FEAR - HAPPINESS AND P.W.L.T.R.

People have become so used to not being happy that they barely even notice it. (I'm guilty of this as well). It's like living next to a train track or an airport. After awhile you don't even notice the sound how loud the trains and planes are. It takes a visitor to come and point it out to you. "How the hell do you live with all that noise?" Your reply is, "It's not that bad".

Not to say that your or my life is miserable, but fear can prevent it from being all that it can be. We are bioligically susceptible to fear. This is the greatest enemy of true happiness. Fear has many crippling disguises. It surfaces as anger, pessimism depression, feelings of isolation, etc..

When we were children we didn't care about fear because the price of failure wasn't high at all. We weren't called a loser, we just didn't win. As we got older, society begin to judge our failures. Or better yet, we begin to LET society judge our failures. If you didn't make the basketball team, or football team then you would have to face all your friends. That's the beginning of fear starting to get a grip on your life. It was easier not to try out for the team and be cool, rather then try out and not make it and be embarassed. Yep, that was my personal experience. I was still cool and funny, no one knew that I couldn't play football - in fact I didn't even know if I could play or not. Because I never played before, it was too risky to my image to try out and not make it. So I played it safe. Who knows, I could have been a professional running back. If you were a naturally gifted athlete you tried out because the risk of failure is small. Who's more successful the gifted quarterback, or the not so gifted guy who works hard, gets cut and then comes back next year and makes the team? let's not forget, Michael Jordan got cut from his high school team.

So I think it's important that we conquer our fear, without doing that, we are not getting the best out of life that we can. True happiness will continue to elude us.

OK - Example time.
I have been burnt pretty bad in my past relationships. Now I can easily be jaded by this, and have that affect me in my future relationships or I can have no fear and go for it. Being crippled by fear, you play little games. "I'm not going to call her and show her that I like her because that's giving her the upper hand" That's the game you play when you're 16. Then she doesn't call you, and the next thing you know you both think that you are not into each other. When you are an adult and in control of your fears, you know the relationship that you would like to have and you know that it doesn't stand a chance without you giving 100%, because in your vision of a perfect relationship your mate is giving back 100%. You can't expect to recieve what you don't put out. This doesn't mean that it won't fail. Realistically you can give 100% and it still not work out, you can not control the other person, but if you give 80% because of the fear of putting yourself and your feelings at risk, and it doesn't work out, you should blame only yourself because you could have given 20% more and now it's too late. Remeber if you can dream it, then it's conceptually possible.

That scenario goes with anything. If you don't try and fail you won't succeed. We are missing out on great opportunities because we are scared. Scared of trying and feeling stupid - That is society holding you down. You should only feel stupid if you don't try. I mean really, we are adults, can anyone really make you feel stupid if you don't let them.

In short I'm not telling you to be reckless. Not at all. Listen to your fears. Don't quit your job tomorrow and start a glow in the dark shoelace factory. Don't walk up to the girl you have a crush on and propose, don't sign up for the Mr. Universe contest next month but take your time. Do your homework and work hard. Trust your instincts. God put them there for a reason. If you are dating your future "dream guy or girl" but he appears shady, trust yourself - dont' go signing over $100,000.00 checks ala Nora Walker (for the Brother's and Sister's fans out there).

You know you are moving in the right direction because you will start to feel like a kid again. Trust me. That's how you know you are headed towards happiness and conquering your fears. That's natural. When you're a kid your spirits and dreams are unbridled and unbroken. Your life is led by these spirits rather then controlled by your fears and judgements. As you become more successful, or as you see your dreams becoming a reality these spirits become stronger. When you have 4 steps mapped out to accomplish your goal and you reach the first one you know your goal is achievable. You get the interview for your dream job, you land a certain account for your business, or you meet someone that only existed in previously in your mind. That is fuel for steps 2,3,&4.

You can’t really put a time limit on when you will reach your goals, but what I know for sure is the harder you work the quicker success will come or the quicker failure will come. You might need 3 failures, but after each you Plan again, Work, learn, tweak and repeat. Plan-Work-Learn-Tweak and Repeat. Give 100% to all those steps.
1. Plan with intelligence,
2. Work with dillegence,
3. Learn with curiousity,
4. Tweak with stragtical prowess and
5. Repeat like failure is no option.
P.W.L.T.R
I like that - Hey Jim Rohn's not he only one who can make stuff up!!

Do remember: Nothing can resist a man (or woman) who will place even his existence on his purpose.

Translation: If you are not fearful, and you are willing to sacrifice it all, nothing can resist your enevitable path to success.



-MJL

So..how's that millionaire thing coming along?

So the question is where have I been, what have I been up to?
Good question. I like this blog because the frequency of my blogging is indicative of my intensity and focus on my goals at that time period. I have to admit, I’ve been having a difficult time….no not difficult, but it’s been taking me longer to adjust to my new routine. Now I’m adjusted and ready to kick in into high gear.

Before I start banging out a bunch of blogs, I need to catch my readers up on a few things, and report out an overall status of where I am and where I’m going;

THE STATUS OF THE HUSTLES:

The 9-5 Hustle
Now I’m in Consumer Goods instead of automotive. I have worked my way up quickly from cubicle there to office in a matter of 100 days. Now all I have to do is kill it there everyday and I have accomplished my goal of steady paycheck while I build everything else up. I admit, I can give that job more. I have to give it more, and will.

EBAY HUSTLE
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Money-Saving-Mikes
It was rough getting started again. After having such a successful...
Year last year, and then shutting it all down and moving it out to Ct. I'm back to selling things at a steady clip. I still maintaint my powere selller status with ebay which means considerable savings.

T-SHIRT HUSTLE
http://www.nuffsaidoutfitters.com/
The T-shirts are moving at a steady clip. We are using Ebay for this as well. Ebay recently changed it’s format to allow us to post multiple sizes so this has helped considerably!! We are just adding more designs and more shirts by the week.

Wash and Roll
http://www.washandroll.com/
Phew! There is a lot I can say here. Basically I just need to make it to April of 2010 and things will be o the up and up with Wash and Roll. Obviously this is easier said then done, but it’s possible. I’m still losing money like a big dog, but this has the most immediate financial gain and can then be used to generate un-godly sums of investment capital. That vision is keeping me on my grind. It’s hard but I manage.

SUMMARY:
So to those working a 9-5 and think that they can not for some reason start a business or do something extra, look at this list. This is 100 hours per week of work, and I haven’t even started yet. Yes, I’m sacrificing a lot, but the pay off will be worth it. My focus and vision is unwavering. That’s what is needed to get it done, and do it better then most ever day. Push yourself, because no one will push you! You are responsible for our own success.

"Success will not wait. If I delay, she will become betrothed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the man. "

-MJL

Age is Just a number.....No cake this birthday, just humble pie.

The good thing about a blog is that you can see how much crap you have been talking and how much you have accomplished since you were talking said trash. This time I have to step back and say - yeah I was talking trash last year when I turned 34 (The post is referenced below) but who knew how bad the recession was really going to get. In the last year of my life I've gotten hit with the following:
1. The first Black President
2. My first lay off
3. My first collection of unemployment
4. The successful continuance of my t-shirt business
5. GM & Chrysler Bankruptcy
6. Relocation out of Michigan
7. Back "a top" the money earning game.
8. Promotion at new job in first 90 days
9. Purchase of a new (well different car).
10. Getting my swagger back on the East Coast.

That is not a typical year by any means; therefore I will allow myself some slack. However - now I have to get it poppin.

Now from the smack I talked last year....slightly embarassing considering I lost my job a few months after the posting but considering the circumstances it's ok. A little humble pie never hurt anyone.

*******************************************************

As I talk about my sister's birthday (In my last post), my birthday was not too far behind. I hit the big "Three Four" Monday. I vowed to be rich or independently wealthy by 35. That's 359 days and counting. I better get moving.

I look at being 34 like starting a new career.

"What???", you ask.

Stay with me....This week is the first week on the job of being 34 years old. I will have this job for 359 more days. Get it now?

But this isn't like other jobs, I have been doing a similar job for 33 years already! I'm a professional. This means that everything I do, every move I make, has 33 years of experience behind it.

How can I not get reach my goals! If I don't know the answer, or if I don't know what to do in a certain situation, I at least know who knows. 33 years of training for this new job, tells me that there isn't any situation that I can't handle. I might need help, but I am smart enough to know I need help when I need it.

OK, you're with me now! So everything I eat, I know from 33 years of experience what it's going to do to my body. Cake is going to make me fat! I know it. If I don't work out and eat a lot of cake, I will get fat!

If I drive too fast too often, I get a speeding ticket! I know it. 33 years of experience for this job tells me “Slow your ass down”.

Therefore, there is a higher responsibility put on all my decisions. With that responsibility comes confidence and a humble swagger with 33 years of horsepower behind it.

(Sorry, for those hip-hop illiterate readers: Swagger is defined as:
to move with confidence, sophistication and to be cool.
Swagger is to conduct your self in a way that would automaticaly earn respect
To dress in a very stylish and quirkily fasionable way that would suggest one has a swagger. Still OK to use - Not like Bling which is dead )


Every move I make has experience, swagger, charisma and life experience behind it. How powerful is that! I have become that person I have always wanted to be. And part of becoming that person, is wanting to become better everyday, and getting better at becoming better.


Success is attracted and is attractive. Successful people attract success. Becoming a millionaire isn't the goal, it's what "I" become, or who "you" become when we are millionaires. It's that person that will be created, while creating the fortune. That's what's important.

Have you ever wondered how millionaires can lose their fortunes and make another fortune a few years later? Because they have gained the skills, the swagger and the experience needed to do the job.

This is very analogous to cooking a Thanksgiving day meal.
The first time you got cook books open, pots and pans everywhere. Your measuring shzit, burning stuff up. It takes forever. But after you get the first one done...OH LOOK OUT. You are writing your own recipes! You are putting a dash of your own seasonings, adding stuff, flipping and bouncing that Turkey around the kitchen like a ghetto Martha Stewart. You don't even taste it as much because you already know the shzit is going to be on point. It takes you 1/4 the time and you probably do it better.

Do you see the similarities! Now that's food for thought, Bread for the head.



359 days and counting.......

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have arrived. I just need the $999,999.99 to go with my swagger.

-MJL

Don't take life too serious...but take it serious..Sometimes

Don’t take things too serious but……

Remember that life is not too forgiving.

What do I mean by that? Well let me explain the basics and then I will relate that to our favorite topic…..money.

Life is not too forgiving, meaning small mistakes can have catastrophic repercussions.
Recently I have vowed to restrict my cell phone usage while in the car. No text messages, no phone calls initiated, just answering calls. Just picking up the phone and talking. There have been too many accidents caused by negligent drivers. We aren’t that good, we are just lucky. When you are lucky so many times you start to misconstrue that luck until skill. “I got this” you say while texting, glancing up, and driving with your knees. All is well until you hit the car in front of you. Or maybe just rub the divider. A simple scrape on an unblemished car is a like a boil on Hale Berry’s face. All because someone texted you something stupid that you just had to read. Now you have to look at that dumb scratch on your car everyday. So not worth it.


DUI is another prime example. Look at Beecher from the show OZ. He got a little tipsy at a company part and he kills someone on his way home, and now he ends up in prison on manslaughter charges. A really good guy, small mistake, catastrophic results. Who hasn’t driven a little tipsy. While you are learning your threshold and tolerance you might drive home just a little on the edge. So let’s say you don’t kill anyone, but you get pulled over. Boom! DUI. fines, tickets, etc. All because you had one drink too many, or started to drive just an hour too soon, or didn’t eat enough before the night’s festivities began. All little mistakes catastrophic results.



AIDS. Same thing. Girl meets boy, girl get carried away, unprotected sex. This Small mistake results in AIDS or baby. Life taken or life provided. The entire dynamic of your life is changed in the blink of an eye. I can’t think of an analogy that can capture the amount a life can change due to one instance this small.

The list goes on an on. Christopher Reeve had a horse back riding incident. Did he do all his safety checks, was he playing around on the horse, or was it just one of those things. When it’s “Just one of those things” then it’s more acceptable then you doing something dumb.


You must take the above into consideration during your daily hustle. Even when you are doing the right thing life throws you setbacks, so you need to minimize these setbacks by taking control over what you can control and minimizing your errors. That comes with better judgment, utilizing and listening to mentors, and learning and reading. Doing the right thing is a learned behavior. All of these things are difficult but doing the difficult is what separates us from the masses.
We specialize in the difficult. Difficult we get done in a day; Impossible we get it done in a week. That’s how we roll.

-MJL

Why it's so easy to be Regular?

How come people don’t strive to reach their highest potential?

I was listening to the great Earl Nightingale, and he asked, “Why is the gas station attendant, only a gas station attendant?”. “Why is the guy in the donut shop, only the guy in the donut shop?”. This a question that I have asked myself thousands of times. The answer is simple, that’s all they see themselves as being. Seriously. They might have dreams, but they treat their dreams as such. Have you ever seen the manager of a fast food restaurant during rush hour. His job is 10 times harder then many middle managers that I’ve worked with who make six figure salaries. The employees he deals with are much ruder, less educated and sometimes more dangerous then white collar workers, but yet he only makes $26,000 a year. Why? Because that’s all he thinks he‘s worth . If he thought he was worth more, he would go and get more. This way of thinking doesn’t just come, you have to train yourself to think this way.

Our brains are trained to steer us away from pain, heartache and defeat therefore we settle and take the easiest way out.
We don’t like doing certain things because we are not good at them. Why do some people like math and some hate it? Because they aren’t good at it. Think of something that you hate doing, and then try to become proficient at that activity and you won’t hate it nearly as much. Turn the pain into pleasure.

Think of some really obese people you know. You look at them, and they are the neatest, self conscious people on earth. They have their hair and nails done, pedicures, lip gloss, but they are a 6 piece Mcnugget away from bursting. Why, because the nails, the hair, the make up…that’s the easy stuff. It’s an easy victory. Losing 100 lbs and keeping it off, now that’s the hard part.
We can’t fault them because we are the same way, and do the same thing. That’s why we stay at jobs we don’t like. We are like the fat lady. Our jobs are our hair, and nails and our cute “Fat Girl” outfits. Thinking we look cute, is like getting that little paycheck at the end of the week. It’s easy, safe, and you are not disappointed. You do the easy work, you get a little payout. Losing 100 lbs and putting on a bikini, that’s like starting to work for yourself and getting rich. Why doesn’t every one do it? Because you can put in a lot of effort and only lose 20 lbs, or 30 and gain the weight back, which is just like starting something and failing. But if you don’t try and lose the weight you are guaranteed to be fat.
Think about it, that fat chick doesn’t fail until she gives up. You don’t fail until you give up, and succumb to a life of mediocrity.

You become what you think about the most. Period. It’s true. Your mind starts to pick up opportunities that it didn’t see before as you zero in on your goals. Your subconscious starts to help your conscious focus on your goals. It’s powerful!

Example: Notice when you buy a car, how many cars just like yours are on the road. Those same cars were there before but since your subconscious wasn’t zeroed in on it, it didn’t pick up on it. That’s how the brain works on what you think about the most. It will begin to work on a conscious and subconscious level, thus doubling your mental efforts and making sure that no opportunities pass you by.
…….and we all know, that when opportunity knocks, you better be ready to get the damn door.
Holla at your boy.
-MJL

You owe it to yourself, Work harder!

Ok, so now I’m in Connecticut and have finally fallen into my routine….and when I say routine you know that means work, working out, and planning to work. Which also means more consistent blogging.

In hindsight getting let go from my other company was the best thing that ever happened to me. Yeah, I moved away from some good friends but you will do that three or four times over the course of your life anyway. If they are good friends then they will always be good friends. Right? There’s 100's of different ways to keep in contact so it’s just up to me to make sure it happens.

Now it’s apparent more then ever that multiple streams of income is needed for any kind of mental stability. You can no longer count on your 9 to 5, but I know we already knew that.

As I said in an earlier post, when things are going well it’s time to work harder, smarter, and give more of yourself to reach your goals. I can say, I worked my butt off over the past 16 weeks looking for a job, living on the tightest budget, and moving cross country on a dwindling bank account, so now I'm going to take it easy......but that wouldn't be smart. That wouldn't be how I roll. How I roll is: I take it easy for one night. Treat myself to a nice Olive Garden dinner and then kick it into overdrive. If I could work that hard with no resources, imagine what I can do now.

When you look at those less fortunate then you, you should feel that sense of responsibility that makes you want to go all in, everyday. When you drive to work and you see the guy working a job that just sucks a$$.......Wait a minute let me clarify, as to not offend anyone.........."sucks a$$" is relative. The high powered exec going to power lunches everyday, with a personal assistant, playing golf, making deals, looks at a middle management position like "that sucks".

The guy in middle management looks at the new guy doing grunt work and says, “That sucks”.

The entry level guy goes to Dunkin Donuts and is getting served by a 30 year old with 3 kids and says "boy that would suck".

The 30 year old with three kids passes by a bum begging for money as he gets on the bus to work and says, "Man I'm glad I'm not him". So "sucks A$$" is relevant.

OK, where was I? ...Oh yeah, we should all work our a$$es off at whatever we currently have with what we currently have, and compare your present situation to what you want for your future.
GOT IT?

You owe it to all of those who don’t have what you have. If you have a job, you owe it to those who are unemployed and truly looking. To owe means going into work and appreciating and working the hell out of your current job even though you hate it. That should only be one part, it should extend to all aspects of your life. You owe it to those who are not as healthy as you are, to work out and maintain your health. Enjoy the physical wealth God has given you and maintain it. Don’t take it for granted.

This extends to your mind; nurture it for all of those who can’t think as well as you can. For those who can’t pick up a book and just read and learn. When you think of the world like that, how could you not want to do more, or be more.

One last note…..

You know I had to mention or boy, Tiger Woods. He just picked up PGA victory 69 and 70. This is a true testament to how great someone can become if they do everything they can to be the best they can be. Week after week. He misses the cut at the British Open just to win his next two events. Imagine what he did after he missed the cut. Imagine the work, the attention to detail, the dissecting of his drives, the amount of practice putts, equipment checks, you name it. He makes it look easy but you better believe it’s hard. He knows that he deserves everything that is due to him, because he’s earned it, and continues to work for it. He is proof that you can stay on top week after week, year after year if you just work!


Let’s go earn ours. It’s time for us to be great. We owe it to God for blessing us with what we have, we owe it to all those who don’t have and want what we got, and most importantly we owe it to ourselves.

Time to go all in.

-MJL.

My Epic Battle with Unemployment: Hustling to find a Hustle!

Never before have I felt as qualified as I feel now to write this blog. Do you guys remember when I wrote the post "The Boiling Frog Syndrome". Well guess what, my time came and I got the shoulder tap. They laid my black a$$ off!
First of all, even though I knew we were doing bad, my ego and my logic thought there were still certain people that had to go before they gave me my walking papers. The problem there, is that logic (and ego) have no place in Corporate America.

The tale of my unemployment is one for the ages! The moves I made; the friends that I have who stepped up; and the mental a$$ whippin' I took on a daily basis makes for good blogging.

The good part is: I came out on top. Just like Kobe in my previous post, the best always rise to the top. The other good part is that I am at a new job, where no one knows me, my blog, my other businesses so I can post here as candid and truthful as I want.

Just think, if I didn't come out of this good. All of the my talk about positive thinking, motiviation, Jim Rohn this and that, Tony Robbins ths and that....my working out, my ambition, my hope & dreams would have all just been me talking smack! And we all know that I love to talk smack but I also back it up. That's just what I do!

I have kept a journal of my unemployment time so I have postings that you will find fascinating. I will also post the various things that I did to find work, some that were successful and some that weren't.
I would like to begin these series of blogs on unemployment with a description of how the story ends.

The end goes:
2 Job Offers, An increase on an already six-figure income of $4,500.00, a move to the East Coast, 90 miles from family (versus 600 miles) and a shorter drive to work. Not to mention the chance to reinvent oneself again.
Easily the hardest thing that I have ever had to overcome in my life, but also the most life changing event.

Look for the rest of the Blog series: Hustling to find a Hustle.

For now, back to my 9 to 5!

-MJL

The Best Continue to Rise to the Top

When you are the best, you can't be held down. Period! Look at Trump, look at Tiger, and the latest example of this is none other then our man Kobe. Everyone loves to hate Kobe. They don't see how much work he puts in, they just think he is naturally that good. What makes Kobe unbelievable is that he's good, but continues to work to be the best. How crazy is that, you are already on the top of your game, but yet you are in the gym at 5:30 making sure that you are working harder then anyone in the league.

Rape charges, pulled endorsements, and a feud with Shaq and he is still back on top.
You can dislike him, but it will only make him stronger. The hate, makes him great!

No Golden Parachute for Tricky Ricky

I am not using this as a debate over "to bailout, or not to bailout", I just want to shed some light on the rumored 20 million dollar severance package that Rick Wagoner is reportedly getting.

That 20 million is not what it's cracked up to be. When the Obama administration asked Rick to step down there were numerous reports of a 20 million dollar severance payout. News stories such as this one from ABC, conitnued to spread the bad press about the auto industry. In reality the 20 million was not so real.....

From the Mariam Webster Online dictionary, the defintion of a "Golden Parachute" is: a generous severance agreement for a corporate executive in the event of a sudden dismissal (as because of a merger)

This is not what Mr. Wagoner got.

Dave Schmidt, an executive compensation analyst with James F. Reda and Associates, says that less than $1 million of Wagoner's total $20.2 million pension package appears to be guaranteed if GM goes bankrupt.

This is a true statement. 19.2 million of the reported 20.2 million is part of an annuity scheduled to pay out 4.5 million a year for five years. If GM goes bankrupt this money is unsecured and Rick would lose all of it. If he manages to get out the first 4.5 million to pay his bills, he would be forced to give it back! Damn!!!

Severance package is not looking so good now is it?

That leaves our man Rick with only $980,000.00. That sounds like a lot to you and I, but that's nothing for someone who has been earning a salary btween 1 and 2.2 million per year for the last 8 years. That's like you trying to retire on $80,000.00.

It gets worse: that $980,000 isn't payable in one lump sum. He has to withdraw that annually, payable in installments of $68,900. Good luck paying for the private jet on $70K per year.

I'm sure Rick will get another 7 figure job, but for now he can collect unmployment like the other 13% of Michigan, which happens to be about $380/ week........and you have to pay taxes on that.

-MJL

Technorati Tags: GM,General Motors,Rick Wagoner,Golden Parachute,Bailout,Obama

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Love him or hate him...he's Trump

When working toward riches who better to learn from then the wealthy. This is why I read Donald Trump’s books. In the past I thought Trump was just a "kiss ass" because he's always complimenting those people he works with. Well, I stand corrected.

In his book, Think Big and Kick Ass (it was only $4.99 at Borders – Hard Cover), The Don tells it like it is. He talks candidly about his beefs... with high profile leaders of industry and his mind state when dealing with his issues. When he talks about Kicking Ass he's serious. There is a Chapter entitled REVENGE. He tells you that when somebody messes with you, you get them back in spades. As part of that Chapter, he details his feud with Rosie O’Donnell. I didn't realize how bad it had gotten so I pulled up a Youtube clip….it was bad.
Enjoy.

Fortune Magazine - In Bad Taste

As a blogger on financial issues and how they affect our lifestyles, I subscribe to several related publications. One of them happens to be Fortune. I think Fortune magazine did a great job back in their February issue with a feature article titled The New Jobless. It really began to put faces and names with the people being laid off and how drastically their lives have been impacted. They profiled young, old, white collar, blue collar, men and women, illustrating how no demographic is secure during times like this.

As we know things have gotten worse since February, so Fortune decides to do a follow up issue and give tips on getting a Job in a difficult economy in a piece entitled “How to Get a Job”. When the issue arrived, the cover looked a little light hearted which put me off just a little. Then as I began to read the article and look at the associated pictures I was terribly annoyed with the photos of people clowning around, making comical gestures. All I could think was, “This sh@#t ain’t funny”. I assume that....the Fortune editors were attempting to add a little comic relief to a stressful situation but sometime it’s not necessary. That’s like trying to tell a Knock, Knock joke at a funeral to lighten the mood. Sometime a funeral just needs to be a funeral.

While I thought I was being overly sensitive, at least one other reader agreed. Per a letter written to Fortune in the annual Fortune 500 issues:

Considering the graviy of the Great Recession and the painful toll of job losses, I was disappointed by the flippant tone of “How to Get a Job”. The staged photos and goofy props had all the subtlety and with of a Cialis ad….
-Edward Mackin
Willow Grove, Pa

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Fortune, I still love you but sometimes even the ones we love Piss us Off.

-MJL
HERE ARE SOME OF THE PHOTOS - CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL FORTUNE ARTICLE.

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Week 1 Earning Totals

FAITH - Essential for the Millionaire Mind

There is no doubt that these are tough times for (some of) us future millionaires.  We are being faced with major setbacks with all of our investments, business endeavors and power career moves.  Dreams and aspirations for millions in the bank, hot Lambos (hood translation: lamborghinis), huge cribs and living the good life have been extiguished with the ferocity of a firehose on a birthday candle.  However, this is where the tough get tougher, the good get better, and the smart get smarter.  

This is the time where your focus on your goals becomes even more important.  

This is the time for FAITH. 

I'm not going to turn this into a religous post because your faith can be in anything you choose to have faith in: God, yourself, your expected outcome, etc.  

FAITH is important because it gives you a needed boost of energy and drive.  The human body only has but so much gas in it's tank.  What FAITH allows you to do, is to use that gas for the things that are going to get you closer to your goals.  FAITH is like a gas regulator.  With FAITH you will not waste your time on worrying.  No need to worry when you have FAITH, because you know that everything work out for the better.  If you play the hand you were dealt, to the best of your ability, you will come out ahead.  Before you thought you knew, with FAITH you know.  There is a big difference.  

Here is how Faith should work. 

Pretend a long lost relative has left you an inheritance of some sort.  You don't know how much or how little but in able to find out you have to present to the lawyers what you will be doing over the next four months on your plan to reach millions.  The better the plan, the more inheritance you will recieve.  After you revreal this plan you find out that you will recieve 1 million dollars at the end of 4 months regardless if your plan is successful or not. The only clause is that you must do everything you said you were going to do with 110% of y

our effort.   

Now everyday you are working your plan you are happy, because in your mind you are a millionaire already.  You are singing in the shower, you are dancing in your car.  You are a pleasure to everyone you encounter, and you are working your plan with certainty and confidence because you are not spending wasted energy worrying..  That's what FAITH is.  It's that million dollar inheritance.  

Maybe money isn't your goal, but what ever it is, act as if you have recieved it already.  Thanks those around you and GOD for already having helped you reach your goal.  Live every moment like you are at your personal finish line and before you know it you're already there.  

As for the set backs, a quote from the great Jim Rohn: 

.......here is what you can do: you can get stronger; you can get wiser; and you can get better. Remember that trio of words: stronger, wiser, better. The winters won’t change, but you can.

Before I understood this, I used to wish it were summer when it was winter. When things were difficult, I used to wish they were easy. I didn’t know any better. Then Mr. Shoaff gave me the answer from a part of his very unique philosophy when he said, “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”

I can't say it any better then that.  

For now I got the hoodie on in the Grand Prix, soon to be the CL63!  Ryan Sheckler - I'll be up with you in a minute homie!

Let's get it!

-MJL

On-line Money Totals

The slow and steady progress of getting money online is being chronicled honestly by two blogs.  

One is David Kleine's Starting from $0.00

The other is: The Ups and Downs of On-line Money

David is close to $200 per month and has been doing great work. I will just mention in this blog when there is an update on the others.  Making money using Paid to Click sites, and affiliate marketing is broad enough to have it's own dedicated sites.  

Visit the sites, join the programs, make some money. 

-MJL

INSPIRATION - REPOST FROM 2008

April has been one helluva month. One filled with motivation and inspiration. I thought I was fired up before, well I'm really fired up now. I am crazy. Hence the Insane part of the title of this blog.

Three Saturdays I travelled back home to New Jersey to take care of some family business. I spent some time with my nephew and found out first hand how hard it is to keep pace with a 1.5 (Now 2.5 years old) year old. I got to inhale the East Cost flavor, bask in it and bring it back to Michigan.


With that being said I go to Walmart. Now I hate Walmart. I hate it with a passion, but you can't beat the prices, their inventory, and their customer service is pretty good. As I'm checking out,(it's about 8:00 AM in the morning) I look at the faces of the cashiers. They look like the saddest most depressed bunch of people I have ever seen. Then I'm thinking, "These people have succombed to life". You can't convince me that these people want to be Walmart cashiers.
There is no way in hell!
Life has took them out behind the woodshed for a good ol' Southern a$$ whippin. The sad part is, life is kicking the $hzit out of a lot of us, and we don't even realize it. They don't even know that life just bit their ear off, like Tyson. They are in a post knock out stupor where they will stay for the rest of your lives.

If you believe in god or not, you know you have free will. That means you can make decisions. Some of them are hard, tough decisions but they can impact the rest of your life forever. People always ask me why I work so much? The simple answer, "I DON'T WANT TO BE A 40 YEAR OLD WALMART CASHIER". That's why.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with being a cashier, because my job is just as mudane and unsatisfying. I AM a Walmart cashier right now. Right F'ing now, I am a Walmart cashier. I need to hustle and kick my own ass, and make the right decisions so that I can free myself. Then my family. It would be great if my nephew never had to be a Walmart cashier. Then my friends. If you are a Walmart cashier with a plan; and working at Walmart is part of your plan. That is OK, but make sure you are working your plan and not just talk.

Robert Kiyoski (of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame), says, "the No. 1 thing people can do to increase their wealth is to start a part time business. They can start a small home based business, an internet company or network marketing business. " Many people fail to become rich because they value a steady paycheck rather then going through the learning process of becoming financially smarter and richer.

I have a new found respect for Robert Kiyoski. The Rich Dad Poor Dad books are amazing, but aside from that he was the first person to say that your house is not an asset. Something that I have learned and one of the main reasons I still have an apt today. If I had not read Rich Dad Poor Dad, I would be bound by a depreciating asset because I would have brought a house at the top of one of the worst real estate markets.

Not to sound like that annoying commecial but, get off the couch and go make your dreams happen. Please! You owe it to yourself. This life is nothing if you can't dream big, and the go make them come true.

Done!

Walmart

New Jersey

Robert Kiyosaki

Millionaire

Rich

-MJL

GOT TO PAY THE BILLS!

ALL OF THESE WORK - NO SHZIT

Join and Post and you will make $10.00 / week

Join and Work aggressiely - The sky is the limit

I'm Back Again.....Sort of.

Hey fans, I'm sort of back.  I have been working on a lot of on-line stuff to help create my on-line empire.  My goal is to just rent a small office, set up my laptop and just rake in the cash.  

Far-feteched?   Maybe, but online is where the money is at, so that's where I need to be.  I will go back to chronicling my online marketing progress as well as posting the usual.  In order to get the following I need, I will have to post details.  

I have also started a conglamorate of blogs that will also generate adsense revenue.  

Right now I am at $200 per week with Ebay, slinging T-shirts.  

The goal is $5000 per month and I stop working; right now I'm at $800 only $4200 to go.  

Let's Go. 

-MJL

Spring Break or Break until Spring

Hello fellow readers - due to some unforseen circumstances I will be taking a 4 week hiatus from the blog. Please believe, when I return I will have stories and experiences because I am on a wild ride.

I shall return.

God Bless
-MJL

WORK FROM HOME - THE REAL DEAL

WORK AT HOME: MY PERSONAL INVESTIGATION.

Well my six week hiatus has come to an end. I made the most out of every minute, no make that, every second. During my time at home of course I explored every online money making scheme there was.

My summary is this.

EBAY
First and foremost, nothing beats eBay. I am currently killing it on Ebay and will continue to build a brand there. I have just under 120 unique items and adding more and more everyday. I’m have two sites and I’m a Power Seller with 100% feedback. Not get it twisted, Ebay is a lot of hard work that you have to be on top of all the time.



SURVEYS:
The big thing these days are survey sites. I have joined a few survey sites to see what they are all about. Most of them stink. The survey’s take forever and you only get 50 cents. Your hourly rate will average out to be around 30 cents per hour and you will get dumber with every click of the mouse. The site that I paid to join I wasn’t qualified to take more then half of the surveys.


PYRAMID SCHEMES
Most of these programs are just big pyramid schemes. You get your friends to sign up and money is funneled. I am absolutely terrible in doing this. I refused to try and con my friends into joining anything unless I know it’s to their benefit. The biggest scheme is “The Letter”. I’m not even sure of the legal aspects of it.


WHAT DOES WORK?

Check this out, I was picking up some packages from my rental office and this guy named “Josh” happened to over hear me on the phone discussing trying to get some products to sell on Ebay. When I got off the phone he and I started talking about online money making and he showed me his laptop. He was currently logged into his “Cash Crate” and “Deal Barbie” accounts. He was legitimately making money.

Before this, all I ever saw were doctored up photos of checks, nothing that I could really believe. He will break the $400 mark with Cash Crate probably today and will have a $500 total by the end of February. Now I am a believer.

Here’s what I’m going to do. Very similar to David Kleine’s site, I too will do the same. I will Join these sites and will report how often I do what and where and we will see if I can get to $500 like our boy Josh.

Since I’ve signed up under Josh when I make money he will make money, ya dig? That’s the reward for him passing on the info. Dude was even willing to sit with me and my laptop at Panera bread so we can get money together. We exchanged numbers and everything., that was enough to at least get me going. Both of these sites are different then pyramids, they combine both survey taking and affiliate programming and it’s legit.

I Googled Cash Crate and there were plenty of good discussions about people getting paid. Of course there are a lot of negatives but there were way more positives and none of it cost money. IT’S FREE.

SO DAY 1: I signed up for both sites and made a blog posting. I got my banner links and now I will email David to let him know that I have added his site to mine. I’m as honest as they come and if you read David’s site he is a super honest hardworking guy. Between the both of our sites you can get some honest work at home information.


That’s what’s up
-MJL

DAVE KLEINE is only in about a week himself: Here is his site. STARTING FROM $0.00. When he updates his site I will post a link here so we can track his progress together.

Deal Barbie Pays
Cash Crate
Millionaire
Rich
Work From Home

The Law of Diminishing Intent

People always ask me how come I don't sleep much or at all. Even during this break from my 9 to 5 hustle, I haven’t been getting as much sleep as you would think.

It's because of the The Law! The Law of Diminishing Intent.

“The Law of Diminishing Intent states that the longer you wait to implement an idea, the less enthusiasm you will have for it”
- thus the less likely you will hit it with all the emotion that’s needed.

We live in the age of information and I have so many ideas that I'm pumped up about something new once every 33.839 seconds. I stay up late researching all the my new ideas, and thinking of more. When you have an idea, it's key to jump all over that shzit like Michael Phelps on a Bong. (Sorry I had to give a shout out to dumb people with money doing dumb things, uhh hmm Chris Brown).

Think about how excited and pumped you've been about ideas in the past and then waited so long that you ran out of steam, or talked yourself completely out of it. I try to never let that happened. If I get an idea in the shower, I might start working on it before I dry off.

At least get your idea started to build some momentum. Other things that help are telling people about it. I like to deliver on my word and when I tell people that I'm starting something, or that I'm going to do something, now I have the responsibility to deliver or come up with a legitimate reason why I can’t deliver.

Pro-athletes do that all the time. Terrell Owens, Kobe, Rasheed Wallace and other so called arrogant players don't just talk smack for the sake of talking. They talk smack because it helps them perform and deliver on their smack talk.

What ever it takes.

I was reading about Netlix founder (and CEO) Reed Hastings. He was returning a copy of Apollo 13 and got a $40 late charge. He was like WTF - (well back then we didn't have texting so he was probably like "What the f#$%k" -that's better). That was in 1997 for a VHS tape.

When he heard that DVD's were coming he ran to Tower Records. That's right...in the article it says that he RAN to tower records. He had an idea an hopped all over it. He mailed CD's to himself and waited a long 24 hours until they arrived at his house. I bet he didn't sleep during that long 24 hours. When the CD's arrived in the mail in great shape, the rest is Netflix history. In 2003 he hit a million subscribers. Can we say Cha-Ching.

Get your ideas out, jot them down and get crackin. Motion creates emotion. Get excited scream, yell and get working.

Rich or Nothing. The hustle is real.
-MJL