by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
StrengthsFinder 2.0 (by Tom Rath) is Gallup's first major upgrade since Now, Discover Your Strengths, a blazing best-seller since publication. The blaze of this trail now burns brighter and broader. They included in their scope of application--everyone. They expanded application to include all personal applications... beyond just business.
Plus they added more insight to your personality (a birth set) and its affect on using your talents. Now, everyone can put their strengths to work and help others better sculpture theirs, while expanding who they are and can be exceptional at... husband and wife, parent to children, teacher to student, manager to associates, and friend to friend.
To bring you up to speed,
according to their research out of 10 million surveyed, 7 million still fall short at "what they do best". So most of us are still trying to figure out what we should be when we grow up. Even if you're older, be of good cheer, research also shows that you are wiser, more introspective, and have a better handle on your true DNA formed with an exceptionally gifted nuclei.
We have spent too much time in our culture trying to tone up weaknesses. When in fact we grow more by putting energy into developing strengths. "It's just not true you can do anything if you want to be if you try hard enough. You cannot be anything you want to be... but you can be a lot more of who you already are. "You are simply making yourself a very unhappy critter if you keep trying to do what's not you.
The StrengthsFinder has 34 talent themes. These themes can become strengths when you add knowledge, hone skills, and practice a lot... you create strengths. Simple formula, but the hardest part is the first and last parts.... knowing what natural core talents you have and diligently practicing. But when you do, it's the multiplier for your raw talent. Learn to manage weaknesses by partnering with those with strengths where you are weak.
Some times talents can blind side us by being so focused in them, we over look other areas we do need to give attention that could harm us. So StrengthsFinder, after millions of interviews, decided more help was needed to cultivate your exceptional potential.
When completing the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment you do on-line, you get:
--your top 5 talent themes
--plus each has 10 ideas for action
--a Strength Discovery Interview to help you build from experience, enhance skill, grow in knowledge to a strength
--and a Strength-Based action plan.
(In the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book is a sealed envelop with a personal code to assess this on-line.)
Part 2 of the book has descriptions of the 34 themes in
short, easy to follow, paragraphs (the definition of terms),
a "sounds like this" scenario (hypothetical example),
and then ideas for action.
They discovered two people with the same top 5 talents may have personality qualities that differ. These personality styles employee strengths differently. So StrengthsFinder takes this into consideration to make the applications about you more "precisely you" while being able to differ them from others. You get a more insightful, indepth, exacting look into who you really are. It's very thorough, comprehensive and "customized" just for you. They also included how to work with others and their talent themes.
Part 2 has 130 pages dedicated just to these areas... definition of terms, example of how it may be played out in real life, and action step suggestions. Their on-line system is the best strategy to make the most of StrengthsFinder 2.0.
Consider sharing these findings with your team, or those you value your interactions with, and help others fine-tune what makes them exceptional as a person. Just for fun, you may want to consider this. Go down the list of the 34 talent themes, rate yourself intuitively, and pick what you think are your top five natural talents themes.
Get together with friends and have a strengths finder's party. Share why you feel strong on these areas, tell others where you see natural talents in them, and in each give a story that impressed you that you have this talent.
The 34 talent themes are:
(Of course, have the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book with you so you can provide clarity for definition of the themes.)
Achiever, Activator, Adaptability,
Analytical, Arranger, Belief,
Command, Communication, Competition,
Connectedness, Consistency, Context,
Deliberate, Developer, Discipline,
Empathy, Focus, Futuristic,
Harmony, Ideation, Includer,
Individualization, Input, Intellection,
Learner, Maximizer, Positivity,
Relater, Responsibility, Restorative,
Self-assurance, Significance, Strategic,
Woo
To followup with each other, consider having another StrengthsFinder party. But before you get back together do the on-line StrengthsFinder assessment. Come together and share these results. See what it says with what you thought of yourself and others thought of you. Now set action goals with each other on your plans to develop skills, acquire additional knowledge, and what you plan to do to make it happen... blaze your trail to your Power Strength!
www.strengthsfinder.com
In Spirit, we are given gifts, through Spirit.
They are gifts of an extraordinary nature. But like natural talents they can become strengths. They must be nurtured as well. It takes knowledge, skill growth and use.
Jesus said of our talents... those who use what they have will be given more. So they will grow as we use them.
"Those who use well what they are given, even more will be given."
(Luke 19:26, NLT)
Andrew Murray in Abide in Christ points out that our Strength is the Power of Spirit in Christ that dwells in us. Part of our labor is not to labor. That we must become "nothing" to receive "everything" of Spirit Power. Be Still and Know His power is there... "Abide in Spirit."
"He must therefore cease entirely from his own doing, and wait for the working of God in him. As he ceases from self-effort, faith assures him that God does what He has undertaken, and works in him."
"He will reveal to you His Secrets, deeper insight into the truth, that as you sink low before Him in nothingness and helplessness, in silence and a stillness that seeks to catch the faintest whisper of His Love, teachings will come to you which you had never heard before for the rush and noise of your own thoughts and efforts."
"The heart occupied with its own plans and efforts for doing God's will, and securing the blessing of abiding in Jesus, must fail continually. God's work is hindered by our interference. He can do His work perfectly only when the soul ceases from its work."
(Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray)
The early disciples of Jesus waited in this state of non-activity. They waited for ten days. Jesus said wait, and I will send you my Power from on High... of Heaven, Universe shaking proportions.
They waited and the Power came.
During this time they obviously spent time reminiscing Jesus' ideas, prayed and worshiped God. In the Spirit of Prayer, reflection, reviewing the Words of God, they ceased from their labor. Then all Heaven broke lose. Power fell, immersed them, they then came out shaking up the world.
This time of labor in Prayer,
resting in Prayer,
and other times of reflections in Prayer,
produced a Life force that changed everything.
It began there.
It can grow from there.
That was just a beginning of much greater things to come,
of using Spirit talent, Gift of Spirit Strength.
When talents are cultivated, knowledge expanded and put to work In A Spirit Way, Great Power is released through all of us.
This is how the Power of Spirit, Gifts of Spirit are expanded. Expand what God has Given you in Spirit. Acquire the Power. Walk in the Power and go out walking and demonstrating the Power in the actions He, when you are in Spirit, directs you to Do.
Go... freely share what you have been given.
It will grow and Your Power will continue to increase to an unlimited Power!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Friday, March 02, 2007
Duct Tape Marketing... Power as One
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
A lot of small business owners don't feel they are good at marketing.
"Why is it so hard to market?" They ask...the author John Jantsch wrote in Duct Tape Marketing.
He exhorts the small business owner to make all your business marketing (vs. a separate thing) and the whole thing will be so much easier.
" 'Marketing is getting people to know, like and trust you.' It's that simple." Don't copy others business advertising that may not be getting results either. Create your system, that's you, right for you, and will work for you. Duct Tape Marketing is like duct tape ...everyone trusts it and it sticks... works when used in many places.The book deals with the know, trust, likes you, refers you issues. Then how to make contacts that will stick with you. Finally, discover what's working and do more of it. Each of these areas are explored for you and you get a micro-get-the-job-done lesson that can make your business begin to ooze with more business.
Chapter by chapter Jantsch leads you into a marketing learning process including advertising, direct mail, referrals, public relations, strategic partnering, targeting, positioning, Internet marketing, copy writing, blogging, word of mouth, public speaking, writing, articles, coupons, promotions, lead generation, customer service, sales, and e-marketing.
It's all there... easy to follow and put to work. Jantsch gets right to the point and shares crisp succinct steps. This is an excellent small business book to put on your ready-reference business book shelf.
One chapter of interest... although there are many... is "get your entire team involved in marketing." Since marketing is a part of all your business, all your business should be involved in it as part of their jobs.
Create a marketing round table...
to focus, emphasize, gain broader perspectives, and educate.
Routinely educate on
Your ideal client description
Your marketing purpose
Your talking logo (that includes everyone)
Your core message (including all areas)
Your marketing kit (all your people need to know why everyone loves you so much and wants to buy from you)
The hiring process
Everyone interviewed needs to be marketed to. Think of how many people will tell others about you when intrigued by what you do, how, and why you do it.
Put it on business cards
And equip everyone with a personal business card (that’s “every” person who works for you)... everyone needs marketing identity ammunition.
Employee Manual
Include your core message and tell your story--plus your marketing materials.
Talking logo practice
Train everyone on how to talk about what they do, what the company does, and why the way everyone does it is so great.
Telephone training
Anyone who answers the phone for any reason in your business should be ready to talk shop in an impressing way.
External marketing training
All vendors, subcontractors need to know... "this is how we do it" that's makes us so cool. Talk to sales reps and inspire them. They love to tell stories of fascinating businesses they stumble into.
Your new marketing business kickoff
Hold off-site all day staff meeting. Create material packets, make t-shirts, bring the pizza, and paint new pictures of a bright future, new expectations, and educate your total company sales force.
A marketing board of directors
Pull together cheerleader clients, vendors, partners, community to get ideas, share strategies, ways you to get things done. Meet quarterly.
Another chapter stars education as integrated into marketing.
Today's marketing must educate. This economic society is educated. They require enough information to decide for themselves. Duct Tape Marketing's theme is "Educate, don't sell." Create marketing kits with interchangeable sleeves of information. Taylor each kit to the interests of the one you give it to.
One important document is the one that makes your case... the case statement. This statement challenges, gives an image of life with a problem solved, shows the path to get there, and calls to action. Tell your story and use intrigues of your history. Include case studies, client stories, testimonials. It's a good idea to complement it with a web site with more in depth information.
Keep a marketing snap shot before you.
Your marketing snapshot has 6 steps:
Step 0: State your primary marketing goals for the year.
Step 1: Describe your ideal client
Step 2: Write your core message points
Step 3: Develop educational marketing materials.
Step 4: Outline your lead generation strategy
Step 5: Describe your sales/education process.
Use your team, clients, vendors, friends to begin. Then go through Duct Tape Marketing in detail to pull out information that fits or relates. Test critical areas. Go back and recreate your marketing snapshot.
Duct Tape Marketing web site has bunches of additional guides and practical applications:http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/
In The Spirit, Building the team is the most important part of seeing exceptional Spiritual Power at work.
When the team is involved,
recognized for their gifts and used accordingly,
you will get results at a much higher level.
Paul the Apostle expressed the importance of the unity of believers and what comes of it when he refers to Jesus as the body of Christ....
"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. ...in fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12: 12, 22-27, NLT)
In all you do, use those around you. Cultivate bonds of unity as much as possible and as a group all you do will have much impact. The key is the love, respect and willingness to work together as a team.
You all share in success and everyone feels an intricate part of it, and you all can limit the impact of personal failure by everyone helping to hold everyone up when needed. This spirit of becoming One In Spirit, propels the Spirit in all you do. It ignites a combustion of power in effort that will astound you when you do it this way. Love, harmony, respect for differences and using all, kicks the universe in high gear for the scope of your efforts.
Geffry Fields, wrote in his blog about the Magnitude of One.
When we share in Spirit, tremendous power is released... both practically and supernaturally.
"Being One applies:
1. One with God... Jesus Spirit. This is first and foremost that each person cultivates this.
2. One in themselves. Our central command post is our Spirit...Jesus Spirit... which guides the mind and distinctively contours our thoughts, which then the mind directs the body what to do.
3. One with each other. When each is allowing Jesus Spirit to control and direct each of us, we can create strong alignment here.
4. One with all who believe. If those who follow and believe in Jesus Spirit, that within itself can start a power-train encroaching into changing the dynamics of the world around them.
5. One in communication. This will increase our abilities in understanding each other.
6. One in ownership. Everything we have is part of all of Us, and we don't see things as our own."
"Jesus transferred His seat of power and dominion over the earth, as was originally intended, to all those in this group of Spirit directed people…WE have the seat of authentic power, dominion over everything on earth." Jesus presence is now internalized within us. (Both individually and as a unit.)
Believers in unity make possible the manifest presence of Jesus Spirit. He shows up as if in person. This is incredibly awesome, a faith producing self assurance that all things are truly possible, when each person is in proper relationship to Jesus Spirit and also to each other who are also in the Spirit of Jesus. The all Powerful World-Making Spirit of the Universe works through this cell.
Note two factors.
First, the individual must maintain this pure relation in himself finely aligned with Jesus Spirit, The Spirit of God.
Second, then those who are aligned within themselves must be matched up in the same alignment with each other.
It takes two... given to the same Spirit of Jesus for power to be manifested. "There is great unimaginable power when more than one are... One in Spirit."
With this in place, teams create Supernatural results.
4spirit@gmail.com
A lot of small business owners don't feel they are good at marketing.
"Why is it so hard to market?" They ask...the author John Jantsch wrote in Duct Tape Marketing.
He exhorts the small business owner to make all your business marketing (vs. a separate thing) and the whole thing will be so much easier.
" 'Marketing is getting people to know, like and trust you.' It's that simple." Don't copy others business advertising that may not be getting results either. Create your system, that's you, right for you, and will work for you. Duct Tape Marketing is like duct tape ...everyone trusts it and it sticks... works when used in many places.The book deals with the know, trust, likes you, refers you issues. Then how to make contacts that will stick with you. Finally, discover what's working and do more of it. Each of these areas are explored for you and you get a micro-get-the-job-done lesson that can make your business begin to ooze with more business.
Chapter by chapter Jantsch leads you into a marketing learning process including advertising, direct mail, referrals, public relations, strategic partnering, targeting, positioning, Internet marketing, copy writing, blogging, word of mouth, public speaking, writing, articles, coupons, promotions, lead generation, customer service, sales, and e-marketing.
It's all there... easy to follow and put to work. Jantsch gets right to the point and shares crisp succinct steps. This is an excellent small business book to put on your ready-reference business book shelf.
One chapter of interest... although there are many... is "get your entire team involved in marketing." Since marketing is a part of all your business, all your business should be involved in it as part of their jobs.
Create a marketing round table...
to focus, emphasize, gain broader perspectives, and educate.
Routinely educate on
Your ideal client description
Your marketing purpose
Your talking logo (that includes everyone)
Your core message (including all areas)
Your marketing kit (all your people need to know why everyone loves you so much and wants to buy from you)
The hiring process
Everyone interviewed needs to be marketed to. Think of how many people will tell others about you when intrigued by what you do, how, and why you do it.
Put it on business cards
And equip everyone with a personal business card (that’s “every” person who works for you)... everyone needs marketing identity ammunition.
Employee Manual
Include your core message and tell your story--plus your marketing materials.
Talking logo practice
Train everyone on how to talk about what they do, what the company does, and why the way everyone does it is so great.
Telephone training
Anyone who answers the phone for any reason in your business should be ready to talk shop in an impressing way.
External marketing training
All vendors, subcontractors need to know... "this is how we do it" that's makes us so cool. Talk to sales reps and inspire them. They love to tell stories of fascinating businesses they stumble into.
Your new marketing business kickoff
Hold off-site all day staff meeting. Create material packets, make t-shirts, bring the pizza, and paint new pictures of a bright future, new expectations, and educate your total company sales force.
A marketing board of directors
Pull together cheerleader clients, vendors, partners, community to get ideas, share strategies, ways you to get things done. Meet quarterly.
Another chapter stars education as integrated into marketing.
Today's marketing must educate. This economic society is educated. They require enough information to decide for themselves. Duct Tape Marketing's theme is "Educate, don't sell." Create marketing kits with interchangeable sleeves of information. Taylor each kit to the interests of the one you give it to.
One important document is the one that makes your case... the case statement. This statement challenges, gives an image of life with a problem solved, shows the path to get there, and calls to action. Tell your story and use intrigues of your history. Include case studies, client stories, testimonials. It's a good idea to complement it with a web site with more in depth information.
Keep a marketing snap shot before you.
Your marketing snapshot has 6 steps:
Step 0: State your primary marketing goals for the year.
Step 1: Describe your ideal client
Step 2: Write your core message points
Step 3: Develop educational marketing materials.
Step 4: Outline your lead generation strategy
Step 5: Describe your sales/education process.
Use your team, clients, vendors, friends to begin. Then go through Duct Tape Marketing in detail to pull out information that fits or relates. Test critical areas. Go back and recreate your marketing snapshot.
Duct Tape Marketing web site has bunches of additional guides and practical applications:http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/
In The Spirit, Building the team is the most important part of seeing exceptional Spiritual Power at work.
When the team is involved,
recognized for their gifts and used accordingly,
you will get results at a much higher level.
Paul the Apostle expressed the importance of the unity of believers and what comes of it when he refers to Jesus as the body of Christ....
"The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. ...in fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12: 12, 22-27, NLT)
In all you do, use those around you. Cultivate bonds of unity as much as possible and as a group all you do will have much impact. The key is the love, respect and willingness to work together as a team.
You all share in success and everyone feels an intricate part of it, and you all can limit the impact of personal failure by everyone helping to hold everyone up when needed. This spirit of becoming One In Spirit, propels the Spirit in all you do. It ignites a combustion of power in effort that will astound you when you do it this way. Love, harmony, respect for differences and using all, kicks the universe in high gear for the scope of your efforts.
Geffry Fields, wrote in his blog about the Magnitude of One.
When we share in Spirit, tremendous power is released... both practically and supernaturally.
"Being One applies:
1. One with God... Jesus Spirit. This is first and foremost that each person cultivates this.
2. One in themselves. Our central command post is our Spirit...Jesus Spirit... which guides the mind and distinctively contours our thoughts, which then the mind directs the body what to do.
3. One with each other. When each is allowing Jesus Spirit to control and direct each of us, we can create strong alignment here.
4. One with all who believe. If those who follow and believe in Jesus Spirit, that within itself can start a power-train encroaching into changing the dynamics of the world around them.
5. One in communication. This will increase our abilities in understanding each other.
6. One in ownership. Everything we have is part of all of Us, and we don't see things as our own."
"Jesus transferred His seat of power and dominion over the earth, as was originally intended, to all those in this group of Spirit directed people…WE have the seat of authentic power, dominion over everything on earth." Jesus presence is now internalized within us. (Both individually and as a unit.)
Believers in unity make possible the manifest presence of Jesus Spirit. He shows up as if in person. This is incredibly awesome, a faith producing self assurance that all things are truly possible, when each person is in proper relationship to Jesus Spirit and also to each other who are also in the Spirit of Jesus. The all Powerful World-Making Spirit of the Universe works through this cell.
Note two factors.
First, the individual must maintain this pure relation in himself finely aligned with Jesus Spirit, The Spirit of God.
Second, then those who are aligned within themselves must be matched up in the same alignment with each other.
It takes two... given to the same Spirit of Jesus for power to be manifested. "There is great unimaginable power when more than one are... One in Spirit."
With this in place, teams create Supernatural results.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Yes Attitude of Spirit
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Yes! Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer... How to Find, Build, and keep a Yes! Attitude for a lifetime of Success.
Yes! Attitude is loaded with proverbial statements, short truths and of course the Gitomer humor... the cartoons are LOL types.
Some things can sneak up on you and be life changing. The Yes! Attitude could very well be one of those things.The more I read it the more it was getting to me that I was not as optimistic, a Yes! Attitude person, as I thought I was. I walked past the book several times in the bookstore, before a friend told me to check it out.
Here’s the gist of it.
"You become what you think about all day long."
(Earl Nightingale)
Now just think about this... simply true.
"It's your thoughts behind the words you speak that create your attitude."
(Jeffrey Gitomer)
In short phrases, graphics, short quips, Gitomer processes you through the Yes! Attitude which he suggests you read, study, practice, keep and refer to a lot.
So it's short, progressively leading you through his 5.5 elements of the Yes! Attitude.
1. Insight to your inside attitude
"Attitude is Everything and Foundations of Everything." Yes! is better than positive... when things go exuberantly well we scream Yes! When we want it to go well we incite a yes deep inside of us. Positive attitudes start inside(your view of yourself) and then become attractive and contagious to others. Attitude-- your choice, your response, your control over the choice. Take the Gitomer attitude self test... Now, you know where to start and we all have some attitude lapses we need to work on.The Gitomer test shows us which ones.
2. Attitude Self-awareness
Cocky and the arrogant say "I know that."and move on. Confident and positive ask themselves, "How good am I at that?" and seek to improve. "Concentrate on Fundamentals.“ Most of all success is achieved that way. (Lay-ups win basketball games...make them.)
Attitude busters: Things and people. It's your reaction to them that matters. It's not their fault... "It's you!" And it always has been. Be aware of your attitude; be aware of others. "If you have nothing nice to say about someone, don't say anything." Be aware of being aware. Life happens. Get back to Yes!
3. Attitude Actions... become a person of attitude
Be a person who walks the talk. Be nice, be kind, smile, make friends, say nice things, praise others, take responsibility, be proud of work and accomplishments. Don't worry, be happy! Use great few words when starting phrases. Use words like....Great!, No Problem, I can Help!, Consider it Done.
Attitude actions include: It's no one's fault but me, it's a choice, invest in time in positive people, books, CD's, seminars. Avoid negative talk, negative news, unbecoming words; instead celebrate victories and count your blessings. Do this ALL the time. Learn good stuff, talk about it to others, act on it, and start each day on it. Do it with everyone you meet, live with, work with, are intimate with.
Build belief, your belief...uncovering your "why's" for belief. Put your Yes! beliefs where you see them all the time, say them out loud all day long... to self and others.
4. Attitude Attributes... think about your best qualities
"The main reason people rain on my parade is because they have no parade of their own." Laugh a lot, be funny, and make others’ laugh. Lead with a smile. "I believe that a smile is the attribute of a positive attitude, both for yourself and perception of others." Adjust your environments and associations " to be the best for you."
5. Attitude Achievements... the formula for Yes! Attitude Achievement
It will work if you work it. The Gitomer formula: “Decide you're willing to go for it. Decide it will take a year to set a new thought pattern. Start each morning with some positive exposure, wisdom, or expression.
Get rid of negative people in your life. Avoid the violence on TV and in movies. Ignore idiots and zealots. Make your own environment. Read books that will get you going at the start of the day. Listen to recorded messages of positive people. Surround yourself in the external environments that breed success. Create new associations that will boost your desire to be positive. Smile all the time. Respond to everything in the positive. Select one positive message or one passage everyday to focus on that day.
”Always wake up and read, write, think on something positive." At the end of the day, drain your brain of all the negatives. Write everything down--problems, challenges, obstacles, then take a Yes! Attitude to solve them. Do to-do, to-call, to-get, to-resolve, to-pay lists. Thinking solutions increases hope, positive feelings, more Yes! Attitudes.
5.5 Attitude Fulfillment
Fulfillment is wanting more, but being at peace with what you have. Give yourself permission to enjoy everything. Your attitude is a gift, a blessing... and it's one you can give to your self, give to others, and your special love.
Note the Jeffrey Gitomer web:
www.gitomer.com
There is also a Book in the Bible that is a Super Yes! Attitude little book. Mark in the New Testament is loaded with the miracle power behind being a yes person, a person of belief, a person of faith. One supreme thought in it is when Jesus said “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." (Mark 11: 23-24, NLT)
If we carry with us a forgiving heart, we can believe God grants justice to us above what we can do. If we leave it in His hands, He will respond also to all our requests. It is to believe in your heart, your deepest soul, that what you pray for, If You Believe, you will receive.
Jesus goes on to say through John 14 that "if you ask for anything in my name I will do it." That is according to His will for you and others around. We are part of a gigantic team. We all inter-relate and each of our lives affect someone else in all we do. So being forgiving and doing things to Jesus plan, lays the ground work for incredible miracles in our lives. Just look at Yes Attitude results just in this little book of Mark's, the Apostle.
Faith, The Yes! Attitude, in Spirit grew massively.
Selections from Mark: (NLT)
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons.
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
She fell to her knees in front of him… And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
“Your daughter is dead. Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
“Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
All these people believed in Jesus, they had the Yes! Attitude in Spirit. Because of their faith, they were healed.
Jesus scolded His disciples when they lacked faith. “…a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water... When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus will even heal your lack of faith, if you ask.
What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes. ”The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” For the ability to believe, have a yes attitude in Spirit.
Take the Faith, Belief Scriptures and write them everyday, say them everyday, think on them constantly and make them your mental anthems, and constantly proclaim it verbally as true for you.
Prevailing prayer prevails.
“Persevere in full assurance that we will have what we ask for. He so highly prizes our confidence in Him. With such faith we cannot fail to inherit the blessing."
The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray.
Jesus will perform miracles for you if you just ask, believe, forgive and respect what He is about. He begs us to just say Yes! to faith in Him and what He wants to do for us. "Ask what you will and He will do it."
This is the ultimate gift of the Yes Attitude. If you believe, have a Yes! Attitude of Spirit. When you pray, you petition the whole universe and it will respond to what you ask for with unbending Belief. Our biggest obstacle is ourselves… the lack of our own Belief. The Belief in His Mission for us. Work on your own belief, His power and love for you, and begin to see things change.
Do you seek after His Mission or just self interest? He promises to equip you with Supernatural gifts of His Spirit when we seek to fulfill His Mission for us.
“...loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave... He humbled himself in obedience to God... (Philippians 2: 2-7, NLT, Note all of Philippians 2.)
He will say Yes! to The Mission you have for your life.
He will build the skills you need for this mission,
and respond to requests with a
Yes! Attitude in Spirit.
4spirit@gmail.com
Yes! Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer... How to Find, Build, and keep a Yes! Attitude for a lifetime of Success.
Yes! Attitude is loaded with proverbial statements, short truths and of course the Gitomer humor... the cartoons are LOL types.
Some things can sneak up on you and be life changing. The Yes! Attitude could very well be one of those things.The more I read it the more it was getting to me that I was not as optimistic, a Yes! Attitude person, as I thought I was. I walked past the book several times in the bookstore, before a friend told me to check it out.
Here’s the gist of it.
"You become what you think about all day long."
(Earl Nightingale)
Now just think about this... simply true.
"It's your thoughts behind the words you speak that create your attitude."
(Jeffrey Gitomer)
In short phrases, graphics, short quips, Gitomer processes you through the Yes! Attitude which he suggests you read, study, practice, keep and refer to a lot.
So it's short, progressively leading you through his 5.5 elements of the Yes! Attitude.
1. Insight to your inside attitude
"Attitude is Everything and Foundations of Everything." Yes! is better than positive... when things go exuberantly well we scream Yes! When we want it to go well we incite a yes deep inside of us. Positive attitudes start inside(your view of yourself) and then become attractive and contagious to others. Attitude-- your choice, your response, your control over the choice. Take the Gitomer attitude self test... Now, you know where to start and we all have some attitude lapses we need to work on.The Gitomer test shows us which ones.
2. Attitude Self-awareness
Cocky and the arrogant say "I know that."and move on. Confident and positive ask themselves, "How good am I at that?" and seek to improve. "Concentrate on Fundamentals.“ Most of all success is achieved that way. (Lay-ups win basketball games...make them.)
Attitude busters: Things and people. It's your reaction to them that matters. It's not their fault... "It's you!" And it always has been. Be aware of your attitude; be aware of others. "If you have nothing nice to say about someone, don't say anything." Be aware of being aware. Life happens. Get back to Yes!
3. Attitude Actions... become a person of attitude
Be a person who walks the talk. Be nice, be kind, smile, make friends, say nice things, praise others, take responsibility, be proud of work and accomplishments. Don't worry, be happy! Use great few words when starting phrases. Use words like....Great!, No Problem, I can Help!, Consider it Done.
Attitude actions include: It's no one's fault but me, it's a choice, invest in time in positive people, books, CD's, seminars. Avoid negative talk, negative news, unbecoming words; instead celebrate victories and count your blessings. Do this ALL the time. Learn good stuff, talk about it to others, act on it, and start each day on it. Do it with everyone you meet, live with, work with, are intimate with.
Build belief, your belief...uncovering your "why's" for belief. Put your Yes! beliefs where you see them all the time, say them out loud all day long... to self and others.
4. Attitude Attributes... think about your best qualities
"The main reason people rain on my parade is because they have no parade of their own." Laugh a lot, be funny, and make others’ laugh. Lead with a smile. "I believe that a smile is the attribute of a positive attitude, both for yourself and perception of others." Adjust your environments and associations " to be the best for you."
5. Attitude Achievements... the formula for Yes! Attitude Achievement
It will work if you work it. The Gitomer formula: “Decide you're willing to go for it. Decide it will take a year to set a new thought pattern. Start each morning with some positive exposure, wisdom, or expression.
Get rid of negative people in your life. Avoid the violence on TV and in movies. Ignore idiots and zealots. Make your own environment. Read books that will get you going at the start of the day. Listen to recorded messages of positive people. Surround yourself in the external environments that breed success. Create new associations that will boost your desire to be positive. Smile all the time. Respond to everything in the positive. Select one positive message or one passage everyday to focus on that day.
”Always wake up and read, write, think on something positive." At the end of the day, drain your brain of all the negatives. Write everything down--problems, challenges, obstacles, then take a Yes! Attitude to solve them. Do to-do, to-call, to-get, to-resolve, to-pay lists. Thinking solutions increases hope, positive feelings, more Yes! Attitudes.
5.5 Attitude Fulfillment
Fulfillment is wanting more, but being at peace with what you have. Give yourself permission to enjoy everything. Your attitude is a gift, a blessing... and it's one you can give to your self, give to others, and your special love.
Note the Jeffrey Gitomer web:
www.gitomer.com
There is also a Book in the Bible that is a Super Yes! Attitude little book. Mark in the New Testament is loaded with the miracle power behind being a yes person, a person of belief, a person of faith. One supreme thought in it is when Jesus said “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." (Mark 11: 23-24, NLT)
If we carry with us a forgiving heart, we can believe God grants justice to us above what we can do. If we leave it in His hands, He will respond also to all our requests. It is to believe in your heart, your deepest soul, that what you pray for, If You Believe, you will receive.
Jesus goes on to say through John 14 that "if you ask for anything in my name I will do it." That is according to His will for you and others around. We are part of a gigantic team. We all inter-relate and each of our lives affect someone else in all we do. So being forgiving and doing things to Jesus plan, lays the ground work for incredible miracles in our lives. Just look at Yes Attitude results just in this little book of Mark's, the Apostle.
Faith, The Yes! Attitude, in Spirit grew massively.
Selections from Mark: (NLT)
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons.
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
She fell to her knees in front of him… And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
“Your daughter is dead. Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
“Little girl, get up!” And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed.
All these people believed in Jesus, they had the Yes! Attitude in Spirit. Because of their faith, they were healed.
Jesus scolded His disciples when they lacked faith. “…a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water... When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
Jesus will even heal your lack of faith, if you ask.
What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes. ”The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”
“Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” For the ability to believe, have a yes attitude in Spirit.
Take the Faith, Belief Scriptures and write them everyday, say them everyday, think on them constantly and make them your mental anthems, and constantly proclaim it verbally as true for you.
Prevailing prayer prevails.
“Persevere in full assurance that we will have what we ask for. He so highly prizes our confidence in Him. With such faith we cannot fail to inherit the blessing."
The Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray.
Jesus will perform miracles for you if you just ask, believe, forgive and respect what He is about. He begs us to just say Yes! to faith in Him and what He wants to do for us. "Ask what you will and He will do it."
This is the ultimate gift of the Yes Attitude. If you believe, have a Yes! Attitude of Spirit. When you pray, you petition the whole universe and it will respond to what you ask for with unbending Belief. Our biggest obstacle is ourselves… the lack of our own Belief. The Belief in His Mission for us. Work on your own belief, His power and love for you, and begin to see things change.
Do you seek after His Mission or just self interest? He promises to equip you with Supernatural gifts of His Spirit when we seek to fulfill His Mission for us.
“...loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave... He humbled himself in obedience to God... (Philippians 2: 2-7, NLT, Note all of Philippians 2.)
He will say Yes! to The Mission you have for your life.
He will build the skills you need for this mission,
and respond to requests with a
Yes! Attitude in Spirit.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Made to Stick Using Heavenly Powers
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This is a great guide book for anyone in the business of communication that it’s imperative what they communicate makes a difference.
Made to Stick is a guide on how to make your ideas stick. This means that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have lasting impact--they change your audiences opinions or behavior. The principle of "Sticky Ideas" include these traits: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and story. So the acronym is created "succes."
Using this as a system, creativity can be created systematically. Most non-creative people will find this helpful in formulating sticky ways to make their ideas grab a hold of others and stay. So they coined the phrase "systematic creativity." (Personally, I used this method when producing videos for companies. It creates effective unique twists through the process.)
Simple
Finding the core of the idea. Stripping the idea down to its most critical essence, eliminating the superfluous and tangential elements, weeding out the important and getting to the most important element of the idea. Getting from knowing the idea to effective sharing and achieving the idea's priorities.
So Simple = Core + Compact. Finding the most important, making it concise so it quickly zings through. Create clever metaphors and proverbs that hit home with depth and quickly.
Unexpected
This is what gets people's attention--which you must do. Surprise gets our attention; interest keeps our attention. Point out things people don't know. Find the knowledge gap. Propose you have a solution.
Concrete
Move from the abstract to the tangible, specific... in concept, common analogies work well. What makes something concrete is being able to examine something with your senses. V8 engine is concrete; "high performance" is abstract. Concrete foundations must be built... it is essential to teach abstract principles. Naturally, sticky ideas have concrete words and images. Create concrete images to see, and it can become memorable. More experienced/ educated people see more images than less experienced/educated people. So to be sticky their images must be reconstructed to the other level.
Memory works like Velcro.. the more loops that you can find hooks for, the stronger the memory. Find the loops, past experiences, and create hooks, relevant ideas, and stickiness increases proportionately.
Credible
What makes someone believe in you, your idea? Experts with extensive credentials; celebrities with their notoriety are viewed as authorities. But authority can be found through antiauthority ...someone with an experience that is true, honest, and trustworthy... can many times out perform authorities in credibility (such as, common people wit, exceptional experience, unsung heros).
Also, a person's good handle on details extends authority... especially details compelling and human, meaningful and support our core idea. Statistics work when a relationship is drawn within human, everyday context. And then making a cross over to a similar application or situation. "If it can make it here, it can make it there."
Emotions
For people to act, they got to care. Associate ideas with emotions that already exist. Tap what's already there. Don't over use or an idea will lose its kick. Use "uniquely," timely, sparingly. So an idea is uniquely associated. People must care about something to relate it to something they do care about. Appeal to self interest, their identities, to who they are now as well as the people they'll be like.
Story
Stories are powerful. They provide “simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act)." Credible makes people believe, emotional makes people care, stories make people act. We play out mental simulations and re-enact them in real life. When we lead someone through the process, of mental simulation (via stories) they are more likely to re-enact the process again. Stories carry the concrete, emotion, credibility, suspense (the unexpected) and are simple to follow.
How do people spot (become drawn to) a great story. The art of spotting includes three plots: The challenge plot, the connection plot, the creativity plot.
People being drawn to the little guy who overcomes a great obstacle (challenge plot); two unlikely partners help each other (connection plot); someone went about to solve a problem in a most unusual way (creativity plot).
For an idea to stick it has to make your audience...
1. Pay attention (unexpected)
2. Understand, remember (concrete)
3. Agree/believe (credible)
4. Care (emotional)
5. Be able to act on it (story)
The Made to Stick easy reference guide.
1. Simple--find the core, share the core
2. Unexpected--get attention: surprise, hold attention: interest
3. Concrete--help people understand and remember, help people coordinate (find common ground)
4. Credible--help people believe, external credibility(authority, antiauthority--those who have been there); internal credibility (convincing details, relating statistics, cross over test)
5. Emotional--make people care, use power of association, appeal to self-interest, appeal to identity
6. Stories--stories as simulations (tell people how to act), stories as inspiration (give people energy to act).
More on Made to Stick at:
www.madetostick.com
Jesus was a master of the Made to Stick findings.
His message was simple... love God with all your heart, soul, mind and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself, and you will fulfill all the commandments. The Religious groups of His day made things very complex... they had just hundreds of commandments and laws in that no one could keep at all.
He used the unexpected. Put mud on and spit on eyes to heal blindness. He didn’t condemn a woman who lived a whoring lifestyle.
It was concrete...Whatever you do to the least you are doing to me. The least being the hungry, thirsty, strangers, prisoners, despicable. He gave attention to crooked accountants, rebels of the day, beggars, widowed women, little children.
He walked in credibility and walked with authority and antiauthority. Those who heard Him said He spoke with authority and wasn't like the scribes and religious show offs who delighted to wax eloquent in their speeches. As a common-looking person, from a simple family, Jesus’ lifestyle showed off true spectacular events, ideas and character.
"Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. (Luke 20:46, NLT)
The prophets' predictions pointed to Jesus. The predictions came true with what He was doing. His many miracles proved He had authority from Heaven.
He cared with His emotions. He looked at the crowds and had compassion for them. Even fed them with a miracle by taking a family size meal and converting it into a meal for thousands. No one had a clue how He did it, but His compassion for the masses, which He saw as individuals, moved Him.
He was a spell-bound story teller. The art of a connection plot came through in the good Samaritan story..."A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' "
(Luke 10: 30-35, NLT)
Samaritans were socially, polar opposites to the Jews.
They were flagrantly hostile towards each other. Luke records many parable-like stories that Jesus used to explain Spiritual principles so regular folks can get it.
Jesus has one more secret to add to the made to stick formula...that we all would have access to the very Spirit of God. That, through His Spirit, we can talk directly to other hearts of men without using words. This is a powerful bonus to life. Hidden in prayer, when we pray, and made real. We then see the results of this Power of Spirit coming out of others.
"And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." Luke 24:49
This power has the same Power of God that created Heaven, earth and all the elements of the universe. We have access to this power. This power makes ideas stick in minds, stay in hearts and changes behaviors for ever. This stickiness is the most powerful glue we can use in making impact in all we are involved in... making ideas stick. Through prayer we can make ideas grab a hold, change attitudes, opinions.
Develop the Prayer Skill.
(See John 16 and also note:
"Purpose in Prayer" by E. M. Bounds; try a Google search on it.)
"Ask of Me and I will give you the nations" (Psalm 2:8)
declares the prophet David about God's heart for you.
Ask God and the Holy Spirit will respond in great Power.
Ask and The Spirit of God will work with you,
in alliance with you, as your every-minute walking partner
in all your times, events and moments of your day.
4spirit@gmail.com
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. This is a great guide book for anyone in the business of communication that it’s imperative what they communicate makes a difference.
Made to Stick is a guide on how to make your ideas stick. This means that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have lasting impact--they change your audiences opinions or behavior. The principle of "Sticky Ideas" include these traits: simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and story. So the acronym is created "succes."
Using this as a system, creativity can be created systematically. Most non-creative people will find this helpful in formulating sticky ways to make their ideas grab a hold of others and stay. So they coined the phrase "systematic creativity." (Personally, I used this method when producing videos for companies. It creates effective unique twists through the process.)
Simple
Finding the core of the idea. Stripping the idea down to its most critical essence, eliminating the superfluous and tangential elements, weeding out the important and getting to the most important element of the idea. Getting from knowing the idea to effective sharing and achieving the idea's priorities.
So Simple = Core + Compact. Finding the most important, making it concise so it quickly zings through. Create clever metaphors and proverbs that hit home with depth and quickly.
Unexpected
This is what gets people's attention--which you must do. Surprise gets our attention; interest keeps our attention. Point out things people don't know. Find the knowledge gap. Propose you have a solution.
Concrete
Move from the abstract to the tangible, specific... in concept, common analogies work well. What makes something concrete is being able to examine something with your senses. V8 engine is concrete; "high performance" is abstract. Concrete foundations must be built... it is essential to teach abstract principles. Naturally, sticky ideas have concrete words and images. Create concrete images to see, and it can become memorable. More experienced/ educated people see more images than less experienced/educated people. So to be sticky their images must be reconstructed to the other level.
Memory works like Velcro.. the more loops that you can find hooks for, the stronger the memory. Find the loops, past experiences, and create hooks, relevant ideas, and stickiness increases proportionately.
Credible
What makes someone believe in you, your idea? Experts with extensive credentials; celebrities with their notoriety are viewed as authorities. But authority can be found through antiauthority ...someone with an experience that is true, honest, and trustworthy... can many times out perform authorities in credibility (such as, common people wit, exceptional experience, unsung heros).
Also, a person's good handle on details extends authority... especially details compelling and human, meaningful and support our core idea. Statistics work when a relationship is drawn within human, everyday context. And then making a cross over to a similar application or situation. "If it can make it here, it can make it there."
Emotions
For people to act, they got to care. Associate ideas with emotions that already exist. Tap what's already there. Don't over use or an idea will lose its kick. Use "uniquely," timely, sparingly. So an idea is uniquely associated. People must care about something to relate it to something they do care about. Appeal to self interest, their identities, to who they are now as well as the people they'll be like.
Story
Stories are powerful. They provide “simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act)." Credible makes people believe, emotional makes people care, stories make people act. We play out mental simulations and re-enact them in real life. When we lead someone through the process, of mental simulation (via stories) they are more likely to re-enact the process again. Stories carry the concrete, emotion, credibility, suspense (the unexpected) and are simple to follow.
How do people spot (become drawn to) a great story. The art of spotting includes three plots: The challenge plot, the connection plot, the creativity plot.
People being drawn to the little guy who overcomes a great obstacle (challenge plot); two unlikely partners help each other (connection plot); someone went about to solve a problem in a most unusual way (creativity plot).
For an idea to stick it has to make your audience...
1. Pay attention (unexpected)
2. Understand, remember (concrete)
3. Agree/believe (credible)
4. Care (emotional)
5. Be able to act on it (story)
The Made to Stick easy reference guide.
1. Simple--find the core, share the core
2. Unexpected--get attention: surprise, hold attention: interest
3. Concrete--help people understand and remember, help people coordinate (find common ground)
4. Credible--help people believe, external credibility(authority, antiauthority--those who have been there); internal credibility (convincing details, relating statistics, cross over test)
5. Emotional--make people care, use power of association, appeal to self-interest, appeal to identity
6. Stories--stories as simulations (tell people how to act), stories as inspiration (give people energy to act).
More on Made to Stick at:
www.madetostick.com
Jesus was a master of the Made to Stick findings.
His message was simple... love God with all your heart, soul, mind and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself, and you will fulfill all the commandments. The Religious groups of His day made things very complex... they had just hundreds of commandments and laws in that no one could keep at all.
He used the unexpected. Put mud on and spit on eyes to heal blindness. He didn’t condemn a woman who lived a whoring lifestyle.
It was concrete...Whatever you do to the least you are doing to me. The least being the hungry, thirsty, strangers, prisoners, despicable. He gave attention to crooked accountants, rebels of the day, beggars, widowed women, little children.
He walked in credibility and walked with authority and antiauthority. Those who heard Him said He spoke with authority and wasn't like the scribes and religious show offs who delighted to wax eloquent in their speeches. As a common-looking person, from a simple family, Jesus’ lifestyle showed off true spectacular events, ideas and character.
"Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets. (Luke 20:46, NLT)
The prophets' predictions pointed to Jesus. The predictions came true with what He was doing. His many miracles proved He had authority from Heaven.
He cared with His emotions. He looked at the crowds and had compassion for them. Even fed them with a miracle by taking a family size meal and converting it into a meal for thousands. No one had a clue how He did it, but His compassion for the masses, which He saw as individuals, moved Him.
He was a spell-bound story teller. The art of a connection plot came through in the good Samaritan story..."A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' "
(Luke 10: 30-35, NLT)
Samaritans were socially, polar opposites to the Jews.
They were flagrantly hostile towards each other. Luke records many parable-like stories that Jesus used to explain Spiritual principles so regular folks can get it.
Jesus has one more secret to add to the made to stick formula...that we all would have access to the very Spirit of God. That, through His Spirit, we can talk directly to other hearts of men without using words. This is a powerful bonus to life. Hidden in prayer, when we pray, and made real. We then see the results of this Power of Spirit coming out of others.
"And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven." Luke 24:49
This power has the same Power of God that created Heaven, earth and all the elements of the universe. We have access to this power. This power makes ideas stick in minds, stay in hearts and changes behaviors for ever. This stickiness is the most powerful glue we can use in making impact in all we are involved in... making ideas stick. Through prayer we can make ideas grab a hold, change attitudes, opinions.
Develop the Prayer Skill.
(See John 16 and also note:
"Purpose in Prayer" by E. M. Bounds; try a Google search on it.)
"Ask of Me and I will give you the nations" (Psalm 2:8)
declares the prophet David about God's heart for you.
Ask God and the Holy Spirit will respond in great Power.
Ask and The Spirit of God will work with you,
in alliance with you, as your every-minute walking partner
in all your times, events and moments of your day.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Good to Great and Beyond
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Good to Great (2001) by Jim Collins: "How to build a good organization into one that produces sustained great results." Six years since its release it is still a top ten biz best seller. It has enduring principles for business.
As we look over the last 5 years, the companies with buffooning problems would have solved their problems if they had applied Good to Great insight. Here is an outline of these stalwart business precepts that if all followed, applied, integrated within their systems, we could in decades move to new powerful heights as a business nation.
The first part of a business process is the build up. Then comes the breakthrough. But a certain path must be taken to get there. Here's the way:
The Build Up
Level 5 Leadership
Not Big personalities; but quiet, reserved, blending personal humility and professional will. The ambition is for the company, institutional success not personal success. Charismatic leaders need to learn lessons on how to involve others, build up others, and develop the skills of their team. It's having more plow horses than show horses. Their drive is for producing sustained results.
First Who... then What
Get the right people on the bus; the wrong people off. Most important asset--not people but the right people. Not ruthless cultures, but vigorous cultures. Put your best people on your best opportunities.
Confront the Brutal Facts(Yet never lose faith)
Maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties AND at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your reality. …"conduct autopsies without blame." Create a place where everyone can be heard. Get "motivated, self-directed people" and don't de-motivate them.
The Breakthrough
The Hedgehog Concept
Simplicity within the 3 Circles
Circle 1. What you can be the best in the world at.
Circle 2. What drives your economic engine.
Circle 3. What you are deeply passionate about.
In times of trouble go back to the 3 Circles.
The Council: people who can share openly, collect ideas, sort out honestly, and then come to a best idea resolved from great councils. It's a device to get a balance of perspectives of all parts of the company using the 3 Circles. Select people knowledgeable who work in critical areas.
Keep it to 5 to 10 people.
A Culture of Discipline
"When you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy."
"When you have disciplined thought, you don't need bureaucracy."
Technology Accelerations
"Pioneers in the application of carefully selected technology."
Use as a strategy to accomplish the 3 circles. It can accelerate the business clock. Avoid fads and use as a strategic servant to accomplish your values. Does the technology fit within your Hedgehog theme... it’s your slave, not your master.
The Flywheel and the Doom Loop
The flywheel builds results; the doom loop lacks results and sells the future. Relentlessly pushing a flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough and beyond. When you skip the build up and move directly to breakthrough, you risk entering the doom loop…creating a negative momentum difficult to reverse.
The Collins’ research group based their conclusions on findings, facts, and characteristics they found. They did not use a hypothesis approach to prove or disprove an assumption. They found out what worked and explained why it worked.
For more on Good to Great note the summary:
http://www.mbadepot.com/partners/goodtogreat.pdf
and Jim Collins’ website and particularly note
the Collins’ Good to Great diagnostic tool:
http://jimcollins.com/
If we would read the Bible in this way, we would maybe be better off pulling out what it is saying, than trying to make it fit preconceived ideas we have. The Bible is a life study book, loaded with spiritual case studies and enduring principles of Spirit. Just read it for yourself. See what jumps out at you and comes to mind. You can trust that as the Spirit of God speaking directly to you. Share it with a friend and see what comes of it.
The theme for progressing from good and moving to great is to be good, be humble and have patience. Humility with frankness plus respect form a winning combination. "I am not better than you. I respect you as much as I hope you respect me."
What is good?
This is a word that is one of the most vague terms we use. Talk to 20 people and you will probably get 20 different versions. So what is good? For whatever it's worth, here's my version.
Paul, the Apostle in the Bible said to fight the good fight. When he referred to fight the good fight he referred to doing what's righteous (God is Holy and we do all things in the light of what Holiness is. That still is vague and we wonder what that means and we have 1000's of very righteous groups telling us exactly what that means.)
The Apostle Paul goes on to say it is being like God, it promotes faith, expresses love, stays persevering, and is always gentle and kind. 1 Timothy 6:11, 12
Good is God, God is Holy, and to be Good is to be in God. Through Jesus Christ we have this right, privilege and ability to be in God. Jesus said to not call a man Good... "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good." Luke 18:19
This is to be in the very presence, person of God Himself, The Spirit of Likeness of Himself. Becoming just like Him. Then we are good. So our ability to be Good is limited by our own humanness and we come up with many definitions of what Good is, of which most are partially right but not truly great definitions.
Jesus goes on to say that "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they who know me do as I do. We are all one who follow one voice. I lay my life down for my sheep."
He encourages us to take the back seat;
humble yourself before others. John 10:14-17
It's humility among men, not making more of yourself that will make you appear better than others. Being able to appeal for help when needed and not being embarrassed, or too proud. Do not think you should do it all. Ask for help when you need it. Accept help when it’s offered to you. Allow others to bless you with their gifts, abilities as they have them to share and give you. If you have the same gifts as someone else who works with you, lay yours down and let the other one use theirs. The more you give up so others can shine in what they do, and allow them to use their gifts and abilities, the stronger you become as a group.
Patience then comes into play. Jesus, when hearing of His dear friend's sickness, Lazarus, waited a few days before going to him. Consequently, Lazarus died. Martha, Lazarus' sister, was at first upset that Jesus was not there. She told Jesus if you would have come he would not have died. But then she also had confidence in Jesus in that He could do whatever He wanted.
Jesus knew everything has a time and purpose. He waited because there was a greater glory everyone was going to experience. His time was for a certain time so to bring Glory to God (raising Lazarus from the dead).
We can steal of God when we move ahead of His timing and disturb His timing for His Glory. Move on God's timing.
Even Peter, the Apostle failed to be patient. He wanted to take matters in his own hands and he even told Jesus He was wrong. Jesus told His disciples to wait. Wait until the very Spirit of God would come on them... before you take action on His Mission.
Breakthroughs come when we are patient and allow the Spirit to work and then move when that power is with us and goes before us. Not forging ahead on our own, but allowing God's Spirit to do its work, and this Power of Spirit going ahead of us.
So what is great?
According to Jesus, Greatness is living in Spirit Process.
“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven ."
“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven !" (Matthew 5:19-20, NLT)
“I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John (the Baptist). Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” (Luke 7:28, NLT)
“So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:4, NLT)
John the Baptist lived a very humble life. A child is open minded and willingly learns, without a sense of self-importance.
So then what is Great?
It is being Holy, Being in God (true Goodness),
and not into just yourself,
being humble around others,
and being patient for God to act on your behalf.
God helps us to be Great like Him?
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances... I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36: 27-30, NASB)
Take the back seat,
wait for Spirit,
then move with the flow of Spirit... Spirit Process!
Then, you will know the power of All God's Creative power
is with you and you will have penetrating breakthroughs.
Progress from good to Great by being in God’s Greatness.
Be humble and allow the talents of others to be expressed.
Be patient and watch Divine Power work on your behalf.
4spirit@gmail.com
Good to Great (2001) by Jim Collins: "How to build a good organization into one that produces sustained great results." Six years since its release it is still a top ten biz best seller. It has enduring principles for business.
As we look over the last 5 years, the companies with buffooning problems would have solved their problems if they had applied Good to Great insight. Here is an outline of these stalwart business precepts that if all followed, applied, integrated within their systems, we could in decades move to new powerful heights as a business nation.
The first part of a business process is the build up. Then comes the breakthrough. But a certain path must be taken to get there. Here's the way:
The Build Up
Level 5 Leadership
Not Big personalities; but quiet, reserved, blending personal humility and professional will. The ambition is for the company, institutional success not personal success. Charismatic leaders need to learn lessons on how to involve others, build up others, and develop the skills of their team. It's having more plow horses than show horses. Their drive is for producing sustained results.
First Who... then What
Get the right people on the bus; the wrong people off. Most important asset--not people but the right people. Not ruthless cultures, but vigorous cultures. Put your best people on your best opportunities.
Confront the Brutal Facts(Yet never lose faith)
Maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties AND at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your reality. …"conduct autopsies without blame." Create a place where everyone can be heard. Get "motivated, self-directed people" and don't de-motivate them.
The Breakthrough
The Hedgehog Concept
Simplicity within the 3 Circles
Circle 1. What you can be the best in the world at.
Circle 2. What drives your economic engine.
Circle 3. What you are deeply passionate about.
In times of trouble go back to the 3 Circles.
The Council: people who can share openly, collect ideas, sort out honestly, and then come to a best idea resolved from great councils. It's a device to get a balance of perspectives of all parts of the company using the 3 Circles. Select people knowledgeable who work in critical areas.
Keep it to 5 to 10 people.
A Culture of Discipline
"When you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy."
"When you have disciplined thought, you don't need bureaucracy."
Technology Accelerations
"Pioneers in the application of carefully selected technology."
Use as a strategy to accomplish the 3 circles. It can accelerate the business clock. Avoid fads and use as a strategic servant to accomplish your values. Does the technology fit within your Hedgehog theme... it’s your slave, not your master.
The Flywheel and the Doom Loop
The flywheel builds results; the doom loop lacks results and sells the future. Relentlessly pushing a flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough and beyond. When you skip the build up and move directly to breakthrough, you risk entering the doom loop…creating a negative momentum difficult to reverse.
The Collins’ research group based their conclusions on findings, facts, and characteristics they found. They did not use a hypothesis approach to prove or disprove an assumption. They found out what worked and explained why it worked.
For more on Good to Great note the summary:
http://www.mbadepot.com/partners/goodtogreat.pdf
and Jim Collins’ website and particularly note
the Collins’ Good to Great diagnostic tool:
http://jimcollins.com/
If we would read the Bible in this way, we would maybe be better off pulling out what it is saying, than trying to make it fit preconceived ideas we have. The Bible is a life study book, loaded with spiritual case studies and enduring principles of Spirit. Just read it for yourself. See what jumps out at you and comes to mind. You can trust that as the Spirit of God speaking directly to you. Share it with a friend and see what comes of it.
The theme for progressing from good and moving to great is to be good, be humble and have patience. Humility with frankness plus respect form a winning combination. "I am not better than you. I respect you as much as I hope you respect me."
What is good?
This is a word that is one of the most vague terms we use. Talk to 20 people and you will probably get 20 different versions. So what is good? For whatever it's worth, here's my version.
Paul, the Apostle in the Bible said to fight the good fight. When he referred to fight the good fight he referred to doing what's righteous (God is Holy and we do all things in the light of what Holiness is. That still is vague and we wonder what that means and we have 1000's of very righteous groups telling us exactly what that means.)
The Apostle Paul goes on to say it is being like God, it promotes faith, expresses love, stays persevering, and is always gentle and kind. 1 Timothy 6:11, 12
Good is God, God is Holy, and to be Good is to be in God. Through Jesus Christ we have this right, privilege and ability to be in God. Jesus said to not call a man Good... "Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked him. "Only God is truly good." Luke 18:19
This is to be in the very presence, person of God Himself, The Spirit of Likeness of Himself. Becoming just like Him. Then we are good. So our ability to be Good is limited by our own humanness and we come up with many definitions of what Good is, of which most are partially right but not truly great definitions.
Jesus goes on to say that "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and they who know me do as I do. We are all one who follow one voice. I lay my life down for my sheep."
He encourages us to take the back seat;
humble yourself before others. John 10:14-17
It's humility among men, not making more of yourself that will make you appear better than others. Being able to appeal for help when needed and not being embarrassed, or too proud. Do not think you should do it all. Ask for help when you need it. Accept help when it’s offered to you. Allow others to bless you with their gifts, abilities as they have them to share and give you. If you have the same gifts as someone else who works with you, lay yours down and let the other one use theirs. The more you give up so others can shine in what they do, and allow them to use their gifts and abilities, the stronger you become as a group.
Patience then comes into play. Jesus, when hearing of His dear friend's sickness, Lazarus, waited a few days before going to him. Consequently, Lazarus died. Martha, Lazarus' sister, was at first upset that Jesus was not there. She told Jesus if you would have come he would not have died. But then she also had confidence in Jesus in that He could do whatever He wanted.
Jesus knew everything has a time and purpose. He waited because there was a greater glory everyone was going to experience. His time was for a certain time so to bring Glory to God (raising Lazarus from the dead).
We can steal of God when we move ahead of His timing and disturb His timing for His Glory. Move on God's timing.
Even Peter, the Apostle failed to be patient. He wanted to take matters in his own hands and he even told Jesus He was wrong. Jesus told His disciples to wait. Wait until the very Spirit of God would come on them... before you take action on His Mission.
Breakthroughs come when we are patient and allow the Spirit to work and then move when that power is with us and goes before us. Not forging ahead on our own, but allowing God's Spirit to do its work, and this Power of Spirit going ahead of us.
So what is great?
According to Jesus, Greatness is living in Spirit Process.
“So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven ."
“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven !" (Matthew 5:19-20, NLT)
“I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John (the Baptist). Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” (Luke 7:28, NLT)
“So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:4, NLT)
John the Baptist lived a very humble life. A child is open minded and willingly learns, without a sense of self-importance.
So then what is Great?
It is being Holy, Being in God (true Goodness),
and not into just yourself,
being humble around others,
and being patient for God to act on your behalf.
God helps us to be Great like Him?
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances... I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations.” (Ezekiel 36: 27-30, NASB)
Take the back seat,
wait for Spirit,
then move with the flow of Spirit... Spirit Process!
Then, you will know the power of All God's Creative power
is with you and you will have penetrating breakthroughs.
Progress from good to Great by being in God’s Greatness.
Be humble and allow the talents of others to be expressed.
Be patient and watch Divine Power work on your behalf.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Citizen Power of Connected Voice
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Citizen Marketers: When People are The Message
was meant to be this way in the beginning, and now as Citizen Marketers points out, we may get the true ideal functional in society. Citizen Marketers by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba recent research shows American enterprise is being put back into the hands of the citizens. America was founded as a government of, by, for the people. The people are now moving into an effective position to do that.
Citizenship comes from an Athenian ideal called "politeria"... a deep and multi-faceted sense of civic identity which encompasses the concepts of "community of citizens, constitution, form of government" and a "way of life."
Citizenship represents the culture of the everyday life. Citizen marketers-- "the age of marketing as culture."
"Citizen Marketers is the story of how amateurs and professionals commingle to assume new forms of ownership in companies, brands, products, and people they closely follow."
Today, with the rapid advances of technology, Internet, blogs, podcasts, satellite, cells, a new age is looking square into our face. The age of "the people rule" is before us and the individual of the mass is no longer lost in the mass. Ants can take on elephants and influence their plodding (and plotting) steps.
Who are these marketers?
According to McConnell and Huba, they are filters, fanatics, facilitators, and firecrackers.They are citizens, or hobbyists at work altruistically... for the good of what they do, for love and passion for what they do, but affecting millions and the actions of the big dogs of the business world. People of the same opinion can find each other, collaborate as One Big Massive voice and recreate brands, products and organizations.
The filters like to collect things (ideas, content) and package into links, stories that as everyday folks relate to other everyday folks.
Fanatics are true believers and evangelists. They analyze and prescribe a course of action to change things. Sell them a defective product and in months, their blogs, podcasts, slide shows will ignite a national crusade. Dell, Sony, record companies have succumbed to citizen uprisings. In mass, they have influence.
Facilitators launch communities. They thrive in building bonding centers where the town hall meeting blazes as a fiber optic event.
Firecrackers hit and run. They make a big deal of something, fast and furious, then move on. They may have a hit video, star on You Tube, have everyone clicking to it in mass, then it's over as fast as it started.
The Citizen Marketers has this about them... personal expression, amateur status, freely given. The message is The People are the Message. Word of mouth is bigger, faster and more grassroots orchestrated than ever. They are honest, real and without agenda. They don't like to be messed with or they will do something about it; if you are kind they will reward you immensely.
How big are they? ... 1%. Every person fits into some small segment of culture and there are others just like them. But united they carry a big whopping stick. Maybe outlaws, not into tradition. Very loyal to each other, these 1%ers find each other. They create what they want. They are hobbyists (participatory) and do it because its fun.
It's the new era of democratization. Working against controlling forces, gaining strength and instead of bowing down to advertisers, they tell companies what they want from them.
Consider Broadband. As of now more than 80 million adults (and growing rapidly around the world) have broadband at home. With blogs, pods, communities on line; chips, digital, wireless, the individual can now be heard, seen, and recognized.
So what we have is everyone is a Publisher, a Broadcaster. (You see there is good reason why Google spent over a billion for You Tube.) What we see is only a glimpse of what is developing in our culture. Technorati (blog search engine) tracks over 55 million blogs (and still growing). Now podcasts are the new thing. Everyone can star on their own TV Show. You can produce it, invite your own audience to view from the community you are part of.
Coming right behind is RSS (Really Simple Syndication). A direct feed system which goes to only those wanting it, and leaving out spam... easy, free, instantaneous. Sociologist are calling all this productive leisure. But that influences branding, product design and company ways.
So why do people involve themselves in "market-helping behaviors?"
Altruism (empathy for others);
personal relevance (truth on who I am);
status (well-connected with the connected).
Citizens Marketers find that "meme" is a controlling theme. A meme is a cultural thing (idea, saying, way of doing) that someone does(says), and everyone almost transcendentally catches on. Citizen meme's spread rapidly. The process of a meme is ... it's noticed and understood, embedded in memory, takes on a form (language, text, picture) and passes from one person to another. Then almost overnight, it seems everyone is doing it, saying it, watching it. One creative persona may light the match that lights thousands of little matches. Before you know it, the culture is lit up by it, doing it, and no one knows where it all really started.
In concluding Citizen Marketers, McConnell and Huba, direct you on how to democratize your business. In the past you made a product and hoped someone else liked it. Now you find the meme buzz, the new pod star, get a few filters together along with some fanatics, and the word starts spreading. Customers are creating designs for companies. These are the one's now winning.
The 3 C's of working with Citizen Marketers:
Contests: The quickest way to experiment with citizen created content.
Co-Creation: Involves customers in the process of creating products.
Community: A customer "call center" throws it out to the community and they'll hack it out for you.
There's a loyalty in all this. It's like a meme, an undefined quality of a person who is faithful to others they see as being like them. An unwritten law of culture, a new power in how citizens are marketers. Our society cries to connect and be one with a mass; a new strength in this Spirit; the new heart of a rally cry.
For more, blogs, articles...
www.citizenmarketers.com
"The tiniest group will become a mighty nation." (Isaiah 60:22, NLT)
"Abraham was only one man when I called him.
But when I blessed him, he became a great nation."
Citizens are given great power.
Isaiah the prophet continues,
"I will teach all your citizens and their prosperity will be great." (Isaiah 51:3, 54:13, NLT)
And Jesus goes on to say,"They will be taught by God." (John 6:45)
"No one will need to teach His neighbor..all will know me." (Jeremiah 31:34, NLT)
There is power in one voice and small groups banning together.
One voice can be very powerful. God has listened to the voice of one righteous person and responded with all His power. He says to those who call to Him continually He will respond. One voice can be empowered by Spirit to make a monumental difference.
God will surely give justice to his chosen people
who cry out to him day and night?
...He will grant justice to them quickly! (Luke 18:7-8, NLT)
The Citizen Marketers is so prophetic as the Scriptures have pointed to this. That some day one voice will have great power and things will happen quickly because of the voice. Then when we add one, two, or three to that, the power increases monumentally. (Matt: 18:19)
We have power to learn from each other. This power, to quickly find what others have learned and connecting it, creates a super-intelligence platform. This combined mind invites the very Presence of God's Mind into the whole works. In Love and Unity is what God, Spirit, the person of Jesus, is all about. We are one creation, of many parts.(see 1 Corinthians 12:12)
God is the integrated total voice of all Creation...harmonizing as one voice. We are like an orchestra, all different, varied, unusual instruments of different sounds, but making a beautiful melody when played in harmony.
David prophetically says, “ few honestly seek real understanding from God.” (Psalm 53:2) God through Spirit wants to speak to each person on earth. Then each of us will hear God and have a portion of God’s Voice. We then speak it to each other to get His Complete Voice. His Voice is One. When we are One, we hear All of What God is saying.
Spirit, God, created a civilization… man as a group, not just individuals. As groups, as One heart, spirit, we then hear God’s voice with every individual voice counting as more important as ever.
With today’s technology, everyone has opportunity to be heard AND share what Spirit is sharing with them. All voices can be heard. We can hear after that more clearly who God is. He speaks not just through individual spoke-persons anymore, but the combination of many as One, all voices.
For this to work, each person must be responsible to hear from God…Spirit personally teaches each person. Then the Divine Voice of Spirit combined to One is truly heard.
“For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all… so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.” (Ephesians 4: 4-7, 10, NLT)
Each person has a responsibility to seek true understanding of Spirit for this to work. “Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3: 18, NLT)
Give no rest and relentlessly pursue this voice. God will respond to the community of those with a unified request... of His Character, Spirit and Direction. When we pray, we hear God's voice. When we share God's voice with others and as One Voice, we create the magnitude, power, fortitude of His great strength, love and hope in us.
The Spirit is about power and doing incomprehensive things... beyond what human intelligence can conjure up. Listen to His voice, share His voice with others and see what happens.
Connect in Spirit with His Spirit and unite that Spirit with others. It's the power of the citizens of Heaven, using Heaven's Powers on earth. It is our right and gift as a Citizen of Heaven.
We will move into an era of the most sophisticated communication between humans ever seen on earth. Spirit will communicate between people in Mass. This Mass will hear the same voice and respond as One Unit. We see evidence of this happening. God is sovereignly teaching everyone. He will teach us all. And as One we will see, hear, perceive the same things... from the same direct feed of Spirit.
This will be so sophisticated it will surpass the capabilities we now see in the power of cell phones, emails, blogs, podcasts.
This is Spiritual communication systems of a Spiritual property. A new dimension beyond intellectual property. In just thinking of someone we can communicate to them in Spirit overriding all other forms of available communication. Those connected in Spirit with God will be able to do this.
Spirit communication is available for those choosing to tap it. It will take the unity of one voice... "where two or three agree it will be done." It will take on a power that will change minds, actions, decisions, and circumstances when negotiating and other communications will be ineffective.
Seek this Higher communication systems.
Express your voice in faith.
It will connect, in Spirit, with others.
Then you will truly climb to the top of mountains before you.
4spirit@gmail.com
Citizen Marketers: When People are The Message
was meant to be this way in the beginning, and now as Citizen Marketers points out, we may get the true ideal functional in society. Citizen Marketers by Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba recent research shows American enterprise is being put back into the hands of the citizens. America was founded as a government of, by, for the people. The people are now moving into an effective position to do that.
Citizenship comes from an Athenian ideal called "politeria"... a deep and multi-faceted sense of civic identity which encompasses the concepts of "community of citizens, constitution, form of government" and a "way of life."
Citizenship represents the culture of the everyday life. Citizen marketers-- "the age of marketing as culture."
"Citizen Marketers is the story of how amateurs and professionals commingle to assume new forms of ownership in companies, brands, products, and people they closely follow."
Today, with the rapid advances of technology, Internet, blogs, podcasts, satellite, cells, a new age is looking square into our face. The age of "the people rule" is before us and the individual of the mass is no longer lost in the mass. Ants can take on elephants and influence their plodding (and plotting) steps.
Who are these marketers?
According to McConnell and Huba, they are filters, fanatics, facilitators, and firecrackers.They are citizens, or hobbyists at work altruistically... for the good of what they do, for love and passion for what they do, but affecting millions and the actions of the big dogs of the business world. People of the same opinion can find each other, collaborate as One Big Massive voice and recreate brands, products and organizations.
The filters like to collect things (ideas, content) and package into links, stories that as everyday folks relate to other everyday folks.
Fanatics are true believers and evangelists. They analyze and prescribe a course of action to change things. Sell them a defective product and in months, their blogs, podcasts, slide shows will ignite a national crusade. Dell, Sony, record companies have succumbed to citizen uprisings. In mass, they have influence.
Facilitators launch communities. They thrive in building bonding centers where the town hall meeting blazes as a fiber optic event.
Firecrackers hit and run. They make a big deal of something, fast and furious, then move on. They may have a hit video, star on You Tube, have everyone clicking to it in mass, then it's over as fast as it started.
The Citizen Marketers has this about them... personal expression, amateur status, freely given. The message is The People are the Message. Word of mouth is bigger, faster and more grassroots orchestrated than ever. They are honest, real and without agenda. They don't like to be messed with or they will do something about it; if you are kind they will reward you immensely.
How big are they? ... 1%. Every person fits into some small segment of culture and there are others just like them. But united they carry a big whopping stick. Maybe outlaws, not into tradition. Very loyal to each other, these 1%ers find each other. They create what they want. They are hobbyists (participatory) and do it because its fun.
It's the new era of democratization. Working against controlling forces, gaining strength and instead of bowing down to advertisers, they tell companies what they want from them.
Consider Broadband. As of now more than 80 million adults (and growing rapidly around the world) have broadband at home. With blogs, pods, communities on line; chips, digital, wireless, the individual can now be heard, seen, and recognized.
So what we have is everyone is a Publisher, a Broadcaster. (You see there is good reason why Google spent over a billion for You Tube.) What we see is only a glimpse of what is developing in our culture. Technorati (blog search engine) tracks over 55 million blogs (and still growing). Now podcasts are the new thing. Everyone can star on their own TV Show. You can produce it, invite your own audience to view from the community you are part of.
Coming right behind is RSS (Really Simple Syndication). A direct feed system which goes to only those wanting it, and leaving out spam... easy, free, instantaneous. Sociologist are calling all this productive leisure. But that influences branding, product design and company ways.
So why do people involve themselves in "market-helping behaviors?"
Altruism (empathy for others);
personal relevance (truth on who I am);
status (well-connected with the connected).
Citizens Marketers find that "meme" is a controlling theme. A meme is a cultural thing (idea, saying, way of doing) that someone does(says), and everyone almost transcendentally catches on. Citizen meme's spread rapidly. The process of a meme is ... it's noticed and understood, embedded in memory, takes on a form (language, text, picture) and passes from one person to another. Then almost overnight, it seems everyone is doing it, saying it, watching it. One creative persona may light the match that lights thousands of little matches. Before you know it, the culture is lit up by it, doing it, and no one knows where it all really started.
In concluding Citizen Marketers, McConnell and Huba, direct you on how to democratize your business. In the past you made a product and hoped someone else liked it. Now you find the meme buzz, the new pod star, get a few filters together along with some fanatics, and the word starts spreading. Customers are creating designs for companies. These are the one's now winning.
The 3 C's of working with Citizen Marketers:
Contests: The quickest way to experiment with citizen created content.
Co-Creation: Involves customers in the process of creating products.
Community: A customer "call center" throws it out to the community and they'll hack it out for you.
There's a loyalty in all this. It's like a meme, an undefined quality of a person who is faithful to others they see as being like them. An unwritten law of culture, a new power in how citizens are marketers. Our society cries to connect and be one with a mass; a new strength in this Spirit; the new heart of a rally cry.
For more, blogs, articles...
www.citizenmarketers.com
"The tiniest group will become a mighty nation." (Isaiah 60:22, NLT)
"Abraham was only one man when I called him.
But when I blessed him, he became a great nation."
Citizens are given great power.
Isaiah the prophet continues,
"I will teach all your citizens and their prosperity will be great." (Isaiah 51:3, 54:13, NLT)
And Jesus goes on to say,"They will be taught by God." (John 6:45)
"No one will need to teach His neighbor..all will know me." (Jeremiah 31:34, NLT)
There is power in one voice and small groups banning together.
One voice can be very powerful. God has listened to the voice of one righteous person and responded with all His power. He says to those who call to Him continually He will respond. One voice can be empowered by Spirit to make a monumental difference.
God will surely give justice to his chosen people
who cry out to him day and night?
...He will grant justice to them quickly! (Luke 18:7-8, NLT)
The Citizen Marketers is so prophetic as the Scriptures have pointed to this. That some day one voice will have great power and things will happen quickly because of the voice. Then when we add one, two, or three to that, the power increases monumentally. (Matt: 18:19)
We have power to learn from each other. This power, to quickly find what others have learned and connecting it, creates a super-intelligence platform. This combined mind invites the very Presence of God's Mind into the whole works. In Love and Unity is what God, Spirit, the person of Jesus, is all about. We are one creation, of many parts.(see 1 Corinthians 12:12)
God is the integrated total voice of all Creation...harmonizing as one voice. We are like an orchestra, all different, varied, unusual instruments of different sounds, but making a beautiful melody when played in harmony.
David prophetically says, “ few honestly seek real understanding from God.” (Psalm 53:2) God through Spirit wants to speak to each person on earth. Then each of us will hear God and have a portion of God’s Voice. We then speak it to each other to get His Complete Voice. His Voice is One. When we are One, we hear All of What God is saying.
Spirit, God, created a civilization… man as a group, not just individuals. As groups, as One heart, spirit, we then hear God’s voice with every individual voice counting as more important as ever.
With today’s technology, everyone has opportunity to be heard AND share what Spirit is sharing with them. All voices can be heard. We can hear after that more clearly who God is. He speaks not just through individual spoke-persons anymore, but the combination of many as One, all voices.
For this to work, each person must be responsible to hear from God…Spirit personally teaches each person. Then the Divine Voice of Spirit combined to One is truly heard.
“For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all… so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.” (Ephesians 4: 4-7, 10, NLT)
Each person has a responsibility to seek true understanding of Spirit for this to work. “Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3: 18, NLT)
Give no rest and relentlessly pursue this voice. God will respond to the community of those with a unified request... of His Character, Spirit and Direction. When we pray, we hear God's voice. When we share God's voice with others and as One Voice, we create the magnitude, power, fortitude of His great strength, love and hope in us.
The Spirit is about power and doing incomprehensive things... beyond what human intelligence can conjure up. Listen to His voice, share His voice with others and see what happens.
Connect in Spirit with His Spirit and unite that Spirit with others. It's the power of the citizens of Heaven, using Heaven's Powers on earth. It is our right and gift as a Citizen of Heaven.
We will move into an era of the most sophisticated communication between humans ever seen on earth. Spirit will communicate between people in Mass. This Mass will hear the same voice and respond as One Unit. We see evidence of this happening. God is sovereignly teaching everyone. He will teach us all. And as One we will see, hear, perceive the same things... from the same direct feed of Spirit.
This will be so sophisticated it will surpass the capabilities we now see in the power of cell phones, emails, blogs, podcasts.
This is Spiritual communication systems of a Spiritual property. A new dimension beyond intellectual property. In just thinking of someone we can communicate to them in Spirit overriding all other forms of available communication. Those connected in Spirit with God will be able to do this.
Spirit communication is available for those choosing to tap it. It will take the unity of one voice... "where two or three agree it will be done." It will take on a power that will change minds, actions, decisions, and circumstances when negotiating and other communications will be ineffective.
Seek this Higher communication systems.
Express your voice in faith.
It will connect, in Spirit, with others.
Then you will truly climb to the top of mountains before you.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Origins of Purpose
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
"Rethinking how we approach business, PURPOSE: The Starting Point of Great Companies by Nikos Mourkogiannis demonstrates how a visionary sense of Purpose can be used to inspire and lead an organization to greatness."
(www.purposethebook.com/aboutthebook)
"There is a fundamental human need for guiding ideals that give meaning to our actions." A passionate purpose drives a business, personal venture, although it takes a diligent, introspective, patience in seeing purpose complete its revelation to you. A person's "true fame comes from goodness and high purpose. True fame is immortality." (Pericles)
To make your life worthwhile Nikos says "I would need to find a purpose worth living for. This is crucial to all truly successful enterprises. Purpose is the game of champions. Only the strong-minded men and women are suited for it."
Purpose is bigger than ambition and greed, greater than tactics, than strategy. It is the steps to optimal results. It is the source of great achievement, most noble causes, being a genuine contribution to the world around you. Purpose fuels everything. It’s what we want to talk about the most.
When living in purpose, "we are simply a messenger" of Divine Matter. Achievement comes with a humility because we know its origins are from greater powers, so we respect it. As Bach wrote after writing his great compositions, "To God alone be the Glory."
So in competition we must ask "what are we competing for?"
We look beyond what we do to "why we're doing it?"
Nikos is setting a stage for the next generation of business operatives. The senior executives will look deeper and broader to see more than just profits, the young executives will seek to build their enterprises around meaning of existence. "Do the Right Thing well... and doing what is worthwhile."
In Nikos' analysis, purpose revolves around four arenas… Purpose is the pursuit of Discovery (the new), Excellence (the intrinsically beautiful), Altruism (the helpful) and Heroism (the effective).
Leaders do not invent purpose. They discover it. It takes time to allow the purity of purpose to rise above the other substances that may create a shell around it. Most problems are only disguises hiding the true root of a cause. Look past the problem to a cause wanting to show itself.
The enterprise leader has reasons beyond "the business" for running the business a certain way. He communicates the reason, his people accept it, believe it, and follow it. To play a powerful role it must have a moral dimension. It adapts a valued result for human activity.
The four arenas of purpose reflected in great companies:
1. Discovery-- being a leader in re-inventing something important to those involved. Bringing in the new. (a Sony, IBM)
2. Excellence-- being part of a higher good that is recognized by and benefits the community. (a Warren Buffet in investment excellence, Apple’s great products)
3. Altruism-- helping others in a way that increases happiness. (a Walton to create low prices for everyone)
4. Heroism-- an achievement which embellishes incredible improvements in the world. (a Ford, Gates in advancing transportation, technology)
Nikos has these steps to finding purpose from these four.
1. Review your strategy (in which of the purpose arenas does it fit…discovery, excellence, altruism, heroism).
2. Draw out the implications on the purpose and community of purpose.
3 "Know thyself"... understanding your morale ideals and test your purpose against these.
4. Understand your company's traditions.
5. Take a purpose inventory of the top team (each person lives a moral creed).
6. Take a moral inventory of the community.
7. Identify a purpose.
8. Create metrics and models.
9. Test strategy and the purpose.
10. Launch a campaign to make the purpose work.
In Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies, Nikos Mourkogiannisshares comprehensive studies of the four purpose arenas and companies that represent each. He features highlights on morale, innovation and leadership and how purpose creates an enduring eye wall within them.
Nikos has a personal story which gives him life-qualifications for his studies. This study is his personal passion and it shows. He is thorough while explaining it in an understandable way, a somewhat mystifying subject.
Nikos’ website has more about the book and a profiler quiz online (a quick way to find your purpose arena).
http://www.purposethebook.com/
Purpose is Spirit. In Purpose is Spirit.
Spirit expresses Itself through Purpose.
This is the most powerful force in the universe. This force formed the universe. It flooded the earth totally. It healed people who touched it in Jesus' day. It gave inner joy to Peter the Apostle while he was chained up in a dark, rat infested, cold dungeon. Spirit embedded in purpose lives in you.
Jeremiah was purpose born. He managed to live through mud-filled cisterns with no food for days... but with a message that changed nations.
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations."
(Jeremiah 1:5, NLT)
David lived in caves for months because He knew of His purpose. He danced before the Lord when he marched to His "purposed" throne.
“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.”
(Psalm 139:15-16, NLT)
Isaiah who announced the coming Messiah and a new world in Spirit was purpose disposed.
“Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The LORD called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory."
I replied, "But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the LORD's hand;
I will trust God for my reward."
(Isaiah 49:1-4, NLT)
Purpose may walk a dark road at times, but the promise of its reward is there to those who walk in it. The diligent will experience their purpose if they walk in it and live it.
How to find purpose?
First and foremost, its origin is in Spirit, so you must live in Spirit to find it, know it, live it.
Guide posts to find your purpose.
1. What, with your talents, experience and abilities are you the best at, you do very well almost effortlessly?
2. What are you passionate about? So much so that you drive through all kinds of circumstances to get there. You are relentless in pursuing it. Even after grave disappointments, you come back to it again.
3. What gives you a strong sense of satisfaction that even without reward or recognition, you feel very good about what you are doing? This is a personal, almost secret fulfillment that surrounds living a strong sense of purpose.
Purpose is profound. It can be found by reflection, introspection, observation.
What gifts do you naturally possess? What things come easy for you and you see others compliment you about them... almost to your surprise?
What gives you a sense of fulfillment when you do it, so much that your "heart smiles" and you care little about whether you're rewarded or receive recognition for it.
When you are engaged in a certain activity, it seems your energy is endless and you spend hours and hours never growing tired while in it.
Therein may be your purpose. When these meet, you have a hint, a direction, an idea of what your purpose is.
John Mark, the Apostle, signatured the process of purpose, and the key ingredients that are part of its process. When setting out to do anything called of God, you first
1. Must stay very close to Him and be very intimate in your interactions with Him. It is about knowing Him very well, so you hear His voice without question. To live as close to Him with the same intimacy as in a marriage.
2. Then trust as a child. Have the unwavering faith of knowing it will be done and you can trust God for it. He is your Heavenly Father who does all things for you... Overcomes all insurmountable barriers for us.
3. Give it all you got. Totally put everything you got into it in all areas of your life. God is your provision and you should not trust money, position, skills or any other thing. Give it all for Him as He gives all of Himself for you. When we are in Him, we walk in "Exceptional" Strength and Power.
4. Be aware though that some may desert you. Some who you thought were close to you will leave you and forsake, abandon you.
5. Some will try to harm you for no apparent reason. We share in Christ, as like Him we may at times be persecuted without cause.
6. Have a servant's heart in all you do. Jesus came to serve and be a ransom for us. Be a servant to others. As he asked the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?"
7. Then you will heal too. His Healing Power will be continually coming through you.
(See Mark 10, New Testament)
John the Baptist had a unique purpose to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had a unique purpose to prepare the way so many may be part of the Kingdom of God. Paul, Peter, John, The Apostles helped put it into motion.... all with unique assignments, unique character.
ALL are born with a purpose. You are included. You have a Heavenly Purpose, stamped, sealed, tattooed on you. It is directly appointed to you by the very Spirit of God. It's the unique you, like no one else.
It's His Special creation only in you. Purpose begins before we are physically born, continues through earthly life and continues in a Heavenly Kingdom. It is always with you...from before to forever. We are part of a Divine never ending story.
Everyone is important and inside of you dwells this profound powerful driving force... the invincible destiny of purpose. In Divine Purpose, God's Spirit goes with you and the spotlight of His Spirit shines on you. Many see it, we are jubilant in it, and are drawn to the bright light your purpose spreads around you. It's the Light of God's love in you brightening the day of everyone privileged to be in your presence that day.
This is what God, Spirit, the universe has assigned to you to be fulfilled through you in your life. The world stands in line to meet you here, at this intersection of your purpose. It will inspire all those who meet you here.
Find your purpose, live in your purpose and you will create a contagion around you... for who you are, what you believe in, and hope for others to live out their purpose too. Be the unique purpose you are DNA'd for... by The Spirit of God Himself.
There you will shine and exude in-depth Happiness.
The Spirit says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you."
(Psalm 32:8, NLT)
4spirit@gmail.com
"Rethinking how we approach business, PURPOSE: The Starting Point of Great Companies by Nikos Mourkogiannis demonstrates how a visionary sense of Purpose can be used to inspire and lead an organization to greatness."
(www.purposethebook.com/aboutthebook)
"There is a fundamental human need for guiding ideals that give meaning to our actions." A passionate purpose drives a business, personal venture, although it takes a diligent, introspective, patience in seeing purpose complete its revelation to you. A person's "true fame comes from goodness and high purpose. True fame is immortality." (Pericles)
To make your life worthwhile Nikos says "I would need to find a purpose worth living for. This is crucial to all truly successful enterprises. Purpose is the game of champions. Only the strong-minded men and women are suited for it."
Purpose is bigger than ambition and greed, greater than tactics, than strategy. It is the steps to optimal results. It is the source of great achievement, most noble causes, being a genuine contribution to the world around you. Purpose fuels everything. It’s what we want to talk about the most.
When living in purpose, "we are simply a messenger" of Divine Matter. Achievement comes with a humility because we know its origins are from greater powers, so we respect it. As Bach wrote after writing his great compositions, "To God alone be the Glory."
So in competition we must ask "what are we competing for?"
We look beyond what we do to "why we're doing it?"
Nikos is setting a stage for the next generation of business operatives. The senior executives will look deeper and broader to see more than just profits, the young executives will seek to build their enterprises around meaning of existence. "Do the Right Thing well... and doing what is worthwhile."
In Nikos' analysis, purpose revolves around four arenas… Purpose is the pursuit of Discovery (the new), Excellence (the intrinsically beautiful), Altruism (the helpful) and Heroism (the effective).
Leaders do not invent purpose. They discover it. It takes time to allow the purity of purpose to rise above the other substances that may create a shell around it. Most problems are only disguises hiding the true root of a cause. Look past the problem to a cause wanting to show itself.
The enterprise leader has reasons beyond "the business" for running the business a certain way. He communicates the reason, his people accept it, believe it, and follow it. To play a powerful role it must have a moral dimension. It adapts a valued result for human activity.
The four arenas of purpose reflected in great companies:
1. Discovery-- being a leader in re-inventing something important to those involved. Bringing in the new. (a Sony, IBM)
2. Excellence-- being part of a higher good that is recognized by and benefits the community. (a Warren Buffet in investment excellence, Apple’s great products)
3. Altruism-- helping others in a way that increases happiness. (a Walton to create low prices for everyone)
4. Heroism-- an achievement which embellishes incredible improvements in the world. (a Ford, Gates in advancing transportation, technology)
Nikos has these steps to finding purpose from these four.
1. Review your strategy (in which of the purpose arenas does it fit…discovery, excellence, altruism, heroism).
2. Draw out the implications on the purpose and community of purpose.
3 "Know thyself"... understanding your morale ideals and test your purpose against these.
4. Understand your company's traditions.
5. Take a purpose inventory of the top team (each person lives a moral creed).
6. Take a moral inventory of the community.
7. Identify a purpose.
8. Create metrics and models.
9. Test strategy and the purpose.
10. Launch a campaign to make the purpose work.
In Purpose: The Starting Point of Great Companies, Nikos Mourkogiannisshares comprehensive studies of the four purpose arenas and companies that represent each. He features highlights on morale, innovation and leadership and how purpose creates an enduring eye wall within them.
Nikos has a personal story which gives him life-qualifications for his studies. This study is his personal passion and it shows. He is thorough while explaining it in an understandable way, a somewhat mystifying subject.
Nikos’ website has more about the book and a profiler quiz online (a quick way to find your purpose arena).
http://www.purposethebook.com/
Purpose is Spirit. In Purpose is Spirit.
Spirit expresses Itself through Purpose.
This is the most powerful force in the universe. This force formed the universe. It flooded the earth totally. It healed people who touched it in Jesus' day. It gave inner joy to Peter the Apostle while he was chained up in a dark, rat infested, cold dungeon. Spirit embedded in purpose lives in you.
Jeremiah was purpose born. He managed to live through mud-filled cisterns with no food for days... but with a message that changed nations.
"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations."
(Jeremiah 1:5, NLT)
David lived in caves for months because He knew of His purpose. He danced before the Lord when he marched to His "purposed" throne.
“You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.”
(Psalm 139:15-16, NLT)
Isaiah who announced the coming Messiah and a new world in Spirit was purpose disposed.
“Listen to me, all you in distant lands!
Pay attention, you who are far away!
The LORD called me before my birth;
from within the womb he called me by name. He made my words of judgment as sharp as a sword.
He has hidden me in the shadow of his hand.
I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.
He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel,
and you will bring me glory."
I replied, "But my work seems so useless!
I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.
Yet I leave it all in the LORD's hand;
I will trust God for my reward."
(Isaiah 49:1-4, NLT)
Purpose may walk a dark road at times, but the promise of its reward is there to those who walk in it. The diligent will experience their purpose if they walk in it and live it.
How to find purpose?
First and foremost, its origin is in Spirit, so you must live in Spirit to find it, know it, live it.
Guide posts to find your purpose.
1. What, with your talents, experience and abilities are you the best at, you do very well almost effortlessly?
2. What are you passionate about? So much so that you drive through all kinds of circumstances to get there. You are relentless in pursuing it. Even after grave disappointments, you come back to it again.
3. What gives you a strong sense of satisfaction that even without reward or recognition, you feel very good about what you are doing? This is a personal, almost secret fulfillment that surrounds living a strong sense of purpose.
Purpose is profound. It can be found by reflection, introspection, observation.
What gifts do you naturally possess? What things come easy for you and you see others compliment you about them... almost to your surprise?
What gives you a sense of fulfillment when you do it, so much that your "heart smiles" and you care little about whether you're rewarded or receive recognition for it.
When you are engaged in a certain activity, it seems your energy is endless and you spend hours and hours never growing tired while in it.
Therein may be your purpose. When these meet, you have a hint, a direction, an idea of what your purpose is.
John Mark, the Apostle, signatured the process of purpose, and the key ingredients that are part of its process. When setting out to do anything called of God, you first
1. Must stay very close to Him and be very intimate in your interactions with Him. It is about knowing Him very well, so you hear His voice without question. To live as close to Him with the same intimacy as in a marriage.
2. Then trust as a child. Have the unwavering faith of knowing it will be done and you can trust God for it. He is your Heavenly Father who does all things for you... Overcomes all insurmountable barriers for us.
3. Give it all you got. Totally put everything you got into it in all areas of your life. God is your provision and you should not trust money, position, skills or any other thing. Give it all for Him as He gives all of Himself for you. When we are in Him, we walk in "Exceptional" Strength and Power.
4. Be aware though that some may desert you. Some who you thought were close to you will leave you and forsake, abandon you.
5. Some will try to harm you for no apparent reason. We share in Christ, as like Him we may at times be persecuted without cause.
6. Have a servant's heart in all you do. Jesus came to serve and be a ransom for us. Be a servant to others. As he asked the blind man, "What do you want me to do for you?"
7. Then you will heal too. His Healing Power will be continually coming through you.
(See Mark 10, New Testament)
John the Baptist had a unique purpose to announce the arrival of the Kingdom of God. Jesus had a unique purpose to prepare the way so many may be part of the Kingdom of God. Paul, Peter, John, The Apostles helped put it into motion.... all with unique assignments, unique character.
ALL are born with a purpose. You are included. You have a Heavenly Purpose, stamped, sealed, tattooed on you. It is directly appointed to you by the very Spirit of God. It's the unique you, like no one else.
It's His Special creation only in you. Purpose begins before we are physically born, continues through earthly life and continues in a Heavenly Kingdom. It is always with you...from before to forever. We are part of a Divine never ending story.
Everyone is important and inside of you dwells this profound powerful driving force... the invincible destiny of purpose. In Divine Purpose, God's Spirit goes with you and the spotlight of His Spirit shines on you. Many see it, we are jubilant in it, and are drawn to the bright light your purpose spreads around you. It's the Light of God's love in you brightening the day of everyone privileged to be in your presence that day.
This is what God, Spirit, the universe has assigned to you to be fulfilled through you in your life. The world stands in line to meet you here, at this intersection of your purpose. It will inspire all those who meet you here.
Find your purpose, live in your purpose and you will create a contagion around you... for who you are, what you believe in, and hope for others to live out their purpose too. Be the unique purpose you are DNA'd for... by The Spirit of God Himself.
There you will shine and exude in-depth Happiness.
The Spirit says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you."
(Psalm 32:8, NLT)
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