My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 22

On day 22, I will give the tithe money to my church again, this time for the Appalachia Outreach Program. My wonderful father-in-law has, for years, gone on this trip, even though he is in his 70s to help fix up houses (he was even on the roof!) So, in honor of him and all those in Appalachia who need help, this one is for you!

$2,200 to the Appalachia Group, $19,800 left over. Today the money is going to go to finishing up the Garage Project, as I will now affectionately call it. Some money went to it yesterday, for clearing the land, some equipment and now, today, it will go towards the actual building of it. I just found out, according to this awesome website http://www.garaga.com/build-garage.aspx (just added it to my delicious site) that it would cost about $19,500! Right on the money!

All the Best!
Alicia

Wikinomics Pt 2

So excited to be immersed in this book! I have so much to tell you all! I think what I like best about what I have read so far is that Web 2.0 is leveling the playing field in so many different ways.

Everyone has a better shot at broadcasting themselves than ever before. My dream is to record professionally. I can keep putting info out there in the right directions and wah lah! I could get noticed....or I could just get lost in the sea of information ....but we are going to be positive and imagine the former. Take Twitter for example (you can follow me here!) I have some popular singers on my blog. Let's say the singers and I get friendly on Twitter. We message about....what ever....we become Twitter Friends (Twends?) and I happen to post a link to my latest home made video on You Tube (you can subscribe here!) Famous singer person watches it because we have become friends. FSP likes what they see! They want me to come and sing for them to take a closer look! See?!? Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to suck you into my dream world. (I promise I will not do that again...at least in this post.)

The principles of Wikinomics are turning the traditional way of doing business upside down. It's not your Daddy's world anymore. The way things used to be are coming quickly to a halt. The dawn of collaboration is here and it is closing the old ways down quick. Those who are not in synch with the new way of doing business are going to flounder or die out. The need for change eminent since those who are prepared to do business in the Web 2.0 world will supersede those who dig in their heels to the old way of doing business. They will need to be open to the new way of doing things through "openess, peering, sharing and acting globally" according to the book. This new openness will force companies to realize that the act of holding the cards close to their proverbial chests is not the way to go in the world of Wikinomics. Those who let their guard down and take the time to immerse themselves in this new way will be rewarded handsomely, especially those who have already made a name for themselves. They have the advantage of familiarity, but that is no longer going to be enough to carry them. Opening themselves up to the Web 2.0 world will also give them opportunities to flourish since opening up their doors to talent unknown will give them the upper hand in the latest goings on. Those with amazing talent that do not wish to be tied down to a traditional company can lend their talents, be paid for it and still be free. Quite a deal, in my opinion.

There are those who are fighting the leading edge of the Web 2.0 wave. The IT industry was in battle with open systems which offer free products, for fear they would bleed the entire industry, but as of late, are joining in since consumers are being trained to take advantage of those free products. I personally was able to make my Twitter page look really professional through a free application called My Tweet Space.com http://www.mytweetspace.com/ I love it because I can take advantage of a free application that helps to brand me as an up and coming Twitter Queen and they (I am sure) have all my info to market me another day. Can you see it happening already here? I have, in this blog, promoted this site, because they gave it to me for free. You, if you had a Twitter account (and if you don't, you should!) would at least check out the site to have the latest on your Twitter site. You want to be a part of the "IN" crowd. (After all, its free!) Speaking of the"IN"crowd, the playing field got leveled down a whole lot more. Within the web 2.0 community, there are those emmerging who may have otherwise been unknown, like iJustine, who I think is just adorable. Freaky, but adorable. She makes these crazy videos....just click on her and see for yourself. Yes, she is gorgeous and talented, but you know that not all the gorgeous and talented people make it in the great white way or the throes of Hollywood.

You can check out the Wikinomics site to see the latest and greatest by the contributors on their site at http://www.wikinomics.com/blog/ That is all for today! I will be reporting again soon!

All the Best,

Alicia Bozza

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 21

On the 21st day of my experiment, I am going to give $2100 to my church for the Haiti village we are building. It is such a testament to our wonderful church that it does so many things and has so many ministries. Around here, Notre Dame is the place to be! I am blessed to be a part of it.



OK! $18,900....with that money, I would like to purchase some necessities for the studio I am building. It is kind of ironic that my post for the 12th day was dedicated to the studio and here I am at 21 and the studio comes up again. I will take it as a good sign. The $10,800 going towards my studio would probably be spent on equipment, the $18,900 would be spent on clearing the land, widening the driveway and paving the driveway....$14,000....and the remaining $4,900 will be spent on blueprints, permits and some instruments for the kids to play in the studio. Gavin would love a new guitar and Justin, some great amps and mics. What a happy day!
All the Best!
Alicia

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 20

Twenty days....I cannot believe that many days have passed. Wow... My $2000 tithe will go to help the needy in Costa Rica. They experienced an earthquake that registered over 6.0 on the Richter Scale and they really could use some help.

$18,000 would pay for a trip to Costa Rica since that is where the money would need to go. I have a friend with some family there and I would take my family to Costa Rica to do whatever we could to help those in need. The money would be used for our travel, hotel stay, rental cars, and a guide as well as other things to make our trip complete. We would also travel to another side of the island to enjoy some of its beauty after we complete our mission to help.

Napoleon Reflection

Build a stronger fire under your desire. Napoleon Hill from Chapter 9
Reading the great book again. Makes for a great read the 5th time.

What makes you build a stronger fire? Knowing. Knowing exactly what it is
you want. Picturing it. Picturing it in your mind so clearly that you could see
the color of the sky on the day that you go and get that which you desire.
So clearly that you could see the condition of your house, the smell of the
breeze and the color of your clothes. The mood of those around you.
Everything. When you could picture it so clearly that you can taste it and
you are not anxious about it, it when you are that many steps closer to
your goal. I always have believed that it is who you know not what you know,
since it always seemed to appear to me that way, but I am starting to believe
that those people that you need to meet appear when you mentally prepare
yourself to be in the position to meet that person. Did you ever notice that
the right people seem to appear when you are ready to meet them? They just
seem to come right at the perfect moment. Was it a plain coincidence or did the
attraction of your desire and the desire of the person to help coincide?
I dare to say the latter.

I can honestly say that as a child I was always singing and very dramatic, so
my Mom used to always say that I belonged on Broadway. I really never
gave it much thought since I knew she was saying it in a negative manner,
but today I believe she is right! I never really knew I could sing growing up.
I once had someone say, "You have the voice of a god! Can't you hear your
own voice?" and I truthfully tell them that really did not know. It was just
what I heard everyday and did not think twice about it. As a 10th grader,
I tried out for a play at school and made it to the call backs. I was thrilled.
At the audition, my good friend Gwen tried out too. I did not think she had
as good a voice as mine. She made it. I didn't. I sat.....for years...doing
nothing else. I allowed the auditioners decide my fate at that moment.
Not until after college did I get the courage to try again, this time, in church.
I walked up to the music minister and asked if I could cantor (a term we use
to describe a leader of song) and he asked me if I could read music. I told
him no, and he told me the same. Rejected again. So I settled for the choir.
Years later, someone asked me if I sang at Wedding Ceremonies. I told them
"YES!" (I never had before) It was a success. My Wedding business began.
Years passed by and we changed churches and to my surprise the very same
music minister appeared telling me I had such a beautiful voice. "Oh really?"
I said, "you told me I couldn't sing!" He immediately turned red and stammered,
"I did?" and I relayed the story to him of how he did not let me sing at the other
church years before. My persistence paid off! I wanted to sing and I kept on
trying until I succeeded.

One of my personal dreams is to be on BROADWAY so it was a curious thing to
listen to Napoleon Hill speak of a person making it on Broadway. He called it
the "graveyard of dead hopes and the front porch of opportunity." Wow.
What truth in that statement. Well, which is it? The graveyard or the porch
of opportunity? Only we get to choose. I choose the porch of opportunity.
It is not my job to worry about how the gate will open up onto the porch,
but instead it is my job to keep walking toward the gate,
know it will open and allow me to walk onto that porch of opportunity. Gosh,
I'd settle for a step...just to be close to the Great White Way. In the meanwhile,
I'm happy at whatever mic I could find wherever I could find it. That is my job
for today and I am learning to love it anyway.

All the Best,
Alicia

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 19

Day 19 of my experiment....it does seem that money is on its way. That was the goal of the whole experiment....to be more open minded about receiving. As I am adding more and more money, it is unnerving to notice how I am almost getting a feeling of guilt! The more money I have, the more money I can spread into my world, my community, then my life. All my goals involve other people, other businesses! I cannot do this myself. I must learn to feel comfortable with money or I will never let money flow my way. I will block it. I want the money to flow to me and so I am blogging about it to allow my mind to let it in.

OhhhKay! Now that I have that off my chest, here goes today's plans. Today's tithe money ($1800) is going to go to a nice family in who was affected by Hurricane Katrina. I will let my friend David pick who it goes to. He is in contact with people there. He will know where to take it.

The remainder of the money ($17,100) will go to pay for the van (I believe there is $20,000 left, so I'd pay half) and the $7000 left over will go to pay for bills and a new railing in my hallway along with a new coat of paint and new flooring.

In a rush today....promise pictures tomorrow!

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 18

My day, 18. $18,000. There is so much to do. First, tithe. I have been thinking about where the money would go today and I really have to stop and think.....but I have decided that today, the $1800 would go to a sweet Priest, Fr. Pat, who runs a daily morning prayer e-mail that I subscribe to. He is going through chemo right now, so keep him in your prayers. He is so humble about asking for donations. I hope he will be surprised.

As for the remaining $16,200, I would take that money and put $10,000 into a credit card for Gavin to have a college money. It would be so much fun to hand him the money and say, here is a loaded up credit card for school ONLY. Then I would take the other money and spend it on re-decorating my other sons' room. It is a long room, so there is lots to do. I also have a linen closet in there as well that I would re-do. Lots of paint, new beds, new curtains, black out blinds, pictures in frames, new furniture...all the trimmings. If there was enough money left over, (which I doubt) I would have Elizabeth come in to do their closet. If not, I would get those magic hanger things and put lots of them in the closet for more space.

All the Best!
Your Friend,
Alicia

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 17

On the 17th day of my experiment, I will give my tithe money to help the Sisters of Charity in Newark. When I was a little girl, my parents used to take me to the Sister's Soup Kitchen on a regular basis. I remember they even took me once at Christmas and I helped to serve the poor their food and just be friendly. It was a humbling experience, but one I think I will have to take my children to one day just to allow them to realize that they have it good. My greatest reward in going to the soup kitchen was when Mother Teresa, in the flesh, came to the Soup Kitchen to be with us and speak to us at the end of the celebration of a Mass. It was so cool to meet her. She touched us kids and she touched our hearts. What a privilege to be in the presence of a Saint.


I am so lucky. Almost makes me feel guilty to spend the money today, but, for the sake of the experiment, here goes. I will take the remaining $15,300 and spend it on paying the van off some more, I believe there is $25,000 left, so I will pay off another $5000, making it $20K.
The remaining $20,000 will be used to repair the deck in the back yard and the fence that runs along the back yard. I have always wanted to have that fixed. I will also replace the fence in the front of the house and have a railing installed on the roof of my porch which is outside the window of a couple of the bedrooms. (We have had children venture out there! The very last thing I would do is to replace the railing on the edge of the little balcony of my bedroom. That should cover it! See you tomorrow!

Playing Ball

Most of my network marketing career, I would hear, only play ball with those who want to play ball with you! Throw them the ball and when they throw it back to you, you know you have a team player! That was all well and good, but I always felt like no one wanted to play with me. I always thought it was me. Was I not good enough, pretty enough, tall enough, not respectable enough? What was wrong with me? Why didn't anyone want to play with me? I would study the latest closing techniques, put them to memory, practice in front of the mirror and even use them....to no avail. I went to meetings, events, purchased material, and still not as much luck as I wanted! Why was this happening to me. Is it something I did in my childhood that I am paying for? Whaaaa!

Now, of course I did not voice these things out loud, but I would feel anxious and edgy to all those around me without really knowing why exactly. My Director in my company would tell me that I was a great leader and that I was doing great, but I did not believe her. Why? The evidence wasn't there. Who was to blame in my mind? ME. Well, there was nothing wrong with the company, right? Wrong! No company is perfect for that matter, but when you have a company that is designed to support only those who are the most cut throat and a do or die attitude, then is it the fault of the person who is just not cut out that way? I think not. Recently, though, I found a system in which I have found some team players. None of them coerced, not of them lulled in by any false pretenses....they have come of their own accord....willingly. It has been exciting to hear the words: "Did you know that your lack of success is NOT your fault?" What? It isn't? You mean I don't have to blame myself anymore? WOW! I can't begin to tell you the freedom that simple sentence gives. Freedom from blame, freedom from shame. It's not my fault.....ahhhhhh. Now I can pick myself up again with a renewed hope and PLAY BALL!

For more about this amazing system, feel free to check it out at optiongiver.com or contact me at bizzymom7@gmail.com or send me a twitter at http://twitter.com/aliciabozza or call me at 973-664-9658

My THOUSAND Dollar experiment....Day 16

Ok, here is day 16....$16,000....what's a girl to do? First off, I will surprise my old church with a donation toward a new organ that is badly needed. Who knows if they will use it toward that, but I will offer it to them anyway. Why am I giving to my old church? I don't know....they need it.

$14,400 is what is left for today. I am chomping at the bit for this one!! I am going to re-decorate my girl's room today. I am going to hire back Elizabeth for the girl's closet, get new windows, pull out the rug, get all new furniture, a very cool bunk bed with top of the line tempurpedic mattresses, 4 sets of brand new sheets, new baby mattresses (top of the line) a new crib for Bella, Princess netting to go over her bed, new paint including chalk board paint, since V likes to write on our walls! (ARGH!!) New dressers, everything custom designed for the room for girls (and one little boy who is with them) Maybe it will be a Princessy except for one corner, being his. It will take a lot of time and money since it will be custom made for mostly girls, but one boy. I will take some of the money, though and help pay down the Sienna we purchased. I think there is $30,000 left, so I will give $5000 toward it, so that would make it down to $25,000. Maybe I will knock most of it off on day 25. Who knows? Not to worry, another $1000 will be added to tomorrow's total anyway. :) Gotta run!