Maybe You Just Need To Make More Money?

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about cutting expenses and using your money more wisely. In my experience and study of “money problems”, the consistent theme I’ve discovered is that financial struggle is rarely caused by lack of adequate income. The fact is, people are usually in debt or have poor credit because they don’t manage the money they do make wisely. So that’s why financial advice articles focus so heavily on these areas.

But maybe you actually just need to make more money? “If my company would just pay me more… If I could just get more clients… If I could just hit the right Lotto numbers – just once…” I’ve got to stop you there. If these thoughts sound like a solution to your problem, we’ve got a long way to go here. But I’ll do my best to help you anyway…

But Somebody Has To Win The Lotto!

First of all, you ARE being paid what you are worth right now. You are NOT being underpaid by your boss. If you can accept this truth, this process of making more money will be much easier for you. For the amount of value you are providing your boss (and if you’re self-employed, your customers are your boss), you are receiving a certain monetary reward in return. If you want to make more money, you must figure out a way to provide more value.

And to make sure your thinking is laser-focused in the right direction, you must figure out a way to provide more value to your boss! If you can accomplish that, you will put yourself into position to begin earning more money. MUCH more money!

Start by asking yourself the following questions. Write down the answers. Be brutally honest with yourself. By clearly defining the problem, you can begin to solve it – and not before. The answers to these questions will help you define the problem. (Remember, if you’re self-employed, substitute “boss’ with “client”.)

The answers to these questions, especially when you focus on answering them from your boss’s perspective, will give you insight on what you need to do to start making more money at your present position.

Why Focus On Your Present Job?

But why focus on your present position at all? Why not just go find a better job? The answer is that by focusing on learning to provide more value, you will not only begin to earn more money at your present position, but you will also become a more sought after employee for other positions.

Work on providing VALUE first – the money will follow. If you work for a company that doesn’t recognize and reward you for being outstanding at what you do – you’ll be approached by other companies who WILL recognize and reward you (Yeah, it doesn’t hurt to network within your industry a little either – which is a great way to improve your ability and skills anyway).

If you become WORTH more in terms of the value you provide, you will earn more. This is not my opinion, it is just the way it is. So start there – it really is the answer to your income needs.

Related Articles:

• Getting A Raise, Part III
• Getting a Raise, Part II
• Getting a Raise, Part I
• Your Financial Bucket List
• The Cost of Whistles – Living Successfully