What Held Me Back From Making More Money (And How I Fixed It)

The moment I stopped sabotaging myself, my income finally caught up to my potential.

In my early twenties, I experienced something most people only fantasize about…. MONEYYYYYY!

Money started coming in fast. Faster than my maturity. Faster than my mindset. Faster than my understanding of what it actually takes to sustain success.

I wasn’t prepared for it.

I didn’t understand structure. I didn’t have systems. I didn’t know how to create boundaries around my time, my energy, or even my finances. There was no long-term strategy. just momentum. And when you’re young with no experience (and the people around you also have no experience) and the numbers are climbing, momentum feels like proof. I mistook acceleration for stability.

I assumed the flow would never slow down.

What I didn’t realize is that rapid success without internal grounding creates pressure. Pressure to maintain it. Pressure to outperform your past self. Pressure to prove it wasn’t luck. And when you don’t have emotional regulation or structure in place, that pressure quietly turns into self-doubt.

That’s when self-sabotage creeps in, not because you’re lazy or incapable, but because your identity hasn’t caught up to your reality. I began questioning decisions I used to make confidently. I overthought opportunities. I hesitated. I started operating from fear instead of clarity.

For years, I kept asking why my success felt inconsistent. Why it would peak, dip, rebuild, stall. I blamed algorithms. I blamed timing. I blamed outside forces.

I didn’t realize I was the common denominator.

It wasn’t that I lacked talent. It wasn’t that I lacked opportunity. I lacked structure. I lacked systems. I lacked the emotional maturity to hold what I had built.

No one teaches you that making money and keeping momentum are two completely different skill sets. No one tells you that sustainability requires discipline, not just charisma. Or that boundaries are a business strategy as well as it is a life skill.

I had to learn the hard way that success without structure will always feel unstable. And instability will always breed doubt.

The turning point wasn’t making more money. It was building the internal foundation to hold it.

Because sometimes you’re not blocked.
You’re just unprepared for the level you’ve reached.

Today, I’m passing down the game I had to figure out in real time.

Fear Was Running the Show

Most of my decisions came from fear without me even realizing it. Every project felt urgent. Every idea felt risky. Every month felt unstable. I was constantly trying to avoid failing rather than trying to build something sustainable. Fear makes you play small. It convinces you to overthink instead of execute. It keeps you nervous instead of creative.

How I fixed it

I stopped making emotional decisions and started making strategic ones. I looked at my patterns, my triggers, my spending, my goals, and my workflow. I created plans instead of reacting to problems. Once I calmed my nervous system, my creativity came back and my business changed.

My Habits Did Not Match My Goals

I always said I wanted to make more money, but my daily routine did not agree. I was inconsistent, unstructured, and moving through my days without a plan. Some weeks I worked nonstop, and others I barely did anything. There was no foundation behind my ambition.

How I fixed it

I created real structure. Not aesthetic routines. Real systems. Scheduled work hours, content plans, monthly goals, deadlines, and workflows that kept me organized even on low energy days. Money flows to clarity, not chaos.

Overthinking Cost Me Opportunities

I used to come up with amazing ideas only to talk myself out of them. I delayed posting, delayed launching, delayed executing because I wanted everything perfect. Meanwhile, people with half the idea and twice the confidence were running laps around me.

How I fixed it

I decided that if an idea came to me, it was mine to launch. I stopped letting fears of judgment, timing, or perfection stop me from showing up. The more I acted quickly, the more my income grew.

I Was Shrinking Myself Without Realizing It

I was afraid of being judged for wanting more. I downplayed my goals and softened my ambition so I would not come across as aggressive or money focused. I acted like I did not care about income or success because I thought it made me look humble. All it did was make me small.

How I fixed it

I allowed myself to want what I want. Without guilt. Without apology. Without shame. The moment I saw my ambition as something powerful instead of something to hide, I started making decisions that aligned with the life I actually wanted.

I Did Not Treat My Creativity Like a Business Asset

I used to see my ideas as random creative thoughts instead of valuable skills. I did not understand that my creativity, my taste, my branding, my storytelling, and my vision were actual money makers. I treated them casually, so they paid me casually.

How I fixed it

I respected my creativity like it was intellectual property. I invested in it, protected it, organized it, and monetized it. My ideas went from being cute thoughts to real revenue.

I Waited for Confidence Instead of Building It

I used to think confidence came first. I believed that once I felt ready, I would take action. But readiness never arrived. Confidence is not something you wait for. It is something you earn through doing.

How I fixed it

I moved even when I was scared. I created even when I doubted myself. I launched even when I felt unprepared. With every action, my confidence grew because I had proof that I could do it.

The Girl Coded Truth and most of all… MY TRUTH!

Nothing external was holding me back from making more money. Not the industry. Not other people. Not timing. Not opportunity. It was ME. It was the fear I fed, the habits I avoided, the ideas I ignored, and the version of myself I refused to outgrow.

Money multiplies when you do.
Success expands when you do.
Your income rises when your self respect rises.

Once I changed the way I thought about myself, the way I moved, the way I worked, and the way I valued my own gifts, everything in my financial life shifted.

If you are reading this, you are already in your turning point. The next level begins the moment you decide you are done standing in your own way.