Feeling Pressured To Earn More? You Aren’t Alone, I promise.

Written by Olubanke Favour

“She became a millionaire before 30” — we’ve all heard this phrase before. In a fast-paced world like ours, every youth in their 20s wants to achieve one major feat or another before turning 30. I don’t know if it’s just me or there’s something about being 30: it feels like the birth of old age. Social media doesn’t even make it easier. We are constantly exposed to pictures and videos of female celebrities flaunting that designer shoe, bag, or dress that some of us have saved on our Instagram profiles. It is no longer a new thing that a lot of 20-somethings have made their first millions and are working towards being a billionaire. Consequently, some of us are left with the feeling of inadequacy and the fact that we aren’t doing enough in the current stages of our lives.

The truth is that there is nothing wrong with feeling that way. As humans, times will come when we aren’t feeling ourselves as much as we ought to. The fact that our fellow women out there are spending large and living their best lives doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t spend or live large.

So what next?

1. Trust the process

As easy as this sounds, it’s still quite unfortunate that many times we still find ourselves falling short. Trusting the process is to recognize but overlook feelings of doubt as we strive for things that may take time to achieve. Achieving our financial goals takes time, effort, and everything else needed to achieve great things. Be rest assured that good things take time, and give yourself a break when you think things aren’t going as quickly as they should. The same way the benefit of compound interest won’t accrue on regular investments of money because it requires time to take effect, or the way a skill requires thousands of hours to master, or the way a forest takes years to grow from saplings — nothing happens until time takes its due course.

2. Invest in your career, business, or any other endeavor you wish to earn from

While you are trusting the process, be sure you are also doing things that will bear witness that you weren’t wasting your time at the end of the day. This is because the things you don’t do, the shortcuts and hacks you exploit, and the poor decisions that you indirectly or deliberately make will influence your daily life. Focus on the value that you plan to provide for others and take time to invest in your personal development: check your daily habits, read self-development books, get a coach, attend seminars and events that center on personal and career growth. When it comes to your choice of career or business, take related courses on Coursera, Udemy, Skillshare, or edX, and build up your network by connecting with professionals in those fields on LinkedIn or Twitter. Baby girl, if ever you feel discouraged on the path to your goal, know that these investments you are making now will yield a tonne in the near future!

3. Make wise financial decisions

Millions won’t just jump on you, you know. If your goal is to be a millionaire before 30, your current financial decisions matter. Frankly, you will not be able to make good choices with your money if you don’t: have clarity on your values and priorities, and acknowledge your financial reality. Choices about how to use your money will be easier if you know what’s truly important to you. Ask yourself: What is most important to me? What are your core values? Why are you trying to earn more money or invest wisely? Baby girl, if your spending is in sync with what’s most important, building budgets will definitely come easy; if you know what you want to save for, you can suddenly find more integral incentives to contribute more to savings and investments.

Most importantly, You cannot ignore what the numbers tell you — that’s your financial reality. If your inflow of cash shows you spend more than you make, that’s a problem — regardless of what your values are. This is where you consider finding remote jobs.

This brings me to the fourth point…

4. Find remote gigs

Baby girl, talk is cheap if you are not putting in the work. Websites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer.com have made it easier for remote job-seekers all around the world. These sites offer opportunities to do a variety of freelance jobs, such as writing, programming, design, marketing, data entry, and being a virtual assistant. Remote jobs are now the in-thing because you don’t have to wake up early to get to work — you can # WorkFromHome. The best part is, these gigs pay in dollars, which means you don’t even have to think about the devalued nature of our currency. Now, if you are a newbie, I’ll suggest you start with optimizing your Linkedin profile. Connect with people and companies that have similar interests in the field of your choice. As you become more experienced in that particular field, you can then move on to Fiverr and the other websites and landing gigs will be easier.

You should note that if you haven’t used any of these websites before, landing your first gig may be quite hard. But, as you become more experienced in that particular field, landing gigs will become easier.

5. Enjoy the ride

While trying to attain our goals and our dreams, we kind of lose focus on the things we have around us. Our family, friends, colleagues, and the people around us are honestly what makes the ride fun. So why don’t you enjoy it? My baby girls, we need to learn to be happy in the present moment without necessarily rushing to achieve a final goal. Trusting the process while being grateful for the progress you have made over time will give you a huge sense of reward. This doesn’t mean you won’t make mistakes, but practicing gratitude has been linked to having more positive thoughts and emotions, feeling a greater sense of meaning in life, and being more appreciative of each experience that you encounter.

Ultimately, I want you to listen to your body and take breaks. Do not get to the point where you become burned out, which will lead to your inability to be productive. From my heart, I’m pleading that you put aside that gist about working for 15 hours — What worked for others doesn’t necessarily have to work for you. I remember a colleague telling me about someone who worked himself out to the point where he forgot how to talk or write. I know, it’s bizarre and very unusual. But if it happened to someone, it can happen to anyone too. Just don’t let that person be you.

Anyways, cheers to getting that bag, babe!

In summary, take it slow, my babe. I’m writing this wondering who set the benchmark for achieving things at 30? Keep in mind that if you don’t do it at 30, there’s 32, 37, 40, 45, and even 60. This doesn’t in any way make you feel less than your friends and colleagues that are already “achieving things”.

Just hang in there, sis. You are doing great things already!🎉🥳

Favour is a 400-level student of the faculty of law in the University of Lagos. She is a writer who finds joy in sharing stories through fiction and non-fiction. She loves food, fashion, and poetry.

Edited by Zulu Nneka Anyaogu

Zulu is a Lawyer, Programs manager, and Youth Human Rights Advocate who is passionate about women’s rights and the inclusion of young people in decision-making spaces. In her spare time, you’d catch her binging on movies, reading crime and mystery novels, and eating. Connect with Zulu on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Published by Titilope Adedokun

Titilope is on a mission to tell authentic stories of women and connect them with much-needed resources and opportunities. Connect with Titilope on LinkedIn and her personal website.