If you listen carefully, you'll hear people talking about ways they can make more money. Their strategies will be different depending on the kind of work they do.

I was in a convenience store when I heard the clerk tell another employee how he was putting in lots of overtime. It was long hours of work, but he was eagerly doing it to get a little extra cash on payday.

Another day I was waiting in the lobby of a big corporation. I heard several executives discuss how much they were earning in their new positions. Obviously these were salaried jobs that were paying a lot of money for the right education, skills, and experience.

Then last weekend I spent some time at the lake. There were several people gathered around an expensive boat. They were talking about money, but none ever mentioned a job. Their talk was all about investments, how much their property was appreciating, and how well their far-flung businesses were doing.

It was clear these men and women didn't work a job for a living. They were obviously earning a fabulous income simply making their money work. They could afford to practically live at the lake while their investments, businesses, and properties were earning an income for them.

In essence, these wealthy individuals were profiting from the work of others. If you've ever seen an economics report on TV or read one in the paper, you know that is the basic principle of our Western business system, a tradition that has created trillions of dollars in wealth worldwide.

What I've experienced and observed are what I call THE THREE LEVELS OF WORK:

* You can work a job and get paid by the hour. The longer you work, the more you get paid.

* You can work a job -- usually salaried -- that pays you a lot of money for what you know or can do. The more you study, the more years you put in on the job, the more you earn.

* Finally, you can profit from the work of others. Many business owners and wealthy individuals fall into this category. They actually get paid MUCH MORE money to WORK VERY LITTLE.

You don't need millions to earn income in this third category. Many home-based businesses now use the power of the Internet to let you earn big RESIDUAL INCOME from your kitchen table.

Passive, residual income is when you earn a commission on the sales other people in your organization make. These days the powerful reach of the Internet and simple online automation can make this dream a realty for just about anyone.