Are You Attracting Abundance?

I got 99 problems, but money ain't one.

I got a praise report from someone on the Millionaire Journey last week:

THE LORD IS GOOD! I got $150.00 PAYOUT! HALLELUJAH! Im sooooooooooo happy right now! ~Brandyn, Minneapolis, MN

By the way, this message came from my 21-year-old daughter who happens to be following MJ on Facebook. She has been tithing religiously her entire life. And I'm always in awe at how she NEVER worries about money, and always has enough to cover all of her expenses. She's a full-time college student, studying criminal justice at a 2-year college. Her plans are to transfer to a 4-year college after she graduates, and then go to law school. She has her own apartment and also works full-time at a bank. And she is as cheap as she wants to be.

Well, I guess I shouldn't call her cheap, but rather discerning about where she spends her money. But, one thing I will say, N-O-B-O-D-Y gets her tithes. Even if she misses church one Sunday, she will put it aside until the next, or mail it in. She NEVER worries about money. She even admits that sometimes she doesn't even know how she manages to meet all of her financial obligations. All she knows is that she's faithful and the Lord provides. It's the principles of sowing and reaping. If you sow a seed, you will reap a harvest.

I started this journey with Kim and Tina knowing that I would be a millionaire within 365 days. But, evenso, I refuse to hoard money in an effort to get to my million; I have to give to get. I'm a devout Christian, who believes God's word to be true, "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."
Luke 6:38

The Bible is very clear that whatsoever you give, it will be given back to you, good measure, pressed down shaken together, running over. And it's not all about money. If you give love, happiness, peace, joy, then that's what will come back. At the same token, if you give grief, strife, anger, insult, then that is what will be returned to you, pressed down, shaken together, until your cup runs over.

Even corporations believe in tithing or giving charities, as some call it. They believe in planting seeds in the community to reap a harvest to stay in business. Their faith is in their giving.

Where is your faith?

Lisa Maria Carroll, is one of the 3 women, along with Kim Crouch and Tina Fortune, who are on the Millionaire Journey. You can follow us on the Journey by joining the Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Millionaire-Journey/165487378056?ref=ts or the Millionaire Journey blog at http://1yearmillionaires.blogspot.com

Start Saving for Next Year's Christmas Now

Christmas is coming! Christmas is coming! You know, kind of like it did on December 25th last year. But if you're like me, it somehow always manages to sneak up on us every year and catch us by surprise. Now, how can we expect to get to our million if we're constantly being off caught guard by things that we should be planning for? And that means having a cash reserve to cover annual Christmas expenses.

But, next year I'm going to be telling a different story. Why? Because I visited my credit union a few weeks ago and opened up a Christmas club account. I was standing in line waiting to do business with the teller when I looked over and saw the sign, "Open your Christmas club account today."

Quite honestly, I didn't know Christmas club accounts still existed. But, with the stroke of a pen on a few forms, I'm already planning for Christmas 2010. And you can too.

What you should know:

• Start your Christmas account in December (why put it off?). That way if you invest a small amount ($5-$10) every week, you’ll be looking at a sizeable amount come November when your funds become available.
  
• Many banks and credit unions don’t advertise Christmas clubs, but almost all offer them. Talk to a teller or banker about opening one.
  
• Start a budget for next Christmas now, and stick to it. Then, whatever is accumulated by November 1st, is all that you will spend for the holidays--nothing more. I committed to $20/bi-weekly, and I have it direct deposited directly into my account from paycheck. Plus, the credit union will make my last payment for me. That's a whopping $500 that I'll have saved for Christmas next year.

Lisa Maria Carroll, is one of the 3 women, along with Kim Crouch and Tina Fortune, who are on the Millionaire Journey. You can follow us on the Journey by joining the Facebook Fan Page at http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Millionaire-Journey/165487378056?ref=ts or the Millionaire Journey blog at http://1yearmillionaires.blogspot.com

Old Habits Die Hard

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

I make too much damn money to broke. I’m just going to put it out there, and keep it all the way real. All of my kids are grown, and I live waaay below my means, except for when it comes to “loaning” money. I got a bad habit of taking care of other folks before I take care of myself. In other words, I spend more time worrying about other people’s problems than they do. And, let me just put it this way, I could probably be a millionaire if I were to call in all the “loans” that I’ve never gotten a payment on.

Now before anybody stands up to tell me how blessed I’m going to be for helping others, sit down for a minute and let me finish…

God has charged me to be a few things, and a fool isn’t one of them. The Word of God charges us to be as wise as serpents and harmless as a dove. It’s downright foolish and unwise to loan and give money that you don’t have. And that’s what I’ve done over and over again in the past. But, no more, because God also charges me to be a good steward over the things that he blesses me with. A steward is a manager. And how well am I managing the things that he has entrusted to me—including money—if I loan bill money, and then I can’t pay my bills? God gets no glory out of me—or you—living with no electricity or heat because we’ve loaned our money to someone who wasn’t a good steward over theirs either.

It’s Day 12 of the Millionaire Journey, and although I’m still 353 days away from being a millionaire dollar-wise, I definitely have a renewed million-dollar mindset. And to God be the glory. People don’t need my money, they need my motivation (Wallace D. Wattles). Otherwise, I’ll continue to stay broke. Correction, they’ll continue to stay broke, because as a man thinks, so he is. And my thinking has changed. There’s no more meandering in mediocrity for me.

Lisa Maria Carroll

Making An Income Stream Out of Taking Surveys

Believe it or not, there are legitimate ways to make money on line. Completing surveys and participating in online focus groups are such an example. Many companies pay anywhere from $2 to $150 depending on the amount of effort involved. Focus groups are going to pay about $75-$150 but they are going to take between an hour to an hour and a half to complete.

While you won’t get rich from completing surveys, you can build up your survey base such that it becomes a good source to add to your income stream, which is critical to becoming a millionaire. Today alone, I took 16 surveys ranging in amount from $1 to $75. The good thing about surveys is you can decide how many you want to take or if you want to take them at all.

Now there are a lot of survey companies out there. Some are scams. Under no circumstances should you ever have to pay to take surveys. Be wary of any company charging a fee to provide you a list of companies that offer surveys. As this list is readily available for free over the internet.

After years of completing surveys on line, I have compiled a list of the survey companies I believe to be the best based off the frequency of surveys sent and the amount of compensation. They include the following:


American Consumer Online Panel - They invite you to fill out surveys online. Once finished with the survey, you will receive cash, a check, a gift, and/or an entry in a drawing (values typically range from $4.00 to $25.00 per completed survey). Even if you are not selected for a survey, your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Sign up at http://acop.com/

Survey Savvy - This is the online division of Luth Research, a leader in market research for nearly 25 years. Surveys range from $2 to $50. What’s unique about survey savvy is you also get paid for not only the surveys you take but also for surveys taken by your referrals and their referrals. This is sort of a MLM survey but it is pretty lucrative if you can create a team under you of people interested in taking surveys. To sign up go to: https://www.surveysavvy.com?id=498688&action=join

Mindfield - Earn cash and prizes for each completed survey. They send out surveys frequently. Sign up at: http://mindfieldonline.com/referral/b2da765f

Focus Forward – one of the better of the survey companies they pay anywhere for $2 to $150 depending on the type of survey. They offer a lot of focus groups which usually take between an hour to 1.5 hours and can be done via phone or online but the pay is usually between $75-$150 for participation. Sign up at: http://focusfwdonline.com/

Valued Opinions – also a very good company. They send surveys frequently and pay anywhere from $2 to $15 a survey. Occasionally, they have some surveys that pay out at $50. Sign up: http://www.valuedopinions.com/

My View - My View is another one of my favorites because of the frequency of surveys sent and the amount of compensation awarded. The good thing about them is you’ll know in the beginning if you are disqualified or not. They pay with My View points, which means that 1 point constitutes $1. http://portal.myview.com/portal/app?cmd=Acquisition&token=1:00019215:0004:2796:1933


Pinecone Research--one of the most well-respected and best survey companies to work for. They only accept applications every few months for a short time period so it’s imperative that you sign up when they are having “open enrollment.” If you qualify and are accepted, you'll be promptly paid $3 for every survey you complete. Plus, you'll have possible opportunities to try out full-size products for free. http://www.pineconeresearch.com/


Believe me when I say the opportunity to make money completing surveys is plentiful. Like anything else you have to expend a bit of effort upfront on sign up. But once you complete that, there is plenty of opportunity to make money.

How to Make Money with Clickbank

One of the ways that we identified to make money online is through Clickbank. Clickbank is a marketplace where people can either sell their e-goods or sign up to sell other people's e-goods. Most people have at least one product of their own to sell that can be downloaded without needing any part of it to be physically shipped. But even if you don't, you can still be an affiliate.

As part of my effort to identify--and take advantage of--all possible revenue streams, I reactivated my Clickbank account. I signed up for it over a year ago, but never used it. In other words, that's a year's worth of passive income that I could have been generating. But, no sense in crying over spilled milk.

So, looking ahead, here's how you can also start making money through Clickbank:

1. Visit: http://www.clickbank.com/, and decide if you want to be an affiliate (promote products), or a vendor (sell products). Clickbank will then send all of your sign-up information via email.
2. Identify a niche. Search the Clickbank marketplace to see what categories are available. Tailor your e-goods (ebooks, software) to fit categories that are not already filled with similar items. Also, give your products a fresh angle that will make it different from any similar products.
3. As a vendor, you will need to register for a seller's account. Pay the startup fee and have your account confirmed.
4. Create a website, landing page or newsletter to advertise your product. Write a sales letter or page that accurately describes the product and what it can do for the buyer. Use highly-searched keywords in order to get search engine traffic to your page.
5. Submit your page and your product to Clickbank for approval. Take the Clickbank payment links provided to you from the site and put them onto the sales letter or website.
6. Choose a price for your item. When doing so, take into consideration the percentage of each sale that will go to anyone who sells the item on your behalf. You'll set that amount as well.
7. Market your item in forums, blogs, websites, and newsletters.

Let's make some money on this millionaire journey.

Lisa Maria Carroll

Stuff Broke People Do

People buy what they want, and then beg for what they need.

We've all seen it, folks rolling on dubs while living in an apartment complex. And the ones who get their hair and nails done, and then ask borrow the money to pay their electric bill.

A few other things broke people do is:

Take their last $20 and go buy a pizza, instead of going to the grocery store.

Buy gourmet food for their pets, and then ask you to buy their lunch.

Loan money they can't afford to give.

Talk on their $500 cell phone while on the bus.

What are some of the things you've seen broke people do that make no sense?

Lisa Maria Carroll

Is the Bible Keeping You Broke

Does God want us to be poor?

If there's one thing I'm sick and tired of, it's church folks--not to be confused with Christians--using the bible to stay broke. Yes, the bible does teach us that the poor will always be with us, but nowhere did it say that the poor would be me.

This I know, and that is, if you're looking for a reason to get up, you'll find it. And if you're looking for an excuse to stay down, you'll find that too. That's why it's usually the lazy, apathetic folks who quote 1 Timothy 6:10 the loudest, The love of money is the root of all evil. They've found the excuse...errr, scripture, they need to justify not getting up and creating the life they really want.

So, what does the bible really say about money?

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

This verse is so often misquoted that it is ridiculous. The love of money is evil, not money itself. Having $1 million in the bank doesn’t mean that you love it anymore than having $5 in there proves that you don’t.

Who would you say loves money more, Bill Gates because he's a billionaire, or the thug who won't work, but instead carjacks someone for a joy ride or kills someone for $20?

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

This verse is usually quoted by folks who are on the receiving end of your giving. And for some reason they've never read 2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Oprah is a great humanitarian who gives, gives and gives. And there are some who accuse her of being all about the mighty dollars. But, the more she gives, the more she gets. It's like when we buy a bag of chips. The bag is filled by weight, and you'll notice that when it settles down, there's lots of room left. In Jesus' market, he would fill up the bag, press it down, shake it up to get all of the air out, and then fill it again, so you had a completely filled, running over bag of chips.

God wants to bless us until it overflows.

What are your feelings about money and the bible?

Lisa Maria Carroll

The "YOU" Corporation

"...the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous." Proverbs 13:22

The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that beneficiaries won't be getting an increase in their checks in 2010 - the first time that has happened since automatic adjustments began in 1975. They're blaming the recession.

Lots of people are angry, and they should be. Many of the recipients have worked like Hebrew slaves in heat, and paid into a system that is nickel-and-diming them to death. Some literally.

If the government, the banks, and these big corporations haven't taught us anything in the last two years, they have shown us that we must look out for ourselves when it comes to our financial future, short- and long-term. It's time out for playing small. It's time out for kicking back and letting life happen to us, instead of us taking action. Read my lips: The cavalry isn't coming. You've got to look out for the "YOU" Corporation. Some people say that's selfish and egocentric. But, if you don't look out for yourself, who will?

I'm tired of seeing folks who have given so much for this country, suffer the most when the government doesn't deliver on their promises. I'm tired of seeing hard-working Americans give their all to Fortune 500 companies for decades, and retire broke, and with no health insurance. I watched my mother flip couches, pull staples, and sew fabric for years as an upholsterer, only to become disabled at 50, with no health or life insurance and a measly social security check that didn't even cover basic living expenses.

We know there's money out there. If the government can spend $170 million on an Inauguration, and the city of L.A. can spend $1.4 million on Michael Jackson's funeral, then we need to be finding ways to get our piece of the pie...or the recipe. Now, I'm not suggesting we do anything illegal or unethical. What I am saying is that it's time to identify income streams that will sustain us into retirement and beyond (our children's children).

Since starting the journey, have you identified multiple income streams?

Lisa

The Power of Association, and the Transference of Spirits

Can two walk together unless they be agreed? Amos 3:3
(That would be three in our case.)

It's Day 4 of our journey, and the momentum is building. Tina, Kim and I have been volleying emails all week in an effort to identify income streams and marketing strategies. (Believe me, we're not just playing on Facebook. :-)) Today I realized that I have NEVER connected with anyone who had the same views about wealth building as these fabulous ladies. I'm usually the one saying, "Let's go. Come on. What are we waiting for?" while trying to carry folks along for the ride.

But, there's something about being around progressive people that make you want to be progressive. Their warms spirits are rubbing off on me. The energy. The vibrations. The T.E.A.M. work. Together Each of us is Achieving More.

I'm encouraging everyone who has joined us on the Millionaire Journey to be mindful of your associations. The company you keep can build you up or tear you down. I Corinthians 15:33 teaches us that bad company corrupts good character. Hanging with the wrong crowd can put you on a slippery slope to doing wrong things, or in some cases, nothing at all, leaving you stuck mentally, physically or emotionally.

But, the converse of that is true as well. Surrounding ourselves with people who have forward momentum, ambition, strong moral character and a desire to do what's right can cause us to want to be just like them.

I'm loving the journey. And I'm grateful for Tina and Kim, as well as all of the fans on our Facebook page who are supporting us as we support you.

We have 361 days left on the journey. In what ways can we support each other?

Lisa

Is This The Law of Attraction?

I found 30 cents on my way home from work yesterday. There were two dimes in my path as I walked to the bus stop. And when I got to my car, there was another dime right next to it. This may not sound like a big deal, and I admit that I didn't think much of it when I picked those three dimes up off the ground. But during my quiet time this morning, I realized that those dimes represented the renewed mindset that I have on this millionaire journey.

First of all I'm a Christian, and I believe in God. The bible teaches us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). It's Day 3 of the journey, and with my mind renewed, I know that I can be a millionaire in one year. And these dimes represented money coming to me. I'm attracting what I'm putting out into the Universe. I'm speaking wealth and abundance into existence. Hallelujah!

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

What do you believe?

Lisa

Day 1 of the Millionaire Journey

Day 1 of the Journey and we are excited! Emails back and forth, a You Tube, a Blog Talk Radio Show and thinking of multiple ways of generating income. Action and implementation is key!

Becoming a millionaire has never been more possible in all of human history than it is right now, today, here in America, under our economic system.-Brian Tracy

What thoughts do you have about reaching millionaire status? More money, more problems or more money, more freedom?

Tina