Finding Your “Resentment Number”

By Mikelann Valterra, Founder of the Women’s Earning Institute

Years ago, I was asked to present a seminar in a distant city. They asked me “What do you charge?” I had no idea what to charge, so I told them I would get back to them. I called up my mentor, Karen McCall , head of the Financial Recovery Institute, and I asked her how much I should charge. Truthfully, I wanted her to tell me what to do. But instead of telling me what to charge, she said: “How much would you need to charge them in order to not resent doing the work?” Her question sent me spinning.

What about you? What do you need to earn in order to not resent your work? How much do you need to charge in order to not resent all the time and effort you put into your work? Really meditate on this. It’s important to never go below this number, or you will resent the work, and it won’t be worth it!

I thought hard about her advice. At the time, I had a baby, and saw many clients on my client days. A seminar such as this one would have taken two days of my time, which meant I would not have been able to see clients, and I would have been away from my baby and husband. I decided what I would need to charge in order to not resent the time and effort required.  And to make a long story short, I asked for, and received, what I wanted.

Knowing your resentment number puts you in a win-win situation. For example, if they had not been able to pay me what I wanted, I would have stayed home and enjoyed my family. I would not have missed the money, because it would have been less then I felt I deserved, and I would have resented being there! And if they did pay me what I felt I needed, I would have done the work and been happy doing it.

We all have a resentment number. I suspect we’ve all had the experience of doing some work and internally resenting it. We may resent what they are paying us, or the amount of time it takes us, or the drain on our energy the work exacts. If we are clear about what we need to earn in order to be happy, we will never resent our work. We will make good money and our clients will sense that we are happy and confident in what we do. So take the time to really meditate on what your own resentment number is. Keeping this number in mind will help you never go below it. If you are salaried, what do you need to earn in order to not resent your work? I realize this is a scary question if you are already below your resentment number, but I would rather have you look at this now and not five years from now. If you are self-employed, this is also very important. I believe that when you are happy in your work and feel you are being paid appropriately, clients pick up on this. They will feel they are receiving a great product or service for a fair price. It will be a win-win situation. When you value what you do adequately, others value it too.

© 2006, Mikelann R. Valterra and the Women’s Earning Institute. Empowering self-employed women to earn what they’re really worth, www.womenearning.com.

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