I’m sitting here with a little free time between loads of laundry and family dinner tonight so I thought I would take advantage and write a blog post for the coming week.

Last week was a busy week at work with multiple client meetings, one of which required a quick day trip to Phoenix. Needless to say, by the end of the week, I was worn out. Reflecting back on the week, it was a stark contrast between the two meetings. The first was with a group our company has worked with for over 4 years. We have a great partnership and almost every meeting is really treated as a collaboration. They are appreciative of the work we do for them but also truly value the expertise and knowledge base we bring to their account.

The second meeting, on the other hand, left us wondering what the outcome will be. Just like the first client, our relationship with this group dates back 5+ years, however, it was apparent that they were looking for us to prove ourselves to them, despite the positive results we had shown during our tenure. I will spare you the details but the bottom line is we left the meeting feeling undervalued and potentially questioning our worth.

Maybe it comes with my age or the fact that I have seen all kinds of clients come and go over the years, but I quickly realized that I definitely wasn’t going to let anyone take away my self-worth. While this story specifically relates to my professional life, it made me think about my self-worth overall and who the people are in my life who appreciate me for who I am. To be honest, I feel like I have come to a place in my life where I don’t have to change for anyone or anything. I’m not perfect but I’m comfortable with who I am and the person I want to be.

As women, we are likely always questioning something about ourselves, whether it be our job as mothers or wives, how we look or measure up to those around us and how we make our mark in this world. I’m not saying any of that will go away once you become comfortable in your own skin, however, I think having the courage to say I am worth it is a start.

The younger version of myself may have walked out of that meeting last week and felt beat up but the “mature” version of myself knows that we deserve that business and have one of the smartest, hardest working teams with a proven track record. If someone doesn’t see that, ultimately, there may not be anything you can do to change it. Knowing and accepting that can mean the difference between getting down on yourself or trying to conform to someone else’s opinion of you. No one knows your self-worth better than you and God. Don’t ever let another human try to take that away from you, in any aspect of your life.

So, as we start a new week, let’s hold our heads high and know that whatever job or task we face this week, we are strong enough to handle it. And if anyone tries to call your attributes into question, remember who you are at the core and know that you do make a difference in this world. Have a great week friends!