Imagine this: You are at work and receive a call from your company’s CEO telling you that they no longer have the budget to pay you and that they need you to work for free. If you’re anything like me, you would be thinking to yourself, “Have they lost their mind? Why would anyone expect me to do something I’m extremely good at for free?” Now, what would you say if I told you that every time you give your intellectual property away to someone, you’re showing up to work for free?

First, let me define intellectual property. Intellectual property is the unique factor that sets you apart. It is your expertise and brilliance where your talents, passions, personality and experiences collide. It’s that genius that flows from you effortlessly and the thing that everyone seeks you out for. Not only that, sharing this knowledge you’ve acquired is like second nature to you. So, when people ask you if they can pick your brain or tease something out with you, they are tapping in to your intellectual property.

The good news is we were all put on this earth with a special mix of DNA (what I identify as your Distinct Natural Ability) that pre-wires you with certain gifts and talents. It’s almost like you were placed here on special assignment to be the answer to a group of people who need that gift in you. The bad news, however, is that not everyone steps forward to stand in the full power of what lies inside of you.

In my 20+ years of coaching entrepreneurs and corporate executives, I have watched the shock and “aha” moments that happen repeatedly when people discover they’ve been only functioning in just a small percentage of their gifts and that they have been giving away their intellectual property for free. They discount their know-how, because it comes so naturally to them that they assume everyone knows how to do it. They fail to see that their intellectual property could very well be the answer to someone’s problem, and that they could be packaging it in order to generate multiple streams of income.

Sure, other people may have a similar gift, but no one can do it like you. There are also those who are well aware of their expertise, but rather than step forward into the spotlight, they shrink back into the shadows because they think no one will pay them for what they know.

According to Gallup’s U.S. Employee Engagement Poll, as of August 2017, 68% of workers did not describe themselves as “engaged” in their jobs. These are people who, rather than taking the chance and stepping fully into their genius, settle for good enough — which looks like building someone else’s billion-dollar brand. I wonder how many of them realize they are harboring a billion-dollar brand inside of themselves.

I work on a daily basis with corporate executives who seek to write their own paychecks at the intersection where all of their talents, experiences and passions converge so that they can bring forth their ideas with clarity and confidence. I have learned in this work is that there are three key things you must do to give yourself permission to get paid for what you know:

1. Stop second-guessing your brilliance, and stand firm in it. If you are not clear on what your brilliance — your intellectual property — is, ask five people who are normally asking to pick your brain or get your perspective on a matter. I guarantee there will be something common that they each share with you, which is the brilliance they see in you. So, if they see it, it’s time for you to stop denying your DNA and get paid for it instead of giving it away for free.