Money is Everywhere

I almost didn’t write this post because I haven’t made the money I want yet.

I didn't wanna frame this as if I'm any kind of authority figure on the subject, or as if I had cracked some secret $ code.

I’m writing this because I keep bumping into moments that make me stop and say,

“ Hold up, how’d I miss this before? ”

This is basically my notebook of those moments.

What i’m noticing, things I’m testing out, and things I’m slowly learning to see.

There’s a scene in the beginning of the movie War Dogs.

One of the main characters explains how when the average person sees basic military equipment. Helmets, boots, rifles, vests , gloves etc. they just see clothes and armor, but he sees dollar signs $$$.

The whole movie was dope but that scene really stuck with me. It made me wonder , how many things around me are carrying money, that I just don’t see.

The stock market is a huge version of this.

Companies flash in our faces every day—on our phones, in our kitchens, in the conversations we have at work.

Wall St Trapper says it all the time, the market is right in front of us.

But if your eye isn’t trained, you just scroll past it.

I watch people like Wall St Trapper and others to help my financial literacy grow. He recommended a show Billions which ended up becoming one of my favorite shows.

And there was a line said in that show that stuck with me too. The main character Bobby Axe was talking to a beginner trader at his company. They were at his home in the kitchen. To give context Bobby was eating a cake product from a company he was thinking about taking over. He then says to the young trader,

“ Ben , whenever you can , put a company in your mouth. “

At first I was like “ Aayyooo “ ( Super Pause ) lol .

But I thought man that shit was powerful when you think about it.

Not only was he teaching him to open up his money vision, he was showing him the opportunities are right around us.

Another thing I noticed is how money shows up where problems are being solved. Better yet money seems to follow those who provide others with the most value. Sometimes the value/solutions are obvious like a plumber fixing a leak, an attorney going over contracts or a barber cutting hair. Other times it’s more like a YouTube channel, movie, or sports/music event that entertains you for the entire day.

Money is everywhere there is value exchange, even when I can’t see it or don’t have the amount I want. While i’m figuring out my next move, people are making millions in online businesses, selling products in entertainment, landing sales deals , flipping houses, trading stocks.

And that’s just individuals.

The industries themselves are moving billions daily.

It’s both humbling and motivating cause it reminds me that money isn’t waiting for me to “be ready” it’s flowing, circulating , at unreal speeds. The market doesn’t care whether I have a lot or a little, it’s my job to train my mind to notice where it’s moving so I can catch more of it.

The more I’m training my mind to increase my money vision I start to ask questions.

Do I have skills that can add value or solve problems for a group of people, in areas that I’m already interested in ?

The problems i’m solving for or value I'm giving,

is this in form of a product/service ?

Is this product/service i’m creating or leveraging, something a group of people are already looking for, or are they even aware they have this potential problem I can solve?

Then I eventually landed on this one.

Half way through the book and the question popped up.

How many times a day are you asking for Money?

When I started to think about it, I knew this was gonna be a number that wasn’t high.

Ideally I would want to ask ( the market ) for money everyday right, but am I doing that ?

Nope.

Then I said to myself “ if I don’t know the number how could It be possible for me to even multiply it.”

Ok, how many times am I actually asking daily ?

So I started actually doing the math on myself.

I’m not making consistent money from my creative pursuits yet. I'm progressing in many ways but, I can’t really count the money I have made from a consistent monetary standpoint.

At this point my main source of income comes from my job.

So If I’m working a regular job, I would have either a weekly or biweekly pay period. So I’m basically only “asking” the market for money 2–4 times a month.

Every time a paycheck lands.

Then I’m like damn, that means there are twenty-something days every month where I’m not asking “the market” for money at all.

Even if I pick up more hours, I’m still just stretching the same formula.

More time for a slightly bigger check.

Now this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this , but it hit a little different this time because I was able to visualize how many days are actually going by and i’m NOT asking the market for money.

And this is only me counting “ Asking For Money “ once a day.

If someone is “asking “ every day , let’s say just 5 x a day.

They are asking 150 x a month and I'm asking 4.

Im getting smoked on volume alone.

So how could someone be at such a different number?

They let ASSETS ask for them.

More importantly what I find is that people who focus on income producing assets are able to do this at a crazy rate.

And this doesn’t have to be something that’s world changing .

People are creating/leveraging income producing assets that seem extremely simple and mundane, but are big money makers.

So where does this put me, or someone asking the same questions.

Skills can be turned into Assets

Most of us do have some level of skill at one or multiple things. I look at my multiple skills almost all under the one of umbrella of storytelling.

Whether it’s making music, writing books, narrative storytelling and films, etc. they all have the potential to make money.

But, the market or a market I'm targeting has to want it or I have to make them see value in it.

Skills alone don’t guarantee money.

LEVERAGE though,

Leveraging the skills you have can give you Assets.

Earlier when I talked about working a standard job, that’s me basically trading my hours for dollars.

And granted at some level everybody does this.

But I see a huge difference in the lives of people who spend most of their energy in earning income through,

Fixed time.

And the people who spend most of their energy in,

Leveraged Time.

Fixed time income isn’t scalable. We trade our time for it, which is infinitely more valuable. But, it’s often the first way or first language of money earning we learn. Essentially YOU are your only asset.

Leveraged time income though, is very much scalable. The value now becomes what you are trading for income , not your time. YOU are now no longer your only asset. YOU have created assets for yourself, these now can go to work for those of us learning to flip the switch.

This is almost like learning a second language for me. And like any new language, when it gets frustrating and tough , I’ll naturally slip back into my 1st language, ( jobs, freelance or hourly work, guaranteed checks.)

It’s not a bad thing, its what most of us know.

Except for the smaller percentage who have this 2nd language down, most of the world sees money earning this way, it’s just slow as shit.

But, it’s a challenge to adopt as a 1st language unless you are willing to put in the work.

What’s wild is that fluency in this second language doesn’t come from being the smartest, most talented, or best connected.

Those things help but from what I see, the real skill is staying in the discomfort until leveraged time stops feeling foreign.

Systems are something i’m honestly still learning. I often times have to brainstorm then iterate and fine tune what’s actually working for me and what’s not in the different systems I create.

Most of us already know that systems are basically a strategic set of repeatable actions that will get you predictable results.

But the systems that bridge your skills into money making, i’m starting to see them as 3 separate systems that make a whole.

1. Learning Systems

2. Creation Systems

3. Sales Systems

Learning Systems

This was the beginning stage of my journey in learning how to learn. These systems help me grow in specific areas for a specific goal.

Im always learning but creating specific learning systems help me see something I want to learn and organize it.

I’ll put a timeline on it, or a schedule to it, or a sequence of how I need to digest the info according to the goal, or my energy levels or whatever.

This could be a two week goal or a two month goal.

The systems help me get my head around how I'm gonna attack learning this thing.

I use a platform called Notion to organize and create the systems I’ve built. You can use whatever you desire to create systems for yourself , a notes app, a project manager, a physical book doesn’t matter. It’s the methodology of making systems, not the tool that really matters.

Creation Systems

Creation systems are what’s letting me take my learned sharpened skills and package them into assets. This can be songs, beats, videos, blog posts, digital products, services, etc. things that can keep earning after the initial work is done.

Templates are something that helps me do the creating consistently, without having to start from scratch every session.

Making templates for yourself is extremely helpful cause it’s making you have to understand what workflow is best for you to create consistently.

The more things I started to create, the more systems for each of those things I needed. Something that gives me an outline of the workflow that gives me the best ROI on creating this thing from beginning to end.

Sales Systems

This is the one that challenges me the most. It requires me to understand many things before sales actually happen on a consistent basis.

Marketing, selling & offer creation, funnels, eco-systems, world building, branding etc.

My understanding of a sales system is, anything that consistently invites people to buy without me manually asking every time.

Things like,

Email sequences that share my story and link to music or other products.

A website with an easy checkout flow.

Regular posting schedules on social platforms that leads back to my offers.

I’m still in the early stages with this, but every time I improve a sales system, I’m creating more opportunities for people to say yes while I’m doing something else.

As much as I’m pushing to increase my money vision, I’m still keenly aware that without alignment to my real goal and desires the money won’t be nearly as enjoyable.

The deeper I go on this journey, the more I realize money isn’t the final goal.

My mission, and becoming the best creative version of myself guides everything.

Money is a tool.

Almost like a computer,

in the hands of someone trained, they can build platforms, run industries, create masterpieces.

In the hands of the untrained it’s merely an entertainment box.

I keep reminding myself I’m not chasing dollars for the sake of it.

I’m really after the skills, the systems, and the mindset that lets money become a by-product of a dope life.

I can’t front though,

It’s harder for me to keep an abundance mindset when I can visibly see my financial limitations.

When everything is cool, it’s not as difficult to believe that your desires are all around you.

The difficulty comes when you need to believe, and you feel like everything in your life starts to point to your desires being not only unachievable, but maybe you were mistaken about your abilities all along.

But, maybe this is the point.

To be tested and pushed to the edge of what you think your limit is.

For your faith to be challenged in a way where you must answer the age-old question,

do you believe?

The journey of belief in your greatest desires, is a mental one. And amongst all the assets we could ever create, leverage, or acquire, our minds are the greatest assets we will ever have.

Everyday I'm training my mind a little more to see through my visions, listen to my gut and to speak that 2nd language a little better.

In my conversations, my habits, my actions, and the systems I build.

It may take time, but it’s around for all of us to grab.

Money is Everywhere.