Wealth brings security, that's a fact.

It removes the need to worry about bills or what's going to happen when we get older. It makes us feel safe and the ability to go out and get something just because we would like it is a real comfort.

Please note I am not talking about greed - the acquisition of wealth just for the sake of piling up the coins. Wealth is to be shared and wealth is to be enjoyed and should be more than just a healthy bank balance - we brought nothing into this world and we leave with nothing - whatever our religious or spiritual values tell us. Whether we spend eternity in the glory of God or being consumed by the earth makes no difference - none of our worldly wealth goes with us.

I set about writing this piece when another  author, who I have 'met' through noise:cash asked the question and it set me to thinking. Please note that whatever you do there is no easy way and hard work and dedication are necessary unless you are one of those fortunates who lands a massive lottery prize.

The fact is that all to often working a job (9-5 if you like) will keep us in varying degrees of comfort depending on how much we earn and how much pressure and stress comes with the job. An interesting point of consideration is to ask yourself whether a high paying but highly pressured job is more worthwhile than a lower paid but less pressured job.

Case Study

I know somebody who was working in management in retail. She was responsible for two stores and had to keep flitting between the two. She was well paid, but it came at a price. Once a month she had to stay back late and complete a stock check, if the burglar alarms went off she had to drive to the store to see what was going on and liaise with the police when necessary, she had to supervise employees and create staff rotas and additional she had to report back to area managers on a whole range of activities within the store.

She was very busy and yes it was her job.

Now let me throw in one more factor. She was a single mother with two young kids at home and so at the very least when the store alarm went off she had to bundle her kids into the car too, waking them up in the process. The alarm went off on average about twice a month. She had to organise excessive child care and all the time she was missing out.

She recognised that money - as good as it was - wasn't enough. Her job demanded too much sacrifice and the price was too high. She spoke with her area managers and regrettably they agreed to allow her to step back to being a Senior Shop Assistant which meant she still had supervisor duties but her day started and ended with her shift and there were no additional demands on her outside of her working hours.

She may not have been wealthier, but she was definitely more prosperous!

Now her children have grown up she works at an even more senior role in a major organisation and has picked up her career where she left off.

Some might say that the father should have shouldered some responsibility so she was free to manage both and while I agree that wasn't the reality she faced.

And this is the humdrum life many of us face. We work and we sacrifice our family life or we work less and sacrifice wealth generation. It is also interesting to recall that many people when asked late in life if they have any regrets often say that they wished they'd spent more time with their families (especially when the children are young) and less time at work.

This makes the person I know one of the wisest people I have ever met!

But what if there is another way?

The truth is there is and in the last year or so I have set myself on this path.

The key to wealth generation is to earn while you are sleeping - in other words to generate passive income.

In conventional business this means having little working bees manufacturing or providing services on your behalf. This is a challenge because employees are expensive and particularly if they are not employed in the front line and rather provide support services. For my business the greatest challenges are quality vs competition. This might sound arrogant, but in my coaching and training business my clients want ME and not an employee and a fellow consultant told me once that I need to clone myself to be able to grow. A clone will provide the same quality as I offer, but then if the clone is so good there is no reason for them to step out on their own and become a competitor despite my investment in such an individual.

Clearly this model is not going to work for me, but i continue to coach and tutor on a daily basis because it is my vocation and I love doing it.

So I need an alternative if I am never going to be a manufacturer or service provider (wider than I am already doing). So what can I do.

• In June 2020 I started my crypto-journey and while I do some day trading I have ensured that I have a large amount of my assets staking at inflation busting rates. Day trading is not passive, but it's not high demand either. One of my favourite things in when I check my portfolio in the morning and a coin that I've been investing in and hodling has surged and left me with a nice cash out. With staking I can just sit and collect the rewards. One of the keys to staking crypt is long term thinking. Prices are almost certain to go up and staking rewards in the Quantity of crypto being added.
• Reward based blogging / Micro-blogging. Again it takes a bit of effort, but once you put something out there it sits and generates earnings for you.
• And my personal favourite, again it requires impetus and start up energy, but anything that can be utilised that you have intelectual property rights over. In my case this is going to be royalties. I am very proud to say that my debut novel has been accepted by a publisher and even as I write it is going through the process of being published as both an e-book and a paperback that should hit the shelves later in the year. Of course it depends on how successful it is, but I have done the hard work and now I can sit back and enjoy (well tbh honest I writing another novel with the same characters that may also be published if I am successful with my debut).

Collectively over the next 20 years or so this passive income will amount to enough wealth to enjoy as retirement or if I don't live long enough to pass on to my family

So I leave you today with this challenge. How do you earn money while you are sleeping? Your approach might be different to mine, but that my friends is the key to wealth generation

As always stay safe and stay well.