.

I am a researcher by nature.  I need to understand how things work.  For the longest time I would look at men, and women especially, in high paying positions – VPs, Directors, C-Level – and think to myself “How the hell did they get there?!”  I also have an innate attitude and say to myself “Well if he/she can do it, so can I!”  I refuse to believe I am ever stuck or should settle for less.  I would always ask for people’s stories – where they came from and/or what was their journey.  I’ve always worked hard and wanted to know the difference why they were there and I was here.  I didn’t get to go to a fancy University, get multiple degrees or grow up with money.  That’s what always seemed to be the equation for getting somewhere in a career and life.  I tried going back to school to get my degree.  It was a lot harder (time wise) than I thought, seeing how I was (and still am) a single parent – was just too much to juggle with a toddler at the time.  Trying to go the route of everyone else wasn’t going to work for me.

I had to start focusing more, paying attention more, reading more and figuring out what I had to do to get where I wanted in life and my career.

I had a friend describe me as driven a few years ago.  It was very strange for me to hear because no one had ever described me with that word before.  But it resonated with me!  I am constantly moving – grabbing as many opportunities as I can handle.  This in turn has lead to job changes every year or two.  For the longest time, most people would look at my resume with old school judgement – “Why does she move around so much?”  “Can she not keep a job?”.  Thankfully these days its called experience.  It wasn’t that I couldn’t keep a job.  It was that I’d get somewhere, master my position and be ready for a new challenge, whether it was with my current place of employment or somewhere new.  That’s not something that immediately comes across as positive.  However, it was and is.  I’m not afraid to make moves.  I’m not afraid to take on a new challenge.  I’m not afraid to make more money.  I made a distinct decision a little less than 2 years ago to aggressively kick my career into overdrive.  Salesforce.com was one part of this decision and one book in particular was the other part.

The book that literally changed my financial life and outlook on my financial worth is “Overcoming Under Earning by Barbara Stanny”.  This book will make a difference and I want to share it with anyone who is even the slightest bit interested in making more money and/or understanding why you think of money the way you do.   It does not matter if you are making $20,000 or 6 figures a year.  I highly recommend this book, especially for the young women out there just getting started or who are early in their careers or anyone who feels stuck.

 http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Underearning-Five-Step-Plan-Richer/dp/006081862X

This book will be a journal of sorts that you will work through so make sure you purchase a copy that hasn’t been used (with someone else’s notes).  I read about a chapter a day and finished it in a few weeks.  There are sections where you have to think about your childhood memories of money.  It really gets to the root of why you are the way you are with money.  It’s pretty deep but super amazing!

Now, if you are still not convinced, I want to share one other piece of information I found on Twitter one day recently.  If you are a heavy Twitter user you know that there is a ton of great information that you miss and catch on a daily basis.  Here is something I caught that I think will be very enlightening to many people.

National Average Salaries for Salesforce.com Skills:

If you are close to the average then good for you!  However, if you are not, then you have some reconsidering to do.  Do NOT cut yourself short.  Do NOT settle.  Do NOT make excuses as to why you are not making this kind of money.  Get out there and make what you are worth!  Read the book I suggested and make a change!  I can promise you, nothing bad will come out of this kind of change.  YOU ARE WORTH IT!  say that to yourself each day and believe it.  It can and will happen.  I am living proof!

In closing, please let me know if you need any advice or maybe even a kick in the ass to get moving! 😀  This post is open for comments or you can email me at ljordan27@gmail.com.

Now go get some money!!