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Most of us want to get paid more for our work. Unfortunately for most of us, we don’t know how to do it. Companies are crying broke and strained finances and you probably feel as though you’re lucky to simply have a job. But if you’re tired of being taken for granted and working for someone else, perhaps it’s time for you to jump out on your own as a consultant or a freelancer. Forbes offers three tips to help you get there and to help you get paid more than you’ve been making on your regular 9-5. But be forewarned: these tips are not for everyone. These tips are for the woman ready to make a change in her life and ready to take the necessary, somewhat scary steps to see a turnaround in her career.

First things first, get downsized. Surprisingly enough, your steady paycheck may be what’s hindering you from earning more money. It becomes so easy to rely on that one regular stream of income that you may stop looking for ways to earn more and to be more. Steady paychecks stop you from finding what truly makes you happy because you fear losing it.

Turn down work. This tip goes hand in hand with having standards for the value of your time and abilities. As the article states, be shrewd. Don’t take jobs that don’t pay enough and don’t take jobs that won’t end in regular assignments. If a job will have you working with someone you extremely dislike, don’t take that job either. Again it will be difficult, but when you begin to focus on getting work that pays wells and provides you with regular income, you will better target what you want to do and get paid for it.

The third tip will be the hardest to perform for some: be an asshole. Be a jerk! As sad as it may sound, women must be tough to get what they want in this world. Being firm and unwavering on how much you expect to get paid is what will lead you to getting paid twice as much as you used to make. America is a capitalist society and you’re not in business to make friends or be nice, you’re in business to make money.

Before you decide to take on any of these tips, think carefully. The road to success will not be easy. A life without risks and challenges may feel comfortable, but it’s the risk takers that find true fulfillment in life.

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For those of us who aspire to become billionaires, there are a few life lessons to hold onto. If you’re wondering about some of the secrets behind some of the top money-makers in the nation, Savvy Sugar is willing to share the lessons that helped grow their wealth.

First lesson: live below your means. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has certainly learned the art of living below his means. While so many of us are obsessed with the idea that we must own property as soon as possible, even Zuckerberg has only recently made a move to buy a house. Although his home costs a whopping $7 million, it is only 0.04 percent of his estimated $17.5 billion worth.

Give back to society. This is a lesson that Bill Gates takes to heart. Saavy Sugar reports he gave away so much of his money, he would’ve been the richest man in the world last year with $88 billion had he not donated so much to his charities. Gates understands that generosity does not hurt your standard of living.

Next on the list, think long term. Start saving now because the earlier you start saving, the more you’ll make in compounding interest. It’s a lesson Warren Buffet is committed to following. He is known for making long term investments with big time payoffs.

Make sure you do what you love. Oprah Winfrey acknowledges that when you don’t do what you love, you die a little every day. So in order to live longer and to make the most out of all the time you spend working, make sure you enjoy what you do.

Keep in mind that practice makes perfect. Most things don’t come to you without taking the time to perfect them. Steve Jobs knew how to market and advertise his latest Apple product because he spent hours practicing how to present it and even longer working on his company’s brand.

Don’t be afraid to take risks. Billionaires understand the importance of making full use of each day and each opportunity. If you spend your life in doubt or fear of whether or not a career move or venture is the right thing to do, you will never move forward. Billionare Sarah Blakeley, the founder of Spanx, saw her best friend hit and killed by a car at age 16. She says that from then on she held a sense of urgency about life that propelled her to get the most out of the life she had left.

Lastly, trust your instincts. Make sure that you’re doing things that make you happy and not other people. Success will come when you have followed your heart–not others. In an interview with Oprah, Ralph Lauren notes that, “a person’s genius is her realness, her gut—not her college degree.”