I suppose you would be familiar with the phrase “Selling yourself short”. That is a misnomer. People don’t sell themselves short, they BUY themselves short. Think of the goods and services you’ve bought over the years. What percentage comprised goods and services you were actually glad to have paid for, and would in fact have paid a lot more if that had been the asking price? Let’s take a simple example of a T-shirt. A classic white T-shirt made in any typical sweatshop would cost you maybe $6. Put a popular brand logo on, and you would unhesitatingly fork out $89 for the same thing. The brand holds a “sale” and you fight tooth and nail to get your hands on that same thing for $49. Stupid? Honestly, isn’t that the way you behave? And you walk away actually feeling so good that you got your prestigious T-shirt at such a bargain! How did you get sucked into that manner of thinking? How on earth did you come to value things as shallow as that so highly? You grumble when the price of your favourite foods go up, or when there are increases in rates for amenities. Yet you unhesitatingly go into debt for the sake of a label that offers you a very temporary, vapour-like sense of satisfaction. You slave at your job so you can buy stuff you don’t actually need, leave your tender children to the mercy of strangers and dump your frail, aged parents in old folks homes which are quickly turning into places of mass murder. Sell yourself short? No, you BUY yourself short. You BUY stuff that is of no value most of the time and consider essentials as expenses you’d rather not have or reduce. You shop around for professional services instead of looking for valued partners because people and organizational development are not really that important to you!

What would it take to get you out of the sorry rut you’re in? How can you become a more responsible buyer? Tell us!