AN INVISIBLE PRICE TAG - part 1

Articles In This Section:

· HOW RICH IS RICH? - part 1

· HOW RICH IS RICH? - part 2

· AN INVISIBLE PRICE TAG - part 1

· AN INVISIBLE PRICE TAG - part 2

· AN INVISIBLE PRICE TAG - part 3

· AN INVISIBLE PRICE TAG - part 4

· GAINING AN AWARENESS OF RICHES! - part 1

· GAINING AN AWARENESS OF RICHES! - part 2

· ARE YOU A CONTEST FAN? - part 1

· ARE YOU A CONTEST FAN? - part 2

· AVOID LOSING CONTRASTS

· SELF-PITY - part 1

· SELF-PITY - part 2

· SELF-PITY - part 3

How much are you worth? $50 a week? $150 a week? $250 a week? Whether you know it or not, each of us is wearing an invisible price tag. The man earning $50 weekly does not see himself as being worth more than that figure. Yes, he may wish for more; but his inner eyes see him as a $50-a-week man. The same is true with the man earning $250 weekly. He sees himself as being worth that amount.

Let me relate a story of an interesting experience I had in my early life, and one which proved to be a great lesson to me.

I had learned the first principles of advertising from a correspondence school and had obtained a job in that field in New York. It paid a salary of $25 per week.

At that time I had a neighbor who was a department head in a mail-order house, and who earned what seemed to me the fabulous sum of $42 weekly. I envied him more than I like to admit.

One day I read a want ad in an advertising journal calling for a certain type of advertising man. I felt I could fill the bill and I answered it.

It was not long before I received a letter inviting me to call for an interview. This called for great elation on my part as I thought this might be a chance to get an income comparable to that of my neighbor.

I visited the head of the firm who had placed the advertisement and for over an hour was questioned regarding my ability to hold the job.

"Well, everything so far seems satisfactory," the executive said warmly. "Now, how about salary?"

"I would like to start at $40 per week," I said with apparent timidity.

I never saw a man laugh more heartily than he did.

"Why, you would have men under you who would be earning $25,000 per year," he remarked, after calming down. Then he came back with a statement which actually jolted me.

"Well, I guess you know what you are worth," he said as he arose, ending the interview.