Wednesday, January 30, 2008

PASSING THE TEST

"The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors?to David." - 1 Samuel 28:17b

When God anoints a person, a pattern of testing appears to take place at specific times in the leader's life. God often takes each leader through four major tests to determine if that person will achieve God's ultimate call on his or her life. The person's response to these tests is the deciding factor in whether they can advance to the next level of responsibility in God's Kingdom.
Control - Control is one of the first tests. Saul spent most of his time as king trying to prevent others from getting what he had. Saul never got to the place with God in which he was a grateful recipient of God's goodness to him. Saul was a religious controller. This control led to disobedience and ultimately being rejected by God because Saul no longer was a vessel God could use.
Bitterness - Every major character in the Bible was hurt by another person at one time or another. Jesus was hurt deeply when Judas, a trusted follower, betrayed Him. Despite knowing this was going to happen, Jesus responded by washing Judas' feet. Every anointed leader will have a Judas experience at one time or another. God watches us to see how we will respond to this test. Will we take up an offense? Will we retaliate? It is one of the most difficult tests to pass. Power - Power is the opposite of servanthood. Jesus had all authority in Heaven and earth, so satan tempted Jesus at the top of the mountain to use His power to remove Himself from a difficult circumstance. How will we use the power and influence God has entrusted to us? Do we seek to gain more power? There is a common phrase in the investment community, "He who has the gold rules." Jesus modeled the opposite. He was the ultimate servant leader.
Greed - This is a difficult one. Money has the ability to have great influence for either good or bad. When it is a focus in our life, it becomes a tool of destruction. When it is a by-product, it can become a great blessing. Many leaders started out well - only to be derailed once prosperity became a part of their life. There are thousands who can blossom spiritually in adversity; only a few can thrive spiritually under prosperity.
As leaders, we must be aware when we are being tested. You can be confident that each one of these tests will be thrown your way if God calls you for His purposes. Will you pass these tests? Ask for God's grace today to walk through these tests victoriously.

Monday, January 28, 2008

A TRAGEDY OR A BLESSING?

Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, the youngest son was bitten by a dog. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks' front door. Because of the possibilityof rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.The family's dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave- without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.
Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because a dog had bitten the son, they were left behind in Scotland.When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him forsaving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.

Friday, January 25, 2008

SEEING A GREATER PURPOSE IN ADVERSITY

But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" - Acts 16:28

Paul and Silas had just been thrown into prison. An earthquake erupted and the jail cell was opened. It's Paul and Silas' opportunity. "Deliverance! Praise God!" might be the appropriate response. But this is not what Paul and Silas did. In fact, rather than leave, they sat quietly in their cell area. The guard, in fear of his life, knew that it would be automatic death if prisoners escaped. Paul and Silas did not leave because they saw a higher purpose for which they were in prison. They were not looking at their circumstance; they were much more concerned about the unsaved guard. The story goes on to explain how Paul and Silas went home with the guard and his family. Not only did the guard get saved, but his entire household as well.
What a lesson this is for us. How often we are so busy looking for deliverance from our circumstance that we miss God completely. God is looking to do miracles in our circumstances if we will only look for them. Sometimes as workplace believers we become so obsessed with our goals we miss the process that God involves us in, which may be where the miracle lies. What if that bill collector who has been hounding you is unsaved and he is there for you to speak to? What if a problem account has arisen due to something God is doing beyond what you might see at this time? Our adverse situations can often be the door of spiritual opportunity for those who need it.
I saw this personally when God allowed me to go through a number of adversities. It took some time, but I saw some great miracles as a result of those adversities. When God said that "all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purposes" (see Rom. 8:28), He meant all things. It is up to us to find the "work together for good" part by being faithful to the process. In the next adversity you face, tune your spiritual antennae and ask God for discernment to see the real purpose for the adversity.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

CREATIVITY: A sure road to making and sustaining unlimited wealth.

Human are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species called Homo sapiens, which is otherwise known as “thinking species”, “wise man” or “creative thinker”. In other words one major essence of human existence is creativity. Human are created with a highly developed brain, which is capable of abstract reasoning in order to get the idea necessary for creativity. This means that, every human has been endowed with the quality or power of creativity. Therefore, any human who is not creative in nature is not living out his nature and as a result will lose fulfillment and success. The word “creativity” is the combination of two English words” creativity“and “activity”, which implies that the purpose or the activity of humans is to be creative in nature.
Creativity is, therefore, defined as “a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts or new association between existing ideas or concepts”. It can also be defined as the constant search for new ways of doing things. It is the result of the perfect combination of old resources to obtain an entirely new one.
There is no doubt about the fact that creativity is the mother of existence. Everything in existence came through it; everything that will come into existence will come through it, without creativity, nothing which has been created would ever have been created. Without it, there would be no re-creation of the created. It’s also the process through which wealth is generated. The fact that the human creativity has been the source of generating unlimited wealth over a long period of time cannot be undermined. This is something that needs to be embraced the more. It is a must for every endeavor that generates wealth if a long-term implementation of such endeavor is to be averted from going into extinction.
While much wealth-generating ideas and products have come and gone, still some have come to stay. No one ever introduces money making venture with the hope that it dies or bankrupt sooner. It is a thing of joy, satisfaction and fulfillment to keep generating wealth from an idea or a product as many generations unfold. But the truth is that only very few of all newly introduced ideas or products live to experience this. The reason many ideas or products fail to remain a long-term source of wealth, if at all the management of such is right, is mainly due to the lack of creativity. Many wealth generating ideas or products would have long been no where to be found in the market place if not for what creativity is doing to them.
Who would have still know Coca-cola if the products lacked creativity since 1886? It would have fizzled out of the market had it not been for the introduction of creativity to the product. That is the power of creativity.
Every new idea or product has a tendency of experience what I call the law of diminishing moneymaking ability. Except there is a room for creative response to the taste of consumers. Manufacturers or entrepreneurs who are making huge turnovers in their enterprises through the sale of different types of products would not dare throw the aforementioned fact to the bin. It would be good to consider some practical examples at this juncture. The television is a very good product for this analysis. The trend below illustrates the analysis.

Wooden-case television (black and white)

Plastic-case television (black and white)

Plastic-case television (colour)

Flatron-LCD-Plasma television

When the wooden case television, the black and white type, was manufactured, millions of people spent huge sum of money on it either to buy and sell it, or have one for home use, and the manufacturers, entrepreneur and other money makers’ generated wealth through its sales. As time went on, the black and white plastic case became unleashed through creativity into the market. People saw a new taste in the same product and they parted away with their money to acquire the new product. The trends continued and things are still changing. When the taste of the consumers for a certain product is diminishing, the wealth generating capacity of the product will correspondingly decrease. Only creativity can bring a new dawn of wealth creation the rescue of the dying product.
If you want to continue making more money in your business, then you will have to keep being creative in your business. Otherwise, your business will soon be nowhere successful. It will lack the power of thriving in the market place because its market value will wear thing in the face of competition. Soichiro Honda regained his status at the top of the automobile market share when he introduced a new model. The reason so many automobile companies are changing the models of their cars is not because their previous models do not work fine. It is simply because they want to remain in business as long as they exist. What does it imply to remain in business? I guess you are thinking of something now. That is nice of you! T remain in business is to keep generating more wealth while you are always busy thinking of satisfying your customers better than you did before.
You may be wondering why you have not been making more money than you expected in your business endavour. The basic truth has just been unleashed to your face – creativity is found wanting. You need to begin to be creative with your source of wealth if you must make more of wealth. The generation of unlimited wealth is highly possible for anyone who embraces creativity as a partner in business. Creativity helps in adding new value to your ideas or products, the more values you add to your ideas or products, the more wealth you are able to generate. I leave you at this point to go ahead and have a taste of what creativity can offer to your financial life, and business success is yours!

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” – Norman Vincent Peale

Monday, January 21, 2008

RECOGNIZING OUR SOURCE

"But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth. "- Deuteronomy 8:18a

Pride is the greatest temptation to a successful workplace minister. When we begin accumulating wealth, managing people, and becoming known for our workplace expertise, we are most susceptible to falling to the most devious sin in God's eyes -- pride. The Bible tells us that God is the reason we are able to produce wealth. It is not of our own making. As soon as we move into the place where we begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, God says he will take action.
You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me."....If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 8:17,19-20).
These are strong words from God. It demonstrates His utter impatience for any people who think that what they have accomplished has anything to do with their own power. It is God who gives us the skill, the mind, the resources, the energy, the drive, and the opportunities in life to accomplish anything. When we become prideful in heart, He will begin a process of reproof in our life.
Today is a good day to examine whether we have fallen prey to pride. Are you sharing what God has entrusted to you with God's people, or the needy? Are you being the instrument of blessing that God desires for His people to be? What areas of pride have crept into your life? Ask the Lord to show you this today. And avoid being put on the shelf. Nothing is worse than being cast aside because of our own pride.

Friday, January 18, 2008

IT COULDN'T BE DONE?

History abounds with tales of experts who were convinced that the ideas, plans, and projects of others could never be achieved. However, accomplishment came to those who said, "I can make it happen." The Italian sculptor Agostino d'Antonio worked diligently on a largepiece of marble. Unable to produce his desired masterpiece, he lamented, "I can do nothing with it." Other sculptors also worked this difficult piece of marble, but to no avail. Michelangelo discovered the stone and visualized the possibilities in it. His "I-can-make- it-happen" attitude resulted in one of the world's masterpieces.
The experts of Spain concluded that Columbus's plans to discover a new and shorter route to the West Indies was virtually impossible. QueenIsabella and King Ferdinand ignored the report of the experts. "I can make it happen," Columbus persisted. And he did. Everyone knew the world was flat, but not Columbus. The Nina, the Pinta, the Santa Maria, along with Columbus and his small band of followers, sailed to"impossible" new lands and thriving resources.
Even the great Thomas Alva Edison discouraged his friend, Henry Ford, from pursuing his fledgling idea of a motorcar. Convinced of the worthlessness of the idea, Edison invited Ford to come and work for him. Ford remained committed and tirelessly pursued his dream. Although his first attempt resulted in a vehicle without reverse gear, Henry Ford knew he could make it happen. And, of course, he did.
"Forget it," the experts advised Madame Curie. They agreed radium was a scientifically impossible idea. However, Marie Curie insisted, "I can make it happen."
Let's not forget our friends Orville and Wilbur Wright. Journalists, friends, armed forces specialists, and even their father laughed at the idea of an airplane. "What a silly and insane way to spend money. Leave flying to the birds," they jeered. "Sorry," the Wright brothers responded. "We have a dream, and we can make it happen." As a result, a place called Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, became the setting for the launching of their "ridiculous" idea.
Finally, as you read these accounts under the magnificent lighting of your environment, consider the plight of Benjamin Franklin. He was admonished to stop the foolish experimenting with lighting. What an absurdity and waste of time! Why, nothing could out do the fabulous oil lamp. Thank goodness Franklin knew he could make it happen. You too can make it happen!
IT COULDN'T BE DONE. Somebody said that it couldn't be done, But he with a chuckle replied That maybe it couldn't, but he would be one Who wouldn't say so "till he tried." So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face. If he worried, he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn't be done, and he did it. Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that; At least no one ever has done it. But he took off his coat and took off his hat and the first thing he knew he'd begun it. With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, without any doubting, He started to sing as he tackled the thing thatcouldn't be done, and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure; there are thousands to point out to you, one by one, the dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin, then take off your coat and go to it; just start in to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done, and you'll do it. Somebody said that it couldn't be done, But he with a chuckle replied that maybe it couldn't, but he would be one. Who wouldn't say so "till he tried." So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face. If he worried, he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn't be done, and he did it. Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that; At least no one ever has done it. But he took off his coat and took off his hat and the first thing he knew he'd begun it. With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, without any doubting, He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn't be done, and he did it. There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure; there are thousands to point out to you, one by one, the dangers that wait to assail you. But just buckle right in with a bit of a grin, then take off your coat and go to it; just start in to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done, and you'll do it.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

OBEDIENCE-BASED DECISIONS VERSUS SKILL AND ABILITY

"As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle." - 1 Chronicles 14:15a

The Philistines were attacking. David wanted to know how to respond. His first inquiry of God revealed that he was to attack the Philistines straightaway and God would give him victory. David followed God's instruction and gained victory. Shortly after, the Philistines mounted another attack. "So David inquired of God again, and God answered him, 'Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees' " (1 Chron. 14:14)
David was a well-trained warrior, a strategist. Yet, we find that David's dependence on God to direct his efforts was very great. In fact, after he won the first battle, he went right back to inquire again. This is the most important lesson we can learn from this story. God told David to attack, but only after he heard the marching in the balsam trees.
How many times have you or I operated in the workplace based only on our skill and ability, without seeking to know the details of God's will in the matter? David could have simply assumed that since he had won the last battle, surely God would give him victory the same way. No. David had learned that communicating with the living God is the only sure way of victory. His skill was not enough. He had to have God's blessing.
How many times have we worked in our work life the same way each time only because it was the way we did it last time? What if God has a better way? What if God has a different plan than ours? "So David inquired of God..." These are the important words that we are to learn from. We must be in such relationship with God that we are constantly inquiring of His mind on every matter. When we do this, we can expect the same results that David achieved-success in our endeavor and recognition by God.
"So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him" (1 Chron. 14:17). This is the reward of obedience to God. We don't have to build a name for ourselves. God will see to it that we are honored for our obedience. He wants to make known those servants who are willing to obey Him at all costs.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

TAKE ACTION TO GET OUT OF DEBT

Consumer debt stands at $1.4 trillion. Households have incurred more debt than at any time in history. Sadly, financial institutions continue to encourage easy credit. It's time to take responsibility for your debt and take action to get out of debt.
Commit to a budget. Know where and how you are spending money. Start by
recording all expenses and retaining all receipts for three months.
Avoid future debt. Say no to new purchases. Avoid impulse buying. Don't even go to stores, especially malls. Throw away catalogs. Don't buy now and pay later. Eighty-six percent of those Americans who have voluntarily cut back their consumption say they are happier as a result.
Pay off debt systematically. Make a plan and stick to it. First, list all debts in order, from the smallest to the largest. Second, pay at least the minimum payment on each debt each month. Third, double payments on the debt at the top of the list whenever possible. Fourth,
as each debt is paid off, apply that payment plus the minimum payment toward the next debt.
Dispose of credit cards. Cut them up. Have a ceremony and burn them in the fireplace. Don't try to modify credit card habits -- quit cold turkey.
Develop an accountability network. Find another person or group and
discuss expenditures at least once a week.
Make spending need-based. Most purchases are desire-based, interest-based, pleasure-based, or cash-flow based. Just because you get a raise or a hefty tax refund is no reason to increase spending. To determine if it is a need, don't buy on first pass. Wait. Think about it
for a day or week. Pray about it. If it is a clear need, there will be no ambiguity.
Develop self-sufficiency. Learn to change your own oil. Grow some of
your own food. Sew some of your own clothes. Learn to cut hair.
Integrate lifestyle simplicity and contentment. If you are content with
the things God freely gives you, expecting little and rejoicing in
whatever comes your way, debt loses its fangs.
Move down. Consider moving to a smaller home, or a cheaper car, and live a simpler life.
Let appliances die in your arms. Wait until it's dead before you replace it.
Stop venerating automobiles. Learn to see cars as transportation, not status symbols.
Simplify your meals. eat out less. Discipline your taste buds to accept simplicity and healthful foods. Your wallet and your body will thank you. Eat at home.
Shop for good deals. Decide not to pay full price unless necessary. Shop thrift stores and garage sales.
Simplify Christmas and birthdays. Begin now to notify extended family of your decision to cut back on gifts. Make gifts or choose more modest or fewer gifts.
Enjoy free activities. Use your library for books, magazines, and videos. Read instead of going to the movies or shopping. Work on a hobby. Take a walk.

Use debt as an opportunity for growth. If debt has beaten you down, why not learn from the experience? Change your measuring stick. Money is not the measure of all things. Remember, you live in a society, not an economy.

Friday, January 11, 2008

MONEY POWER

There are many different techniques for attracting money, but let me cover some of the most basic, the things that should be obvious, but many times aren't. If you want more money than you have now, the money you want is now in someone else's possession. You want that other person (or many other people) to give you their money. Why should they do that? In other words, what makes you give someone the money you have? Obviously, the only reason you give money to another person, especially someone you're not related to, is because they can do something for you that you value more than the money you have.Whether it is a product that they can give you possession of, or a service that you would enjoy having, the principle is the same. Now, turn it around and think about what you can do for other people that they would value more than the money you would be asking for it. In the online world, the most profitable ventures are those that offer valuable information that cannot be found anywhere else. That's one reason that i publish this website. I try to give information that is worth at least 10 times what I ask for it.
But back to you and your ticket to wealth. What do people tend to compliment you for? What do you find so easy to do, or so interesting that you don't care if you get paid for it or not? What is the best contribution you can possibly make to the world? These are questions that will lead you to your most profitable career. Okay, now that we've covered the practical side of the problem, now lets cover how we can use Power to amplify our effectiveness. Here is a very simple technique that pulled me out of the deepest pits of poverty that I ever experienced (homelessness). I also use the same technique now, and it works great! This technique completely eradicates every obstacle in your path to financial freedom! Get out into a natural environment. Release all tensions in your mind and body. Breathe in the joy of Spirit and the infinite abundance of the universe. Continue with this until you feel as if you own the whole world! Even though this technique does not address our current situation, that is what gives it it's true Power. Many times our lack of prosperity is due to a belief that our situation is hopeless, or too difficult to change. By releasing it completely, you gain a whole new perspective and can approach solving your financial problems in a new way.

QUOTE FOR TODAY
“Desire is the starting point of all achievements, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire” – Napoleon Hill.

GOD-INSPIRED DELAYS

"Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days". - John 11:6

Delays in our life are not always easy to handle or to reconcile in our minds. Often, when God does not answer our prayers in the time that we feel He should, we appoint all sorts of characteristics to God's nature that imply He does not care. Such was the case with Lazarus' sisters when Lazarus became ill and died. Jesus was a close friend to Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. (Mary, you may recall, was the woman who came and poured perfume on Jesus' feet.) When Jesus arrived two days later, Martha shamed Him by saying, "If You had come he would not have died." She implied that He didn't care enough to come when sent for. It was a matter of priorities for Jesus, not lack of love.
God often has to delay His work in us in order to accomplish something for His purposes that can be achieved only in the delay. Jesus had to let Lazarus die in order for the miracle that was about to take place to have its full effect. If Jesus had simply healed a sick man, the impact of the miracle would not have been as newsworthy as resurrecting a man who had been dead for four days. This is Jesus' greatest "public relations act" of His whole ministry. What many do not realize is that the key to the whole story is in the next chapter.
Many people, because they had heard that He had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet Him. So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after Him!" (John 12:18-19)
If Jesus had not raised Lazarus from the dead, there would have been no crowds to cheer the Lord when He came into Jerusalem riding on a donkey.
God often sets the stage so that His glory is revealed through the events that He orchestrates. He did this with Moses and Pharaoh, allowing delay after delay for release of the Israelites from Egypt. He did this with Abraham and Sarah for the promised child, Isaac. God granted Sarah a baby past the age of childbearing in order to demonstrate His power.
God did this in my own life. He delayed the fulfillment of what I believed He called me to do for several years. But the delays provided the necessary preparation and greater glory that God was to receive. My friend, don't take the delays lightly. Do not faint as God places you in what seems to be a holding pattern. God is at work. God knows the purposes for His delays. Don't give up, for they are for His greater glory; so we need to remain faithful.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

TURNING PROBLEMS INTO POSSIBILITIES

Many times, a problem is an indication that there is something we must learn. Other times, a problem is simply an outworking of a previous use of Power that was directed through a negative channel. In the Keys To Power, there are a couple of things we can do depending on which situation we are faced with. Most of us are content to keep things the way they are until there is a problem. This is fine, and there is no reason to change this (unless it becomes a problem, that is). When we are faced with a problem, one of the things we must consider is whether the problem is the result of the way we've been doing things. If it is the result of our pattern of action or inaction, then we must change our patterns if we wish to avoid having the same problem in the future. If the problem is not a direct result of what we've been doing (or not doing), then all we have to do is deal with the issue at hand and be done with it. This is how most of us are used to dealing with problems. In the Keys To Power system, we recognize that everything that we experience is a direct result of our pattern of action or inaction. There is absolutely nothing that we can say was purely chance or the fault of someone other than ourselves. Yes, we are directly responsible if there is an earthquake that destroys our house, and we are also responsible for the idiot on the road that cuts us off and causes us to run off the road. While this may seem harsh and unforgiving at first, it becomes extremely liberating once you learn about the Power that you control and direct.
If you are alive, then the Universal Powerof Life flows through you. This Power picks up the essence of your thoughts and feelings and proceeds out into your world to create experiences based on those thoughts and feelings. And once you learn to control your thoughts and feelings, you are able to control what that Power creates in your world. Let me describe how problems get created. Something happens that you are not happy with. Let's say that your boss promotes someone else into a position that you wanted. Most people will react to this with a feeling of frustration, and some thoughts will be entertained that suggests that other people get things we ourselves should be getting. Even though this is a reaction to something that has already happened, the thoughts and feelings still direct Power to create future events. Power picks up the feeling of frustration and the thoughts of unfairness and goes out into the world to create an experience. The amount of Power working to create this experience will depend on how strong the thoughts and feelings were that were entertained, and how long they were focused upon. If there was not much energy put into them, then there will be very littlePower to create a similar experience. If these things were dwelt upon for days and weeks with a severe intensity, then there will be a huge amount of Power looking to create a catastrophy.(Don't imagine this too vividly. You don't want to create this for yourself.) With only a little Power directed towards frustration, only little experiences will reflect this feeling. With a great deal of Power directed towards unfairness, a person could end up being sued in court with false evidence! But here's the reason that this relationship is not as clear asit should be: every day you focus on so many different things,some good and others not so good. Power is directed in many different directions to create a wide variety of experiences. And in turn, this wide variety of experiences will incite an equally wide variety of thoughts and feelings, which in turn direct Power to create an equally wide variety of experiences. A complete circle of cause and effect. Imagine what life would be like if you only thought and felt positive things! Power would only create good things for you, which will incite only positive thoughts and feelings, which will only create good things, and on and on along positive channels. I've had many students who started learning about the Power they control with their minds and started working to direct that Power towards positive ends. And then a few days, or even a couple of weeks later, some major problem comes up and they wonder why. With all the positive Power they released into the world, how could a problem of such magnitude possibly happen? The answer is simple, although not always accepted. At the point where these students started focusing on positive uses for Power, they had already released enough Power directed negatively to create the problems that came up. Some students give up at this point, feeling that they could never become successful in directing Power (a feeling that will create experiences that will reflectthis idea).
In fact, if they had persisted, the negativelydirected Power they had previously released would eventually workitself out and there would be no more to create any problems whatsoever! So how can we actually use this information? Quite simply infact. Recognizing that your thoughts and feelings will direct Power to creating your experiences, you can work to control your them to reflect only what you want to experience. This is a process that takes time, and you won't be able to eliminate all negativity from your life overnight, but it can happen. At one time, I had a very strong habit of getting into angry moods which would be very intense and last for hours at a time. Needless tosay, I had a lot of problems in my life. After trying various methods to gain control over my anger, I found the best method was to simply take time and cultivate the feelings of love, peace, and happiness. I would schedule a time period of about a half an hour to a full hour and sit and think about what these feelings were like. If I tried to remember when I had felt these feelings, I would end up remembering something that triggered more anger, so I ended up focusing strictly on thefeelings I wanted separate from any event or experience.This method proved to be amazingly effective! Not only did I start to feel better within a couple of days, but within the weekI was already gaining control over my mind and emotions. One month later and I was reacting to life events with a completely new pattern. And over time, I have learned that the change in the way I reacted to things has completely my "bad luck" into"good luck". Now, instead of everything going wrong and the good things going to other people, everything goes much better and Iget more than my share of good things.While not all of my students have chosen to work with this method of controlling thoughts and feelings, those who have tried it have found similar results. Not only do they feel much better about life and find that life reacts by giving them more good things, but they also find that they can focus their minds on the things they want in such a way as to automatically attract whatever it is that they desire! They have found that they can specify exactly what they want instead of just a general concept of life experiences! And this is true Power.
To decide what you want and to get it, without undue effort, without strain and struggle, and without worry that it may not happen. With the Keys To Power, you know that anything you want will be yours! The only other thing to keep in mind when problems surface is this: there is always more to learn. If something is not responding the way you expect it to, then there is more information you need in order to get the response you want. Keep an open mind that looks for the missing information, and you will eventually overcome any problem. You have my word on it.

Monday, January 7, 2008

MANAGING SELF

You are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Learn to accept total responsibility for yourself. If you do not manage yourself, then you are letting others have control of your Iife.These tips will help "you" manage "you."
* Look at every new opportunity as an exciting and new-life experience.
* If you catch yourself worrying about an upcoming task, go ahead and do it now so it no longer is a distraction.
* Get into the habit of finishing what you start.
* Give up "waiting time" forever. Have something with you at all times to work on. For example: plan your day, work on a report, or read a page from your book.
* Be a professional who exhibits self-confidence and self-assurance in your potential to complete any task.
* Avoid worry. The majority of the things you worry about never occur.
* Agree with yourself in advance that you will have a good attitudetoward the upcoming task.
* Hire specialists to do those things you are not expert in.
* Take a chance-calculated risks pay off in entrepreneurial progress.
* Frequently ask, "Is what I am doing right now moving me toward my goals?"
* Plan the future, but live in the present.
* Make a list of your accomplishments as you go through the day-they are greater than you think.
* Keep a time log at least once every six months to determine exactly where your time is going.* Do it right the first time and you will not have to take time later to fix it.
* Practice concentrating on your work, doing only one thing at a time.
* Accept responsibility for your job successes and failures. Do not look for a scapegoat.
* Do not view things you do as a "job." View all activities as achallenge.
* Use your subconscious mind by telling it to do what you do want. Instead of telling yourself, "I can't do that very well," say, "I can do this very well."
* Schedule several short vacations or long weekends-this creates positive deadlines by when you must have projects done.
* Develop a faster operating tempo or pace. Do things with a sense of urgency.Get over thinking you must do everything yourself.
* Take time to be quiet and reflective for a few minutes each day.
* Live effectiveness in everything you do rather then just sporadically applying time management techniques.
* Live in the Now. The current instant is the only time in which you have control-not the past, not the future, just now, in this instant.
* Recognize you control only 50% of a relationship and that is your half. If you are dissatisfied with what is going on, change what you are doing and saying.
* Give yourself points for completing tasks on your "to-do" list in priority order.When you reach 10 points, reward yourself.
* Carry a card with your goals written on it and review your goals at least three times a day.
* Act with enthusiasm in all that you do.
* Take time out to thank yourself for a good job.
* Practice your personal beliefs. It may be helpful each morning to take 15 minutes to gather your thoughts and say a prayer.
* Operate knowing that there is good in everything. Every cloud has a silver lining-look for it.
* Whenever you have an important thought that is not directly related to what you are working on, write it down. Then you will not forget it and you also will no longer be distracted by it.
* Make a commitment to show someone a specific accomplishment on a certain date.The added urgency will help you feel motivated to have it done.
* Reward yourself when you have successfully completed a high priority project.
* Instead of thinking about what you didn't get done, recognize all you did get accomplished and reward yourself for having done the most important things.
* Keep a list of accomplishments as well as a list of "things to-do.You will learn just how much you do get done.
* Practice self determination, wanting to do it for yourself.
* Nothing takes the place of persistence. Practice "stick-to-it- iveness."
* Get into the habit of writing down a person's name-it will help you to remember it.
* Believe that you can be what you want to be.
* Operate on the philosophy that what we give out is what comes back to us.
* Occasionally, sit quietly and do a self-assessment of your skillsand strengths.
* Praise yourself for your progress.
* Recognize not all days will go as you desire. Be kind to yourself on days when your self esteem is wavering. Remind yourself that you are good and can standup to any obstacle.
* Never criticize yourself as having a weakness. There is no such thing. You are only talking about a present undeveloped skill or part of yourself that if you so chose, you can change. You do not have any weakness, only untapped potential.
* Check to be sure you do not fall into the activity trap of simply doing tasks without knowing to what greater good the task is designed to contribute.
* Be pleasant all the time-no matter what the situation.
* Life is what you perceive it to be. Do you see it as a bore or as an adventure?
* Recall what you were hired to do and make sure it happens.
* To get ahead in anything, operate in the "and then some" manner. Always do what is expected "and then some," so what you give is always more than is expected by the other person.
* When working on a project that you can't stand, do it for a few minutes at a time until you can't stand it anymore. Then do something else and come back later for a few more minutes. Keep taking these bite size pieces until it is completely done.
* Look at what you do as an adventure. You can discover new things from this new perspective.
* Challenge yourself to do things differently than you have in the past.It provides new ideas and keeps you interested.
* Finish that last task you are working on before you go home; do not just leave it.
* Plan your day as you shower and dress in the morning. Keep a pad and pencil nearby to jot down ideas.
* Talk to yourself. Self talk using positive affirmations is something that is common among all great achievers. They convince themselves that they can accomplish their goals.
* Practice being punctual. Others will sense your professionalism.
* Plan, at least to a minimum, everything you undertake.
* Think it through, then do it.
* Think of your time as money. Are you getting a good return on the way you invest/spend it?
* Take some time, no matter how short, every day to do something you enjoy.
* Remember, if you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right.
* Use the self-fulfilling prophesy on yourself. Expect yourself to succeed.
* Doing gives you the power to do.
* Whenever you agree to get back to someone or complete a project, commit to a specific date by when you will have it done. and write this in your calendar immediately.
* Think in terms of long-term results.
* Create your own "motivation board" by putting up notes of things you need to do on a bulletin board or special wall space. It is an easily visible way to see what you need to work on. When an item is done, remove the note.Also keep your goals listed and pictured on your board.
* "Ninety percent of success in showing up."
* Be open and ready to make adjustments as things change.
* Focus 100% of your attention on a project.
* Since your boss will be asking you for progress reports, from time to time,stay informed by asking your people for progress reports each day while you meet them in their office or work area.
* Hire an assistant to run small errands and clean up paperwork, etc. Even if you pay them from your own pocket, it is a good investment because it increases your productivity.
* Enjoy your life and blessings. You could be worse off.
* Recognize that even though you say you are doing something for someone else, in reality you are doing it for yourself. Since you are doing it for yourself, you can also enjoy it more.
* Start each day with a smile.
* Your job reflects you. Can you take pride in it being well done, error free and on time?
* Do it right or do it wrong just do it!
* Compete with yourself to become a little better each time you do something. Achieve your potential.
* Streamline your daily routine to do the same thing at the same time in the same order. Periodically review for continued effectiveness and efficiently.
* When responsible for a project, become intensively involved with it.
* Tell someone else what you are doing to keep on schedule. It keeps you committed.
* Make each day the best day of the week.
* Network with others in the organization to stay informed of who is doing what,when, where, and for whom.
* Use even small "pockets of time" to make lists, write notes and consider ideas.
* Consciously decide what are some things you are NOT going to do.
* Be willing to ask that a staff meeting be called to clarify a specific issue.
* Purposely schedule something you enjoy between routine projects. It will help rejuvenate you.
* Schedule a block of time periodically to take a big bite out of a major project.
* Realize "energy begets energy." Act and energy will flow.
* Time your routine activities such as telephone calls. Determine how you can"capture" some of the time and use it on other top priority activities.
* Be a "doer" not a "sitter."
* Sense the pride you will feel when you have completed a project.
* "He who kills time buries opportunities. "
* Meditate according to your personal beliefs at the beginning of each day.
* Create the right "mind set" for success by adjusting your attitude for the upcoming project.
* Stay interested in what you are doing. Keep looking for what is interesting in your work. Change your perspective and look at it as some one outside your job would.
* Do not get hung-up on trivial details or tangents. Stay focused and moving.
* Always carry a pen or pencil and paper on which you can make notes.
* Do not accept calls for the first 15 minutes of the day while you prepareyour daily strategy.
* Contemplating, meditating on, thinking about, or praying about theactivitiesand success of the workday focuses energy toward that end result.
* Nest activities to available waiting time. Take a bite out of your elephant-sized project.
* Establish personal incentives and rewards to help maintain your own high enthusiasm and performance level. •

Thursday, January 3, 2008

DECISION POWER

Anthony Robbins talks a lot about decisions. One of his lines is
that the quality of your life lies within the quality of your
decisions. There is a lot of truth in what he talks about.
Think about it. Each time you are faced with a decision, you are
making a choice that will affect the events that shape your life.
I know that there have been many times I've made some bad
choices, and my life suffered as a result. And when I made
better choices, my life improved. I know you've also had similar
experiences.
So if the quality of our decisions determines the quality of our
life, how do we go about making better choices? Most of the time
it comes down to experience and education. Every time we are
faced with a choice, our mind reviews our past experiences to see
if we have any information that relates to the current situation.
If we do have previous knowledge, and that knowledge is
extensive, covering many different circumstances, then we have
plenty of information with which to make a quality decision. If
the information we have is scanty and limited, then the quality
of our decision based on that information will be more
questionable.
This sounds very good in theory, but let's see how it sounds in
actual practice. Let's say that you've just made a decision to
increase your income this year. How much information do you have
regarding increasing income? If you're like most people, you
learn a skill and get a job. If you perform that job well, then
you get rewarded by a raise in pay and possibly an increase in
responsibility. That increase in responsibility results in
having to learn new skills. What this means, if that if you are
like most people, the information you have regarding increasing
income leads you to believe that you have to get yourself
promoted to a more responsible position or perform better in your
current job to earn more money.
But is this the only route to increased income? Is the job you
have now, or the company you work for, the only way you can make
money? Obviously not, since there are many other people making
money who are not in your company. One of the best ideas that I
ever came across for gathering the best information on any
subject (in order to make the best decisions regarding that
subject) was to find out who are the people who excel in that
subject. If you want to learn about physics, the best people to
talk to are physicists. If you want to learn about making money,
the best people to talk to are those making the most money.
How do rich people make their money? How do those in wonderful
relationships develop those relationships? How do those who are
happy arrive at that happiness? In any subject that you have to
make a decision, your best source of information are those people
who are excelling in that subject.
But is the quantity of information we have available to us the
only controlling factor in regards to the quality of our
decisions? No. The strength of our conviction behind the
decision is also very important to the quality of that decision.
If we're not really committed to the decision that we have just
made, then we won't put forward our best efforts to follow
through with the actions required to implement it. On the other
hand, if we are willing to move heaven and earth and push through
any series of trials that present themselves on our way to
following through on our decision, then there is quality in that
decision.
I'm sure you've had experience with making a decision to change a
habit, but ended up giving in to the habit and giving up on your
decision. We've all done that. You already know that this is
not the way to handle the important decisions of your life. If
you really want something, you really have to stand behind your
decisions to do what it takes to get it. You know that. But do
you do it? Maybe all you need is practice in standing behind
your decisions.
Many people make little decisions that don't really involved
much, except that they involve doing something that they don't
really like doing. Like eating a kind of food that doesn't taste
good to them, or wearing clothes that don't fit the season
(heavy, warm clothes in the summer; or light, cool clothes in the
winter), or even stepping outside of their comfort zone in
inconsequential situations. This is very good discipline
training. In fact, this is exactly where the original
austerities used by many religions came from. Through this kind
of training, the mind becomes clear, the emotions become stable,
and the spirit becomes pure.
But don't stop with inconsequential decisions in your quest for
mental discipline. Start to apply this discipline and make
quality decisions that affect the long term conditions of your
life. Every day you have a choice between doing the same old
thing or doing something different. If you would like your life
to be different than it is now, you now know exactly what you
need to do. Learn as much as you can from those who have
demonstrated a mastery of the subject, then make decisions based
on that information and stand behind those decisions and make
them happen for you!