All problems of existence are problems of Harmony. If you learn how to restore Harmony among the conflicting components, you will be laughing all the way to your bank.
Uma is a B.A. graduate. She was a homemaker four years ago. Mahadevan, her husband, is an Assistant Engineer in a government department. The couple thought as a unit and lived in perfect harmony. They, like any other middle class family, aspired to buy their own flat. Even after countless hours of discussion with builders and friends, and hundreds of visits to different construction sites, the decision making was a difficult task. When Uma's sister bought a new flat, their prestige was suddenly in danger. So, they bought a three bed-roomed flat that was considerably beyond their means. Though a bank gave loan for a substantial amount, they were still in need of a few lakhs of rupees. The couple thought that 'somehow' they would be able to raise the money. Their joy had no bounds when some friends promised help.
But, their joy was short-lived. By the time they realized that the promises were empty words, they had already crossed the point of no-return. They had to borrow from financiers at high interest - 24% per annum. Then, their life became miserable. Managing the household expenses after paying interest was more difficult than surviving in the Deserts of Sahara without water. The harmony between Uma and her husband was completely lost. Answering a late night telephone call from a financier or a knock at doors at odd times by a debt collection agent was nothing less than making a constant choice between life and death.
"Uma, new developments always bring in new problems along with the positive results because the existing balance and harmony are disturbed. Buying a new flat is a positive development. Naturally, it has generated some problems. You can solve all your problems, if you restore harmony among the different conflicting components. There is no harmony between your cash inflow and cash outflow. If you can balance it, there is nothing to worry about," I told Uma. She showed me a thick bundle of lottery tickets and said, "I buy them regularly and pray to all the gods in this world without break. What else can I do? I am not lucky," Uma said in a choked voice. "If you become conscious about your potential, skills and talent, you will not waste your money on lottery. If you pray to your gods after exhausting all that you can possibly do, luck will fall on your head," I told Uma.
"I am ready to do whatever I can. But, in this hopeless country, what can an unemployed, homebound graduate with bookish knowledge and worthless degree certificate do?" Uma asked me. "If you actively look for new types of problems, you will create new types of income opportunities. In the past ten years, Internet has grown beyond anyone's imagination. Along with the growth, it has created many new types of problems. These problems have created jobs and professions that have never existed from the day the world was created." I told Uma.
"I know how to use Internet very well. I can send emails and browse websites. Can I make money?" Uma asked. "That is not enough. You can not be a professor in English by knowing alphabets and grammar. You can make money only if you know the rules of the game and work hard," I told Uma.
"Is learning how to make money through Internet difficult?" Uma asked me. "No. Any hardworking person can learn it in a matter of a few weeks and start earning in a few months." I told Uma.
"If I can create an additional income of Rs.5,000 a month, all our problems can be brought under control. Is it possible for a homemaker to make that sort of money? I am willing to learn about computer and Internet." Uma told me. "Ready to learn and willing to work! Now, what can stop you from achieving prosperity? If you have this right attitude, it does not matter a bit what you are now. Anyone with this right attitude can become prosperous through self-employment using average skills, computer and Internet," I told Uma and continued, "For any website, visitor traffic is the lifeline. Search engines are the key source of traffic. Besides, there are many other ways to promote websites. If you learn how to do website promotion, you can make money."
"Will I be able I do that?" Asked Uma in a weak voice and said, "I think anyone can submit a website to search engines easily and all web developers actually do that as part of their work."
"Mere submission without an idea about getting top search engine ranking is as good as not submitting. When you want to find out some information on Internet, we use a search engine such as Google. For every search, thousands of results are displayed in hundreds of pages. So, it is important for every website to get top rank in the first two or three pages. It involves a lot of work. Website owners will happily pay if you can promote their websites," I told Uma.
"Why should webmasters pay for this service? If I can learn it, they too can learn it and do it on their own," said Uma. "Website owners have different priorities. If they can outsource such labor intensive work at an affordable price, they can concentrate on other important things. Why do you buy sarees? You can weave your own sarees. You can grow your own vegetables. Why do you take the trouble to go to the market?" I asked Uma.
"Okay, Okay. I understand your point. If I provide a service that can increase the benefits or decrease the difficulties, people will pay me," said Uma and asked, "But there are already thousands of website promoters in the world. How will I survive the competition?"
"And there are millions of websites and billions of web pages. The neck-to-neck competition is a clear indication of immediate income opportunities. If there is no money, why should there be competition?" I asked Uma. "It's difficult to argue with you. What are the required qualifications to work on an Internet project?" Uma asked me. "Internet is a new world, not just a new field. All are undergoing the learning process. Even today's top Internet experts were as ignorant as a caveman a few years ago. Whether you are a school-dropout or a student, you are fully qualified to be a self-employed Internet entrepreneur." I told Uma. "Now I am fully convinced that I too can work on my own and create my own luck and prosperity. Tell me where should I begin?" Uma asked me.
I told her about the useful websites that she must visit and the powerful software tools that she must learn how to use. She learnt each and everything about website promotion and search engines. Within a few weeks, Uma knew about search engines more than any average website owner. She spent the next few months in contacting hundreds of websites without any success. Mahadevan was moved by her hard work and stopped quarrelling with her. Harmony between the couple returned, though the harmony between cash inflow and outflow was still elusive.
Then, Uma contacted a few website owners with an irresistible offer. She said that she would promote their websites for a month without any fees. If they liked the work, they could give her paid work. One of the website owners immediately accepted the offer. She did an admirable job and delivered tangible results. The website owner hired her for paid work and even offered to pay for the free work she had already done. The client was speechless when Uma refused to take money for the free work. An agreement was an agreement. Was it not? The impressed client recommended the services of this 'great professional' to many of his Australian friends.
Now, she works for 15 websites. Each site pays her Rs.1,000 ($25) a month. For an American or Australian website owner, $25 means just a couple of large pizzas.
Nowadays, Uma does not accept any new work. 'Sorry! I am busy.' The family does not get midnight knocks on the doors or abusive telephone calls anymore. Though the couple went to Ooty this summer and spent a week there, Uma's work was not disturbed a bit. Hey! She has got a notebook computer.