Getting paid…

If you can perform a job competently and conscientiously, you deserve to get paid for doing it. Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise by suggesting that what you have to offer is somehow not worthy of compensation because you have not attained some subjective level of acceptable proficiency. This might seem like obvious advice for a situation that rarely occurs, except that it happens all the time under various guises. For instance, a boss might tell you that you won’t be getting that bonus because your work is not stellar. If something like this should happen to you, ask yourself whether your work needs to be stellar to receive a bonus. If the answer is no, consider that other motivations might be at play.