Best way to ask your boss for a pay rise

If you’re due a pay rise but feel you’re being overlooked then there’s one sure way to find out if you’re going to get more money.

How to make more money: Best way to ask for a pay rise.

“How do I make more money?” is a question I’m receiving more than ever as a life coach right now.

In a stress-filled economy and with the great resignation upon us, it’s easy to feel scared and uncertain about your financial future. Luckily, there are always ways to allow more money into our lives – ones that we’ve maybe never even thought of before.

1. Get real about your current career.

Money flows where value is created. Are you adding the most value you can at work?

If so, are you vocal about the tangible value that you add – and letting yourself be seen? And as a result, are you receiving consistent, fair raises? And if not, have you asked for them?

When was the last time you had a discussion with your manager about your current position, and the opportunities before you? We can’t sit back and hope someone sees our contribution and hears our aspirations. We need to relentlessly participate in creating forward motion in our careers.

There could be hidden opportunities to uplevel where you are that can be unlocked in a single, focused discussion. And if it’s a dead-end, better to know now, right? Onward!

The best way to get a pay rise is to ask – you can’t just sit back and hope someone will notice how hard you’re working.

2. Start a simple side hustle!

Starting a side hustle is so much easier than most people think. All you need is three things:

– A product or service that helps/serves other people well (don’t overthink this)

– The ability to deliver it consistently (meaning can you do it one to two times a week?)

– A market that is willing to pay for such a product or service (do people already pay for this stuff?)

I’ve helped people start side hustles as coaches, consultants, stylists, resume writers, party planners, proofreaders, stationery creators, and kids face painters … the ideas are endless. Where can you add value (that word again!) to other people’s lives? The most important thing here is not to think too much – the answers are usually pretty obvious.

Think – what do people come to you for? You can start by charging a low price and take it from there. You might never look back (my $100 per hour side hustle as a life coach turned into my now multimillion-dollar per year coaching business).

Little smiling girl having face painted on birthday party.

3. Improve your mental diet (this can be free)!

Don’t underestimate this, OK? It matters. A lot.

Are you:

Watching reality TV versus listening to podcasts?

Playing games online versus tuning into TED talks?

Scrolling social media versus reading books?

It’s no coincidence that millionaires are always learning more, conscious of what they put in their minds, and live intentionally distraction-free. Yes, you can be an informed citizen via reading the news, but does it require an hour or more of your day? Probably not.

Be real about where your time is going each day. No one else can do this for you.

By the end of 2021, about 83 per cent of Australians were active on social media, an annual growth of nearly 1 million users.

Be real about where your time is going each day. Picture: Getty Images

The average time spent on social media is almost two hours per day.

Two hours a day? Come on! Is this how you want to spend your one precious life? What if you just halved it – and gave it seven versus 14 hours a week? What could you do with those seven hours?

Seven hours of side hustling at even just $50 per hour = an additional $18,250 a year.

What would you do with $18,250 a year? I can think of some pretty cool ideas.

Don’t be passive when it comes to your attention. You don’t get “sucked in” to the gram and the alerts on your phone – you actively open apps each day, multiple times. Right?

Listening to podcasts is a way to keep you in an optimistic mindset. Picture: Getty Images

Listening to podcasts gave me the motivation to write my three books, constantly inspire new, fun business ideas and, most importantly, they keep me in an optimistic mindset. When we’re optimistic and focused, better actions naturally flow from us. Think – how do your actions naturally shift and improve when you’re feeling good?

A focused, open mind helps you uncover great ideas, talents and confidence within you. If you upgrade where your attention goes, you upgrade your life. There can be no other way.

Like “you are what you eat”, you are what the brain consumes too. Rubbish in, rubbish out. Wisdom in, wisdom out. Why not try it and see?

Susie Moore is a best-selling author and host of the top-rated self-improvement podcast ‘Let It Be Easy’. Catch new episodes daily here.