by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin dispels the belief that talent is something we're born with. In reviewing hundreds of studies, Colvin also found out experience and hard work don't create talent. Intelligence is also not a factor. The factor that says most about great performance is deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is hard.
It requires practice in areas needing improvement and skills most important to where we want to excel. Deliberate practice is learning how to train effectively. What's crucial is we understand where extraordinary performance comes from. Inherent talent is a myth, talent is deliberately developed.
So these notions have little to do with performance excellence (talent). It's not experience, specific innate abilities or general abilities and memory.
Talent is developed through deliberate practice. Deliberate practice has the elements of an activity designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher's help, repeated a lot, with continuous feedback on results, demanding mentally and in most cases it is not much fun. Deliberate practice can be hard, that's why most people won't do it. But those who do are achievers of superior talent.
How does deliberate practice change a person? With deliberate practice our perception of what will happen in the future expands. We see, hear and feel more. It causes us to pick up on more telling signs than others and grasp more of what future events will be. It enhances our abilities to know more even when we are seeing less, and increasing out ability be more refined in our discrimination than average performers. Although actual knowledge may not exceed others, we find that reasoning and problem solving abilities perform at more advanced levels. In one's field of deliberate practice a person's memory in their field is keener, more precise in detail.
Through deliberate practice, before, during, and after work, great performers possess large, highly developed, intricate mental models of their domains. A rich mental model contributes to great performance. Deliberate practice in your field or specialty will create this rich mental model in you. A rich mental model contributes to great performance in three ways. A framework is formed on which to hang your growing knowledge, it helps you to distinguish relevant information from irrelevant information, and it enables you to project what will happen next. Great performance is built through activities that are specifically designed to improve particular skills. Teachers and coaches are vitally useful in helping you design these activities. People develop best through inspiration, not authority.
Deliberate practice can advance the young to achieve in a field faster and sooner than most, as well as keep the aging person at top performance into old age. Young children can begin acquiring skills with deliberate practice and become an advanced performer early in life and at more greatly advanced levels through life. Aging people can continue to advance their skills into old age when deliberate practice is part of their lives in their chosen field. Deliberate practice makes you never too young or never too old to be a great performer. From the 2 year old to the 80 year old, deliberate practice will enhance life performance.
Deliberate practice is hard. It requires us to do things we can't quite do easily. So a person must work at it at first, stick with the frustrations of slow advances, until the deliberate practice begins taking effect. What drives a person to go through the unpleasant phases of deliberate practice? The difference is the intrinsic perspective.
What are the internal reasons that drive a person to practice for what they want? What drives them to deliberately work at it more than others? The difference is an internal conviction of believing we can and will, if we set all we got to do it. Deliberate practice keeps awakening new ideas, innovations, fresh approaches to achieve a desired personal goal. The more we practice, the better we get. The more we believe and see in our mind what we are certain will happen, we can accomplish.
More from the author:
http://www.geoffcolvin.com/
The Great Commission by Jesus exhorted everyone to go and make disciples. A disciple is a person deliberately developed to be very skilled in doing the assignment given them. They were disciplined in the work they did. It required deliberate practice.
Here's the commission Jesus issued.
“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ( Matthew 28:18-28, NLT)
To do this, the Apostle Paul said,
"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." (Romans 12: 2, NLT)
How to do this is explained by God as directed to Joshua. If you do this you will succeed in all you do. "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:8. NLT)
What does it take to renew the mind, to change how we think, and be transformed. We must meditate on the Scriptures morning, noon, and night. This takes deliberate activity. If an hour or two a morning, an hour mid-day, and a few hours at night were spent to renew ourselves for the job at hand, we would then be competent, effective disciples. That is, disciplined to do the work set before us. When we use teachers with a strategic plan for us to follow, it increases our effectiveness as disciples.
Try this. Take 30 days and spend an hour in the morning, an hour at noon and a few hours at night to read the Scriptures of the Bible. It takes about 5 hours a day of deliverable practice for star athletes to perform at top performance levels. No less would be needed for us to achieve top performance results Spiritually.
We, as disciples, are called to be completely transformed in mind, a Spiritual people, completing God's mission in our lives requires the same.
Here's a study process to consider to follow for 30 days. After 30 days, you will see the results it brings to you. The idea is to read as much as you can in 30 days. If you don't get what it is saying, keep going. It will create a track in your subconscious for the next time. Then, when you read the same Scriptures again, they come more alive to you.
Start with the Gospel of John, and then read Romans.
Move on to Matthew and follow with Paul's letters to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. (You could save Timothy, Titus and for later.)
Continue with the Gospel of Mark and then read the Apostle's letters of James, Peter (1 and 2) and John (1, 2, 3).
Go back to Luke and then read Corinthians 1 and 2.
Acts gives you the history of the New Testament and Hebrews the foundations for the transition from the Old to the New Testament's transformational power. (You could also save Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon and Jude for later.) If you devote morning, noon and night for 30 straight days to a deliberate plan, you will have laid the ground work to renew the mind and be transformed. Read as much as you can for 30 days, and create a deliberate plan that you will commit to follow. Later on you will want to go back to each Gospel, etc. and read, meditate, ponder what they say. This is a soaking method.
In an Army of Ordinary People, Felicity Dale explains what the Great commission means for us. As you will see, each part requires deliberate practice to fulfill it. According to Dale, the great commission is not a "take it or leave it" option for Christians. Many live in self-made Christian ghettos, never developing relationships with unbelievers. We somehow think friendships with people in the world will somehow contaminate us. People see right through us when we make them "projects" rather than authentic relationships. We need a healthy DNA for reproducing the Kingdom life around us.
It takes Divine truth in knowing God, the Scriptures and Jesus in us; nurturing relationships and responding to needs of those we meet. And be apostles that God is sending as His representatives to make disciples of all places we are part of and go to. The great commission has four directives:
1. We are to go. Go where people are and create connections with them.
2. We are to make disciples of all nations. A nation could be a city, a professional network or association, a club or recreational group.
3. Baptize new believers. To be so saturated with the Spirit of God that it naturally spills off on others. Wherever we go, we sprinkle others with His love and joy. Do the 30 day Bible reading saturation plan... 1 hour morning, noon, and evening for 30 days straight. This is a mental renewal, baptism.
4.We are to teach others. As we are taught to be trained, equipped, competent disciples, we are to share what we know with others and help them grow to be competent disciples too.
We have good news for a wonderful lifestyle. Learn the lifestyle of Spirit and share it freely with others. That's making disciples.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Click ... Connecting with the Father
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Click by Ori and Rom Brafman unveils the magic of instant connections. Some people click with others immediately. In studies, it shows when this happens many of these relationships in life and business remain enduring. They stay solid for a long time. Interviews with couples who say they clicked at the first meeting, and got married soon, had the same romantic feelings for each other years later... just like the first time. They even rated as well and in some cases higher than those with long dating or friendship times, who said they eventually fell in love later.
Why is it that we form close meaningful connections? Why does it feel so intense and pleasurable? Defining characteristics emerge. We can know what they are and click faster with more people.
The five factors that accelerate clinking are vulnerability, proximity, resonance, similarity and a safe place.
Vulnerability. When we willingly expose inner fears and weaknesses (being candid and real), vulnerability and self-disclosure are strengths. They accelerate our ability to connect with those around us. People trust you more and will tend to be more open and vulnerable with you. This fosters a clicking atmosphere. We make ourselves vulnerable to others when we share feeling-based perspectives, revealing our inner most emotions.
Proximity. Informal, unplanned interactions bring people closer. Like when you run into someone you know or work with at the grocery store, coffee shop, etc. When we inadvertently show up at the same place at the same time, a social glue comes in to play that begins a social bonding. This enables us to form a deeper connection. For example, you may run into a work college whose son plays for the same baseball team as yours. Your casual interactions there accelerating clicking. Without spontaneous interactions, it is hard to form relationships with others. Even seeing another person at the same place frequently (like the convenience store, book store) we are more likely to gravitate to that person.
People who live or work close to each other are likely to form relationships. Familiarity actually breeds regard.
Resonance. When we feel a strong connection to everything around us, when we have an overwhelming sense of connection to our environment, that deepens the quality of our interactions. It's a flow. Flow comes when we have achieved mastery and we're challenged. Having a sense of presence... that's being totally in the now when with someone... increases the qualities of resonating with that person. While completely engaged, we're unaware of things and others around us. This is being in the present.
In the present we are intentional. A sense of purpose emerges in our engaging interaction. A conscious awareness exists as we are mutual, open to meet the other person where they are. Some may call this chemistry, although it's that our place in life and experiences are a similar place as the other person.
As we are authentic with genuine emotional reactions, with exclusive attentiveness, which we demonstrate with active involvement, we are present. We arrive with intention, we listen, with mutual interest, and are attentive to the environment of those around us. Presence lasts beyond the the moment of interaction. It seems like the conversation and sense of connection continues even after we leave the person's physical presence.
As we consciously make ourselves more present with others, we achieve a sense of flow, inducing a sense of resonance. We resonate with the person we click with.
Similarity. The more we have in common, the more we feel in the same group. It can be a physical similarity, an intellectual similarity or a personality similarity. We seem to love the same things. The longer the length of time we have known the same people, the more similarity enters into the clicking factor. Common ground in similarity is a powerful attractor. It accelerates the intensity of the click.
Safe place. When a safe place, a neutral place exists, we let our guard down more and click. Wherever two people are and they both feel comfortable and safe there, without the need for pretense, we click more easily. We embrace each other and the same members of the tribe. Feeling safe together, and embracing a similar adversity together, makes a person more open and willing to be vulnerable.
We bond in shared adversity(i.e., military people who were in combat together). When in safe environments (without formal presentations, charts, artificially-designed structures) we will share stories of our lives. We are authentic. A deeper sense of community grows. Bonding is deeper and stronger. When in safe environments, where we feel safe and can be just ourselves with openness and acceptance, we accelerate clicking.
Clicking is when you have a magical moment and you quickly connect, with a greater sense of intimacy than normal. It is like you become close friends in a moment. To summarize, the key aspects of clicking are...
1. It has a magical quality.
2. There's power in vulnerability.
3. The closer, physical proximity, we are to someone, we hit it off faster.
4. Resonance begets resonance... when fully present.
5. Similarity counts; quantity trumps quality. Finding more that's similar contributes to clicking.
6. Be part of a shared community.
7. High self-monitors click faster, i.e., being aware of the other person's mindset, attitude, emotions.
8. When we click with others, we perform at our best.
Visit:
http://brafmanbrothers.com/
When Jesus talked about prayer, He emphatically stated that we are to be prayer. In the Gospel of Matthew (21:12,13), as He became quite indigent over how the Temple was being used that He said "my house is to be a house of prayer and you have made it into a marketplace." He was referring to what was to become His Temple, that is us. He also said in John (2:19) that if you destroy this temple I will raise it up.
We sometimes think we must go somewhere to pray. Jesus was trying to redirect our thinking while letting us in on this new phenomenon that was about to come over mankind. We (our bodies) will be the new house for the Spirit of God. Where we go the Spirit goes. And also, we (as united believers), when we come together, are a house of prayer.
The Spirit lives in us and we have access to the most Holy place of God that has created all the universe and every item of physics, biology, life, vegetation, and atmospheric system of the world we live in.
The Spirit intercedes continually on our behalf. We then are prayer... it is not so much what we do but what we are. So, we should be careful not to corrupt the vessel God has established for prayer. That is, being too pre-occupied with things of the world, in the marketplace... making money, having things, indulging in what our society indulges in and craves.
This is the first part of prayer... to recognize we are prayer. The more we allow the Spirit of God to live in all parts of our lives, the more the Power of Spirit will operate in all its potential through us.
Where does prayer begin? Jesus said to pray like this. (Matthew 6: 9...) Our Father, who is in heaven, how Holy, unique you are, and we honor that. What you want done in Heaven, we stand ready to be part of that and do our part on earth.
As we look at what Jesus said on how to pray, consider the use of the word Father. In the Gospel of John, God was referred to as Father over a hundred times. Jesus repeatedly referred to God as Father. This was an unprecedented choice of words. The Jewish leaders of the day, never used the word Father.
Over and over again, Jesus referred to God as His Father, and He said we should also. He pointed out that the Father lived in Him, and He lived in the Father. He did nothing outside the Father's direction. He depended on the Father's power to do everything He was asked to do. What is remarkable about this is that Jesus said we are in Him and He is in us. In the same way Jesus is in the Father, we now are in the Father. All we see Jesus doing, we can and are to do. We have the same relationship with the Father as Jesus had, and has.
Take a moment and read John 5. Consider how Jesus refers to the Father, the nature of the relationship He has... we have.
Jesus did only what the Father did. What the Father does, Jesus does. The Father Shows Him what He is doing and what Jesus is to do. The Father comes up with even greater things that will be done through Jesus. Every miracle keeps increasing in magnitude. Everyone who Honors the Son, Jesus, honors the Father. He will speak to us, and those who listen to the Voice of the Father and Son will live. The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted the same life giving power to the Son.
And as Jesus said, we will be in Jesus, Jesus in us, which means we also share in the Power of the Father. Now God is like a Father of the most ideal level we can imagine.
Our Father in Heaven connects with us on earth to bring Heaven to earth through us.
It's up to us to join Him.
4spirit@gmail.com
Click by Ori and Rom Brafman unveils the magic of instant connections. Some people click with others immediately. In studies, it shows when this happens many of these relationships in life and business remain enduring. They stay solid for a long time. Interviews with couples who say they clicked at the first meeting, and got married soon, had the same romantic feelings for each other years later... just like the first time. They even rated as well and in some cases higher than those with long dating or friendship times, who said they eventually fell in love later.
Why is it that we form close meaningful connections? Why does it feel so intense and pleasurable? Defining characteristics emerge. We can know what they are and click faster with more people.
The five factors that accelerate clinking are vulnerability, proximity, resonance, similarity and a safe place.
Vulnerability. When we willingly expose inner fears and weaknesses (being candid and real), vulnerability and self-disclosure are strengths. They accelerate our ability to connect with those around us. People trust you more and will tend to be more open and vulnerable with you. This fosters a clicking atmosphere. We make ourselves vulnerable to others when we share feeling-based perspectives, revealing our inner most emotions.
Proximity. Informal, unplanned interactions bring people closer. Like when you run into someone you know or work with at the grocery store, coffee shop, etc. When we inadvertently show up at the same place at the same time, a social glue comes in to play that begins a social bonding. This enables us to form a deeper connection. For example, you may run into a work college whose son plays for the same baseball team as yours. Your casual interactions there accelerating clicking. Without spontaneous interactions, it is hard to form relationships with others. Even seeing another person at the same place frequently (like the convenience store, book store) we are more likely to gravitate to that person.
People who live or work close to each other are likely to form relationships. Familiarity actually breeds regard.
Resonance. When we feel a strong connection to everything around us, when we have an overwhelming sense of connection to our environment, that deepens the quality of our interactions. It's a flow. Flow comes when we have achieved mastery and we're challenged. Having a sense of presence... that's being totally in the now when with someone... increases the qualities of resonating with that person. While completely engaged, we're unaware of things and others around us. This is being in the present.
In the present we are intentional. A sense of purpose emerges in our engaging interaction. A conscious awareness exists as we are mutual, open to meet the other person where they are. Some may call this chemistry, although it's that our place in life and experiences are a similar place as the other person.
As we are authentic with genuine emotional reactions, with exclusive attentiveness, which we demonstrate with active involvement, we are present. We arrive with intention, we listen, with mutual interest, and are attentive to the environment of those around us. Presence lasts beyond the the moment of interaction. It seems like the conversation and sense of connection continues even after we leave the person's physical presence.
As we consciously make ourselves more present with others, we achieve a sense of flow, inducing a sense of resonance. We resonate with the person we click with.
Similarity. The more we have in common, the more we feel in the same group. It can be a physical similarity, an intellectual similarity or a personality similarity. We seem to love the same things. The longer the length of time we have known the same people, the more similarity enters into the clicking factor. Common ground in similarity is a powerful attractor. It accelerates the intensity of the click.
Safe place. When a safe place, a neutral place exists, we let our guard down more and click. Wherever two people are and they both feel comfortable and safe there, without the need for pretense, we click more easily. We embrace each other and the same members of the tribe. Feeling safe together, and embracing a similar adversity together, makes a person more open and willing to be vulnerable.
We bond in shared adversity(i.e., military people who were in combat together). When in safe environments (without formal presentations, charts, artificially-designed structures) we will share stories of our lives. We are authentic. A deeper sense of community grows. Bonding is deeper and stronger. When in safe environments, where we feel safe and can be just ourselves with openness and acceptance, we accelerate clicking.
Clicking is when you have a magical moment and you quickly connect, with a greater sense of intimacy than normal. It is like you become close friends in a moment. To summarize, the key aspects of clicking are...
1. It has a magical quality.
2. There's power in vulnerability.
3. The closer, physical proximity, we are to someone, we hit it off faster.
4. Resonance begets resonance... when fully present.
5. Similarity counts; quantity trumps quality. Finding more that's similar contributes to clicking.
6. Be part of a shared community.
7. High self-monitors click faster, i.e., being aware of the other person's mindset, attitude, emotions.
8. When we click with others, we perform at our best.
Visit:
http://brafmanbrothers.com/
When Jesus talked about prayer, He emphatically stated that we are to be prayer. In the Gospel of Matthew (21:12,13), as He became quite indigent over how the Temple was being used that He said "my house is to be a house of prayer and you have made it into a marketplace." He was referring to what was to become His Temple, that is us. He also said in John (2:19) that if you destroy this temple I will raise it up.
We sometimes think we must go somewhere to pray. Jesus was trying to redirect our thinking while letting us in on this new phenomenon that was about to come over mankind. We (our bodies) will be the new house for the Spirit of God. Where we go the Spirit goes. And also, we (as united believers), when we come together, are a house of prayer.
The Spirit lives in us and we have access to the most Holy place of God that has created all the universe and every item of physics, biology, life, vegetation, and atmospheric system of the world we live in.
The Spirit intercedes continually on our behalf. We then are prayer... it is not so much what we do but what we are. So, we should be careful not to corrupt the vessel God has established for prayer. That is, being too pre-occupied with things of the world, in the marketplace... making money, having things, indulging in what our society indulges in and craves.
This is the first part of prayer... to recognize we are prayer. The more we allow the Spirit of God to live in all parts of our lives, the more the Power of Spirit will operate in all its potential through us.
Where does prayer begin? Jesus said to pray like this. (Matthew 6: 9...) Our Father, who is in heaven, how Holy, unique you are, and we honor that. What you want done in Heaven, we stand ready to be part of that and do our part on earth.
As we look at what Jesus said on how to pray, consider the use of the word Father. In the Gospel of John, God was referred to as Father over a hundred times. Jesus repeatedly referred to God as Father. This was an unprecedented choice of words. The Jewish leaders of the day, never used the word Father.
Over and over again, Jesus referred to God as His Father, and He said we should also. He pointed out that the Father lived in Him, and He lived in the Father. He did nothing outside the Father's direction. He depended on the Father's power to do everything He was asked to do. What is remarkable about this is that Jesus said we are in Him and He is in us. In the same way Jesus is in the Father, we now are in the Father. All we see Jesus doing, we can and are to do. We have the same relationship with the Father as Jesus had, and has.
Take a moment and read John 5. Consider how Jesus refers to the Father, the nature of the relationship He has... we have.
Jesus did only what the Father did. What the Father does, Jesus does. The Father Shows Him what He is doing and what Jesus is to do. The Father comes up with even greater things that will be done through Jesus. Every miracle keeps increasing in magnitude. Everyone who Honors the Son, Jesus, honors the Father. He will speak to us, and those who listen to the Voice of the Father and Son will live. The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted the same life giving power to the Son.
And as Jesus said, we will be in Jesus, Jesus in us, which means we also share in the Power of the Father. Now God is like a Father of the most ideal level we can imagine.
Our Father in Heaven connects with us on earth to bring Heaven to earth through us.
It's up to us to join Him.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
No Excuses!... Spirit Powered Action Process
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
No Excuses! The Power of Self Discipline by Brian Tracy is about how we put off to do something some day, when we can start today. The key to a great life is self discipline while resisting the lure of excuses. Tracy has a comprehensive achievement guide for personal, business, sales and financial success as well as the disciplines to follow for living the good life. For now, let's take a look at some key areas for personal and business success.
Create habits of self-discipline. They can be learned and become your strengths. Describe your ideal life in your business and work, family life, health, financial. Cultivate the discipline to do what you know to do to make each part of your life as you would want it. Pay the price, learn from the experts, become all you can be. Develop character, study values you admire, practice values you respect and emulate people you most admire.
Take control of your life and use this seven-step method for achieving your goals.
Step 1. Decide exactly what you want.
Step 2. Write it down.
Step 3. Set a deadline for your goal.
Step 4. List everything you can think of that you can possibly do to achieve your goal.
Step 5. Organize your list by sequence and priority.
Step 6. Take action on your plan.
Step 7. Do something everyday that moves you in the direction of your goal. Make a list of ten goals important to you and begin. Do something, anything. Action will get you in motion.
Three simple steps to become the best.
1. Read sixty minutes in your field each day.
2. Listen to educational audio programs in your car.
3. Attend courses and seminars in your field regularly.
Never stop learning.
Seven Steps to be at the top.
Step 1. Arise two hours before your first appointment.
Step 2. Rewrite your goals every day.
Step 3. Plan every day in advance.
Step 4. Discipline yourself to focus single-mindedly on one thing at a time.
Step 5. Listen to education programs constantly and have important things to read when you have to wait.
Step 6. After every call, ask what you did right, what can you do differently.
Step 7. Treat everyone like they are worth a million dollars.
When you are worrying about something use the "worry buster." First define the worry situation clearly. Then identify the worst thing that could happen. Resolve to handle the worst case scenario. Resolve to focus on what can be done now. Look for the good in everything, and find the valuable lessons learned in difficulties.
In business set high standards, think about solutions and be proactive rather than reactive. You must be better than your competition. Challenge your assumptions. It is estimated that 95% of entrepreneurs make less than $50,000 a year. Why? Most are intelligent and skilled enough to do more, they fall short on personal self discipline and don't thoroughly evaluate all aspects of a business. Identify your ideal customer... who best fits, needs, wants, will choose your product or service over others. Figure out your competitive advantage and your unique selling position... what stands out about you that no one else has or can do. Your goal is to create and keep a customer, with customer satisfaction repeating business. The true successful customer is one who recommends you and gives you referrals.
Keep yourself focused. And keep working on the most important things. Ask:
1. What is my most important role to keep the business profitable?
2. What are the key results areas?
3. What are the highest value activities for me?
4. What must I do and do well that makes the biggest difference?
5. What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
Nine steps to solving problems effectively.
1. Take time to define the problem?
2. What is the real problem?
3. What else is the problem?
4. How did the problem occur?
5. What are my possible solutions?
6. What is the best solution?
7. Make a decision.
8. Assign responsibility.
9. Set a measure for the decision.
Happiness is a by-product of doing something you really enjoy and achieving results you really want. Eat healthy, stay fit, build your marriage relationship and improve your personal communication skills. Practice the discipline of love for wife, children and friends. Live with peace of mind and the big contributor to that is to accept responsibility and forgive when you need to.
No Excuses is a very comprehensive but tightly written work on making happen what you want most in life or business. Visit Brian Tracy's website... he has several free newsletters on many personal development areas.
http://www.briantracy.com/
"Do these things and you will never Fail." (2 Peter 1:10).
"Do these things and you will succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:8)
"Run with endurance the race set before you." (Hebrews 12:1)
These guidelines are a keystone for mission accomplishment, vision fulfillment. Peter said to add to your faith, your vision, goodness, then knowledge, then self-control and persevere. This is a self discipline of pressing throw. If you do these things you will not fail.
In Joshua he was about to face many battles to take the promised land. God said that if he meditate on the principles of God, day and night, continually, and follow all the commands or principles God laid out, Joshua and his army would be successful in all their battles they encountered.
And then the Hebrew writer said we should endure, and we will win. Perseverance and self discipline to keep going regardless of what we face or how we feel is essential to attain any vision inspired by God's Spirit that looms in our minds. Seek God, get His vision and strategies. Battles are part of life. But endure, fight through them. First, it is imperative to seek God's guidance. If we don't, we will not succeed, only when we seek God's strategies first is victory assured. You will not fail when you follow God's Powerful Spiritually Driven principles.
Consider the following as an Spirit-Powered Action Process. You can overcome any battle. Anybody set on a mission, in business or life, will benefit from this process. I call it the Spirit directed vision achieving process. It is Spirit led, with Spirit inspiration and power along the way.
The Spirited-Powered Goal setting process...
Follow the Joshua (1) process...
Know where 2 or 3 agree Jesus is there.(Matt. 18)
It's about....
Seeking God First in all things,
Set directions as God gives you.
Recording what His Spirit brings to mind.
(write the vision daily, the prophetic word by the prophets was written down)
Craft the strategy, organize your thoughts as Spirit directs.
Re-enforce it with faith, and reminders of past victories.
Use Scripture Power Scriptures to overcome insurmountable obstacles
(Again, write all this down)
Speak Scripture promises affirmatively.
Share what is inspired with another.
Speak it back to each other.
Say it out-loud to each other and continue to proclaim it.
Proceed into battle with a shout, proclaiming His promises in confidence of voice.
Carry out the strategy with boldness.
Support each other,
fight as a unit and combine faith Spirit.
One in Spirit is your Power. Be one in effort, in Spirit.
Speak faith into each other.
Report what is happening and keep each other going.
Get new insights, proclaim it and go back into battle.
Keep each other going.
Keep a record of victories, and return to seek God for the next battle.
Carry your Fight Book with you everywhere, and constantly record what the Spirit
says to you as He speaks to you throughout the day.
To summarize the process:
Pray it,
See it in Spirit in mind,
Confess it, that is say it out-loud,
Scripture it,
Write it, craft strategies,
Share it,
Unite in it,
Boldly advance,
Proclaim it,
Support each other,
Review victories,
Constantly seek God.
Be Bold, be Strong, for the Lord your God is with you.
Expect Miracles, live expectantly !!!
With God's plan in hand, you walk with power in your step because you walk in His steps.
Make your own Spirit-powered mission accomplishing system,
(build your own notebook, with your design, methods similar to your personality), and keep refining as you learn each day.
This will increase its power.
Each person's Fight Book should be personalized.
Each person should have his/her own style, but the ingredients be similar.
This is your Flight Plan, your Fight Plan, your Power Plan.
Be Bold, Be Strong, for the Lord, the God over all conditions of earth,
is With You!!
4spirit@gmail.com
No Excuses! The Power of Self Discipline by Brian Tracy is about how we put off to do something some day, when we can start today. The key to a great life is self discipline while resisting the lure of excuses. Tracy has a comprehensive achievement guide for personal, business, sales and financial success as well as the disciplines to follow for living the good life. For now, let's take a look at some key areas for personal and business success.
Create habits of self-discipline. They can be learned and become your strengths. Describe your ideal life in your business and work, family life, health, financial. Cultivate the discipline to do what you know to do to make each part of your life as you would want it. Pay the price, learn from the experts, become all you can be. Develop character, study values you admire, practice values you respect and emulate people you most admire.
Take control of your life and use this seven-step method for achieving your goals.
Step 1. Decide exactly what you want.
Step 2. Write it down.
Step 3. Set a deadline for your goal.
Step 4. List everything you can think of that you can possibly do to achieve your goal.
Step 5. Organize your list by sequence and priority.
Step 6. Take action on your plan.
Step 7. Do something everyday that moves you in the direction of your goal. Make a list of ten goals important to you and begin. Do something, anything. Action will get you in motion.
Three simple steps to become the best.
1. Read sixty minutes in your field each day.
2. Listen to educational audio programs in your car.
3. Attend courses and seminars in your field regularly.
Never stop learning.
Seven Steps to be at the top.
Step 1. Arise two hours before your first appointment.
Step 2. Rewrite your goals every day.
Step 3. Plan every day in advance.
Step 4. Discipline yourself to focus single-mindedly on one thing at a time.
Step 5. Listen to education programs constantly and have important things to read when you have to wait.
Step 6. After every call, ask what you did right, what can you do differently.
Step 7. Treat everyone like they are worth a million dollars.
When you are worrying about something use the "worry buster." First define the worry situation clearly. Then identify the worst thing that could happen. Resolve to handle the worst case scenario. Resolve to focus on what can be done now. Look for the good in everything, and find the valuable lessons learned in difficulties.
In business set high standards, think about solutions and be proactive rather than reactive. You must be better than your competition. Challenge your assumptions. It is estimated that 95% of entrepreneurs make less than $50,000 a year. Why? Most are intelligent and skilled enough to do more, they fall short on personal self discipline and don't thoroughly evaluate all aspects of a business. Identify your ideal customer... who best fits, needs, wants, will choose your product or service over others. Figure out your competitive advantage and your unique selling position... what stands out about you that no one else has or can do. Your goal is to create and keep a customer, with customer satisfaction repeating business. The true successful customer is one who recommends you and gives you referrals.
Keep yourself focused. And keep working on the most important things. Ask:
1. What is my most important role to keep the business profitable?
2. What are the key results areas?
3. What are the highest value activities for me?
4. What must I do and do well that makes the biggest difference?
5. What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
Nine steps to solving problems effectively.
1. Take time to define the problem?
2. What is the real problem?
3. What else is the problem?
4. How did the problem occur?
5. What are my possible solutions?
6. What is the best solution?
7. Make a decision.
8. Assign responsibility.
9. Set a measure for the decision.
Happiness is a by-product of doing something you really enjoy and achieving results you really want. Eat healthy, stay fit, build your marriage relationship and improve your personal communication skills. Practice the discipline of love for wife, children and friends. Live with peace of mind and the big contributor to that is to accept responsibility and forgive when you need to.
No Excuses is a very comprehensive but tightly written work on making happen what you want most in life or business. Visit Brian Tracy's website... he has several free newsletters on many personal development areas.
http://www.briantracy.com/
"Do these things and you will never Fail." (2 Peter 1:10).
"Do these things and you will succeed in all you do." (Joshua 1:8)
"Run with endurance the race set before you." (Hebrews 12:1)
These guidelines are a keystone for mission accomplishment, vision fulfillment. Peter said to add to your faith, your vision, goodness, then knowledge, then self-control and persevere. This is a self discipline of pressing throw. If you do these things you will not fail.
In Joshua he was about to face many battles to take the promised land. God said that if he meditate on the principles of God, day and night, continually, and follow all the commands or principles God laid out, Joshua and his army would be successful in all their battles they encountered.
And then the Hebrew writer said we should endure, and we will win. Perseverance and self discipline to keep going regardless of what we face or how we feel is essential to attain any vision inspired by God's Spirit that looms in our minds. Seek God, get His vision and strategies. Battles are part of life. But endure, fight through them. First, it is imperative to seek God's guidance. If we don't, we will not succeed, only when we seek God's strategies first is victory assured. You will not fail when you follow God's Powerful Spiritually Driven principles.
Consider the following as an Spirit-Powered Action Process. You can overcome any battle. Anybody set on a mission, in business or life, will benefit from this process. I call it the Spirit directed vision achieving process. It is Spirit led, with Spirit inspiration and power along the way.
The Spirited-Powered Goal setting process...
Follow the Joshua (1) process...
Know where 2 or 3 agree Jesus is there.(Matt. 18)
It's about....
Seeking God First in all things,
Set directions as God gives you.
Recording what His Spirit brings to mind.
(write the vision daily, the prophetic word by the prophets was written down)
Craft the strategy, organize your thoughts as Spirit directs.
Re-enforce it with faith, and reminders of past victories.
Use Scripture Power Scriptures to overcome insurmountable obstacles
(Again, write all this down)
Speak Scripture promises affirmatively.
Share what is inspired with another.
Speak it back to each other.
Say it out-loud to each other and continue to proclaim it.
Proceed into battle with a shout, proclaiming His promises in confidence of voice.
Carry out the strategy with boldness.
Support each other,
fight as a unit and combine faith Spirit.
One in Spirit is your Power. Be one in effort, in Spirit.
Speak faith into each other.
Report what is happening and keep each other going.
Get new insights, proclaim it and go back into battle.
Keep each other going.
Keep a record of victories, and return to seek God for the next battle.
Carry your Fight Book with you everywhere, and constantly record what the Spirit
says to you as He speaks to you throughout the day.
To summarize the process:
Pray it,
See it in Spirit in mind,
Confess it, that is say it out-loud,
Scripture it,
Write it, craft strategies,
Share it,
Unite in it,
Boldly advance,
Proclaim it,
Support each other,
Review victories,
Constantly seek God.
Be Bold, be Strong, for the Lord your God is with you.
Expect Miracles, live expectantly !!!
With God's plan in hand, you walk with power in your step because you walk in His steps.
Make your own Spirit-powered mission accomplishing system,
(build your own notebook, with your design, methods similar to your personality), and keep refining as you learn each day.
This will increase its power.
Each person's Fight Book should be personalized.
Each person should have his/her own style, but the ingredients be similar.
This is your Flight Plan, your Fight Plan, your Power Plan.
Be Bold, Be Strong, for the Lord, the God over all conditions of earth,
is With You!!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Getting Organized in the Google Era... a new covenant
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Getting Organized in the Google Era by Douglas C. Merrill, once the Chief Information Officer Google. He learned a lot while at Google. Many systems were created to increase internal efficiencies which Google then introduced to the public at large... such as Google Mail, Docs, etc. Merrill shows us how to use technology for increasing working efficiency... as well where paper still has a place. Having to struggle with dyslexia, Merrill in overcoming his disabilities created methods for being organized that help the most unorganized person become perfectly organized.
His methods can be applied to personally organization and enhancing learning skills. In Getting Organized in the Google Era, Merrill establishes 21 principles of organization. It's an interesting read. His style has a conversational flow making you feel he is right there talking to you. Here are his 21 principles in a capsule.
(1) Organize life to minimize brain strain. (2) Get stuff out of your brain as quickly as possible to prevent information over load. (3) Multitasking usually makes you less efficient. Encoding is required for information to stay in the long-term memory. (4) Stories store information in useful order. Use stories to remember. Our brains aren't good at multitasking, remembering, or making decisions. So goals and priorities are essential to narrow down decisions that fulfill goals and priorities.
The fifth principle of organization is just because something is done a certain way, doesn't mean it should be. Who made 9 to 5 so sacred. Our society doesn't function as one set of preset blocks of time. How we work and how we live are conflicting structures. (6) Knowledge is not power. The sharing of knowledge is power.
We all have constraints. Douglas had dyslexia. It can be anything emotional, mental, physical that hinders us. Principle #7 is to organize around actual constraints, not assumed. (8) Be completely honest but not judgmental with yourself. Others who see our strengths and weaknesses can help us be objective. Don't over think. (9) Know when to ignore your constraints. Fear is a constraint best ignored. Control what you can, let go of what you can't control.
The tenth principle of organization is know exactly where you're going, and how you'll get there, before you start the engine. Define goals for tasks you're facing. (11) Be flexible about how you achieve. Some mid-course changes may be required in mid stream. Learn to delegate. Make a plan of action. Identify resources and strategies to work around constraints and accomplish your goals.
What is the new organization and how do we achieve it? Our traditional methods for being organized don't accommodate our individual differences. (12) Today, search is what we need to survive. Don't file your information, use search to find it. You don't need to put email in folders. Search will find it. To get the most out of search be descriptive as possible. Use quote marks around phrases to find that exact phrase. Use adjectives, such as say "cheap," "budget," hotels in search to narrow down categories.
Merrill has other Google tips for using search. Google calculates, spell checks, has a phone book. Search can even search documents in your personal computer. (13) Only keep in your head what truly needs to be there. Filter out what you don't need. (14) Break up big chunks into small ones. What can you ignore; what can you use later. (15) Dedicate time each week to review key information. Merrill uses colored markers when reading to highlight or note important or interesting information to read later. Use stories, use repetition on key information, priorities, identify limits to your concentration.
Principle no. 16 says there's no such thing as a perfect system of organization. Remember your goals will guide you. Use the tools that best support your goals. When to use paper? To get stuff out of your head write it down immediately. Sometimes technology is not available. Solve problems on paper. When digesting a lot, read it on paper. Keep financials on paper as well as legal documents. Paper is great for taking quick notes. Keep important documents backed up on the Internet (the cloud). (17) Whenever possible use tools you already know. (18) Add relevant key words to your digital information so you can easily find it later. Gmail has friendly features to store and easily retrieve information. Google apps has numerous tools to simplify organization such as calendars, personal document storage, to-do lists. Google reader will bring you the relevant blogs, news you want to read.
(19) Take notes to help you shift contexts later. (20) Group tasks with similar contexts together. The brain works better when it can shift from one thing to another of the same context.
(21) Integrate work with life instead of balancing the two. Too much overlaps in life, so go with the flow. Merrill goes into detail with many personal examples of apps and Google helps. At the end of the book, he lists the tools he loves and likes. He says not one size fits all. We all will have certain preferences over others.
http://www.douglascmerrill.com/
Merrill talks extensively about that the way we do things in business and education are outdated structures. They don't fit the era we live in and these structures had origins for a culture over 100 years ago.
"Many of the most established structures and beliefs in our world are all wrong (e.g., 9 to 5, summer breaks for school). Too often we try to make our lives work within outdated structures, rather than revise our structures to work within our lives."
There is a new era with new technology to assist us in living life and doing business in a new way.
Jesus' mission was that... to show God's plans for us are relevant to make us live happier and fuller in our lives. Jesus was the key to bring everyone into a complete, full way of living.
In the Bible, Jeremiah foretold us that God will introduce a binding agreement with His creation. That God will form a new covenant with His People.
"But this is the new covenant. I will make to my people. I will put my instructions deep within them and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. and they will not need to teach their neighbors... You should know the Lord. For everyone for the least to the Greatest will already know me. I will forgive their wickedness and never again remember their sins." (Jeremiah 31: 33, 34, NLT)
The New Living Translation Study Bible (2008, p.1263) comments on this. "It points toward Jesus whose death would seal this new covenant. The relationship between God and His people envisioned in the Sinai Covenant was surrounded by laws chiseled in stone and a priestly class in charge of all religious institutions and activities. The new differs from the old covenant in one primary way.
It would no longer be external to the worshipers, but would now be written on their hearts. The great defect of the old covenant was that it lacked the power to enable people to do what it commanded (Romans 8:3). The new covenant would be internalized through the Power of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling would be made possible through the sacrifice of Christ (Ezek. 36: 24-27). Thus, it would become possible for people everywhere (not just a select few) to fulfill God's covenant plan for life as summed up in the two Great Commandments. You must love the Lord your God (Deut. 6:5) and Love your neighbor as yourself (Lev.19:18) combined by Jesus (Matt. 22:35-40) as the two great commandments.
In the new covenant, God's role as Creator goes beyond making all material things. The new covenant would achieve the goal that the old one pointed to, but could not reach the hearts of others: creating new persons and a new community. The goal is deep transformation of sinners, beginning with forgiveness of sins and culminating in a holiness exemplified by good works (Eph. 1:4, 2:8-10). According to the New Testament, all believers in Jesus Christ will know him directly by the activity of the Holy Spirit. They will know him personally and experience him powerfully, as only a few did in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 8:8-12 quotes this Old Testament passage to contrast it with the New Testament. Jesus' death brought the new covenant into existence, making Him the mediator of the covenant for whoever believes in Him."
All who believe in Him has access to all of God's Power of Spirit through Jesus who now lives in us, these mortal bodies, to make us powerful through the Spirit that Works Mightily through us. We have this power and love of Spirit as a practical part of our daily activities.
4spirit@gmail.com
Getting Organized in the Google Era by Douglas C. Merrill, once the Chief Information Officer Google. He learned a lot while at Google. Many systems were created to increase internal efficiencies which Google then introduced to the public at large... such as Google Mail, Docs, etc. Merrill shows us how to use technology for increasing working efficiency... as well where paper still has a place. Having to struggle with dyslexia, Merrill in overcoming his disabilities created methods for being organized that help the most unorganized person become perfectly organized.
His methods can be applied to personally organization and enhancing learning skills. In Getting Organized in the Google Era, Merrill establishes 21 principles of organization. It's an interesting read. His style has a conversational flow making you feel he is right there talking to you. Here are his 21 principles in a capsule.
(1) Organize life to minimize brain strain. (2) Get stuff out of your brain as quickly as possible to prevent information over load. (3) Multitasking usually makes you less efficient. Encoding is required for information to stay in the long-term memory. (4) Stories store information in useful order. Use stories to remember. Our brains aren't good at multitasking, remembering, or making decisions. So goals and priorities are essential to narrow down decisions that fulfill goals and priorities.
The fifth principle of organization is just because something is done a certain way, doesn't mean it should be. Who made 9 to 5 so sacred. Our society doesn't function as one set of preset blocks of time. How we work and how we live are conflicting structures. (6) Knowledge is not power. The sharing of knowledge is power.
We all have constraints. Douglas had dyslexia. It can be anything emotional, mental, physical that hinders us. Principle #7 is to organize around actual constraints, not assumed. (8) Be completely honest but not judgmental with yourself. Others who see our strengths and weaknesses can help us be objective. Don't over think. (9) Know when to ignore your constraints. Fear is a constraint best ignored. Control what you can, let go of what you can't control.
The tenth principle of organization is know exactly where you're going, and how you'll get there, before you start the engine. Define goals for tasks you're facing. (11) Be flexible about how you achieve. Some mid-course changes may be required in mid stream. Learn to delegate. Make a plan of action. Identify resources and strategies to work around constraints and accomplish your goals.
What is the new organization and how do we achieve it? Our traditional methods for being organized don't accommodate our individual differences. (12) Today, search is what we need to survive. Don't file your information, use search to find it. You don't need to put email in folders. Search will find it. To get the most out of search be descriptive as possible. Use quote marks around phrases to find that exact phrase. Use adjectives, such as say "cheap," "budget," hotels in search to narrow down categories.
Merrill has other Google tips for using search. Google calculates, spell checks, has a phone book. Search can even search documents in your personal computer. (13) Only keep in your head what truly needs to be there. Filter out what you don't need. (14) Break up big chunks into small ones. What can you ignore; what can you use later. (15) Dedicate time each week to review key information. Merrill uses colored markers when reading to highlight or note important or interesting information to read later. Use stories, use repetition on key information, priorities, identify limits to your concentration.
Principle no. 16 says there's no such thing as a perfect system of organization. Remember your goals will guide you. Use the tools that best support your goals. When to use paper? To get stuff out of your head write it down immediately. Sometimes technology is not available. Solve problems on paper. When digesting a lot, read it on paper. Keep financials on paper as well as legal documents. Paper is great for taking quick notes. Keep important documents backed up on the Internet (the cloud). (17) Whenever possible use tools you already know. (18) Add relevant key words to your digital information so you can easily find it later. Gmail has friendly features to store and easily retrieve information. Google apps has numerous tools to simplify organization such as calendars, personal document storage, to-do lists. Google reader will bring you the relevant blogs, news you want to read.
(19) Take notes to help you shift contexts later. (20) Group tasks with similar contexts together. The brain works better when it can shift from one thing to another of the same context.
(21) Integrate work with life instead of balancing the two. Too much overlaps in life, so go with the flow. Merrill goes into detail with many personal examples of apps and Google helps. At the end of the book, he lists the tools he loves and likes. He says not one size fits all. We all will have certain preferences over others.
http://www.douglascmerrill.
Merrill talks extensively about that the way we do things in business and education are outdated structures. They don't fit the era we live in and these structures had origins for a culture over 100 years ago.
"Many of the most established structures and beliefs in our world are all wrong (e.g., 9 to 5, summer breaks for school). Too often we try to make our lives work within outdated structures, rather than revise our structures to work within our lives."
There is a new era with new technology to assist us in living life and doing business in a new way.
Jesus' mission was that... to show God's plans for us are relevant to make us live happier and fuller in our lives. Jesus was the key to bring everyone into a complete, full way of living.
In the Bible, Jeremiah foretold us that God will introduce a binding agreement with His creation. That God will form a new covenant with His People.
"But this is the new covenant. I will make to my people. I will put my instructions deep within them and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. and they will not need to teach their neighbors... You should know the Lord. For everyone for the least to the Greatest will already know me. I will forgive their wickedness and never again remember their sins." (Jeremiah 31: 33, 34, NLT)
The New Living Translation Study Bible (2008, p.1263) comments on this. "It points toward Jesus whose death would seal this new covenant. The relationship between God and His people envisioned in the Sinai Covenant was surrounded by laws chiseled in stone and a priestly class in charge of all religious institutions and activities. The new differs from the old covenant in one primary way.
It would no longer be external to the worshipers, but would now be written on their hearts. The great defect of the old covenant was that it lacked the power to enable people to do what it commanded (Romans 8:3). The new covenant would be internalized through the Power of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling would be made possible through the sacrifice of Christ (Ezek. 36: 24-27). Thus, it would become possible for people everywhere (not just a select few) to fulfill God's covenant plan for life as summed up in the two Great Commandments. You must love the Lord your God (Deut. 6:5) and Love your neighbor as yourself (Lev.19:18) combined by Jesus (Matt. 22:35-40) as the two great commandments.
In the new covenant, God's role as Creator goes beyond making all material things. The new covenant would achieve the goal that the old one pointed to, but could not reach the hearts of others: creating new persons and a new community. The goal is deep transformation of sinners, beginning with forgiveness of sins and culminating in a holiness exemplified by good works (Eph. 1:4, 2:8-10). According to the New Testament, all believers in Jesus Christ will know him directly by the activity of the Holy Spirit. They will know him personally and experience him powerfully, as only a few did in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 8:8-12 quotes this Old Testament passage to contrast it with the New Testament. Jesus' death brought the new covenant into existence, making Him the mediator of the covenant for whoever believes in Him."
All who believe in Him has access to all of God's Power of Spirit through Jesus who now lives in us, these mortal bodies, to make us powerful through the Spirit that Works Mightily through us. We have this power and love of Spirit as a practical part of our daily activities.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Energy Bus... abide in love
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon is about how to cultivate energy, maintain it in all circumstances, and then share it with all others. In life, you can choose to see the curse or choose to see the gift. On Joy's bus, she encourages the riders that it's their choice, so choose wisely.
George had a flat tire, so he had to take the bus. There he met Joy, the bus driver, who always was smiling at him. George found out his car had a defective brake system, was part of a recall, and that it would take two weeks for the part to come in. He decided to take the bus the next two weeks.
His job was on the line. George had lost zeal for life. What he learned from Joy turned his life around. Joy had "10 rules for the ride of your life" posted on front of the bus. The next ten days, Joy and her joyful bus riders explained the importance of these rules to George.
Rule #1. You're the Driver of Your Bus. Take responsibility and control of your life. Take it where you want it to go. You must decide what you want, then create it. Don't let the world create it for you. What's your vision for your life, your work, your relationships. The laws of physics point out it's all about energy. What and who increases your energy. Sometimes by seeing what we don't want we see what we do want. Use crisis to create opportunity.
Rule # 2. Desire, vision, and focus move your bus the right direction. Stop thinking about what you don't want and focus your energy on your vision and what you want. Live in your energy field of dreams.
Rule #3. Fuel your ride with positive energy. E + P = O. Events in your life plus your perception creates your outcome. Make P a positive energy perception. You control that. This fuels your vision and puts energy behind your focus and creates positive results. It's like remembering the excitement of a great golf shot. You review it in your mind, tell others about it. Recall the exciting events of the day. Think about your vision, replay it in your mind daily and tell others.
Rule #4. Invite people on your bus and share your vision. Remember you're driving the bus, but you are also asking people to get on. It's too much to do it all yourself so you need an organized, energized team to deliver a successful product launch. When you invite people to get on they need to be excited about your vision too. And don't forget to tell your wife and family... it is indispensable that they be kept in the discussion of your vision.
Rule #5. Don't waste your energy on those who don't get on your bus. You may have some negative team members already. You may have to ignore them and not take it personally. Don't worry about those who won't get on your bus. The less energy you spend worrying about them, the better off you'll be.
Rule #6. Post a sign that says No Energy Vampires Allowed on your bus. Some who are negative and won't be positive with the vision may need to be asked to get off your bus. Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone's negativity. Your certainty must be greater than anyone's doubt. Lead with your heart. The heart is your power center.
Rule #7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride. Everyone around will be in beat to the frequency of your heart. Your positive energy will radiate to everyone's around you.
Rule #8. Love your passengers. Share love generously and you will become a love magnet to everyone around you. What people really want is to be loved and appreciated. When they feel loved employees will do more, and customers will send you more business.
Five ways to love your passengers. 1. Make time for them. 2. Listen to them. 3. Recognize them. 4. Serve them. 5. Bring out the best in them.
Rule #9. Drive with purpose. When you fuel up with purpose you find excitement in the mundane, the passion in the everyday, the extraordinary in the ordinary. Find your bigger purpose in the here and now and your purpose will find you. Shared purpose keeps your team energized. It is more powerful, meaningful, and inspiring if the team formulates what they want to be. They will be an energized, purpose-driven team.
Rule #10. Have fun and enjoy the ride. Live young, have fun, arrive at your destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face. Put these rules in your bus and the energy bus will give you the ride of your life.
In summary: 1. Create your vision. 2. Fuel your vision with purpose(it's benefit to others). 3. Write a vision/purpose statement. 4. Focus on your vision. 5. Zoom Focus. 6. Get on the bus. 7. Fuel the ride with positive energy. 8. Post a sign "No vampires allowed." 9. Navigate adversity and potholes. 10. Love your passengers 11. Have fun and enjoy the ride. For more go to...
http://www.jongordon.com/theenergybusbook.html
Jesus said when you remain in My Love you obey my commandments. His commands are not burdensome. We are to love God with all our heart and love each other.
In The True Vine by Andrew Murray, he writes about abiding in God's love. (Note John 14 and 15.) Abide in My love Jesus says. We speak of a man’s home as his abode. Our abode, the home of our soul, is to be the love of Christ. We are to live our life there, to be at home there all the day: this is what Christ means our life to be, and really can make it. Our continuous abiding in the Vine is to be an abiding in His love. The love of the Father to the Son is not a sentiment—it is a divine life, an infinite energy, an irresistible power. It carried Christ through life and death and the grave. The Father loved Him and dwelt in Him, and did all for Him.
So the love of Christ to us too is an infinite living power that will work in us all He delights to give us. The feebleness of our Christian life is that we do not take time to believe that this divine love does really delight in us, and will possess and work all in us. We do not take time to look at the Vine bearing the branch so entirely, working all in it so completely. We strive to do for ourselves what Christ alone can, what Christ, oh, so lovingly, longs to do for us.
And this now is the secret of the change we spoke of, and the beginning of a new life, when the soul sees this infinite love willing to do all, and gives itself up to it. “Abide in My love.” To believe that, it is possible so to live moment by moment; to believe that everything that makes it difficult or impossible will be overcome by Christ Himself; to believe that Love really means an infinite longing to give itself wholly to us and never leave us; and in this faith to cast ourselves on Christ to work it in us; this is the secret of the true Christian life.
And how to come to this faith?
Turn away from the visible if you would see and possess the invisible. Take more time with Jesus, gazing on Him as the heavenly Vine, living in the love of the Father, wanting you to live in His love. Turn away from yourself and your efforts and your faith, if you would have the heart filled with Him and the certainty of His love. Abiding means going out from everything else, to occupy one place and stay there. Come away from all else, and set your heart on Jesus, and His love, that love will waken your faith and strengthen it. Occupy yourself with that love, worship it, wait for it. You may be sure it will reach out to you, and by its power take you up into itself as your abode and your home.
Murray continues in Abide in Christ.
"This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you." Let us try in all simplicity and honesty to go out to our home to translate the language of high faith, so that all men can understand it.
Let our temper be under the rule of the love of Jesus: He can not alone curb it--He can make us gentle and patient. Let the vow, that not an unkind word about others shall ever be heard from our lips, be laid trustingly at His feet.
Let the gentleness that refuses to take offense, that is always ready to excuse, to think and hope the best, mark our intercourse with all.
Let the love that seeks not its own, to give its life for others, be our aim as we abide in Jesus. Let our life be one of self-sacrifice, always studying the welfare of others, finding our highest joy in blessing others.
And let us, in studying the divine art of doing good, yield ourselves as obedient learners to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
By His grace, the most commonplace life can be transfigured with the brightness of a heavenly beauty, as the infinite love of the divine nature shines out through our frail humanity. Fellow-Christian, let us praise God! We are called to love as Jesus loves, as God loves.
4spirit@gmail.com
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon is about how to cultivate energy, maintain it in all circumstances, and then share it with all others. In life, you can choose to see the curse or choose to see the gift. On Joy's bus, she encourages the riders that it's their choice, so choose wisely.
George had a flat tire, so he had to take the bus. There he met Joy, the bus driver, who always was smiling at him. George found out his car had a defective brake system, was part of a recall, and that it would take two weeks for the part to come in. He decided to take the bus the next two weeks.
His job was on the line. George had lost zeal for life. What he learned from Joy turned his life around. Joy had "10 rules for the ride of your life" posted on front of the bus. The next ten days, Joy and her joyful bus riders explained the importance of these rules to George.
Rule #1. You're the Driver of Your Bus. Take responsibility and control of your life. Take it where you want it to go. You must decide what you want, then create it. Don't let the world create it for you. What's your vision for your life, your work, your relationships. The laws of physics point out it's all about energy. What and who increases your energy. Sometimes by seeing what we don't want we see what we do want. Use crisis to create opportunity.
Rule # 2. Desire, vision, and focus move your bus the right direction. Stop thinking about what you don't want and focus your energy on your vision and what you want. Live in your energy field of dreams.
Rule #3. Fuel your ride with positive energy. E + P = O. Events in your life plus your perception creates your outcome. Make P a positive energy perception. You control that. This fuels your vision and puts energy behind your focus and creates positive results. It's like remembering the excitement of a great golf shot. You review it in your mind, tell others about it. Recall the exciting events of the day. Think about your vision, replay it in your mind daily and tell others.
Rule #4. Invite people on your bus and share your vision. Remember you're driving the bus, but you are also asking people to get on. It's too much to do it all yourself so you need an organized, energized team to deliver a successful product launch. When you invite people to get on they need to be excited about your vision too. And don't forget to tell your wife and family... it is indispensable that they be kept in the discussion of your vision.
Rule #5. Don't waste your energy on those who don't get on your bus. You may have some negative team members already. You may have to ignore them and not take it personally. Don't worry about those who won't get on your bus. The less energy you spend worrying about them, the better off you'll be.
Rule #6. Post a sign that says No Energy Vampires Allowed on your bus. Some who are negative and won't be positive with the vision may need to be asked to get off your bus. Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone's negativity. Your certainty must be greater than anyone's doubt. Lead with your heart. The heart is your power center.
Rule #7. Enthusiasm attracts more passengers and energizes them during the ride. Everyone around will be in beat to the frequency of your heart. Your positive energy will radiate to everyone's around you.
Rule #8. Love your passengers. Share love generously and you will become a love magnet to everyone around you. What people really want is to be loved and appreciated. When they feel loved employees will do more, and customers will send you more business.
Five ways to love your passengers. 1. Make time for them. 2. Listen to them. 3. Recognize them. 4. Serve them. 5. Bring out the best in them.
Rule #9. Drive with purpose. When you fuel up with purpose you find excitement in the mundane, the passion in the everyday, the extraordinary in the ordinary. Find your bigger purpose in the here and now and your purpose will find you. Shared purpose keeps your team energized. It is more powerful, meaningful, and inspiring if the team formulates what they want to be. They will be an energized, purpose-driven team.
Rule #10. Have fun and enjoy the ride. Live young, have fun, arrive at your destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face. Put these rules in your bus and the energy bus will give you the ride of your life.
In summary: 1. Create your vision. 2. Fuel your vision with purpose(it's benefit to others). 3. Write a vision/purpose statement. 4. Focus on your vision. 5. Zoom Focus. 6. Get on the bus. 7. Fuel the ride with positive energy. 8. Post a sign "No vampires allowed." 9. Navigate adversity and potholes. 10. Love your passengers 11. Have fun and enjoy the ride. For more go to...
http://www.jongordon.com/
Jesus said when you remain in My Love you obey my commandments. His commands are not burdensome. We are to love God with all our heart and love each other.
In The True Vine by Andrew Murray, he writes about abiding in God's love. (Note John 14 and 15.) Abide in My love Jesus says. We speak of a man’s home as his abode. Our abode, the home of our soul, is to be the love of Christ. We are to live our life there, to be at home there all the day: this is what Christ means our life to be, and really can make it. Our continuous abiding in the Vine is to be an abiding in His love. The love of the Father to the Son is not a sentiment—it is a divine life, an infinite energy, an irresistible power. It carried Christ through life and death and the grave. The Father loved Him and dwelt in Him, and did all for Him.
So the love of Christ to us too is an infinite living power that will work in us all He delights to give us. The feebleness of our Christian life is that we do not take time to believe that this divine love does really delight in us, and will possess and work all in us. We do not take time to look at the Vine bearing the branch so entirely, working all in it so completely. We strive to do for ourselves what Christ alone can, what Christ, oh, so lovingly, longs to do for us.
And this now is the secret of the change we spoke of, and the beginning of a new life, when the soul sees this infinite love willing to do all, and gives itself up to it. “Abide in My love.” To believe that, it is possible so to live moment by moment; to believe that everything that makes it difficult or impossible will be overcome by Christ Himself; to believe that Love really means an infinite longing to give itself wholly to us and never leave us; and in this faith to cast ourselves on Christ to work it in us; this is the secret of the true Christian life.
And how to come to this faith?
Murray continues in Abide in Christ.
"This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you." Let us try in all simplicity and honesty to go out to our home to translate the language of high faith, so that all men can understand it.
Let our temper be under the rule of the love of Jesus: He can not alone curb it--He can make us gentle and patient. Let the vow, that not an unkind word about others shall ever be heard from our lips, be laid trustingly at His feet.
Let the gentleness that refuses to take offense, that is always ready to excuse, to think and hope the best, mark our intercourse with all.
Let the love that seeks not its own, to give its life for others, be our aim as we abide in Jesus. Let our life be one of self-sacrifice, always studying the welfare of others, finding our highest joy in blessing others.
And let us, in studying the divine art of doing good, yield ourselves as obedient learners to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
By His grace, the most commonplace life can be transfigured with the brightness of a heavenly beauty, as the infinite love of the divine nature shines out through our frail humanity. Fellow-Christian, let us praise God! We are called to love as Jesus loves, as God loves.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Word of Mouth Marketing... earnest intercession
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz is the modernization of the most powerful marketing tool... people telling others about what you do and its value. Today we have the tools to make it work even better. It is creating conversations we have, we create and participating with others in it. It has been around forever, but his book is a how-to book on using the tools and building knowledge on how to do it well. It is the lowest investment for the greatest return of marketing costs you can purchase today.
The four rules of word of mouth marketing are 1. Be interesting, 2. Make it easy, 3. Make people happy, 4. Earn trust and respect.
The three reasons people talk about you:
1. It's about you... they like you and like your stuff.
Or they hate you; you give them something to talk about; you've made it easy for them to talk about you.
2. It's about the talker. It makes them feel good.
They feel smart; they want to help people; they want to express themselves.
3. It's about the group. They feel connected.
They are part of your brand's family; they belong to the community; part of the team; they are insiders.
You can kill word of mouth marketing by offering prizes and rewards (people feel sleezy being paid to tell others about you), too much over exposure, or forgetting why people talk about you and departing from your original intrigue.
The rest of Word of Mouth Marketing expounds on the five T's of word of mouth marketing.
1. Talkers. Who will tell your friends about you?
2. Topics. What will they talk about?
3. Tools. How can you help the message travel?
4. Taking part. How should you join the conversation?
5. Tracking. What are people saying about you?
Word of mouth marketing can't be faked. It must be genuine. Be yourself. Avoid the hint of deception and follow a tight code of personal ethics. Word of mouth marketing is the most profitable marketing. It reduces customer acquisition costs, it's free advertising with better results than traditional advertising, makes sales people more productive with more sales leads, reducing customer service costs while building a stronger brand.
For each of these areas create your word of mouth marketing plan:
1. Talkers. Find people who will talk about you. Fans, volunteers, customers, bloggers, influencers.
First, believe that the Spirit dwells in you. When we quietly believe that in the midst of our weakness, the Spirit is petitioning for us... for the very purpose of enabling us to pray in the manner and measure that God desires. God has made an abundant provision for our being what He wants us to be. We see the Holy Spirit will pray and is praying in us.
The second lesson is beware of everything that may grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve Him by sin, unbelief, by selfishness, and unfaithfulness to His voice. Reject any sin that rises up against your will, such as slothfulness, pride, self-will or passions of the flesh. Each day accept the Holy Spirit as your leader, your life, your strength. He is revealing Christ who is actually your life and strength unseen within you. Do you grieve the Holy Spirit by distrusting Him just because you do not feel His presence in you. Be quiet before the Lord and give Him time.
The third lesson is Be Filled with the Spirit. It is only the healthy Spiritual life that can pray right. It is God wills that we be filled with the Spirit. We can count on and expect the Holy Spirit to take possession of and fill us. Be willing to receive Him, to yield yourself to God, to trust Him for it. Through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father and Son. It must be by The Spirit. The Spirit can pray in us only when He lives in us.
One last lesson is to pray in the Spirit for all saints. The Spirit of supplication is the Spirit of intercession... a humble, earnest, compelling request of God's Spirit to respond to our pleas. When the Spirit of intercession takes full possession of us, all selfishness vanishes, and we no longer want to have Him for ourselves alone, apart from His intercession for others. We can begin to avail ourselves of our wonderful privilege to pray for others.
Claim and accept Him to work in you whatever God desires. Let Him be the Spirit of your whole life and you can count on Him to take charge. Depend on Him regardless of your feelings or your experience to His work of pleading for others through you. Renew this act of faith through you every morning. Trust Him in spite of all appearances to work through you for others. Only this indwelling of God through the Spirit will enable us to appropriate the wonderful promises given to prayer. The Spirit is given so we can be everything God wants us to be. Depend only and entirely on Him.
4spirit@gmail.com
Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz is the modernization of the most powerful marketing tool... people telling others about what you do and its value. Today we have the tools to make it work even better. It is creating conversations we have, we create and participating with others in it. It has been around forever, but his book is a how-to book on using the tools and building knowledge on how to do it well. It is the lowest investment for the greatest return of marketing costs you can purchase today.
The four rules of word of mouth marketing are 1. Be interesting, 2. Make it easy, 3. Make people happy, 4. Earn trust and respect.
The three reasons people talk about you:
1. It's about you... they like you and like your stuff.
Or they hate you; you give them something to talk about; you've made it easy for them to talk about you.
2. It's about the talker. It makes them feel good.
They feel smart; they want to help people; they want to express themselves.
3. It's about the group. They feel connected.
They are part of your brand's family; they belong to the community; part of the team; they are insiders.
You can kill word of mouth marketing by offering prizes and rewards (people feel sleezy being paid to tell others about you), too much over exposure, or forgetting why people talk about you and departing from your original intrigue.
The rest of Word of Mouth Marketing expounds on the five T's of word of mouth marketing.
1. Talkers. Who will tell your friends about you?
2. Topics. What will they talk about?
3. Tools. How can you help the message travel?
4. Taking part. How should you join the conversation?
5. Tracking. What are people saying about you?
Word of mouth marketing can't be faked. It must be genuine. Be yourself. Avoid the hint of deception and follow a tight code of personal ethics. Word of mouth marketing is the most profitable marketing. It reduces customer acquisition costs, it's free advertising with better results than traditional advertising, makes sales people more productive with more sales leads, reducing customer service costs while building a stronger brand.
For each of these areas create your word of mouth marketing plan:
1. Talkers. Find people who will talk about you. Fans, volunteers, customers, bloggers, influencers.
2. Topics. Give people a reason to talk. Special offer, great service, cool products, silliness, neat ad, new feature.
3. Tools. Help the message spread faster and farther. Tell-a-friend form, viral email, blogs, handouts, samples, coupons, online discussions.
4. Taking Part. Join the conversation. Reply to comments, posts on blogs, join discussions, answer email, offer personal service.
5. Tracking. Measure and understand what people are saying. Search blogs, read message boards, listen to feedback, use advanced measurement tools.
To find the talkers, Sernovitz provides this worksheet.
What products do you want talked about?
Who do you want to reach?
List the who's.
Who are they connected to?
Do they have connections, conversations, and audience?
What is the word of mouth (WOM) topic?
You can recognize talkers by their passion, credibility, connections and the opportunity they provide by the number of interactions they have.
Build a talker profile. Rally the faithful.
Find a great topic. Great topics are organic, the exceptional quality of the product, something they are amazed about. For finding a topic use this brainstorming guide. Is your topic buzzworthy? Ask the tough questions until you get a strong yes.
Ask:
Would anyone tell a friend?
What would they say? This is the WOM topic.
Who would they tell?
How could they tell more people.
Make it easy and provide ways so it is easy for them.
The next T is tools. Look for ways to use these tools. The Internet is a powerful tool. Ask people to spread the word. Put everything in an email. Put a tell-a-friend link on every page of your website. Make your information easy to steal. Use samples and seeds to plant. Give things away. Start a blog which makes messages portable, highlights new topics, comments and conversations can begin. A blog builds credibility for you. Create an online community, use social media to create contacts, be careful to build an intriguing profile page. Make it exclusive, reveal secrets and have surprises. Add testimonies and customer reviews.
Take part and join conservations. Comment on blogs and social network conversations. Find your right talkers and just join in. Some places to look are blogs, community forums, social networks. Be sure to watch your manners. Never sell, follow the rules online. Say who you are in ten words or less. Be open and disclose who you are, be honest, don't impose.
How to deal with negative word of mouth. Word of mouth will happen and sometimes people say bad things about you. It is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. Don't feel you have to win every argument or even respond to negative people. Four defenses to use are to build credibility before you need it, bring it in your own tent which is in your own website or blog, let your fans do it, don't get caught off guard and respond quickly online. Respond calmly, don't get in a fight, be human, write for the record, followup, and do something wonderful.
Track what people say about you. Use online tracking tools. Encourage feedback.
Do something worth talking about. Create your Action Plan. Assign a team. Hit the WOM basics. Viralize everything. Start talking. Try lots of little things. Go deep and have fun.
For more and worksheets visit:
http://www.wordofmouthbook.com/
In the Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray, we learn the power behind humble, earnest petitions to God and the impact it has. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. It is by His Spirit in us that the Divine Power or energy maintains and strengthens our lives. The Holy Spirit is prayer. It makes intercession for us to our Father in Heaven. The Power of prayer comes from the power of the Spirit in us. For us to pray right, the life of the Spirit must be right in us. Everything depends on this indwelling of the Spirit.
There are three lessons the believer must know to receive the blessings of prayer.3. Tools. Help the message spread faster and farther. Tell-a-friend form, viral email, blogs, handouts, samples, coupons, online discussions.
4. Taking Part. Join the conversation. Reply to comments, posts on blogs, join discussions, answer email, offer personal service.
5. Tracking. Measure and understand what people are saying. Search blogs, read message boards, listen to feedback, use advanced measurement tools.
To find the talkers, Sernovitz provides this worksheet.
What products do you want talked about?
Who do you want to reach?
List the who's.
Who are they connected to?
Do they have connections, conversations, and audience?
What is the word of mouth (WOM) topic?
You can recognize talkers by their passion, credibility, connections and the opportunity they provide by the number of interactions they have.
Build a talker profile. Rally the faithful.
Find a great topic. Great topics are organic, the exceptional quality of the product, something they are amazed about. For finding a topic use this brainstorming guide. Is your topic buzzworthy? Ask the tough questions until you get a strong yes.
Ask:
Would anyone tell a friend?
What would they say? This is the WOM topic.
Who would they tell?
How could they tell more people.
Make it easy and provide ways so it is easy for them.
The next T is tools. Look for ways to use these tools. The Internet is a powerful tool. Ask people to spread the word. Put everything in an email. Put a tell-a-friend link on every page of your website. Make your information easy to steal. Use samples and seeds to plant. Give things away. Start a blog which makes messages portable, highlights new topics, comments and conversations can begin. A blog builds credibility for you. Create an online community, use social media to create contacts, be careful to build an intriguing profile page. Make it exclusive, reveal secrets and have surprises. Add testimonies and customer reviews.
Take part and join conservations. Comment on blogs and social network conversations. Find your right talkers and just join in. Some places to look are blogs, community forums, social networks. Be sure to watch your manners. Never sell, follow the rules online. Say who you are in ten words or less. Be open and disclose who you are, be honest, don't impose.
How to deal with negative word of mouth. Word of mouth will happen and sometimes people say bad things about you. It is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. Don't feel you have to win every argument or even respond to negative people. Four defenses to use are to build credibility before you need it, bring it in your own tent which is in your own website or blog, let your fans do it, don't get caught off guard and respond quickly online. Respond calmly, don't get in a fight, be human, write for the record, followup, and do something wonderful.
Track what people say about you. Use online tracking tools. Encourage feedback.
Do something worth talking about. Create your Action Plan. Assign a team. Hit the WOM basics. Viralize everything. Start talking. Try lots of little things. Go deep and have fun.
For more and worksheets visit:
http://www.wordofmouthbook.
In the Ministry of Intercession by Andrew Murray, we learn the power behind humble, earnest petitions to God and the impact it has. The Holy Spirit has been given to us. It is by His Spirit in us that the Divine Power or energy maintains and strengthens our lives. The Holy Spirit is prayer. It makes intercession for us to our Father in Heaven. The Power of prayer comes from the power of the Spirit in us. For us to pray right, the life of the Spirit must be right in us. Everything depends on this indwelling of the Spirit.
First, believe that the Spirit dwells in you. When we quietly believe that in the midst of our weakness, the Spirit is petitioning for us... for the very purpose of enabling us to pray in the manner and measure that God desires. God has made an abundant provision for our being what He wants us to be. We see the Holy Spirit will pray and is praying in us.
The second lesson is beware of everything that may grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve Him by sin, unbelief, by selfishness, and unfaithfulness to His voice. Reject any sin that rises up against your will, such as slothfulness, pride, self-will or passions of the flesh. Each day accept the Holy Spirit as your leader, your life, your strength. He is revealing Christ who is actually your life and strength unseen within you. Do you grieve the Holy Spirit by distrusting Him just because you do not feel His presence in you. Be quiet before the Lord and give Him time.
The third lesson is Be Filled with the Spirit. It is only the healthy Spiritual life that can pray right. It is God wills that we be filled with the Spirit. We can count on and expect the Holy Spirit to take possession of and fill us. Be willing to receive Him, to yield yourself to God, to trust Him for it. Through Him we have access by one Spirit to the Father and Son. It must be by The Spirit. The Spirit can pray in us only when He lives in us.
One last lesson is to pray in the Spirit for all saints. The Spirit of supplication is the Spirit of intercession... a humble, earnest, compelling request of God's Spirit to respond to our pleas. When the Spirit of intercession takes full possession of us, all selfishness vanishes, and we no longer want to have Him for ourselves alone, apart from His intercession for others. We can begin to avail ourselves of our wonderful privilege to pray for others.
Claim and accept Him to work in you whatever God desires. Let Him be the Spirit of your whole life and you can count on Him to take charge. Depend on Him regardless of your feelings or your experience to His work of pleading for others through you. Renew this act of faith through you every morning. Trust Him in spite of all appearances to work through you for others. Only this indwelling of God through the Spirit will enable us to appropriate the wonderful promises given to prayer. The Spirit is given so we can be everything God wants us to be. Depend only and entirely on Him.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Rework... secret of intercession
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, deviate from traditional business views and have built intentionally to stay small and stay profitable. They question a lot of the notions that are popular in the business world to succeed. They succeed in that they built a business they want to live with and have a life. In writing this book, they decided to un-build and then rebuild the business from scratch. Here's some of their advice. In business or going into business they feel this will shed some new light on how to do this thing called business.
That will never work in the real world some may say. Ignore that. It may be real for them, but you don't have to live in it. You don't have to keep your secrets for success a secret from others. Failure is not a rite of passage. You can build success as you grow. When small, you can't afford failures repeatedly to learn. Build small successes and learn from them. Planning is guessing. Plans over a few pages long end up as fossils in your files. A week is long enough to plan out, and make your decisions right before you need to. It's okay to be small. If it's sustainable and profitable you should be proud of your business. Workaholics are not heroes. Real heroes figure out how to get things done faster, and be home on time. Be a starter. Get the idea, have confidence and start.
Make a dent in the universe. Make it valuable. Do something that matters. You don't have to conquer the world but make the world better for many. Scratch your own itch. Make what you need. When you solve your own problem you fall in love with what you're making, that you can be happy making for years. Ideas are cheap, what matters is how well you execute. What you want bad enough you make time for, and want to do it well. What you offer doesn't have to be loved by everyone but be loved immensely by the ones who use it. Your mission statement should be a statement of what you live, not a bunch of nice words on paper. It's believing and living it. Plan Z may be the cash flow plan. You can make it on less than you need, and less from others you think you need. Start a business not a startup and make one you will love to do all your life. Not just to build it and sell it. Live with less mass, small leases, smaller space, lower inventory, less staff.
Live with less and create self-imposed restraints. Make a great half a product and not a shoddy full product. Keep in the epicenter of your business. Ignore details early on and get rolling. Over concern with too many details slows it all down. Make decisions early as you go. It keeps you moving while keeping you motivated and keeping momentum. Throw less at the problem and focus on what won't change. Sell your by-products. Get it out there, launch now, keep quality there. Find out what really works by doing it, and not guessing it.
Being productive is getting real. Chisel out distractions and what's not relevant. Interruptions kill personal momentum... find places to work where you can stay in the flow. Meetings are toxic. Meet and discuss the problem where you can see it, and with people directly involved in it. Use judo solutions that are quick and to the core. Momentum fuels motivation, so get something done and move to the next, quickly. Don't be a hero, quitting may be the best answer. Get sleep, you think better and work better when rested. Estimate small chunks, most long term estimates suck. Make small to-do lists, and tiny decisions repetitively.
Don't copy, be original. Pour yourself into your work. Take a stand for who you are and if you pick a fight, it creates distinction and loyal followers. Under do the competition and be proud of it. Focus on you instead of they...
Give new ideas some days to rest and then move on the right priorities. Let your customer direct you. And choose the right customer for who you are, some will outgrow you so let them go.
Some don't know you now. That's great. Stay in the shadows and make your mistakes. Build your audience. Don't out-spend, instead out-teach your competition. Let people in behind the scenes and see how you do things... they'll love you for it. Be real and personal. Send notes not spam emails. Call and talk to them, see them. Be like the drug dealer... a taste of you will get them hooked. And everything is marketing, that's everything you do. Overnight success comes with years of steady audience captivating.
Hire when it hurts, until then do it yourself. Pass on great people, if you don't need them. Hire slowly and trust your gut. Hire better writers. Today so much of what we say is in emails. Test drive employees. Use in projects first to see how they work.
When you mess up, apologize. Be honest, sincere. When you build rapport your customers will be forgiving. You don't create work cultures, they happen by all you do. Avoid Rock Stars, but build a great environment for all to star. Encourage everyone to get things done and everyone knows they will leave at 5. ASAP is poison. Use emergency terms for true emergencies.
When inspired do it while inspired. Inspiration is fleeting. When inspired you get a lot done in short periods of time keeping the inspiration in what you do.
Rework has short chapters, proverbial quips graphically illustrated before each very-short section (only a page or two each). An enjoyable, enlightening, fast read, with more at 37 Signals. They have many other websites with biz tools to power up your business.
The Secret of Intercession by Andrew Murray expounds on the impact we have in peoples lives through prayer. The Glory of intercession is so much greater when a man is bold and asks from God what he desires for others. The Intercessor seeks God so God will bring down on hundreds and thousands of souls the power of eternal life with all its blessings. Intercession is the very holiest exercise of our boldness as God's children. It is the power of being used by God as His instruments for His Great work of making men His habitation and showing His Glory. Above anything else we should seek to cultivate this gift in all of God's children, the gift of unceasing prayer for a wavering world.
God will certainly avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him. All powers of Heaven are at the disposal of this intercessor, this person who prays. May God open our eyes to see this great power and its availability to us. May God's children seek the hidden treasures of Heaven, to bring them down in blessing on the world. By this intercession they do come down from Heaven to earth.
When Jesus left the earth physically, He imparted this right to ask as you will and that whatever you ask for His will to be done for them. God regards intercession as the highest expression of His people, to yield themselves to the mighty power of God. God waits for us to do our part. As we plead for this Heavenly power, God will send it down to meet our requests on earth. May we realize our position, and the extension of God's Hand is put in our hands. God calls for intercessors. He has made His work dependent on us.
We are God's channel, and it is the highest privilege we have. It's not a passing interest. It becomes our intense desire. Too long we have thought of prayer as the means for supplying our needs in life. It's higher calling is to join with God to bring the Kingdom of God down to earth. It opens the way on earth for the blessing God delights to give. When Christ ascended to Heaven the disciples knew it was their place to pray in one accord. One accord in and now as Christ represented body on earth. They were bonded together by the love and Spirit of Christ into one body. It was this that gave them their wonderful power in heaven with God and upon earth.
Christ meant to teach us that however large the field may be and however few the laborers, prayer is the best, the sure, the only means of supplying the need. We remain confident that as we intercede for the Kingdom of God to advance on earth as in Heaven, our prayers are heard, our prayers are indispensable for the coming of God's wonderful Kingdom.
(I am available for additional sharing at 4spirit@gmail.com and 417-224-3517.)
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
How Successful People Think... Experiencing God
by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
417-224-3517
How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell outlines the how and why of successful people's ways of thinking. Maxwell explains why you should change your thinking. It is not automatic, it is difficult, but worth the investment. And he says how to be a better thinker is to expose yourself to good input, to good thinkers, think good thoughts, act on good thoughts, allow your emotions to create new good thoughts, and repeat the process. Put yourself in the right place to think... to think your thoughts, shape your thoughts, stretch your thoughts, land your thoughts and fly your thoughts.
Maxwell explains the why's and how's in each area of thinking. I will focus on the How's for each. Maxwell is very extensively thorough in explaining the why's and how''s.
Cultivate Big Picture Thinking. Look beyond the bridges you will need to cross, learn to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, learn from every experience, gain insights from a variety of people and give yourself permission to expand the world.
Engage in Focused Thinking. Remove distractions and do first things first, make time for focused thinking, keep items of focus before you, set goals, are you making true progress.
Harness Creative Thinking. Value ideas, explore options, embrace ambiguity, celebrate the offbeat, connect the unconnected, don't fear failure and venture out. Remove negative influences and ask the right questions, and hang around creative people.
Employ Realistic Thinking. Develop appreciation for the truth, do your homework, think through pros and cons, picture worst case scenarios, align thinking with resources.
Utilize Strategic Thinking. Break down the issue, ask why before how, identify the real issues and objectives, review your resources, develop your plan, put the right people in the right place, repeat the process.
Explore Possibility Thinking. Focus on possibilities not impossibilities, stay away from experts or people who know it all, look for possibilities in every situation, dream one size bigger, question the status quo, find inspiration from great achievers.
Learn from Reflective Thinking. Set aside time for reflection, remove yourself from distractions, regularly review your calendar and journal, cement learning with actions.
Benefit from Shared Thinking. Ask these questions. Am I emotionally secure? Do I value people? Move from competition to cooperation. Have an agenda when you meet. Get the right people around the table. Compensate good thinkers and collaborators well.
Practice Unselfish Thinking. Put others first. Expose yourself to situations where people have needs. Give quietly or anonymously. Invest in people intentionally. Continuously check your motives. Give while you live.
Rely on Bottom Line Thinking. Identify the real bottom line which is what your really want. Make the bottom line the point. Create a strategic plan to achieve the bottom line. Align team members with the bottom line.
Final thoughts: "Life consists of what we think about all day." (Emerson);
"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." (Locke)
"You are today what your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where
your thoughts take you." (Allen)
"Nothing limits achievement like small thinking." (Ward)
"Whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, think on these things."
(The Apostle Paul)
More from John C. Maxwell at
http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/
Then continue as you ponder and reflect on Thy Kingdom Come and Thy will be Done on Earth as in Heaven. Ask God to accomplish His will through you on earth as it is in Heaven.
"Give us this day our Daily Bread." See yourself as a sheep before your shepherd. Look to Him for your food. Tell Him about your needs and family's needs. God is within you, walks with you, so He cares for you and your personal needs. Simply yield to God's operations in you until He completes His work. It's all attainable for those who seek God, simply begin.
Enter in His Presence. Stay silent and simply enjoy God and who He is. The road to perfection is abandonment. It is the key to enter the inner court of Spirit, to abandon oneself to God, casting off all selfish cares in order to be at His Divine disposal. Guyon says you must want only what God has willed from eternity. Remain steadfast in God and all things will be done to perfection. Put your confidence in God and remain quiet where He has placed you. Forgetting your faults when in His Presence is proof you have been purified in them.
Be led by the Spirit. When you are not being led by the Spirit you will feel either forced or constrained. When under the Spirit your actions will be free, easy, and so natural that it will almost seem as though you have not acted at all. When your spirit is centered on God, all activities He initiates will be noble, full of peace, natural, and so spontaneous that it will appear to you there has hardly been any activity at all. God's attraction is both a perfume to allure and an ointment to heal. Yet each soul is given freedom without constraint to follow Him. God never uses force, instead He attracts us by His powerful sweet presence.
God assures us that we need fear nothing. He promises to take very special care of us.
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she would not have compassion on the son of her womb." (Isaiah 49:15-16)
4spirit@gmail.com
417-224-3517
How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell outlines the how and why of successful people's ways of thinking. Maxwell explains why you should change your thinking. It is not automatic, it is difficult, but worth the investment. And he says how to be a better thinker is to expose yourself to good input, to good thinkers, think good thoughts, act on good thoughts, allow your emotions to create new good thoughts, and repeat the process. Put yourself in the right place to think... to think your thoughts, shape your thoughts, stretch your thoughts, land your thoughts and fly your thoughts.
Maxwell explains the why's and how's in each area of thinking. I will focus on the How's for each. Maxwell is very extensively thorough in explaining the why's and how''s.
Cultivate Big Picture Thinking. Look beyond the bridges you will need to cross, learn to deal with uncertainty and ambiguity, learn from every experience, gain insights from a variety of people and give yourself permission to expand the world.
Engage in Focused Thinking. Remove distractions and do first things first, make time for focused thinking, keep items of focus before you, set goals, are you making true progress.
Harness Creative Thinking. Value ideas, explore options, embrace ambiguity, celebrate the offbeat, connect the unconnected, don't fear failure and venture out. Remove negative influences and ask the right questions, and hang around creative people.
Employ Realistic Thinking. Develop appreciation for the truth, do your homework, think through pros and cons, picture worst case scenarios, align thinking with resources.
Utilize Strategic Thinking. Break down the issue, ask why before how, identify the real issues and objectives, review your resources, develop your plan, put the right people in the right place, repeat the process.
Explore Possibility Thinking. Focus on possibilities not impossibilities, stay away from experts or people who know it all, look for possibilities in every situation, dream one size bigger, question the status quo, find inspiration from great achievers.
Learn from Reflective Thinking. Set aside time for reflection, remove yourself from distractions, regularly review your calendar and journal, cement learning with actions.
Benefit from Shared Thinking. Ask these questions. Am I emotionally secure? Do I value people? Move from competition to cooperation. Have an agenda when you meet. Get the right people around the table. Compensate good thinkers and collaborators well.
Practice Unselfish Thinking. Put others first. Expose yourself to situations where people have needs. Give quietly or anonymously. Invest in people intentionally. Continuously check your motives. Give while you live.
Rely on Bottom Line Thinking. Identify the real bottom line which is what your really want. Make the bottom line the point. Create a strategic plan to achieve the bottom line. Align team members with the bottom line.
Final thoughts: "Life consists of what we think about all day." (Emerson);
"The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts." (Locke)
"You are today what your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where
your thoughts take you." (Allen)
"Nothing limits achievement like small thinking." (Ward)
"Whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, think on these things."
(The Apostle Paul)
More from John C. Maxwell at
http://
In Experiencing God through Prayer, Madame Guyon emphasizes that you must learn to pray from your heart. She says prayer is entering the Presence of God and remaining there for Him to speak, heal, console and just be with you. Start by digesting the Word of God, and then pray the Word of God. The Kingdom of God resides in His Temple and we are now His Temple. We can enter that most Holy and Powerful place.
Look at the Lord's prayer and dwell on these words. Our Father... we are His child. Let Him know your heart's desire. Remember, what a Father does and especially our Father in Heaven, creating of us and everything we see and don't see. What can this do? Ponder on what just, "Our Father" means. Let Him reign in you, and His right to rule over you.
Look at the Lord's prayer and dwell on these words. Our Father... we are His child. Let Him know your heart's desire. Remember, what a Father does and especially our Father in Heaven, creating of us and everything we see and don't see. What can this do? Ponder on what just, "Our Father" means. Let Him reign in you, and His right to rule over you.
Then continue as you ponder and reflect on Thy Kingdom Come and Thy will be Done on Earth as in Heaven. Ask God to accomplish His will through you on earth as it is in Heaven.
"Give us this day our Daily Bread." See yourself as a sheep before your shepherd. Look to Him for your food. Tell Him about your needs and family's needs. God is within you, walks with you, so He cares for you and your personal needs. Simply yield to God's operations in you until He completes His work. It's all attainable for those who seek God, simply begin.
Enter in His Presence. Stay silent and simply enjoy God and who He is. The road to perfection is abandonment. It is the key to enter the inner court of Spirit, to abandon oneself to God, casting off all selfish cares in order to be at His Divine disposal. Guyon says you must want only what God has willed from eternity. Remain steadfast in God and all things will be done to perfection. Put your confidence in God and remain quiet where He has placed you. Forgetting your faults when in His Presence is proof you have been purified in them.
Be led by the Spirit. When you are not being led by the Spirit you will feel either forced or constrained. When under the Spirit your actions will be free, easy, and so natural that it will almost seem as though you have not acted at all. When your spirit is centered on God, all activities He initiates will be noble, full of peace, natural, and so spontaneous that it will appear to you there has hardly been any activity at all. God's attraction is both a perfume to allure and an ointment to heal. Yet each soul is given freedom without constraint to follow Him. God never uses force, instead He attracts us by His powerful sweet presence.
God assures us that we need fear nothing. He promises to take very special care of us.
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she would not have compassion on the son of her womb." (Isaiah 49:15-16)
After reading these beautiful words of consolation, how can you ever again be afraid of abandoning yourself wholly to the Guidance of God!
The Spirit will increase in proportion to as you lose your self hood. By departing from self-hood, you will have acquired the purity and innocence of God. Gold cannot be purified except by fire, which consumes all that is earthly and foreign. Our earthly part must be melted and dissolved by the force of fire. It must be cast again and again into the furnace until it has lost every trace of pollution and every possibility of being further purified. You must be purged through the fire to be purged of self. It may last a long time. But do not become discouraged. Yield yourself to the Divine Spirit until you are wholly absorbed in Him.
Press on, press on, press on to know God.
The Spirit will increase in proportion to as you lose your self hood. By departing from self-hood, you will have acquired the purity and innocence of God. Gold cannot be purified except by fire, which consumes all that is earthly and foreign. Our earthly part must be melted and dissolved by the force of fire. It must be cast again and again into the furnace until it has lost every trace of pollution and every possibility of being further purified. You must be purged through the fire to be purged of self. It may last a long time. But do not become discouraged. Yield yourself to the Divine Spirit until you are wholly absorbed in Him.
Press on, press on, press on to know God.
(You can personally contact me at 417-224-3517, 4spirit@gmail.com ...and I also do courtesy on-site presentations of biz book summaries with a Spiritual spin.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)