How much do I make?
Where does my money go? That is the age-old question, right?
Of course, the first question is: do you know how much money is coming in every month?
Here we take a look to make sure that you are remembering all of your income sources. It is pretty easy to recall the income sources as many people only have one primary source of income.
But in today’s economy, both spouses may be working and/or you may have a side hustle. Heck, you might even get royalties, though that is fairly rare.
Please take advantage of our free, easy-to-fill-in spreadsheet for your budget here!
Here are the most common sources:
- Primary Job – Payroll or 1099
- Monthly Pension
- Social Security
- Side hustle
- Gig job – Uber, Freelance, Door Dash
- Online shop – Shopify/Etsy/eBay
- Service – waiter, dog walker, dog groomer
- Interest
- Dividends
- Alimony
- Child-support
- Stock Trading
Now that we’ve sized up the income, is it enough for your lifestyle?
Most people answer ‘No’, ‘Just barely’, or ‘Not Where I Want to Be’. If that is you, buckle up. Let’s elevate your life!
Now What?
Do you find yourself telling yourself or your family, ‘I (We) can’t afford that!’?
This mindset is stuck in the scarcity mode and we need to get you looking into the abundant mode where you routinely say, ‘How can I afford this?’, instead. This mindset leaves possibilities open. It informs the universe that you are open to it, and welcomes a curious, rather than closed perspective. This approach broadens your creative options to get what it is you want.
First off: be proud of the work you do!
It has gotten you this far. But, now it is time to up your game!
The fact that you are here, it is obvious that you are looking for more!
You are an amazing, one-of-a-kind creation!
You are worth more and worthy of more, so let’s GET IT!
How to Add to Your Income Column?
Are you getting paid what your skillset is worth? Perhaps it is time to speak with your boss and see if there is an opportunity for a raise. Be prepared to highlight the value that you bring to your position and cite specific examples. They don’t always see everything you do.
If no raise/promotion is available, maybe changing companies is in order? Check out the job boards and see what opportunities may be available. You might be surprised.
However, if your pay is proper, perhaps it is time to upgrade your skillset to bring more value to the marketplace. From personal experience, I made the mistake of not constantly improving myself and being complacent until I was part of a major downsizing after nearly 22 years with my employer. That marks the beginning of my growth journey. Since then I have consistently added new soft and job-related skills to become the best version of myself. It is not easy, but worth it!
If doing what you do just isn’t doing it for you anymore, are you ready for something completely different?
Social media is filled with people making incredible claims about their hack to get rich. Sadly, they also bash other pathways to try to persuade you to buy whatever they offer.
This site is different. We come at it from the approach that life is abundant and there are plenty of ways to live the dream. We are sharing what we’ve tried, what has potential, and what we feel is working, right now. Check out our programs to see if any of them resonate with you. If you are on social media and have a significant following, monetize that and build your brand!
At this point, you’ve evaluated your income and the potential to increase it. If you feel what you are doing is insufficient to meet your dreams then we have some work to do.
Don't compare yourself to others. We cannot stress this enough!
The only comparison you need to make is to who you were yesterday. As James Clear suggests in Atomic Habits, being 1% better every day for a year will make you over 37 times better in 365 days. And even if you only did 5 days a week for 46 weeks, you would be 10X better! This is your benchmark, not others who only show the success at the end of their climb.
Remember: we don’t say, ‘I can’t afford that…’. We say, ‘How can we afford that’? What we feed our subconscious mind, our subconscious mind believes. It doesn’t even have to be true, but consistent positive messages will impact your subconscious mind.
Now is the time to reprogram our subconscious…
Next, let’s take a look at your expenses.
