Holding Your Number (1)

Before we begin, take a moment to settle into a comfortable position, either sitting upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or lying down if you prefer. Let your hands rest naturally, either on your lap or at your sides, palms facing upward or downward, whichever feels most natural to you. You can close your eyes now, or wait until you feel ready. There is no right or wrong way to do this. This session is designed to work with your body's natural sensory experience, so you may notice sounds, physical sensations, and vivid mental imagery more strongly than usual. That is completely normal and is part of how this session works. You will be guided through an immersive experience that builds a deep, felt sense of confidence and clarity around negotiation. You will remain aware and in control at all times. This session is for educational and self-improvement purposes only and is not a substitute for professional psychological or legal advice. If you have any serious mental health concerns, please consult a qualified professional. Now, let your eyes gently close, and let us begin.

Feel the weight of your body against the surface supporting you. [6 second pause] Notice the pressure beneath you, firm and real, holding you completely. [7 second pause] The temperature of the air on your skin, cool or warm, just notice it. [8 second pause] There is the faint sound of your own breathing, and perhaps sounds further away, in another room, outside, it does not matter. [6 second pause] Those sounds simply confirm that you are here, settled, present. [7 second pause] Now bring your attention to your hands. [5 second pause] Feel the texture beneath your fingertips, the slight weight of each finger resting. [8 second pause] Notice whether your hands feel warm or cool right now. [6 second pause] There is no effort required. [7 second pause] Your body already knows how to do this. [8 second pause] Now notice your jaw. [5 second pause] Is there any tension held there? [6 second pause] Let it soften, just slightly. [7 second pause] And your shoulders. [5 second pause] Feel them drop, even by a fraction. [8 second pause] That small release is the beginning of something much deeper. [9 second pause] Your breath is doing its work without any instruction from you. [7 second pause] In and out. [8 second pause] Each breath carrying you a little further inward. [9 second pause] Further into this quiet, focused space that belongs entirely to you. [10 second pause] You are already going deeper than you realize. [8 second pause]

Imagine now that you are standing in a room you know well. [7 second pause] A room that is yours, a space where you have worked, thought, created. [8 second pause] Feel the floor beneath your feet in this place. [6 second pause] Solid. [5 second pause] Unyielding. [7 second pause] You can feel the air in this room, familiar and calm. [8 second pause] And on the surface in front of you, perhaps a desk, a table, a workbench, there is a document. [6 second pause] Your licensing agreement. [7 second pause] You look at it not with anxiety, but with the quiet recognition of someone who built something real. [8 second pause] Every line of that document represents work you did. [7 second pause] Creative effort, time, skill, and vision that nobody else possesses. [9 second pause] You pick it up, and you feel its weight in your hands. [6 second pause] Not heavy with dread, but solid with meaning. [8 second pause] You know what this is worth. [7 second pause] Not as a guess, not as a hope, but as a fact you carry in your body. [9 second pause] And somewhere in this room, there is a mirror. [6 second pause] Walk toward it slowly. [8 second pause] Look at the person standing there. [7 second pause] This is someone who has already done the hard part. [8 second pause] Who built the thing, who earned the deal, who showed up before anyone else believed in it. [9 second pause] That person in the mirror is not asking for permission. [7 second pause] That person already knows the number. [8 second pause]

And now, I want you to feel something shift inside you. [7 second pause] Like a dial turning slowly, moving from the surface of your thoughts down into the deeper layers of your mind. [9 second pause] I am going to count down from five to one, and with each number, you will feel yourself settling deeper into this focused, powerful state. [6 second pause] Five. [8 second pause] Sinking down, the room around you becoming more vivid, more real. [9 second pause] Four. [8 second pause] Your body heavier, your mind clearer, like still water that reflects everything perfectly. [10 second pause] Three. [9 second pause] Deeper now, that quiet confidence spreading through your chest, through your arms, into your hands. [10 second pause] Two. [9 second pause] Almost there, the noise of doubt and hesitation falling away like leaves from a branch in autumn, naturally, effortlessly. [10 second pause] One. [12 second pause] Deeply settled. [10 second pause] Completely present. [10 second pause] And fully in command of yourself. [12 second pause] In this deep, still place, your mind is extraordinarily receptive. [8 second pause] Every word I offer you now lands directly, taking root in the part of you that already knows your worth. [10 second pause]

You know your number. [8 second pause] Not as a wish, not as a starting point for compromise, but as the true reflection of the value you bring. [9 second pause] Feel that certainty now, like a stone in the center of your chest, dense and immovable. [10 second pause] When someone offers you less than you are worth, something interesting happens inside you. [7 second pause] Instead of anxiety, you feel clarity. [8 second pause] Instead of the urge to soften or apologize, you feel grounded. [9 second pause] You hear the counteroffer, and you simply return to your number, the way a compass needle always returns to north. [10 second pause] It is not personal. [7 second pause] It is not a conflict. [8 second pause] It is simply the truth of what your work is worth, and you hold it the way you hold your own name. [10 second pause] Silence does not frighten you. [8 second pause] When the room goes quiet after you state your terms, you let that silence sit. [9 second pause] You have learned that the person who speaks first out of discomfort is the one who moves. [8 second pause] And that person is not you. [10 second pause] You are comfortable in the pause. [7 second pause] You breathe through it. [8 second pause] You let it do its work. [10 second pause] You understand now, at a deep level, that the first counteroffer is almost never the final position. [8 second pause] It is a test. [7 second pause] A probe to see if you will flinch. [9 second pause] And you do not flinch. [8 second pause] You receive the counteroffer with calm, even warmth, and you hold your ground with complete ease. [10 second pause] The words come naturally: "I appreciate that, and my number is still the same." [9 second pause] Simple. [7 second pause] Clear. [8 second pause] Unshakeable. [10 second pause] You are not performing confidence. [7 second pause] You are expressing it, because it lives inside you now, rooted in the real value of what you have created. [10 second pause] Your posture in that room is open and relaxed. [8 second pause] Your voice is even and warm. [9 second pause] You are not aggressive, you are simply certain. [8 second pause] And certainty is the most persuasive thing in any room. [10 second pause]

Now let your mind move forward in time. [7 second pause] See yourself walking into that meeting room. [8 second pause] Feel the floor beneath your feet, solid and real. [7 second pause] Notice the table, the chairs, the faces across from you. [8 second pause] You sit down, and there is a steadiness in you that others can sense. [9 second pause] The conversation begins, and you are present, engaged, genuinely curious about what they have to say. [8 second pause] And then the moment comes. [7 second pause] They put their number on the table. [8 second pause] And it is lower than yours. [7 second pause] Notice what happens in your body. [8 second pause] No spike of panic. [7 second pause] No impulse to shrink. [9 second pause] Just that quiet, anchored feeling of someone who already knows where they stand. [10 second pause] You take a breath. [6 second pause] You let the silence hold for a moment. [8 second pause] And then you speak your number again, calmly, clearly, as if stating a fact about the weather. [9 second pause] Watch their response. [7 second pause] Watch how your steadiness shifts the energy in the room. [8 second pause] This is what preparation feels like from the inside. [9 second pause] Now see the meeting ending. [7 second pause] However it concludes, you walk out knowing you represented your work fully and honestly. [8 second pause] You held your number. [7 second pause] You did not cave. [8 second pause] And that feeling, that solid, clean satisfaction, stays with you long after the meeting is over. [10 second pause]

In a few moments, I am going to count from one to five, and as I do, you will gently return to full waking awareness, bringing everything you have experienced here with you. [7 second pause] The clarity, the groundedness, the certainty about your value, all of it travels with you back into your day. [8 second pause] One. [6 second pause] Beginning to return, a gentle awareness of the room around you. [7 second pause] Two. [6 second pause] Feeling the surface beneath you, the temperature of the air, sounds becoming clearer. [7 second pause] Three. [6 second pause] A little more alert now, your mind refreshed and focused, as if you have just woken from the most restoring sleep. [7 second pause] Four. [6 second pause] Almost fully back, fingers and toes beginning to move gently if they want to. [7 second pause] Five. [5 second pause] Eyes open, fully awake, completely present, and ready. [6 second pause]

Take a moment before you move. [6 second pause] Notice how you feel right now. [7 second pause] That settled, clear, grounded feeling is yours. [8 second pause] It does not belong to this session alone. [7 second pause] It belongs to you, and it will be there when you walk into that room. [8 second pause] You have done the inner work today. [7 second pause] You have rehearsed not just the words, but the felt experience of holding your value with ease. [8 second pause] Trust that. [7 second pause] Your unconscious mind has received everything it needs. [8 second pause] Go into that negotiation knowing that the most prepared person in the room is the one who is certain of their worth. [7 second pause] And that person is you. [8 second pause] Well done for taking this time for yourself today. [6 second pause] You are ready. [5 second pause]