The USA international saw his pay-packet boosted after he was handed a new three-year deal at The Reebok following his fine start to the season.
Holden arrived in Lancashire in last term's January transfer window and the former Houston Dynamo has been a revelation for the Trotters and has missed just 13 minutes of Premier League action so far.
And the 24-year-old is determined to prove boss Owen Coyle was right to offer him a new contract which will keep him at Wanderers until 2013.
"It's nice to have that bit of security but it's not something I want to rest on," he told The Bolton News. "I want to keep pushing on and showing the fans and the manager why they should have that faith in me.
"They believe I can be a big player for this club so it's up to me to show that I can keep performing, and pushing this team forward."
As the division's top tackler at present, Holden has so far defied his diminutive frame to take the role of chief enforcer in the Wanderers midfield alongside fellow tough-tackler Fabrice Muamba.
He may have arrived at The Reebok a relative unknown in the English game, but the Scotland-born playmaker is revelling in his chance to prove the doubters wrong.
"The manager gave me a chance, brought me into the club on a free transfer and a short-term contract and asked me to prove myself," he said.
"I've done part of that but it's not a finished job. I need to keep my place in the team and try to make Bolton the top team I think they can be.
"I've always had the self-belief that I had some ability and that I could handle football at this level.
"I'm playing with some great players around me and they are giving me the platform to play at the minute.
"It's a team game, and if sometimes I'm required to do the dirty work and make tackles, or if in others I have to get on the ball more, then I have no problem with that. I'm enjoying my football at the moment."
Holden admits there was a sense of frustration in the Wanderers camp, having failed to go into the international break on a winning note.
The 1-1 draw at West Brom was the fifth of the current campaign, although the former MLS star doesn't think the Whites are far away from where they want to be.
"It's just that killer instinct we're missing right now to finish off games," Holden said.
"There are a lot of positives to take, and a lot of encouragement because we're playing good football. We've just got to learn how to finish them off.
"A draw is better than a loss but I think that's six points that have gone missing, and we thought we should have got.
"We'd be worried if we weren't creating chances or playing well but we've been really close to getting all three points on a couple of occasions now.
"We've just got to focus on the little things and tighten up for the next game at Stoke."
Source: Team Talk
Source: Team Talk