Picture your bank account as a swimming pool. Into one end of that empty pool, you place a very narrow garden hose. Even with the spigot wide open, your pool is going to take a long time to fill. That small hose is, of course, your single source of income-conventional employment.

If something happens to the hose, say, a lawnmower runs over it, how will you fill the pool? That's where multiple streams of water would come in handy. Suppose you'd set a garden hose at each end of the pool, attached to different spigots. When the first hose is severed, the second one continues filling the pool. Add to that three or four additional hoses and you guarantee your pool never stops filling.

That's the best possible situation for your pool, and for your bank account. Placing your faith in one job for all your income leaves you open to the possibility that garden hose will be severed. Developing several streams of income into your bank account means if one is depleted, the others continue to perform.

It also means that if all those streams of income continue over time, your swimming pool gets filled to overflowing. And isn't that a great thing to have our bank accounts do?

So, how does that look in the life of a regular person? I'm talking about someone who wants to balance work and leisure, to have a real life at the end of the day. There's no point in creating three or four full-time jobs for yourself; you won't enjoy your life and no one can sustain that pace.

Those who are most successful at setting up several income bases are operating home based businesses. But they aren't plugging away at home doing full-time jobs; they're networking with other entrepreneurs, gaining leads and exploring opportunities wherever they present themselves.

Many of them are involved in MLM networks, creating passive income that pours money into their bank accounts whether they're working or not. The global reach created by the Internet allows these business owners to introduce millions of people to home based business opportunities. They nurture those fledgling businesses while receiving income from their resulting downline.

What they aren't doing is hoping they'll always have a job. They aren't banking on a career that may disappear tomorrow. They're in their home offices, growing businesses online and they're feeling the security of multiple streams of income.

If you're ready to experience that kind of security, it's time to investigate how to start earning passive income. There are many legitimate opportunities within MLM networks and online business programs, and there's no reason you can't take advantage of them.

Start several hoses running into your pool by doing your research and choosing the business opportunities that fit your life. By doing so, you're building a life that's filled to overflowing.