Wanting more money can feel weirdly uncomfortable to admit, especially as a woman, because we’re often taught to be “grateful,” “low maintenance,” or not too focused on earning.
It can start to feel like if you say you want more, people will label you as greedy, shallow, or “too ambitious.” But wanting more money isn’t automatically greed-it’s often just honesty about what you need and what you want your life to look like.
Sometimes it simply means you want more options and more breathing room. Maybe you want to pay your bills without doing mental math at the grocery store, build a real emergency fund so one surprise expense doesn’t wreck your month, or finally get ahead instead of constantly catching up.
Maybe you want to help your parents out, contribute to your community, or give your kids access to things like tutoring, sports, lessons, or a more stable home environment.
You might want to travel without putting it all on a credit card, buy a home (or even just move somewhere you actually like), invest for the future, start a business, switch careers, or take a break without panicking about rent. And sometimes “more money” isn’t about flashy stuff at all-it’s just about reducing that constant financial stress, having choices, and feeling safe and in control.
1. What skill can I improve right now to level up my day-to-day life-whether that’s something practical like communication, time management, or budgeting, or something more fun like cooking, photography, or learning a new language? I’m trying to figure out what would make the biggest difference for me, depending on my goals (career, relationships, health, hobbies), my current strengths, and what I actually enjoy doing. For example, maybe I’d benefit from getting better at public speaking for work, improving my writing for clearer emails and texts, or building consistency with workouts so I feel better overall.
2. What problem can I solve? This is basically where you zoom in and figure out what you’re actually good at fixing-whether it’s for people, businesses, or even just your own day-to-day life.
Think about the stuff that frustrates others, wastes time, costs money, causes confusion, or just makes everything harder than it needs to be. Maybe you’re great at organizing chaotic schedules, explaining complicated topics in a simple way, troubleshooting tech issues, designing clean visuals, writing clearer emails, or turning messy ideas into a solid plan.
A good way to get specific is to look for patterns: what do people constantly ask you for help with? What problems do you naturally notice (and can’t help but want to improve)?
For example, if friends always come to you to pick a laptop, you might solve the problem of “I don’t know what to buy and I’m scared of wasting money.”
If coworkers rely on you to make presentations look polished, you’re solving “This is hard to follow and doesn’t look professional.”
If you’re the person who can calm down a stressful situation and get everyone aligned, you’re solving “We’re stuck, overwhelmed, and not communicating.
It also helps to think about the type of problem: is it practical (saving time, streamlining a process), emotional (reducing stress, building confidence), financial (cutting costs, increasing revenue), or social (helping people connect, collaborate, or build trust)? The clearer you can describe the problem and who has it, the easier it is to figure out what you should build, offer, or focus on next."
3. What opportunity can I pursue? When you really sit with this question and start writing down honest answers, you might spot an option that’s been right in front of you the whole time, something you never labeled as an “opportunity” before.
Maybe it’s a skill you use casually that other people would pay for, a problem you keep noticing (and could solve), or a connection you haven’t followed up with in years.
For example, you might realize you’ve been helping friends with resumes and interview prep for fun, which could turn into a side gig, or that you’re always organizing trips for your group, which could translate into event planning or travel consulting.
The point is, your answers can reveal a path you genuinely haven’t considered, especially when you look for patterns in what excites you, what people ask you for, and where you naturally spend your time.