Feeling Like a Dollar Store Sale? How to Reclaim Your Self-Worth & Inspire Personal Growth

Yes, we are talking about tariffs, but not in the boring sense that you've heard on the news.

No, we're comparing tariffs to your life, to the efforts that you put out.

And more importantly, by the end of today's episode, I'm gonna equip you with a powerful mindset shift that's gonna change the way you view yourself, the way you value you.

So if you're game for it, well then my friend, it is time for today's episode.

I welcome you to episode 377.

Hey, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe, and you are listening to Grit Grace and Inspiration.

Now, again, before we get into the meat and potatoes of today's episode, I want to make this clear.

Today is not political at all.

Yes, I am talking about tariffs, but only in regards to how they compare to you.

So if you want to hear about tariffs in regards to President Trump, the United States, the war between Canada, the UK, all the stuff, well, different podcast, different episode.

That is not me.

Today is all about you.

And I'm just doing what I do best.

Taking current events, trying to figure out how I can use it to relate a story to you?

How can I use this idea of tariffs in this tariff war that is happening right now?

How can I use it as a metaphor to help you start to value yourself a little bit more?

And so that is what today is all about.

So let's go ahead and start super simple.

What are you gonna get out of today's episode?

Why should you care about what we're talking about?

With that disclaimer out of the way, let's dive into exactly what today's episode is gonna do for you.

If I do my job adequately, by the end, you're gonna understand how to start valuing yourself more, how to stop undercharging for the value that you bring to work, to your relationships, to life.

I'm gonna break down for you a simple mindset shift to be sure that you're never taking advantage of again.

We're gonna have you setting your own life's tariffs to be sure that you get exactly what you deserve.

And we're gonna leave you with three actionable steps to be sure that you start commanding the pay, the respect, the attention that you deserve.

My friend, I try to tell you all the time that you are so much more amazing, so much more awesome, more deserving than you ever could realize.

And today, I want to be sure that you're getting recognized for just how amazing I know that you are.

So, our first step in this process is let's break down this idea of tariffs in a simple term.

Because if you're like me, you listen to the stuff on the news, and yeah, like maybe it makes sense, but then you actually try to explain it to somebody else and you're a little bit tongue-tied.

Yeah, that's kind of how I felt.

So instead, I again am using a metaphor to try to simplify this idea of tariffs.

And for this metaphor, I want you to think back to being in elementary school.

You're back in school and it's lunchtime, and you always bring your lunch.

You're the one who always has a sandwich, a little applesauce, some carrots in a juice box, all packed nicely in your brown paper bag.

Now, your friend, they always bring the worst stuff.

They got that stinky tuna fish sandwich, or they got the carrots that nobody wants.

And yet, the two of you are always trading.

They're always getting the better end of the deal.

And so eventually you kind of get sick and tired of being taken advantage of.

They bring the crap, you bring the good stuff, and yet you're trading with each other, and you're constantly getting the rotten end of the deal.

So instead, you finally have enough and set some ground rules with your friend.

If you want my good food, then you gotta bring something equally good.

You gotta start bringing some stuff that I actually want.

And in essence, that's what tariffs are.

They're rules to make trade fair.

So if we take this to today, so we're exiting elementary school, we're entering adulthood, if you're always giving your best to others and yet you don't get kindness and respect back, you probably need to start setting your own ground rules.

Because if it's not fair, then what's it all worth?

If you're the one putting in all the effort in the relationship, if you're the one doing all the work and the other person isn't, well, then that's not fair.

It's not a good relationship at all.

And so that is what today we're gonna help you with.

So, as the last little summary of tariffs, think of tariffs as basically the boundaries to make sure that trade is fair.

So now our next step in today's little tariff puzzle is let's go through a little checklist to understand if you are indeed undervaluing yourself.

Because sometimes we get so used to just doing the things that we don't even think about the fact that, hey, you know what?

It isn't fair.

Sometimes it takes somebody else bringing it to our attention, kind of like I'm doing today, calling you out, making you realize, whoa, my friend, you need to start valuing yourself a whole lot more.

So I want you to put a check mark by any of these that sound familiar.

Do you say yes to things that you don't like, that you don't want to do just to please others?

What about asking for what you're worth?

Are you nervous?

Are you hesitate?

Do you therefore just shy away from it altogether?

Are you the person who pours into your relationships where the other person never pours back?

It's always just a one-way street.

You're always the one doing the thing, putting in the effort, doing the work, and the other person, they're never there.

They never seem to give the same amount of effort that you do.

And my last little checkbox is do you feel guilty when you try to set boundaries?

Does the mere idea of setting boundaries just make you feel bad and guilty?

If this is you, then my friend, I want today to be your rally cry that it is time for you to stop giving yourself away for free.

You are not a sale at the dollar store.

No, that ends today, my friend.

It is time that you start being respected and valued and appreciated for what you are worth.

And what you are worth is so much more than you have been letting on, than you have been led to believe, the way in which you've been acting.

So if we want to stop being undervalued, well, then we're gonna enter into this segment of today's episode.

Because this is where we're gonna take some ideas, some concepts, and put it into action with a three-step action plan to be sure that you start being valued in the way in which you deserve to be.

If President Trump can create tariffs, if he can set tariffs, well then, my friend, so can you.

I want you to set your own tariffs.

Basically, you're setting your own boundaries that deserve respect.

Again, in this, we're comparing tariffs to boundaries.

So, in life, in your life, tariffs are like the boundaries.

If you're letting others drain your energy to take advantage of you, my friend, is because you haven't set clear and defined boundaries.

I want you to be able to confidently be able to stand in your own and say, no, no, I don't have the time to help you.

No, I can't do that.

Instead of constantly saying, yes, of course, and bending over backwards and putting yourself last.

No, my friend, the whole thing with President Trump right now that he's been talking about in the news, again, I am not getting political, so don't get me wrong.

But his argument is that he wants to put America first.

Well, in today's topic, I want to put you first.

If you need to set some boundaries to be sure that you are put first, then my friend, it's time for you to implement your own boundaries in life.

The second step is I want you to know, understand, and declare your worth.

So many times, no matter what it's about, whether it's a relationship, whether it's you at work in your career, so many times we undervalue ourselves.

We do not think of ourselves highly enough to demand that amount of money, to demand that kind of respect.

But my friend, I am here to tell you you do.

If you think in the slightest that something isn't quite fair, well, then my friend, I am here to tell you that most likely it is probably totally unfair.

I want you to begin to confidently ask for a raise.

I want you to confidently demand respect from your partner.

I want you to confidently show up to every relationship in your life, expecting the same back from the others.

This is not a one-way street.

And especially when we're talking about relationships.

Relationships are built upon two people: a group of people, a group of friends.

If one person is the only one ever pouring into the cup and everybody else is just taking, then my friend, that is not a friendship.

That is not a relationship you want to be in.

You want to be in a relationship where everybody is doing their part.

Everybody is pouring into the cup.

And so if you can understand your worth and you demand your worth, then slowly but surely people are gonna begin to respect you.

Sometimes people, even if they don't have ill intent, but they're just used to you being the one to always do, to be the one who bends over backwards, they just go with it.

It's not that they're purposely taking advantage of you, they're just going with the flow.

So if you can simply stand in your own, well, trust me, most likely they're not gonna get mad.

They're just gonna go, oh, yeah, yeah, of course, yeah, I'll do it.

Yeah, that's no problem.

I have seen that happen so many times in life, where this person feels so bad for not doing it, and they hate the idea of telling a friend that they can't, and yet they finally do, and the friendship isn't over.

The other person totally understands.

They've just always known you to be the one who does it, no matter what.

My third step is I want you to invest where you are going to get back what you put in.

Fair trade is where both sides benefit.

Your relationships, I want you to be sure that you're investing in those that invest back on you.

So maybe it's time you got to renegotiate the deal.

Or sometimes in life, we just have to be willing to walk away.

Because again, what I want to do with this podcast, whether it's today's episode or any other episode, is I want you to understand that you are amazing.

I said that earlier, that you are so much more awesome, more amazing than you give yourself credit for.

And I want to be sure that I'm the one reminding you just how awesome you are, giving you that boost of encouragement that you deserve the best.

And so, if people are in your life who are not giving the best back to you, then my friend, sometimes it's best to just walk away.

My final step in today's episode is the action item.

I've given you three, but I want to get it real specific.

I want you to take one part of your life where you maybe feel undervalued, where you don't feel like the effort you're putting in is the same effort you're getting back.

I want you to figure out what that is, and I want you to take one action towards it.

Maybe it's starting to renegotiate the deal.

Maybe it's you standing in your own, declaring your value.

Maybe it's you just finally understanding that you know what?

I don't deserve to be treated like this.

I deserve to be treated just as amazing as I treat them.

My friend, again, you are deserving of having the best.

You are an amazing person.

I know you are.

I know that you give it your all each and every day with every relationship.

And I just want you to get the same back in return.

In closing, if today's episode resonated with you, if there's somebody who you think of when you heard me talk today, please do me a favor, do them the favor, and share today's episode with them.

That would mean the world to me.

All you have to do is tell them, hey, you got to go check out today's episode.

It was episode number 377 of Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Go check it out.

Listen to it.

Encourage them to come and listen to today's episode.

Because, my friend, the more people we can get valuing themselves better, the better off this world is going to be.

So, with that, I'm your host, Kevin Lowe.

This was episode 377 of Grit Grace and Inspiration.

I hope you enjoyed.

I hope it meant something to you, and mostly I hope it has you looking at yourself with a little bit more value than you did before.