If you have ever come across any of my articles, I'm sure you are aware by now that I always have conversations with people and scroll through the internet to stay abreast with information and opinions.

But this time around I did not actually have a conversation; I was listening to the conversations of some people I came across, note I was not doing aproko oo

This guy, Tunde, was complaining to his friend about the frustration of making money.

According to Mr Tunde, he was doing everything “right” or so he thought.

He had learned a skill, always watching YouTube videos to always stay abreast with information and out of desperation, he even watched a video titled “How I Made My First Million Before 25” because he really wanted money badly

He has always been updating his CV, always refreshing his freelance dashboard and checking his account balance with faith as if it owed him money.

But yet nothing. Nothing at all

Meanwhile, someone he knew — with fewer skills, fewer certificates, and suspiciously more confidence — just posted “God did” with screenshots he did not ask for on their community group chat.

Tunde sighed while in the midst of pouring his frustration to his friend .

“Maybe the algorithm hates me,” he muttered.

Like Tunde, many people are still in his exact situation and are looking for a way out and if you're one. You might probably want to read this.

Abi you nor want make money?

Now, if you’ve been online long enough, you already know how this goes. Somewhere between desperation, impatience, and Instagram motivation quotes, people start asking the real question:

“How are people actually making this money they are talking about?”

And more importantly,

“What are they missing?”

The Great Money Confusion of the 21st Century

Let us be honest with ourselves for a moment, making money is not easy and for those making it, they know how it is .

Money today is loud but the process is usually quiet.

Everyone is earning. Everyone is selling. Everyone is “soft-launching” a new income stream and yet, amidst all of this most people are still confused, tired, anxious, and one unexpected bill away from emotional damage.

This has led to a dangerous myth:

That money is about luck, noise, or being at the right place at the right time.

Some of this might actually favour you but it is not.

It is not. Yes, I am repeating it.

Money has not disappeared, there is money everywhere. It has simply changed address.

In the 21st century, money responds less to effort and more to structure, value and positioning. Less to hustle and more to positioning, less to sweat and more to value.

Because if it was by labour then, the man carrying the heaviest bag of loads would be the richest

Real wealth is no longer just paper currency or just hard work.

It exists in skills, trust, relevance, and reputation.

And whether you people like it or not, wealth creation quietly rests on three pillars many people keep ignoring:

Power. Authority. Name.

Ignore them, and hard work becomes punishment, understand them, and money becomes predictable.

Power Is Not About Control — It Is About Influence

When people hear the word “power,” they think of politics, government, or physical dominance.

Honestly, that is outdated thinking. Modern power is much quieter.

It is the ability to influence how people think, feel, and decide. It is persuasion. Communication. Psychological awareness.

If you can convince people to trust you, buy from you, listen to you, or choose you — you already have power.

Salespeople know this. Marketers know it is the bedrock of their organizations. Content creators monetize it daily.

This is why two people can have the same skill, yet one earns significantly more. One understands influence; the other relies only on competence.

Skill without influence limits income. Influence multiplies income and this influence comes from visibility, because you cannot hide and become powerful.

This is not manipulation. It is understanding human behavior.

Money does not respond to silence. It responds to clarity and trust.

Authority Is What Happens When Trust Repeats Itself

Authority is the calm confidence people feel around you. It is what happens when your name stops needing introduction.

People pay authority differently. They question it less. They refer to it faster.

Authority is not claimed. It is earned.

It is built through consistency, integrity, and visible competence. Once established, wealth creation becomes easier, not because you work less, but because trust now works on your behalf.

At this point, you are no longer begging for attention. You are no longer explaining your worth. You are no longer selling aggressively.

The market already knows you and anytime you say something or give out a product people trust it without question and that my dear reader is authority.

This is why consultants, specialists, and experts earn more than generalists struggling for visibility. They are paid for certainty, not effort.

Your Name Is Either an Asset or a Problem

Yes, your Name can either be an asset or a problem, how people perceive you when your name is mentioned whether you know it or not affects you.

There is a moment in every career where effort stops being enough. At that point, your name takes over and it speaks in favour of you or against you.

Your name can be personal, it can be a business, it can be an organization.

But once your name carries meaning, money behaves differently around you.

People align with what reflects their status, the wealthy align with security and longevity, the middle class seeks growth and stability — though that group is shrinking globally. The lower class often focuses on survival.

This is not an insult. It is economics and that affects your name and positioning for wealth.

No one aligns with instability willingly. Which is why perception, positioning, and credibility matter more than people admit.

In today’s economy, how you are perceived often determines how you are paid.

The Real Problem Is Not Income — It Is Ignorance

Honestly the appearance of the hustle culture has lied and is misleading a lot of people.

It taught earning without teaching management, it celebrated income without discipline, it glorified speed without sustainability.

Financial literacy, savings culture, money discipline, and value creation are treated like optional extras — yet they determine how money enters, stays or leaves.

Many people are not broke because they do not work, they are broke because they do not build systems that support them when they are not working.

Money respects order, chaos repels it and no amount of motivation can fix poor structure.

So What Does This Actually Mean?

Making money today is not about chasing every opportunity; it is about understanding where money listens and making sure that it listens to you.

It means:

• Building skills people need, not just skills you enjoy

• Learning influence and communication

• Developing trust deliberately

• Managing money intentionally

• Positioning your name as something valuable

The internet has made opportunity global, yes, but it has also made competition ruthless.

Effort alone is no longer enough, noise alone is not sustainable and luck is unreliable.

But value — real, transferable, trusted value — still works.

And it always will.

Now if you are looking for ways to make money, first ensure you have a deep reflection about this and relate it to yourself and then face your work again.

Because if you do that, you are already ahead of the confusion and frustration that comes with not making money.

Because the real issue is not lack of money, it is misunderstanding how money actually works and the direction it flows to.

And in a world where survival is already expensive, ignorance is a luxury most people can no longer afford.