My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 15

I was having a hard time thinking about where to send the tithe money today and I decided that it would best go to Focus on the Family, a nice little place out in Colorado Springs, CO. I have always enjoyed their messages and media.

The rest of the money ($13,500) would go to re-decorating my entire bedroom. I would rip e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g out of it and start all over again. I would get new windows, new furniture, a new bed, new lamps, a new floor, new rugs, rip out the closets and have them insulated and lights installed. I would have my friend Elizabeth, who works with California Closets come in and design both our closets, and have a designer come in and organize the rest of the room. Between the designers, the material, new bed linens and comforters and pillows, and all the rest of the stuff, I am sure I would be able to spend every last penny to make my bedroom sheer perfection. I would even get a bose system to soothe my musical soul.

Welcome to the World of Wikinomics

"Welcome to the world of Wikinomics where collaboration...is set 2 change every institution in society." from the book Wikinomics I got a special treat yesterday. The opportunity to read the book entitled: Wikinomics. What is Wikinomics you ask? I think the quote above explains it quite well, but I will expand on the topic. It is the mass collaboration of information and of individual who together make up the new, growing economic future. It is a place where one can count bigger and better than before. It is a wave that is growing by leaps and bounds and is not to be ignored. Ignoring it is death in the future business world. Incorporating is life. Change or die. Its that simple. Stake your claim in the future world and you will succeed. Stay stuck in the old ways of doing things and you will be just that: stuck. In the first chapter so far, the story is told of a Canadian Gold Mining Company whose President stepped way out of the box and used his knowledge of Wikinomics and applied them to benefit his company. They integrated it so flawlessly that it made more discoveries of gold than they thought possible. They attracted, through the use of the newly created global community exactly what they needed and so much more. I am excited to keep reading this book. I will post more as I read alongs its pages.

Here is one more quote before I go: "Individuals now share knowledge, computing power, bandwith, and other resources to create a wide array of free and open source goods and services that anyone can use or modify" "All one needs is a computer, a network connection, and a bright spark of initiative and creativity to join in the economy."

Heres to sparks.

All the Best,

Your Friend,

Alicia Bozza

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 14

$14,000 day is today. My tithe would go to several different sources: some to church ($400), some to other charities of my choice. Probably four of my favorites dividing them equally.

Then I would take the $12,600 and spend it on organizing the house from top to bottom with BIG help! I would hire a team of people to purchase the proper equipment of have it built to suit. I would organize everything from the closets to the toys. It would be cleaned and all organized. I would be so excited to see that everything has a place! The kids would also be trained in the use of this new environment that they would be living in!

What a day that will be.

Then I would take a hot bath.

All the Best,
Your Friend,
Alicia Bozza

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 13

Happy New Year!!
On the 13th day of my experiment, the tithe money is going to a group I recently found on the internet called Ecuador Missions. They are already doing one of the things I would like to do on my "list of things to do in life" list. They are providing help to the indigenous people of Ecuador. When I was 19, I had the chance to visit the indigenous people of Ecuador in a tribe located near a place called Cuya Beno. It was an exhilarating trip. I am lucky to have been there. Recently, 2 of my eldest boys traveled there and they loved it. I cannot wait to return. I want to make a difference...but since I cannot right this moment in time, I am going to send $1300 to them to help build much needed bathroom facilities.

The remaining $11,700 will be spent on cleaning out and finishing part of my basement with most of the work being clean out. We have a 140 year old home and the basement is more of a cellar. I need it to be cleaned out, sanitized and organized, so I would take that money and put it toward that badly needed project. A LOT of things would be thrown out, let me tell you!!
Here is a picture similar to what my cellar looks like:
The finished product of this particular cellar can be found on: http://tinyurl.com/a52uej

I love the way it came out...it gives me hope to have a nicer looking cellar in the future.

All the Best,
Your Friend,
Alicia

My take on Randy Gage's Manifesto

Here are some simple notes and comments by me about the manifesto by Randy Gage. I am excited to say that it was everything I expected it to be and more. Randy is right and I can honestly say that I "get it", but that is mainly due in part to the Mentoring For Free Group (MFF) that I am proudly involved with. Let's delve in a little. Here are some of Randy's valid points:

MLM lies:
1. Everyone can do this.
2. The Celebrity Lead Magnet
3. The Urban Legends
4. The quick and easy way to get rich mentality
5. Selling Big Business results with Big Business tactics

POINT 1:
On the first point, well, we believe everyone CAN, but does not want to do this business. Imagine trying to recruit a rocket scientist to become a rock star. Now, I am sure there would be cases where this might be, but the likelihood is very small. Your chances of success at it would be close to none and that is only if you ask a TON of people. One thing that I HATED in network marketing was to hear "its a numbers game" which translated to me: YOU ARE NOT WORKING ENOUGH! and whose paycheck was I mostly building? My up line's. Not mine.
Yes, everyone can "do" network marketing, but do they want to "do" it? My MFF training tells me that 70% of the people in the world are not the "sales" type. Uh Oh. What now?!? Do we just look for the 30% who do, or do we create a system that includes more of the 70%? Hmmm.

POINT 2: Celebrity
I have learned from my training that this tactic does not work since the celebrity is just that. A celebrity. Would you ask your dentist to perform heart surgery on your Uncle Jack? Never! It's unheard of! Why do the same in the Network Marketing Industry. Celebrity does not always equal success in every realm. (Did you notice many celebrity marriages don't work?)

POINT 3: The Urban Legends
Donald Trump said this, your Aunt Bessy said that....whatever it is you have heard, spend some time doing the due diligence and connect yourself to a group that will "spill it" for free. There are so many out there charging money for what is available if you have the right connections. Thank goodness I have an "Uncle" in "the business"....if you know what I mean. Connect yourself with a group that will tell it like it is. No holds barred. We have a free call that goes over compensation plans. No names named, just the facts, Jack. You can make up your own mind. You can contact me to get the juicy details.

POINT 4: The Quick and Easy Way
Here is where you can buy into the lie that it only takes 5-6 hours a week to "make it." Yeah, right. What happens when you are chugging along and you get about 2 or 3 superstars? Will you have time to keep up with them and support them along the way? How much time will you have to devote to them? One of the biggest mlm "crimes" is the dumping of the charges. That is where you learn to "leave the dead alone." That is well and good for "business", but what happened to the promises you made them in the beginning. Didn't you promise them a change of life? Support is key. I remember one company I was in would pinpoint when the critical times were and we were supposed to sweep in and capture them from falling away. What happens when they don't answer the phone? If the support is not built in for the person who may want to devote part time hours, they will fail, correct? MFF is a system that supports any business with a system that can flawlessly integrate into your business no matter what that business is. It is not quick and easy, but simple and it works. In the end, it all takes time. It may take you 2 to 5 years, but be persistent and in the right company for YOU and it will work.

POINT 5: Selling Big Business results with Big Business tactics
Yes, using what works for the big guy will NOT work for you in the long run. You can pass out fliers and use bumber stickers and buttons, but how duplicatable is that? Not very. If you can't imagine 70% of the population doing what you are doing,(otherwise knows as green and yellow)
your chances of succeeding are lessened. It will not work to help you make 50K a month. I so agree with this because I tried these tatics and they are a waste of time. I think sometimes the gurus would preach this just to have a social experiment going on to amuse them. Well maybe not literally, but it is what it turned out to be for me. What you are doing MUST be duplicatable IF you want to hit it, big time.

That is all for now. I will blog later on anther part: Deceptions.

Happy New Year!
All the Best!
Your Friend,
Alicia Bozza

Can you really know that it is TRUE?

Can you? What stories are you telling yourself in the back of your mind? What is bothering you that you are not even aware of? What is your mind telling you? Are you choosing to believe it? One of the greatest teachers I have come to follow is a wonderful woman by the name of Byron Katie. If you have never heard of her, you are in for a special treat. Her gift to us is a free process by which you can figure out if the stories in your head are true or if it is a concoction that you heard as a kid or percieve as true. I'm not good enough....I'm too old, too fat, too unschooled, too ugly. "Who would you be without that thought?" Is one of my favorite questions. Here are some more: "Who would I be without my story?" "Who am I without my story?"

Here are her four turn around questions:

Is it true?

Can you absolutely know that it's true?

How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

Who would you be without the thought?

Then turn it around (the concept you are questioning), and don't forget to find three genuine examples of each turnaround.

If you, like me, are taking the time to look back over the year and see what you did, congratulate yourself, then look to see what you could have changed, you need to see Katie's site.

http://thework.com/thework.asp#howto

It is entirely free and so worth your time.

Happy New Year and here's to an amazing 2009

All the Best,

Your Friend,

Alicia Bozza

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 12

It is day 12 of my experiment and I have decided that I want to donate my $1200 to a woman's work who has given me tremendous peace. Her name is Byron Katie and she is a true blessing to this world. Just look at her face. She is priceless and she will show you how you can see the same about yourself.

As for the rest of the money, $10,800, I will put it toward building my studio above my garage in my backyard. I would design it much like this one:




























(Above is Tullen Studio where my Son recorded a demo for a Broadway Show that never came to fruition based on Dennis the Menace. Pictured here is Skip Tullen, a very talented guy.) But my favorite studio is Watersign Creative ran by my favorite recording guy, Guy Parker. The chair pictured at the top is the chair I sit in to record. I love being there with a passion, but boy, is it work! I would love to have my own studio to record in with my husband Dan, who loves to be in front of a mixer. We would make quite the recording pair. :)

Dipping into the passion pool this morning....

My heart is burning this morning. Truly burning. I have been watching recording sessions of Celine Dion this morning. It is truly good for my soul and not in the way you might think. If you caught some of my bio, you would see that I too am a recording artist as well, just not in the capacity that Celine is....but when I watch her in the studio, my heart burns in the desire to be there myself. I am drawn to it like a fly to the flame. Take me to a Broadway Show and I cry through most of it. Why? I have such a burning desire to be there. I want to be on that stage more than anything. Sometimes I look around me and see all seven of my children and how I am getting older and it frightens me. Am I missing my calling? This is when I need to turn to help to soften the voices that speak untruths in my head. More on that later. What do I do to help quench the burning, scalding flame in my heart, well sing, of course. Thankfully, I have an delicious outlet in my church with adoring fans to boot. I am in my element in my song. I am connected to my creator and I fill my cup full with passion as I live my destiny in my song. I am lifted up, up into a spiritual realm and the emotions that fill me are contagiously flowing into the atmosphere around me. I am one with the souls present and that passion is what drives me to keep believing, keep hoping that maybe one day I could share my passion with more people. I want to shout out to the world! Here I am! Take me! I want to share my song with you....and then there are dishes, shouting (the kid kind, mostly) floors to be washed, things to be organized, places to go, appointments to be met...and I let myself be distracted from the fire in my heart.

Sometimes, in the quite, I wonder if it is all slipping away from my fingers and maybe it is just where I am supposed to be and I weep the loss of my imagined singing career. Then other times I could see so clearly being on stage, I could almost touch it. Those are the times that my heart soars in anticipation and I allow myself to have an expectation that almost hurts since I cannot see it at this moment in time. I don't expect to be Celine. I am not, nor will I ever be her. I am me. I want to be me.

One very special lady truly helps me in my spells and internal trials. Her name is Byron Katie and she could help you too, if you allow her. Google her name. She is truly a treasure. If she were here right now, she would say to me, "Tell me your statement" and I would tell her something like: "Being an at home Mom is not allowing me to live out my dream to be a singer" and she would say, "can you absolutely know that this is true?" and I would tell her: "No Katie, I cannot." Then she would say: "Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that your statement is true?" Then she would say: "Who would you be without that thought?" and I would tell her, "blissful, happy, carefree, hopeful, a kinder person, not fearful of my future." Then she would probably say: "What kind of Mom would you be without that thought?" and I would say: "kinder to my children, more of joyful Mom"....and she would say: "exactly." How cleansing is that?

So, in my self session today, I guess my point is to heal myself and maybe give others the power of The Work of Byron Katie. In this New Year, I hope that I could share the treasure I have found in this amazing woman. She helps me keep the flame of my dream alive.

All the Best,
Your Friend,
Alicia
http://AandDmusic.airset.com

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 11

Some of you may be wondering if I am getting bored with this experiment. NO WAY! Imagination is the key to your dreams, so let me dream on! On the 11 th day of my experiment, my brainwaves gave to me!

$1100 to Good Counsel Homes It is a place for pregnant women to go to if they are in need.

Chris Bell and Father Benedict found an abandoned convent in Hoboken, New Jersey and in March 1985, the first home for mothers and children opened its doors. Since 1985, more than 3,500 women and children have received residential help at Good Counsel.

The remaining $9,900, $2000 would go to pay for part of the Sienna we financed, so that it would bring it down to a $30,000 pay off. Here is a picture of what it would look like on the inside:

We would need 8 seats since we only have 1 kid driving and the others cannot. Plus, having 8 seats would allow me to travel with all the kids if I needed to. I think I like the blue finish best, now that I am looking at it.

The rest of the money would go toward having someone tear up my kitchen floor, level it and put down some new tile or pergo flooring. If you are curious as to what I would pick, you can click here and see it.
And that would about wrap it up for a day's spending!

See you tomorrow!

All the Best,
Alicia Bozza

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 10

It's a $10,000 day! Woo Hoo! Double digits! As the first tenth goes off to tithe, I think I will send it in the direction of my church again as they still need in need of about 14 Million dollars! Click here and you can see what it will look like.

The remaining $9000 will go to our porch renovation. It is badly needed since it is probably as old as the house! We had the stairs done, but the rest of the flooring is in need of finishing too. We have some gingerbread on our house, but I would like to implement more. I really like the house pictured here, but maybe mixed with the khaki house below. I always wanted to have a bellowed out window where I could put up my Christmas tree and to have a place within the kitchen to eat everyday. Oh yeah... the kitchen....that is SO for another day! I will have to wait several other days before I even tackle that one!
Keep dreaming!
All the best!
Alicia

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 9

Day 9: $9000

Today I get to spend $9000 in my experiment today. The tithe money of $900 would go to the RZIM Ministry. Ravi Zacharias is a Christian Apologetic who sometimes, I admit, I cannot wrap my brain around, but he makes some amazing points and I like him.

As far as my personal spending goes, I would take the $8100 and use $4000 toward paying down the van I financed on Day 5 (that would make $8000 towards paying off the car)
and $4100 to pay for new plumbing in the downstairs and upstairs bathrooms. We have a 125 year old house and it needs some updating. I know that it does not sound very glamorous, but it is something that needs to be done. If there was anything left over, I would take the family out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Atillio's in Dover, NJ. Such great Italian food!