One thing that a lot of employee-minded people suffer from is opportunity blindness.

They’re surrounded by fun and expansive ways to earn plenty of money, but they have a hard time seeing those opportunities. They’ve been socially conditioned to think that getting a job is the one and only way to earn money for them. They complain about a lack of opportunities. But the reality is that they’re blinded by their own limiting beliefs and an inflexible attitude. Earning money from a straight salary is just one of many ways to generate income. There are many others though. Here are some ways I’ve earned income in the past (some of these are still active for me):

• straight salary
• tutoring
• cash for simple jobs

• shoplifting
• buying and reselling products (buy low, sell high)
• web consulting
• contract programming and design
• personal coaching
• advertising sales (direct)
• advertising sales (commissions)
• affiliate commissions
• joint-venture deals
• licensing (software)
• royalties (computer games)
• book royalties
• cash advances from publishers
• donations
• paid speaking
• barter
• interest on bank accounts
• certificates of deposit
• stock investing
• stock trading (short term)
• mutual funds
• direct sales (online products)
• direct sales (physical products)
• live events (selling registrations)
• co-creative projects (split the income)

I’ve probably forgotten a few others, but suffice it to say that I’ve experimented a lot with different ways to earn income during the past 22 years.

Some of these approaches were terrible matches for me.

I found them so boring or tedious that I could hardly motivate myself to do them. Others were enjoyable but just didn’t pay well at all. Along the way I discovered the kinds of income streams I like best. I like income streams that:

• engage my creativity (I get paid to create something)
• feel stimulating
• involve some risk (it’s more fun that way)
• are flexible and adaptive (so I can tweak them and experiment in different ways)
• have a low downside and a high potential upside (I hate having a fixed ceiling on the upside)
• are social (working with people, not just doing solo work all the time)
• tie into my path of personal growth (I love testing new streams because I always learn something)
• contribute positively to society

Presently my favorite way to earn money is from doing live events, such as the upcoming Conscious Life Workshop in August. There are several things I really like about this type of income stream:

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