Usain Bolt makes between $10,000 to $60,000 per race win, and as much as $100,000 for every world record he sets. Each 100m race he runs takes him less than 10 seconds.

In any given race, he’s probably earning 5 digits for a 10 second performance.

Let that sink in. But when we look at his performances, we don’t see a 10-second effort. We see the months and years of training he’s put in, that allows him to complete his race in that short amount of time.

And yet, when it comes to our own work, we don’t give ourselves the same credit.

Have you ever said to yourself: “This work took such a short amount of time, I shouldn’t be charging so much”? I know I’ve struggled with that at times myself. And I’ve seen that struggle in lots of others, no matter what their field. It’s one of the biggest reasons people undercharge for their work, and don’t get paid what they deserve for the value they provide.

Here’s the thing to realize. You’re able to do the work in a short amount of time because of all the effort you’ve put in in the past. Because of all the hours of learning, the time spent honing your craft. And that’s why you deserve to be paid more.

So the next time you find yourself thinking “I’m charging too much, for too little time”, remember this.

You’re not getting paid for the amount of time you spend on the work.

You deserve to be paid for all the time you’ve spent before this. For all the effort that you’ve put in to get you to this point, where you’re able to deliver the work in such a short amount of time.