What if you showed up to work every day and affirmed that an organization’s first obligation is to their shareholders? Certainly, your work ethic, creativity, and dedication are critical to your company’s performance; however, in the end a company will always look out for themselves first. They are obligated to do so. It doesn’t matter if you just got married, added a new addition to your family, bought a house or experienced deep loss, no one is shielded from layoffs. Therefore, you owe it to yourself to throw complacency out the door and invest in yourself.

Do you have unused professional development? Every year most organizations set aside special funding for their employees to enhance their skillset. For example, a salesperson might use their professional development dollars to build their confidence in speaking with C-Level Executives. The following year, they may use their professional development dollars to discover new health and wellness strategies to balance the stress that comes with a demanding sales role. Professional development is one of the most valuable benefits that you can give yourself. It’s a win-win that starts with building your confidence in your role, and as a result the company will see an immediate return-on-investment (ROI).

Remember, you’re showing up, doing the work every day, and giving your all 8+ hours a day. You deserve everything so don’t leave valuable benefits on the table. Would you call your credit card company and tell them to keep the rewards, cash, and miles you receive as a cardholder? Of course not, so why would you essentially tell your company that you’re not interested in enhancing your skills, building your confidence, and becoming more of an asset to the organization?

In the end, you can’t blame the organization for doing what must be done and the organization won’t blame you for investing in yourself.