Earning more is rarely a function of working harder — it is a function of the market value of the work you do, your visibility to those who can compensate you, and your willingness to move when movement is the only honest signal. Reason does not guarantee that good work is rewarded, but it does observe that most people underinvest in positioning themselves where the reward is possible. Know what the market pays, and know your position in it.
Each step builds on the last.