For what I'm worth

Had a great session with a massage therapist today, of the cranial-sacral variety. He's helping me with scar tissue from a surgery four years ago.

He's a licensed psychotherapist, certified in multiple healing arts and practicing for 20+ years. As you might imagine, he is effortlessly gifted and peaceful in his approach. I went from harried schlepper to mush within 20 minutes.

But when it came to the question of cost, he said, "That's $x...or whatever you're comfortable paying."

The needle scratched off the record.

I tried not to go all life coach on him (really), but charging people what you're worth is an important subject. That delay and backtrack can mean 100's-1000's of dollars lost. You may believe your talent is a gift, but you also need to pay the rent.

Understanding your worth is not just for the self-employed. It also affects how you ask for a raise, divvy household responsibilities and schedule your time.

My advice to him: just say what you want, and stop.

Let the other person counteroffer or—what I think will happen—not even blink. Of course it costs this much, it's worth it!