Ridhwan Akintayo

I Need Money" But You’re Hiding Your Skills – Make It Make Sense

Somebody will say, “I need money. Things are hard.” But if you check, they have a valuable skill they are hiding like contraband.

I know because I used to be that person.

At some point, I was completely broke. I needed money, but instead of putting myself out there, I was waiting for people to somehow "discover" my skills.

I had talent. I could create, design, and strategize, but did anybody know? No.
Because I was:

Too shy to talk about what I do.

Afraid of looking like I was "selling."

Worried about what people would say.


Meanwhile, people who had half my skills were cashing out. The difference? They weren’t afraid to be seen.

The Turning Point: Visibility = Opportunity

One day, I had an honest conversation with myself:

"If nobody knows what you do, how do you expect them to pay you?"

I decided to stop hiding.

I started showing up online.

I started talking about my skills confidently.

I stopped waiting to be noticed and started positioning myself.


And guess what? People started paying me.

That was when I learned:

Your skill won’t feed you if you keep hiding it.

Being good isn’t enough—people must KNOW you’re good.

The more visible you are, the more money you make.


Since then, I’ve never gone broke the same way again.

Moral of the Story?

If you have a skill but you’re still broke, ask yourself: “Do people even know what I can do?”

Because money follows value + visibility. You must be seen.

So, are you showing up, or are you still hiding? Let’s discuss.

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I Was Always Busy, But My Life Wasn't Changing 😭

You know that feeling when you're constantly working, always doing something, but somehow, your results refuse to reflect the effort?

Like, you're moving, but you're going nowhere.

That was me. I woke up early, wrote my to-do list like a responsible adult, worked all day, replied to messages, jumped on every opportunity—yet nothing was changing.

At the end of the day, I’d look at my life and ask myself:

"Wait, what exactly have I achieved today?"

The worst part? I was exhausted but still felt unproductive. 😭

Then, one day, I heard a simple statement that shook me to my core:
"Being busy and being productive are not the same thing."

My chest started paining me. So, all this stress I’ve been going through was not productivity?!

That was my wake-up call. 🚨

The Real Problem? I Was Moving, But Not Forward

I sat down and did some deep thinking. I realized my problem wasn’t that I wasn’t working hard—it was that I was working blindly.

I was:
❌ Replying to every message but not focusing on my real work.
❌ Saying yes to every request but neglecting my own progress.
❌ Doing too many things at once but not excelling at any.
❌ Feeling accomplished because I was always "busy"—but busy doing what?

It was like being on a treadmill—running fast but staying in the same spot. 😭

The Turning Point: Understanding Intentional Work

I decided to stop the madness and change the way I worked.

Here’s what I did:

✅ I Got Clear on My Priorities: Instead of jumping on everything, I started focusing on what actually mattered. Not every opportunity is a blessing—some are distractions in disguise.

✅ I Learned to Say No: I stopped responding to every message immediately, stopped agreeing to everything, and stopped taking on tasks that didn’t align with my goals.

✅ I Created a System for My Work: I stopped mistaking movement for progress. Instead of "working hard," I started working smart—batching tasks, automating repetitive work, and focusing on high-impact activities.

And guess what? Everything changed.

I started seeing real results with less stress. The kind of growth that actually shows in your bank account and life.

The Moral of the Story?

Many people think their problem is that they are not working hard enough. But the real problem might be:

Lack of clarity (You’re working, but towards what?)

Lack of priorities (You’re busy, but is it moving you forward?)

Lack of the right strategy (Are you actually making progress, or just making effort?)


If you’re always busy but nothing is changing, maybe it’s time to pause, rethink, and restructure.

Work smart. Work with intention. That’s how you win. 🚀

Your Turn – Let’s Talk!

Have you ever worked so hard yet felt like you were running in circles? Let’s gist in the comments! 😂👇🏾

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