“Make money online. ” These words have the mysterious power to unleash your dreams and hopes! Making money online is a fascinating idea very similar in spirit to the Gold Rush 150 years ago. Both share the dream of changing your life by becoming rich quickly. Instant wealth is here for the taking! All you need to succeed is an entrepreneurial approach and the courage to think out of the box. This idea is fascinating because it carries a wind of freedom. It opens new opportunities for people like you and me. Its essential message is: “You don’t need to be born rich to be rich! You too have a chance to make big money, or at least to achieve financial autonomy and be your own boss”. The beauty of the Internet is its democratic spirit that offers a renewal of chances for all. On the Web, success isn’t only the lot of an elite blessed by birth but an opportunity for “ordinary people” to achieving extraordinary results in their life and with very limited financial resources. I caught the Internet bug several years ago. I was almost hypnotized by the idea of making an income online and changing my lifestyle so that I can do what I want, when I want, and where I want without having to worry about money. During that time, I spent hours, weeks and months scrutinizing web opportunities and trying to answer this question: How is it possible to make money online?I was frustrated with not knowing how to answer this question for the longest time. The Internet was like a maze and I was erring in its endless corridors without finding the exit. Today I know that the challenge for anyone trying to make money online is figuring out what opportunity can make a difference for him. It’s a tough one! How not to be confused with so many opportunities claiming to hold the keys to online success and promising amazing shortcuts to wealth?! Which ones to believe? Is it really so easy? Are you really the only one who is left out when everyone else is enjoying the online money making party?To help you take a jump-start, I present here a model which you can use to map out opportunities you encounter on the Web and to screen them before you give them a chance. First let me ask you a few questions. Do you think it is easy to make lots of money on the Internet? Do you believe you can easily earn several thousand dollars a week with a secret formula developed by an Internet guru who reveals the most guarded secret in the world to youConsider these ads: “Get Paid on Autopilot!!”"Get rich online: Make millions on the web with no effort!”"$100,000/month guaranteed! Start earning within 15 minutes!”Cool, isn’t it? It seems you too can make a blast and it doesn’t require any real effort on your part. . . What are you waiting for? You should already be rushing to your Internet gold mine!Such offers are seductive because their melody plays on the strings of laziness (we are all lazy to some extent) and wishful thinking (what if these promises are true?). If you are inclined to believe such statements, you may learn the hard way that “all that glitters isn’t gold!”Sorry to rain on your parade but the first thing you need to know if you really want to make money online is that you will need to roll up your sleeves! I know it’s disappointing. I would also prefer to make millions in my sleep but it doesn’t work that way. Making money online requires some time and effort, even for the easiest and best opportunity. To succeed you need an attitude involving curiosity, courage, and the readiness to learn and work. The first step in this journey is to put aside “get rich quick” dreams and to skip programs that come with such a claim. To spot the real opportunities, free yourself of such illusions, use your common sense and develop a proactive approach involving knowledge acquisition, skill development, and work. Step 1 is cleaning the ground you walk on and getting rid of seductive promises that will reveal themselves as deceptive scams. Step 2 is focusing on real opportunities that can fit your goals.