I was traveling from Christchurch to Singapore. The passenger sitting next to me in the flight was a middle aged Indian woman. She was restless.
"Are you okay?" I asked her. "No," Anita replied, "I migrated to New Zealand from India with the hope of creating prosperity in my life. After toiling on menial jobs for more than two years, I am returning to India for good with a heavy heart. Every thing is wrong in my life. Even this seat is not comfortable."
"You don't have to go to far away places to create prosperity in your life. If you are resourceful and work hard, you can make prosperity come to your place," I told Anita. She smiled and said. "Please tell me how."
I replied, "All problems are income opportunities. Just now you complained about your seat. Matthew Daimler, a frequent flier, converted this problem into an excellent income opportunity. He realized the vast differences between airline seats and the problems faced by the passengers. He built a website as a repository of useful information on airline seats. It gives detailed seat map graphics, in-depth seat specific observations, and information on in-flight services such as food service. Millions of travellers use his website. He does not sell anything. He just provides a simple solution to a common problem and earns in lakhs."
"He is very resourceful," said Anita. "All of us can be resourceful if we change our habitual way of looking at things and events. What types of jobs did you do in New Zealand?" I asked her.
Anita replied in a low voice, "I was a janitor in a company that specializes in tourism. Do you think people would visit a website on janitorial services?"
"Though it would be an excellent niche, I have a different idea. New Zealand attracts millions of tourists every year. Can you think of a few problems that these tourists face?" I asked Anita. "I know that most tourists want cheap hotel rooms," Anita said.
"It's a big problem. If you can help them find budget rooms, you will make money. Create a website with useful information on budget hotels. You can make money through ads and commissions from hotels," I said.
Anita said, "I don't know anything about web development."
I replied, "Anyone with average skills can learn it in a matter of a few days. What stops most people from making money is laziness. I will give you a list of 10 things that you must do to make money online. Use this list as a starting point. Use the Internet, the biggest free library in the world, to learn how to do business online. If you do it, you will be making money in the near future." (The list of 10 things can be found on this website.)
"Do I have to go back to New Zealand to do this project? Can I do it from India?" Anita asked me. I replied, "You can do it anywhere from the world. You can develop a website for New Zealand, Switzerland or any other country. Just make sure that it has ad potential and the hotels will pay you commission. You must understand that it is possible to collect information on all hotels in any country through the Internet even from a remote village in South India."
After a few months I received an email from Anita: 'I was totally confused when I started with your list. Learning about the difference between a single click and double click was a challenging task! But, within a few days, the mist of confusion was cleared by the Sun of hard work. I created a website on cheap and budget accommodation in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. I worked for 6 hours a day for four months. From the fifth month I began to earn Rs.10,000 and now I earn Rs.20,000 a month. Nowadays I need to work only for less than an hour a day! I don't know how to express my gratitude to you.'
I replied: 'I am glad to hear your success story. If you want to express your gratitude to me, here is a way to do it. Inspire as many people as you know to take up self-employment and entrepreneurship. Share your knowledge with them and help them succeed. India will truly be independent only when all Her children are financially independent.'