Almost everyone in life starts out their careers with bigger incomes than their bills, however over time, they amass so many bills that their bills overtake their incomes. From this point forward, only 15% of working professionals will reverse the equation, and from this 15%, only 4% reach the point where their incomes become not only bigger than their bills but also bigger than their financial goals. Moving your income above your bills, and being able to maintain financial stability without salary is the first level of financial success you must achieve. This success is called financial independence.
However, lifting your income above not just your bills, but over your current and future financial needs is the highest level of financial success, and this success is called financial freedom. This means that financial independence is all about achieving today’s success and comfort, while financial freedom ensures that you maintain that level of success throughout life.
Unfortunately, only a few people will ever earn income at this level or invest the income earned for financial freedom. Yet, to achieve financial success, you must raise your income above your financial goals, and you must take care of your needs today, as well as your security tomorrow.
So how do you achieve financial freedom or make your income bigger than your goals?
The answer is simple.
But first, I’ll show you the price that you must pay. Every prize has a price, and so does your next level success.
There are three prices to choose from. The first is the price of growth and discipline. For you to move from your current level to the next, you need growth in skills and the discipline to take action. This price has a worthy purpose, and it is one that you should pay. This is also the cheapest price you would ever pay for success. The second is the price of procrastination. This is where you delay taking action until you have only a little time left. To achieve the same goal, you must then take extreme action that results in deeper pain. Also, chances are high that you may not achieve all that you set out to achieve. The third price is the price of regret. This is where you delay taking action until you run out of time and can no longer avert the consequence. The only thing left when you are at this stage is to endure the consequences of your inaction, and the regret price is the most painful price to pay.
Next, let’s look at how you can lift your income. To lift your income above your financial goals, there are only two things to do.
The first is to know the source of income and focus on earning from it. The second is to develop the tools that produce high income. Let’s look at each of them in detail.
The source of income
All income comes from one source and that source is skills; without them, you cannot earn income. Today, you earn income because you apply certain skills to solve problems for your employer. This means that if you focus on developing high-income skills first, you will generate the income that will fast-track your investing effort. Focusing on investing first is a slow process. Today, active income is still the most potent income in the world. Only a strong active income can produce strong passive income: thus, to grow your income fast, you must first focus on developing high-income skills. Yet, having skills alone will not produce the desired income.
To lift your income above your goals, you need three other components. The first is time, the second is relationships and the third is income earning platforms. Skills without the time to apply will generate no income. Skills with time but without relationships will produce no income. And the skill with time and relationships but without a platform to earn income, will still lead to no income. Thus, the only way to truly earn an income is to have skills, time, relationships, and platforms working for you. Your job has these four components. First, you have the skills to help your employer make money, that’s why you were employed. Next, you also invest your time to offer this skill, then you offer it within an income-generating relationship, and finally, you earn income through a job platform.
So, if you have skills, time, relationships, and a job platform, why are you not still earning the income of your dreams?
The answer is simple, and it leads to the second point.
Tools that produce high income
There are four tools for earning high income and they include skills, time, relationship, and platform. Yet these four tools combine to produce three different types of income. The first is the low-income, the second is middle-income and the third is the high-income. Low income is any income that is lower than your bills. If your bills are ahead of your income, you earn a low income, regardless of how much you earn. Low income is produced by low-income skills. And examples of low-income skills include theory-based skills (Fresh graduates), routine-based skills that can be done by anyone or machine, and skills that have no direct relationship to the company’s bottom line. Thus, a low income is produced when you combine low-income skills that require plenty of time and focuses on serving one employer through a single job platform.
The second is middle-income skills. Middle-income skill is any skill that can earn income that is above bills. That is, earned income enough to pay bills and also create a financial safety net. Thus, people with middle incomes are able to maintain financial stability for months without a salary. Examples of middle-income skills include low-income skills that have been refined over time and through many years of experience or some job based specialized skills. This means that most middle-income earners have many years of experience. Yet middle-income skills are still job-based skills. Out there in society and all by yourself, you may not be able to use them to earn income at the same level. Most middle-income earners also serve one employer at a time and leverage one job platform. Thus, to earn a middle income you must be ready to stay long in the corporate world.
The third is high-income skills. These are skills that can produce an income that is above your present and future financial goals. This means that high income skills can buy you financial freedom. To earn high income, you need high income skills. Examples of high-income skills include creativity and innovation, productivity and time management, rich relationship building, and influential marketing. All high-income skills are evergreen skills and multi-industry. This means that they can be applied in any industry on any platform and at any stage of life. High-income skills also require less time to generate income and they are the most potent multiple income tools. If you want to lift your income above your life goals, you must invest in developing high-income skills.
If you need help developing high income skills send an email to info@createsolidwealth.com.
About author
When Grace lost both parents before age 9, she was told that her place was at the bottom of the table where there is lack and scarcity. But rather than shrink to the bottom, Grace decided to create her own wealth table. Today, Grace O. Agada is the most sought-after Financial Planning expert. She is a renowned Author and Keynote Speaker and Popularly known as the Middle Class to Upper-Class Mentor. Grace is the author of three books and possibly the most widely read financial articles. Her articles are spread across seven national newspapers and four of the most popular Nigerian Blogs. Grace is also the Founder of the University of Wealth MBA programs and is on a mission to shrink the middle class and populate the upper class. Grace has been featured on BBC Africa. Business Day TV. Inspiration FM. and inside Naijatv. And she consults for Numerous Top Organizations, Company Directors, CEOs, Senior Executives, and High-Income Professionals.
Really enlightening, truly the level of a man financial freedom is directly proportional to the individual developed skill level. thanks a million
Very educative , great one.a