Being low maintenance does not make you look humble or more successful; in fact, it hurts your success. You may be wondering, “What does she mean by “low maintenance?” Well, it has nothing to do with your appearance; you should still take care of yourself, but it has more to do with your character and confidence. 

While you read this, you will learn the real definitions of being low maintenance, the effects of it on your income, and how you can stop being low maintenance. 

What Does “Low Maintenance” Really Mean?

When I talk about being “low maintenance,” I am not talking about your appearance. A low-maintenance woman is one who never complains, acts content with what she  is  given even if she doesn’t truly feel that way, and requires little attention and consideration. Those who are “low maintenance” take on more responsibility to be liked and are unlikely to speak up whenever something bothers them. 

They often want to keep others very happy, even if it’s at their own expense. Oftentimes women who are “low maintenance” fear rejection or abandonment. Not speaking up when something bothers you out of fear you will be all alone or not asking for a raise because you fear being told “no” are all examples of this. 

If your parents constantly downplayed your emotions, shut them down, or became emotionally overwhelmed by your experiences, that may be the root cause of your “low maintenance” tendency. But don’t let that keep you stuck. 

Why It’s Keeping You Broke

Agreeability

With a low-maintenance mindset, it is difficult to speak up in business or work settings, which in turn makes you a more agreeable person. But agreeableness actually hinders your earning potential; those who are agreeable earn $11,300 less than those with non-agreeable personality types. In fact, in Germany, wages decrease by 2-5% if you are agreeable. 

Negotiating

People who are low maintenance struggle with negotiating their salaries; they won’t fight as hard to get a raise. This struggle leads to a wealth gap that only gets bigger over time, unless they start to form the courage needed to get paid the amount they really deserve.  In negotiations, those who negotiate in a constructive way are perceived as more favorable than those who don’t negotiate at all. 

Risk Aversion

Being low maintenance also correlates with avoiding risk, which limits business growth. When you avoid risk, you limit your ability to grow. If you are an entrepreneur, you need to be comfortable with always needing to grow because businesses tend to plateau when things are going too smoothly. 

You always want to make sure your business is growing in order to stay competitive. Risk aversion is telling of whether someone will stay an entrepreneur or become an employee again. Those with higher risk aversion stay employees, whereas those with low risk aversion stay entrepreneurs. Although the most successful entrepreneurs have a medium level of risk-taking. If you’re passionate about becoming an entrepreneur, you better stop with the low-maintenance mindset. 

Assertiveness

You need to be a bit assertive when it comes to making business deals. Research has found that entrepreneurs must be able to advocate for their interest clearly without being aggressive. Something that low-maintenance individuals tend to struggle with. 

Wealth Building

Successful wealth builders have many characteristics that oppose “low maintenance” characteristics. 65% of millionaires continue to take calculated risks like starting a business or investing in a new venture. These two behaviors involve assertiveness, self-promotion, and comfort with making demands, all traits that are not aligned with being “low maintenance.” 

How to Stop Being “Low Maintenance”: 

Start Asking For More

There is nothing wrong with asking for more. Society likes to make you think that something is wrong with you if you want more from this life, but there is nothing noble in settling for crumbs. Whether you’re asking for a raise at work, raising the price for your products, or asking your clients to pay more, you need to get comfortable with receiving more. 

This feels very scary because a lot of people link asking for more with loss. You may believe that you will get fired or that your business will fail, but that isn’t the case. You’re not losing a thing; if that job is meant for you, you will get a raise. If it’s not, then you will stay stagnant. Sure, some people will throw a fit if you raise the prices for your products or services, but the loyal customers and clients will stay around and support you. 

If you don’t believe you are worthy of receiving more, this will feel uncomfortable, but you have to do the inner work required to make asking for more your norm. 

Keep The Promises You Make To Yourself

One way to stop being low maintenance is by building your self-trust and confidence. When you trust yourself and feel confident, you start to speak up more, fight for what you deserve, and make decisions with ease, all traits necessary for building wealth. 

The confidence that comes from doing what you say is internal. It doesn’t depend on outside validation. That’s what makes keeping promises to yourself such a powerful strategy. You’ll be more likely to bite off more than you can chew and overpromise, which is great. Oftentimes we tend to underestimate ourselves when it comes to a higher-level position or a new business idea. But humans are resourceful; when we are faced with something, we find ways to figure it out. 

So start keeping promises to yourself, and you’ll see your self-trust and confidence skyrocket. 

Invest In Yourself

Invest in your knowledge and your skills; you are your biggest asset. Forget about rental properties and investments, and remember that your brain is the biggest key to unlocking wealth. The more you invest in yourself, the more confident you become in your knowledge and your ability to do tasks. Part of being low maintenance is that you don’t believe you know enough to do more, take risks, or disagree. 

When you invest so much time and money into yourself, you get comfortable with sharing your opinions and debating with others. As I said earlier, those who negotiate are seen as more favorable since it shows you have confidence. You NEED confidence to stop being low maintenance. 

Read books and listen to podcasts because as you do, you’ll be more comfortable with sharing your knowledge with others because you took the time to learn all you can. 

Stop Avoiding Conflict

Do not avoid conflict. Those who are low maintenance would rather be in a situation that hurts them than speak up and try to change it. This again is because they lack confidence and the ability to trust themselves. 

You need to be able to communicate clearly with others in order to stop being low maintenance. It’s not like you have to be all tough and have a comeback for everything; just being able to say, “I wasn’t ok with what you did earlier,” lets others know they can’t walk all over you. 

If this intimidates you, it’s probably because you fear you’ll be abandoned, whether it’s getting fired from your job or losing clients and customers. But there is a funny thing that happens: you start getting more respect. In business and at work, this shows you have self-respect and value your needs, which are very respectable characteristics. 

Walk Away At The First Sign Of Disrespect

Please don’t tolerate disrespect. If someone does something or says something that does not sit right with you, tell them how disrespectful you thought it was, and remove yourself. A low-maintenance person has trouble with this because they are scared of not being liked. Being liked doesn’t make you more money. 

If others see you tolerate disrespect, they will start to think they can walk all over you as well. You don’t want that in your workplace or business settings. In fact, disrespect causes employees to disengage, which costs the economy almost $9 trillion. Crazy, right? 

Even if you’re not an employee and you have your own business, if you don’t step in when you see your employees get disrespected, you will lose your best workers, as low pay and a disrespectful work environment are the top reasons why employees quit their jobs. 

Be Selective

Low-maintenance people usually have trouble saying no. They have trouble picking and choosing where they should focus their attention. If they have multiple tasks they need to complete, and someone asks them to take on more, they will not fight back because saying no is a struggle. 

You need to thoroughly assess whether something is really worth your time. If it doesn’t make your life more peaceful, make you wealthier, or make you smarter, say no to it. Nothing bad will happen; you’ll just end up with more time and more energy to work on things that actually matter for your business. 

Become Okay With Being Misunderstood

Not everyone will understand you, and they’re not supposed to. When you’re low maintenance, you tend to want to please everyone and have everyone support or understand you, but that just makes you go crazy. 

When you accept that you’ll be misunderstood, your communication becomes clearer. If you feel inadequate because others may not understand you, understanding that others cannot always relate to you brings your power back. You stop taking things personally. 

Conclusion

Getting rid of low-maintenance tendencies is easier said than done, I know. But becoming less low maintenance is like exercising; the more you practice taking up space, the more comfortable you become. If you’ve been feeling like you’re doing the best you can in work or business or even in your personal life, it’s probably a sign you’re low maintenance. If you feel drained at the end of the day, that may be a sign of a low-maintenance attitude as well. 

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