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Who couldn’t love a woman whose name is Yo?
I met Yolander Prinzel via Jenn Mattern, and right away I knew this was someone with whom I could be my most raucous. I was right; Yo is a fun person who has a killer sense of humor. More than that, Yo is a superbly talented writer who is smart, sassy, and quotable. In fact, she’d never tell you this, but she was quoted in Steve Martin’s book The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten.: The tweets of Steve Martin.
I love that she makes up part of my daily email “coffee talk.”
Today, Yo gives us a reality check when it comes to our value and our ability to protect that value. Thank you, Yo. I appreciate you!
How Do You Treat Your Most Valuable Asset?
by Yolander Prinzel
What is a writer worth? What value should be placed on a
writer’s hands, fingers, brain, vocabulary, imagination and constantly sat-upon
butt? Just for fun, take the average of your last three years’ income. Now multiply
that by the number of years you plan to work as a writer. For easy math, let’s
say you averaged $50,000 over the past three years and you’re 30 years from
retirement. If you continued to earn your average of $50k during the next 30
years, it means you’re worth at least $1,500,000. And that’s just based on your
average earnings, which isn’t the best measure. If you think about it, you’re
not an employee who’s climbed the ladder and reached the top end of your
career; you’re a writer with infinite potential, opportunities and the prospect
of making a whole lot more than $50k per year.
writer’s hands, fingers, brain, vocabulary, imagination and constantly sat-upon
butt? Just for fun, take the average of your last three years’ income. Now multiply
that by the number of years you plan to work as a writer. For easy math, let’s
say you averaged $50,000 over the past three years and you’re 30 years from
retirement. If you continued to earn your average of $50k during the next 30
years, it means you’re worth at least $1,500,000. And that’s just based on your
average earnings, which isn’t the best measure. If you think about it, you’re
not an employee who’s climbed the ladder and reached the top end of your
career; you’re a writer with infinite potential, opportunities and the prospect
of making a whole lot more than $50k per year.
So if your talent means you’re potentially worth millions,
you should be treating yourself like a multi-million dollar asset. But are you?
you should be treating yourself like a multi-million dollar asset. But are you?
- Do you have insurance guarding
you against loss due to disability, liability and accidents? What about
life insurance to protect your family from the loss of your potential
earnings?
- Do you maintain your
health by eating right, exercising regularly, and going to the doctor for
all the appropriate screenings, tests and check-ups?
- Do you set boundaries for
how you’ll allow Asset You to be used or treated? Do your boundaries
include charging what you’re worth and investing in a healthy work/life
balance?
- Do you invest in your
future and increase your value by taking classes, buying informative books
and learning things outside your normal wheelhouse? Do you build your
business to include non-client sources of passive income such as books and
websites?
Think about the amount of time you spend grooming and
preserving all your other assets. The portfolio you rebalance, the home you
maintain and fix up, and the car whose tires you rotate and oil you change.
These assets are nothing compared to
Asset You. Treat yourself in a way that reflects what you think you’re worth and
the other pieces of your career will fall into place.
preserving all your other assets. The portfolio you rebalance, the home you
maintain and fix up, and the car whose tires you rotate and oil you change.
These assets are nothing compared to
Asset You. Treat yourself in a way that reflects what you think you’re worth and
the other pieces of your career will fall into place.
Yolander Prinzel is the profit
monster behind the ProfitableFreelancer website. She has written for a number of publications and
websites such as American Express, Covestor.com, Advisor Today, Money Smart
Radio and the International Travel Insurance Journal (ITIJ). Her book, Specialty Ghostwriting: A New Way to Look
at an Old Career, is currently available on Amazon.
monster behind the ProfitableFreelancer website. She has written for a number of publications and
websites such as American Express, Covestor.com, Advisor Today, Money Smart
Radio and the International Travel Insurance Journal (ITIJ). Her book, Specialty Ghostwriting: A New Way to Look
at an Old Career, is currently available on Amazon.
Category: Uncategorized
Yo, what a great way to put a writer's worth in perspective. 🙂
As most of us are the C-suite, maintenance, and everything in between, we should value that range of assets and do our best to protect it all.
Love it, Yo!
Lori, I guess you've never seen the tattoo running down my right arm that says (in Comic Sans): ASK ME ABOUT HOW STEVE MARTIN THINKS I'M FUNNY!
Thanks Cathy!
Great advice, Yo! Puts all that self-neglect in perspective.
LOL! Yo, I think Steve Martin has a lot to live up to. 🙂 Thanks for gracing my page, hon. Appreciate it!
Love this, Yo. We're worth more than money (just like any other worker!). But some of us get so focused on the money that we forget about the other things. An employee at a company is frequently offered opportunities for professional growth through workshops and seminars. Employees are encouraged (sometimes…) to have a healthy work/life balance. Employees are offered all kinds of insurance. Employees are sometimes even offered gym memberships or other incentives for personal health. We independent writers should definitely offer ourselves at least as much as an employer would!
Excellent reminders. Thanks for putting them into words. 🙂
I never really thought about it in this way. Great insights Yo!
Managing that healthy work/life balance is what it's all about, I think. Interesting stuff!
Glad you all enjoyed it! Jenn–you know I'll look for any excuse to tell people I'm worth millions. And Ashley, that's a great perspective. Why wouldn't we afford ourselves the same opportunity for professional growth that a traditional employer would? Which reminds me, I used to have a boss who'd buy me gift certificates for facials a few times a year. I think I need to make that part of my quarterly benefits package 🙂