Did you know that your financial health plays an important role in the quality of your life?
The way we see and use money often reflects our character and belief systems.
The funny thing is that what we believe about money will often impact our ability to make it and keep it.
So before we delve into 3 simple ideas that can boost your income, Iet’s start off by considering three things that hamper our financial growth.

THREE PERQUISITES TO BUILDING AND SUSTAINING WEALTH
There are certain prerequisites that will ensure your wealth building plans remain successful. I believe these are:
- Develop Emotional Intelligence.
One of the best things you can do is to learn how to regulate your emotions. Here’s a quote that captures the essence of emotional intelligence:
“Emotional intelligence is a way of recognising, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80 percent of the “success” in our lives.”
2. Build your Social Network/Capital.
You have heard the popular saying that “your network is your net worth” but this is only true in two situations:
- When you don’t just treat people as transactions: don’t get into the habit of only reaching out to people when you want something from them and there’s nothing valuable you have to offer them in return.
Relationships are much healthier where there is a level of symbiosis. People don’t want to feel like a genie you rub when you want something. They want to know that you actually care – about their success, their health, their future, family etc.
- When you know how to mine your relationships. You can know many people and yet not benefit from such relationships.
3. Overcome people pleasing and the fear of what people think.
One of the biggest handicaps to growth is uncontrolled fear. It is fear that stops us from dreaming, that discounts our ideas and our actions.
This is especially so when you consider our human relationships.
According to psychologists, one of the biggest human need is the desire to belong, and this desire is often at the root of people pleasing and the fear of perception (how people see us).
I love the verse that says:
“God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, of power, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7.
This suggests that there are three antidotes to fear: love, power (strength, ability) and a sound mind (self-control).
Love for yourself and for others helps you balance out between what you need and what others need. This way you’re able to do the things that matter even if other people may not necessarily be on board.
Now that you have read the three prerequisites, here are three simple ways you can boost your income this year.

THREE NO-BRAINER WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR INCOME.
I realised late last year that I needed to figure out new ways to earn money. It was one of those moments where my current income was so far below my new year projections.
At that time, I had also started a Save & Invest Challenge I do for women, so I had added motivation to earn and save more.
So, I took a literal pen and paper and wrote down as many income ideas as I could think of. It came up to about 20.
While sifting through these ideas, I categorised them based on:
- Simplicity,
- level of skills or resources required and
- How quickly I could start earning from them.
Each of these three ideas you’re about to read are all things I have tested and have had success with.
Here are examples of simple things you can do to generate more income; you can start with one or try out all three:
- THROUGH REFERRALS AND COMMISSIONS
One of the easiest ways to generate income is to recommend products and services you love or would normally use to others for a small fee or referral bonus.
One of the reasons this works is it’s a natural process. We would usually talk about things that we like with our friends, family or colleagues, the difference here is that you earn something for recommending such products and services.
I love referrals because they are usually a win-win for everyone.
You can start by confirming if some of your favourite brands offer bonuses and commissions for referrals.
For instance, some online banks have a great referral bonus. You can check out this one.

2. REQUEST A RAISE IF YOU HAVE A 9-5 OR INCREASE YOUR PRICES IF YOU OWN A BUSINESS.
I call this a latent strategy. Latent in that it is usually right before us but not one we often utilise.
As a business owner, I am often reluctant to increase my prices. However, it is one of the quickest ways to increase your revenue and profits.
Do you have a 9-5 job, then consider making a case for a salary increment. Did you notice that I used the phrase, ‘making a case’? this is because you will need to present your “argument” as to why you are due or deserving of a salary bump. Simply requesting one is not enough since your employer is not Santa.
3. START A SIDE HUSTLE.
One of the fastest ways to grow your income is to start or explore other opportunities to use your gifts or resources for profit.
The best side hustles are the ones where these three elements are present:
Your skill/interest + can be done within limited time + clear customer need = Successful Side Hustle
It’s important that you have some interest or skill in the side hustle, as this ensures you stay committed to the growth of your side hustle. In this post, I share 10 side hustles you can start this year. No.s 1 and 5 are things almost anyone can do. You can read it here.
Your income is your seed to wealth.
Learning to grow your income is one the best things you can do for your future self, but there are two other things you must also practice:
- Spend less than you earn. Lifestyle inflation is a bad money habit that slows down your financial growth (and in some situations, permanently aborts your wealth building plans). Avoid it!
2. Invest what is saved. According to some personal finance coaches, the law of compounding is one of the greatest reasons to invest. And you need time to enjoy this benefit, so start investing that extra money today.
Finally, making the most of your finances starts with cultivating the right financial habits. This will help you better manage your income and build exponential wealth.
Great post and some great ideas here. Thank for sharing
Nice post! I have some side hustles to supplement my income. You just have to try on different ones and find what works.
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