The Third Way

What if the path to more money was becoming more of who you are?

There are two ways to solve the problem of not having enough money:

Sacrifice more.

Want less.

Work harder, longer, in jobs that drain you—sacrifice your time, your peace, your life for a paycheck. Or reduce your desires, stop wanting, and learn to be content with less than you need.

Both paths work. I’ve seen it happen over and over.

But there’s a third way—one that most people never consider because they’ve been conditioned to believe that financial success requires either suffering or suppression.

What if you could make more money by becoming more of who you already are?

Before you dismiss this as wishful thinking, stay with me.

Most of us have been taught to see our income as something separate from who we are—a number determined by the market, our credentials, our hustle. But that’s not the whole truth. Your income is an exchange of value. Every dollar you earn represents the perceived value you provide to the world, translated into form.

I say perceived because value is subjective. We could debate endlessly whether certain work deserves what it pays, who gets to decide what’s valuable, and why the system is structured the way it is. But that’s a different conversation.

The point is this: if money is an exchange of value, then to make more money, you need to provide more value.

And the most powerful way to provide more value is through your unique gifts.

I believe we were all given unique gifts and talents—not in some abstract, spiritual sense, but in a very real, practical way. There are things you can do better than 99% of people on this earth. Things that come naturally to you. Things that light you up when you do them. Things you’d do even if no one paid you.

These gifts aren’t random. They’re part of who you are. And when you align your financial life with these gifts, something shifts.

You’re no longer sacrificing more or wanting less. You’re simply being more of yourself—and the world responds.

Think about the people who’ve built extraordinary careers doing what they love. They didn’t sacrifice everything or suppress their desires. They discovered what they were uniquely good at, leaned into it fully, and created lives that reflect who they actually are.

They’re not working harder—they’re working more aligned.

So what can you do better than almost anyone?

What lights you up that you’ve dismissed as impractical or unrealistic?

What would you do every day if money wasn’t a consideration?

If you’re not sure, start with what calls you—not what you think you should do, but what you’re actually drawn to. The things you’re passionate about. The things you do without being asked. The things that feel effortless when everything else feels like work.

Think back to what you loved as a child, before you learned what was “practical.”

Explore your curiosity without judgment.

Experiment with your interests without needing them to make sense yet.

Pull on these threads and see where they lead.

Discovering your unique gifts is only the beginning. The real work comes next: learning how to bring them to the world in a way that serves both you and others.

This requires patience. It means experimenting, failing forward, and discovering who actually needs what you offer. It means learning to value your gifts appropriately—not underpricing them out of fear, not overpricing them out of ego. It means trusting that the right people will find you when you show up as yourself.

This work isn’t easy. It requires patience, experimentation, and a willingness to fail forward and pivot. It might take longer than you want. It might look nothing like you imagined.

But the hard work won’t feel as hard because you’re doing something that feels like you. You’re not sacrificing who you are to make money—you’re expressing who you are through the work itself.

And here’s what most people miss: not every unique gift is meant to become a source of income. Some gifts lose their magic when you turn them into a job. The joy dies. The flow stops. And you’re back where you started, only more disillusioned.

Only you can discover what your unique gifts are and whether they’re meant to be part of your financial plan. Only you can feel the difference between alignment and forcing.

The world will tell you there are only two paths: work harder or want less. Sacrifice or suppress. But real wisdom lives between those extremes.

When you align your financial life with your unique gifts, you stop chasing and start creating. You begin to see money not as something to be earned through suffering, but as energy moving through you in response to the value you naturally provide.

This is financial alignment: fully engaged, completely authentic.

If you find yourself stuck—wanting to change your financial situation, needing to build wealth—you should explore sacrificing more or wanting less. Both paths work.

But if those don’t feel right, if something inside you resists the idea that you have to suffer or suppress to succeed, then maybe there’s another way.

Maybe you can increase the value you provide to the world by fully expressing the unique gifts you already possess.

You were given them for a reason.

And when you use them in a way that’s aligned with who you really are, they don’t just impact your financial life.

They transform everything. Your energy shifts. Your decisions become clearer. The work itself becomes the reward, and the money becomes a natural byproduct of showing up as yourself.

Keep pursuing,

JC