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How I Climbed to a $100k Year by First Changing My Identity
Spoiler alert: it’s not about hustling harder — but about becoming the person who already has what you want.
Disclosure: This article links book titles to their Amazon.com listings using affiliate links. If you choose to click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Struggling to hit your income goals? Discover the 3-phase mindset shift that helped me reach my first $100k year.
I (Sophia) was a web designer who knew her craft but didn’t know her worth.
My goals were vague — “be successful,” “make more money.” My calendar was packed with small, underpaying projects that left me exhausted and financially stagnant. I was chasing a revenue number, but I was running in place.
The breakthrough didn’t come from a new marketing tactic or a louder hustle. It arrived when I finally understood a simple, profound truth: You don’t attract what you want; you attract what you are.
Reaching my first $100k year in 2022 wasn’t about doing more. It was about becoming more. It was an identity overhaul, a systematic rewiring of my subconscious mind using ten powerful mindset shifts.
But ten shifts can feel overwhelming. I learned they only work when applied in sequence, like building a house. You can’t put up the walls before you pour the foundation.
This is the exact three-phase framework I used to climb from overwhelm to aligned abundance. This is the ladder I built to reach $100k.
Phase 1: The Foundation — Clear the Internal Blocks
Goal: Shift from an identity of “scarcity and limitation” to one of “clarity and self-worth.”
You can’t build a new identity on a cracked foundation. Before I could earn more, I had to become someone who was ready to receive it. This meant doing the deep, often uncomfortable internal work first.
Shift #1: Uncover Your Money Blocks. I started by journaling on the messages I inherited about money. Did I believe it was scarce? That rich people were unethical? That I wasn’t good with numbers? I discovered my blocks were rooted in old stories that weren’t even mine. As I learned from Denise Duffield-Thomas in her incredible Money Bootcamp, the course power-charging her bestselling book Get Rich, Lucky B*tch!, simply bringing these blocks into the light robs them of their power. You can’t change what you won’t acknowledge.
Shift #2: Declutter Your Space. This was my physical act of defiance against scarcity. I cleaned my office, organized my digital files, and let go of clothes that no longer fit the woman I was becoming. As Fumio Sasaki writes in his liberating book, Goodbye, Things, decluttering isn’t about perfection; it’s about making space for new energy to flow. It was a powerful signal to my brain: “We are making room for abundance.”
Shift #3: Affirmations. With a clearer space and mind, I began imprinting my new blueprint. I wrote, “I am a six-figure web designer,” 15 times a day, a technique I adapted from Suze Orman (see for example her classic The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom). At first, it felt like a lie. But I understood the assignment: repetition builds new neural pathways. I wasn’t affirming my current reality; I was programming my future one.
Phase 2: Vision — Define Your New Reality
Goal: Shift from “dreaming” to “knowing.” Embody the identity of someone with clear goals.
With a solid foundation, I could now build a detailed vision. A vague dream is a wish; a specific plan is a command to your subconscious.
Shift #4: Get Super Clear on Your Revenue Goal. “More money” became “$100,000 this year.” Then I broke it down into monthly targets. This specificity stopped the ambiguity and gave my mind a clear target to hit.
Shift #5: Get Clear on How Much Your Dream Costs. This exercise, inspired by Rachel Rodgers and her millionaire-making book, We Should All Be Millionaires, made my goal emotional. I calculated the cost of my dream life — travel, investments, lifestyle. The number stopped being scary and started being motivating. It became the why behind the what.
Shift #6: Be Your Future Self Now & Shift #7: Create a Congratulations Scene. This was the quantum leap. I stopped visualizing my success as a future event. I started embodying the successful version of me now. I asked myself, “How does the $100k version of Sophia feel? How does she talk to clients? What does she do on a Tuesday?” I followed Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s advice in Be Your Future Self Now and made decisions from that future place. I even used Neville Goddard’s technique from The Power of Awareness, crafting a brief scene where a friend congratulated me on my incredible year. I fell asleep feeling the feeling of accomplishment.
Shift #8: What Kind of Business Do You Really Want? I defined my ideal client, my ideal projects, and my ideal workweek. This ensured my $100k goal was built on alignment, not just grinding. With the guidance of my coach, I was designing a business that served my life, not the other way around.
Phase 3: Embodiment — Live in the Flow
Goal: Shift from “striving” to “allowing.” Embody the identity of someone to whom money flows easily.
The final phase was about releasing the desperate energy of chasing and stepping into the calm confidence of receiving.
Shift #9: “Dollars Want Me”. This mantra from Henry Harrison Brown’s classic, Dollars Want Me, felt silly at first. What does it even mean, “dollars want me?” But it completely flipped my energy. Instead of “I need to get this client,” my mindset became “I wonder if this project is a good fit?” I went into calls knowing money is coming my way, some way or the other — whether with this client or another, and that there are plenty of clients for me. This shift alone changed my closing rate dramatically. (By the way: this is not about becoming arrogant and thinking “I don’t need this”; but rather about becoming detached from a specific client and becoming more relaxed while conducting business and trusting in the process.)
Shift #10: Make an Identity Shift. This is the culmination. It’s the deep, internal knowing. I wasn’t trying to be a successful web designer; I was one. Just like I don’t try to be my name, I just am. This identity, solidified by all the previous shifts, became my new operating system. The revenue, the clients, the opportunities — they were just the natural output.
The Aligned Result
The $100k wasn’t even the best part. The best part was who I became in the process: a woman who trusts herself, knows her value, and operates from a place of abundance, not scarcity. The money was simply proof of the internal change.
If you’re ready to start your own journey, we’d love to guide you. Get our free guide, ‘10 Mindset Shifts’, the moment you join our weekly Simple & Aligned newsletter. Each week, we send a powerful affirmation, a wisdom nugget from a bestseller, and a practical step to build your aligned abundance — just like we did in this article.
Download your free guide here (look for Guide #5 on the Thank You page right after signing up for the free newsletter)
It’s time to build your abundance ladder.
How We Learned to Stop Chasing Outcomes and Finally Found Real Abundance
These affirmations transformed our anxious hustle into a practice of peace.
(Spoiler: It’s all about where you place your focus).
For years, we wore our ability to hustle as a badge of honor. Acquired clients, finished projects, record years — each achievement was a momentary dopamine hit that quickly faded, leaving only the relentless hum of the next goal, the next milestone.
We were successful by external standards, but internally, we felt a quiet disillusionment. The outcomes we’d sacrificed so much for never provided the lasting happiness we’d been promised.
If you’ve ever reached a goal and felt a surprising emptiness, you’re not alone. You’ve likely been playing a game where the rules are rigged. The rule is: Your worth and happiness are determined by the outcome.
We discovered a single, powerful mantra that changed the rules of the game entirely. It’s the core of a set of affirmations we created that have since resonated with many on our platform:
“I detach from outcomes. I focus on inputs.”
This isn’t a call to apathy. It’s the ultimate power move. It’s about shifting your entire energy from being a passive passenger waiting for a result to becoming the conscious architect of your daily experience. This is the hustler’s antidote.
Here’s how we break down this philosophy into actionable inputs, affirmations to write by hand in your journal or say out loud to yourself, each one an antidote to a specific pain of the outcome-driven life.
Antidote to Scarcity & Burnout: The Input of Nurturing Your Inner State
The old model tells us abundance comes from the next raise, the next sale, the next personal best. This creates a constant state of lack. The new model starts within — with inner wholeness.
“My abundance comes from within me.” This affirmation roots your sense of wealth in an unshakable internal foundation, not external validation.
“I keep my vibrations high.” Your energy is your greatest currency. This is the commitment to choosing thoughts, media, and environments that uplift you.
“I invest time for my healing and rest.” This was our hardest lesson. We had to reframe rest not as laziness, but as a non-negotiable input for sustained creativity and energy. Without it, you are a battery running on empty.
The Shift: You are no longer draining yourself to get a result. You are filling yourself as the primary practice, and results become a natural byproduct.
Antidote to Meaningless Work: The Input of Creating Value & Purifying Intentions
When you’re fixated on a outcome — a dollar figure, a title, whatever — your work can become a transactional means to an end. This often drains the joy from it. The input-focused mindset shifts the intention behind the action.
“I create immense value for others.” Focus purely on this. Make this your only metric for a day’s work. Did I create value? As an intention, this is entirely within your control.
“I purify negative karma through visualizing white light.” This is a profound tool. Before a meeting or after a conflict, visualize a white light dissolving any transactional, manipulative, or anxious energy. Set a pure intention of helping others be successful.
“I am generous to others.” Generosity is the practice of believing in infinite abundance. It reinforces that there is enough to share, right now and always.
The Shift: Your work becomes a practice of giving, not getting. This is how you find flow and meaning in the process itself.
Antidote to Overwhelm & Clutter: The Input of Strategic Focus
Outcome-thinking is chaotic. It has you chasing a hundred different tactics for your desired results. Input-thinking is calm and strategic. It’s about identifying the few things that truly matter to you and focusing on them with relentless consistency.
“I let go of all clutter; physical, digital, and mental.” Clutter has many reasons; one of them is the physical manifestation of outcome anxiety. Letting it go is a radical act of trust in your ability to handle the present.
“I destroy all doubt, negativity, self-criticism, and complaining.” These are the mental weeds that choke the seeds of your efforts. You must actively weed your garden every single day.
“I focus on effort and consistency.” These are the only inputs you ever need to worry about. Did I put in the focused effort? Did I show up consistently? If yes, the day was a success, regardless of the external result.
The Shift: You move from reactive chaos to proactive clarity. Your energy is concentrated, not dissipated.
Antidote to Anxiety: The Input of Visualization & Presence
Anxiety lives in the future — in the terrifying gap between where you are and an uncertain outcome you’re attached to. The solution isn’t to stop looking forward, but to do it differently.
“I visualize myself as already having, being, and doing all I want.” This is not magical thinking. It’s neural programming. It’s giving your subconscious mind a blueprint to work from, making the desired future feel familiar and attainable. It’s the joyful feeling of the outcome, now.
“I visualize peace. I am at peace. I create peace and abundance.” You can’t hustle your way to peace. You have to invoke it. This practice actively generates the inner state you wish to see reflected in your outer world.
The Shift: You stop anxiously waiting for peace and abundance and start actively generating them in your inner world, right now.
Detaching from outcomes and mastering your inputs is the most profound work you can do. It transforms your life from a desperate chase into a purposeful, joyful, and aligned creation.
This is the work we are dedicated to at Simple and Aligned.
We created a visual meditation on these exact affirmations. Watch the TikTok video here to feel the power of this practice.
Want to go deeper?
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How We Found Out That Our Voice Matters Despite Survivorship Bias
…Even When Survivorship Bias Says We’re Just Another Statistic
Photo by Said Bensghir on Unsplash
Disclosure: This article links book titles to their Amazon.com listings using affiliate links. If you choose to click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
The first chapter of Rolf Dobelli’s The Art of Thinking Clearly hit us like a bucket of cold water — because it was right.
Somewhat shocked, Cristof had just put the book down, feeling a despairing sense of deflation. “I expected this to be motivational,” he said. “Instead, it starts with survivorship bias. It just tells us that for every superstar, there are thousands of unseen failures.”
He wasn’t wrong. Dobelli’s opening argument is a sobering one: we see the billion-dollar startups, the viral TikToks, and the Nobel laureates precisely because they survived. They are the statistical outliers. The millions who tried and failed? They vanish from the spotlight, creating a distorted map of reality where success seems not only common but almost inevitable. It’s a cognitive illusion that sets us up for disappointment.
Our initial reaction was a mix of recognition and resistance. Yes, rationally, we knew this was true. But emotionally, it felt like a dream being deferred. If the odds are so stacked against us, why even try?
Immediately, Sophia developed the antidote; because here’s what Dobelli’s clinical explanation didn’t say — and what became our most valuable aha moment: Survivorship bias isn’t a stop sign; it’s a reality check that forces you to define success on your own terms. And in doing so, we discovered two new truths:
That your voice matters more than any statistic.
That the goal is never to arrive but to be on the journey.
The Realization: Finding Freedom in the ‘Bulky Middle’
Stuck between the depressing weight of the data and the burning desire to create, we had a breakthrough. We realized that survivorship bias forces a false binary: you’re either a spectacular success or a total failure. This is the narrative that crushes dreams.
The truth is, there is a vast, vibrant, and fulfilling space between these two extremes. We call it the “Bulky Middle.”
This is where most meaningful work and life actually happen. It’s the landscape of the respected local business owner, the therapist with a full roster of clients, the artist who sells enough prints to fund their next project, and the creator with a dedicated, albeit not massive, following. They may not be on the cover of Forbes, but they are profitable, growing, and making a real impact.
Our own journey with Simple and Aligned is rooted in this middle. We asked ourselves: Is our value solely determined by a subscriber count to be chased? Or is it measured by the one comment that says, “just what I needed to hear today” or “your video helped me decide to get this book and it already changed my life”?
The latter, every time. Success isn’t just about the destination; it’s about the meaning you create along the way; it’s about doing it despite all doubts and giving it your all, whether the project makes it all the way to the stars, “only” the moon, or ends up plunging into the ocean.
In essence, success is about the person you become. The “Bulky Middle” isn’t a consolation prize; it’s the secret haven where authenticity, sustainability, and genuine connection thrive.
Why Your Voice Always Matters (Even in a “Crowded” Niche)
This realization dismantles the other classic trap of survivorship bias: the idea that if something has already been done, there’s no room for you.
We are huge fans of money mindset coach Denise Duffield-Thomas (see if she inspires you too in Chill and Prosper). One of her most powerful teachings is that no niche is too crowded because no one has your unique perspective, your voice, or your story. You’re not there to replace the giants;
you’re there to contribute to the conversation.
Think of it like a potluck dinner. Just because someone already brought a fantastic lasagna doesn’t mean your homemade salad isn’t needed, wanted, and valuable. The table is richer and more nourishing with both.
The survivorship bias would have you only see the lasagna that got the most compliments. It ignores the dozens of other dishes that were equally essential to the potluck’s success.
Your voice is that essential dish. You have a unique combination of experiences, insights, and ways of explaining things that will resonate with a specific group of people — your people. They will find you precisely because you are you, not a copy of someone else.
Practical Tools to Silence Survivorship Bias and Find Your Confidence
Understanding the theory is one thing. Quieting the voice that whispers “the odds are against you” (or something much meaner…) is another. Here are three practical tools we use to think clearly and stay aligned.
Tool 1: The 1% Rule
Stop trying to be 100% as good as the superstar in your field. It’s paralyzing. Instead, focus on being 1% better for your specific audience today.
Ask questions like:
Did you explain a concept more clearly?
Did you create a more engaging thumbnail?
Did you connect with one follower in the comments?
That’s a win. These tiny, consistent improvements compound into undeniable expertise and growth over time. (Remember the life-changing 1% method of Atomic Habits?)
Tool 2: Being Radically Open-Minded
Normalize the struggle. We keep learning, not only from others, but also from our “failures” — the video that flopped, the idea that didn’t get the views it deserved, the collab outreach that fell through.
This didn’t come easy, especially to Cristof. He nowadays admits quite openly that he wasn’t really coachable until he read about radical open-mindedness in Principles by his investment management idol, Ray Dalio.
This practice does two things: it proves that every “overnight success” has a similar list of learning lessons hidden away, and it reframes failure from a mark of shame into a tuition fee for your education.
Tool 3: Micro-Validation
Chase micro-validations, not just macro-virality. Did your post help one person? Did you receive a thoughtful DM? Did you finally implement a system you’d been avoiding? Celebrate it! These small wins are the true fuel for the long haul. They are proof that you are making a difference, right now, regardless of the size of your platform.
The Joy of Showing Up (As You Are)
In the end, survivorship bias is a tool for clarity, not a prediction of your future. It clears away the noise of unrealistic expectations so you can hear your own calling more clearly.
We create not because we are guaranteed to “make it,” but because creating is who we are. The act itself — the process of reading, synthesizing, and sharing nuggets of wisdom — is fulfilling. The aligned action is the reward. Any external success that follows is a beautiful byproduct.
Rolf Dobelli’s The Art of Thinking Clearly gave us the jolt we needed to shed our illusions and build a sturdier, more resilient dream. One that isn’t based on becoming an outlier, but on becoming the most authentic versions of ourselves, serving our audience in the unique way only we can.
Ready to see (and read) beyond the survivorship bias and think more clearly about your own goals? You can grab your copy of the bestseller The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli here.
We’d love to hear from you: What’s one area of your life where you’ve felt the pressure of survivorship bias? How do you plan to redefine success there? Let us know in the comments below!
And if you prefer to watch our raw, initial conversation about this book, you can check out our video here:
https://www.tiktok.com/@simpleandaligned/video/7539951821926780191
Ready for more mindset shifts that quiet the noise? Start your day grounded and confident with our free newsletter — your source for daily affirmations and our ever-growing collection of resources for an aligned life.