Making money has never been easy but thanks to the internet, you can now make money from the comfort of your living room without having to leave your house. This is especially convenient now when the world is recovering from Covid-19 and in many parts of the world still, people are working from home to tackle the spread of the deadly virus.

It is worth noting, I am not talking about get-rich-quick schemes that are everywhere on the internet but rather real, legitimate ways to make an honest income. And as it is with other ways to make money, making money online is not a walk in the park. It takes time, hard work, patience, and dedication to truly make it. Here are 5 surefire ways you can make money online in 2021...

1. BECOME A FREELANCER

If you have a talent, chances are, you can sell your skill. Whether you’re a writer, artist, graphic designer, photographer, etc., there’s a freelance gig for you.  

Websites like upwork.com and fiverr.com can be a good place to start. Fiverr lets you sell your skill for a price. It’s called Fiverr, because most people would charge just $5 for their services—some people still do that, others charge a lot more depending on the kind of service required.

2. START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

If you are passionate about something for instance drawing, cooking, cycling, gaming, music, etc., chances are there are millions of people out there who have the same passions as you and would be willing to hear what you have to say about that particular interest. 

YouTube has become the biggest learning and entertainment platform of our generation and you can make a lot of money by simply creating and uploading videos about whatever that you are passionate about. 2020 YouTube highest earner is a 9-year old Ryan Kaji who is famous for so-called unboxing videos, in which he takes toys out of their packages and reviews them.

3. RENT OUT YOUR HOME

It's 2021 and I am sure most of you have heard about Airbnb. It is a platform that allows you to rent out your home or even that spare bedroom that you don't use. You can make a decent living from AirBnB.

There’s a cost when it comes to listing on Airbnb, You’ll be charged 3% of the booking total. Since you can set prices, however, you’ll still have quite a bit of control over how much you can make as an Airbnb host.

4. TEACH ONLINE

If you have valuable knowledge that someone would pay for, this could be a great opportunity. Websites like Skooli, Tutor Me, Tutor.com, and Smartclasstz.com (if in Tanzania) provide resources for entering into the online tutoring space. While you don't need to use a platform like these, they provide a lower friction entry point into the market. You could also search for online tutoring gigs on a variety of other sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and many more. 

What types of things can you tutor online? You could easily tutor a subject like math or science, while also teaching a language if you're bilingual. You could also tutor musical instruments like the guitar or piano, along with a slew of other subject matters. 

5. BECOME A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Are you highly organized? Do you have access to a computer, a notebook, and an internet connection? Virtual assistant tasks may range from answering emails/calls, making travel plans, running social media accounts to office administrative tasks and research.

Many people who are busy or small business owners are willing to pay a decent amount of money for these services because they can't these tasks do themselves and can not afford to hire a full-time assistant. A good this with being a virtual assistant, you can have multiple clients hence multiple sources of income.

What other ways do you think are sure to make you money in 2021? Let us know in the comment below...

"Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered — either by themselves or by others." - Mark Twain

Nyota is a web series aiming at shedding a light at Tanzanian youths between the age of 17-40 years who have turned their ideas (creative, non-traditional ideas) into lucrative businesses or have added value to business practices that have been in the society for ages. Our aim is to make sure these geniuses are celebrated and do not die undiscovered. Kindly subscribe to our YouTube channel to access these inspiring webisodes by clicking here BrainBongo TV 

Here is the trailer..

While setting and achieving goals can improve your happiness, being unhappy now and believing you will be happy once you achieve your goals is an erroneous belief.

 “I’ll be happy when . . .” Fill in the blank with that one thing, that one goal that you think will finally make you happy. Land your dream job? Win that big client? Buy a house? While setting and achieving goals can improve your happiness, being unhappy now and believing you will be happy once you achieve your goals is an erroneous belief. Happiness expert Gillian Mandich says this way of thinking can actually lead to depression and toxic emotions.

“People often focus too much on the salient high points (the vacation, voyage, or feast) and too little on the day-to-day events that have a more profound effect on overall happiness,” says Mandich. Living in pursuit of these big life moments won’t actually lead to lasting, meaningful happiness.

The reason for this is something called “hedonic adaptation.” Humans are remarkably good at adapting to changes in our lives. This trait is beneficial to us in many ways to get through hard times and adapt to new surroundings; however, it also means that when we achieve something that should bring great happiness; such as getting a new car, a new job, or a new relationship, we adapt too quickly. Those new things become familiar very quickly and that amazing burst of happiness is just that, a temporary dose.

But that’s not the only reason living for the big goals won’t lead to lasting happiness. Mandich says only 10% of our happiness is determined by our circumstances, while 40% of our happiness is determined by our everyday thoughts and behavior and 50% of our happiness is genetically determined. So, if being happy once we achieve that major milestone only accounts for 10% of happiness, thinking you’ll be happy when you achieve that big goal just isn’t going to cut it. Achieving long-lasting happiness means focusing on daily doses, rather than just those major events.

Building your happiness muscle means finding happiness in your daily life. Here are some simple ways to find more happiness  in the day-to-day:

TAKE PAUSES TO ENJOY THE SMALL PLEASURES IN LIFE

Taking a moment to savor happiness is a great way to be mindful of how you feel when you’re happy. Savor a delicious cup of coffee, take a moment to appreciate time spent with a friend. Instead of letting positive feelings pass with little attention, take the time to acknowledge, appreciate, and enjoy them. “Savoring can be a potent happiness booster,” says Mandich. This simple mindfulness exercise can help you to discover happiness in everyday occasions.

BE MORE GENEROUS

“When you do something nice for someone it releases endorphins that activate the parts of your brain associated with happiness, pleasure, and social connection,” says Mandich. Find simple ways to be generous such as buying a stranger behind you in line a cup of coffee, or giving someone a compliment.

BE MORE GRATEFUL

Practicing gratitude not only increases your happiness but also protects you from stress, anxiety, and depression. “A regular gratitude practice is one of the easiest ways to counter the brain’s negativity bias (the tendency to cling to negative thoughts and things in the environment),” says Mandich. Create a gratitude journal and write down five things you’re grateful for every day. Or simply take a moment in your day to feel grateful. This could be feeling grateful for your friends and family, or for the sunshine after a dreary, rainy week.

GET MORE EXERCISE

Regular exercise helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. “Happiness and exercise are both independently associated with the release of endorphins (feel-good hormones) and an increase in immune function; it also decreases cortisol (a stress hormone),” says Mandich. Find ways to incorporate even a few minutes of exercise into your daily activities can help boost your overall happiness.

This article originally appeared on fastcompany.com