That’s probably the most common question that I am asked: how do I make money?

Specifically, how do I make a LOT of money [AJC: not me – I have enough – but, you. How do you make money?].

The answer, of course, is to do what others do not …

… because, most others – the vast, vast majority – are not rich.

Clearly, what THEY do is the way to make only a small amount of money. And, what they do a little of is: invest.

It stands to reason, that you need to invest a lot. But, that’s difficult if you don’t have a high income.

That’s why I say, if you want to make money, you should increase your income – a lot – and invest most of the increase.

Simple.

But, that brings us right back to the original question, albeit altered slightly to now read:

How do I make a lot of income?

Fortunately, that is much simpler than you might think …

… you simply need to find the intersection of things that: 1. you love doing; 2. other people want; and, 3. you’re good at:

I have a simple exercise that I teach, if you want to find the ‘sweet spot’ where your passion, talent, and opportunity align:

Think about each of these areas of your life:

EARN (i.e. how do you make money, or WANT to make money: past/present/future?)

SPEND (i.e. how do you spend money, or WANT to spend your money: past/present/future?)

ABILITY (i.e. what are you good at? what do you wish you were good at? what sparks your creative juices? what do you enjoy?)

DO (i.e. what are your hobbies? qualifications? jobs (unless already listed under ‘earn’)? what would you WANT to do, even for ‘free’?)

Somewhere in these four areas is your passion … and, these 3 simple steps will help you uncover it!

Step 1:

Take a blank sheet of paper, turn it sideways (landscape) and write down the following column headings:

EARN      SPEND      ABILITY      DO

Under each of the above headings, write 4 to 6 one/two/three word answers (e.g. teach; clothing; writing; wood-working; etc.); let the ideas flow and take as much/little time as you need

Step 2:

Once you’ve completed the above, take another sheet of paper and write the following numbers across the page (I recommend landscape, again):

4          3          2

Now, under each, transfer your answers from the first sheet of paper, as follows:

4: Write the items (if any) that appear (at least in some sort of similar/related form) across all four columns in the previous list; you may not have any.

3: Write the items (if any) that appear across exactly three columns in the previous list; you may have only one or two, if any.

2: Write the items (if any) that appear across exactly two columns in the previous list; you will likely have a few.

These, starting with the ’4′, then ’3′, then ’2′ columns, are where you will you will most likely find your passion!

Step 3:

Try combining your your answers (especially those that combine a future WANT with an ABILITY e.g. let’s say that you’re good at sewing and want to do some writing, then you have the possibility of starting a writing/publishing career, perhaps starting with a blog on sewing.

That’s it.

If you can find your passion, then find a way to make money from it, well, you’re almost home!

Let me know what this simple exercise shows you?