Day 3: Chase value, not money. Money is the benchmark of value given.

A 10 Day Mindful Activist Reset

Perfect. For Newsletter #3, we’ll build on another core principle:

Chase value, not money. Money is the benchmark of value given.

Same tone. Slightly amused. Slightly sharp. Deeply grounded.

Stop Chasing Money. Start Becoming Valuable.

Let me say something mildly rebellious in a culture obsessed with “seven-figure months.”

If you chase money directly, you will exhaust yourself.

There’s a teaching often attributed to Peter Sage that goes something like this:

If you chase the mechanism — money — you’ll chase your tail for the rest of your life.

If you focus on adding value, money becomes the benchmark of the value you’ve created.

That is not woo-woo. That is economics with a nervous system.

Money is not the prize.

It’s the receipt.

And receipts only show up after something of value has been exchanged.

Yet how many people organize their entire lives around the pursuit of the receipt?

We ask:

How do I make more?

How do I scale faster?

How do I monetize this?

How do I turn this into income?

Perfectly reasonable questions.

But often they come before a more important one:

Who am I becoming that is valuable?

Value is not about hustle. It is not about grinding yourself into a powder. It is not about proving your worth with exhaustion.

Value is about impact.

Are you solving a real problem?

Are you easing someone’s burden?

Are you clarifying something confusing?

Are you creating beauty?

Are you elevating discourse?

Are you helping someone think more clearly, live more courageously, love more honestly?

That is value.

And value compounds.

Money chasers burn out because they are trying to extract.

Value creators endure because they are building.

When you focus on value, something subtle shifts inside you. You stop asking, “What can I get?” and start asking, “What can I contribute?”

And contribution has stamina.

Think about the people who have influenced your life most.

Was it the one who made the most money?

Or the one who shifted how you think, how you see yourself, how you move through the world?

Exactly.

Now let’s make this personal.

Many of us — especially women, especially those who’ve lived a few decades — were not raised to think in terms of value creation. We were raised to think in terms of responsibility. Obligation. Pleasing. Managing.

We were valuable, yes. But often invisibly so.

The shift now is conscious value.

What do you know that others need?

What have you lived through that someone else is navigating right now?

What perspective have you earned that cannot be Googled?

That is capital.

Not the flashy kind. The durable kind.

When you become obsessed with becoming more useful, more skillful, more clear — income becomes a byproduct.

Not always immediately. Not always dramatically.

But sustainably.

And here is the deeper layer: when you chase money alone, your self-worth rises and falls with your bank balance.

When you chase value, your self-worth rises with your growth.

One is fragile.

One is powerful.

This does not mean money is unimportant. It means it is secondary.

It means instead of asking, “How do I make more?” you begin asking, “How do I serve better?”

Instead of “How do I get attention?” you ask, “How do I create impact?”

Instead of “How do I sell this?” you ask, “How do I make this undeniably helpful?”

The world rewards usefulness. Eventually.

And if it doesn’t immediately? You’re still becoming someone more capable, more intelligent, more skilled.

That compounds no matter what.

Money follows value.

Not the other way around.

Call to Action

Today, I want you to answer one question:

Where in my life can I increase the value I bring?

At work.

In my writing.

In my activism.

In my relationships.

In my health.

Pick one area.

Then do one thing that increases your usefulness there.

Tell me what you chose. Send an email to contact@juliebolejack.com series

Let’s build something that lasts.

Receipts will follow.

Julie Bolejack, MBA - The Mindful Activist

Before you go —

This is part of a 10-day series about identity, growth, courage, and the quiet mechanics that shape a life.

In a time when the news cycle thrives on urgency, outrage, and fear… I wanted to build something different.

Not denial.

Not disengagement.

But steadiness.

We cannot control the swirl of the headlines.

We cannot single-handedly fix the noise.

But we can control who we are becoming inside it.

Over these ten days, we’re reclaiming agency.

Identity.

Standards.

Environment.

Value.

Courage.

Uncertainty.

These are not abstract ideas. They are anchors.

And anchors matter when the cultural waters feel choppy.

If this series is helping you feel clearer, steadier, or just a little less pulled into the panic — I hope you’ll do three things:

• Follow the series so you don’t miss the next one.

• Share it with someone who could use relief from the noise.

• Subscribe if you’re not already here at: Julies-journal.ghost.io

Forward it. Post it. Talk about it over coffee.

Because calm, deliberate growth is quietly rebellious right now.

And we need more of that.

DAY 3 PLAYLIST — CHASE VALUE, NOT MONEY

A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson

The Times They Are A-Changin’ – Bob Dylan

Rise Up – Andra Day

Imagine – John Lennon

Glory – Common & John Legend

DAY 3 READING RECOMMENDATIONS

Man’s Search for Meaning – Viktor Frankl

A powerful reminder that meaning and purpose sustain us far more than comfort or money ever could.

The Go-Giver – Bob Burg and John David Mann

A short, impactful book built on the principle that the most successful people focus on creating value for others first.

Start With Why – Simon Sinek

Explores how individuals and organizations that focus on purpose create far greater impact than those driven by profit alone.

The Soul of Money – Lynne Twist

A thoughtful exploration of our relationship with money and how generosity, service, and purpose create a deeper sense of abundance.

REFLECTION QUESTION

What value do you bring to the world that has nothing to do with money?

Kindness. Wisdom. Creativity. Courage. Compassion.

The most powerful contributions we make in life rarely show up on a paycheck.