ADAPTING TO CHANGE:

Adapting to change as I mention most weeks is about the fear of a ‘What If’ moment. As we know a WHAT IF is an ILLUSION, so what you are fearing is only an illusion.

Most fear is about WHAT IF’s. If we could only see how peculiar that fear actually is, we may have a route to overcome it.

Courtesy: blog.miragestudio7.com

Another strong factor in amplifying fear is the tone in which we describe it. If you immediately respond to a situation and call it a problem, then sub-consciously you are dealing with a difficult situation. If you change that habit from calling something a problem to calling it a challenge, then life is sweeter as you can fire yourself up easier to deal with a challenge.

Today’s material is more of an excerpt from a book or a speech. The author is unknown, so it is difficult to attribute it to a particular occasion, but the words are strong enough to get the message across.

END YOUR DIFFICULTIES

Will today be a difficult day for you?

That depends on whether or not you decide to make it one. Just about anything can be difficult when you make the active decision to consider
it so.

We often assume that things such as focused effort, discipline, commitment, and persistence are difficult, and as such are to be avoided if at all possible. Yet that is just an opinion. When you think about it, “difficult” and “easy” are very arbitrary terms. Thinking of something as difficult, just makes it that much more difficult.

So what’s the purpose of it?

Imagine what would happen if instead of thinking, “This is hard work and I can just barely tolerate it,” you thought “This is necessary work and I’m thankful that I’m able to do it.”

Making judgments about whether something is difficult or easy doesn’t contribute anything to the level of accomplishment. Stop categorizing tasks as difficult and you’ll no longer have to do anything difficult.

Just do what needs to be done and truly enjoy the fulfilling road to achievement.

(Unknown Author)

QUOTE: “Nothing is a waste of time if your experience wisely.”

(Rodin)

SELF DEVELOPMENT:

Practice Makes Perfect! If we were an artist or an athlete, we could not expect to reach the top of our profession without practicing.

To introduce good habits we need to practice them. As a consequence we become better with practice.

This suggestion is nothing new, but we don’t always apply these principles to our own life. We may apply it with reference to education from school, college or our workplace, but rarely will we practice to self develop the aspects of our mind related to the growth and development of wisdom.

photo courtesy of: martonhouse.files.wordpress.com

The very fact that you are reading this would suggest you are aiming to put that very observation and possible frailty correct. However we must not tap ourselves on the back just yet.

QUOTE: “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

(Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr).

An athlete would see the results of practice in the next race he ran. An artist would see the benefits in the next sale of his painting. A person who practices wisdom cannot see the results so readily. Yet be assured the value is enormous.

The lady in the next story had a belief, a faith and a determination that her perseverance would benefit her personally.

If you believe you will benefit from greater wisdom remember this story…

DEPEND ON MIRACLES

One Sunday morning I heard my minister say if you want result from prayer, pray for thirty days without ceasing. I didn’t know why it was thirty days, but I was willing to give it a try. The following became my daily prayer:

I am available, Lord, to be used by You each day. Guide me, precious Lord, and lead me in what I say and do. May my words and actions be a witness that You are living in me. To the one that is lonely, may I be a friend. To those with heavy burdens, help me to meet their needs. Lord, I do not want fame or fortune. My prayer is that You will use me to glorify your name. I know I don’t have much to offer, but I will give You my all. Guide me to be what You want me to be. Amen

On the twenty-first day of this prayer, CPR took on a new meaning for me. I was working an extremely busy twelve-hour night shift in Labour and Delivery. I had just sat down for my first break when a phone call came from my friend working in the Emergency Room. I barely recognized her urgent voice. An eighteen-year-old boy had been brought to the ER for alcohol and drug overdose. The young man was very close to death and they had done all they could do to help him. The father of this boy was requesting a priest or minister and they were having difficulty locating one that could come to the ER quickly. My friend stated, “We know you’re a Christian and we need you to come and try to comfort this father. Please help.”

Reluctantly, I said I would come down. As I waited for the elevator my thoughts became very judgmental and frustration welled up inside me. Then I remembered the prayer I’d been praying. I walked into the ER and approached the father. Taking his hand, I silently led him to the chapel. Before I could even say, “I am not a minister,” this six-foot, two-hundred-twenty-pound man sank into the chair and became a broken hearted child.

Through his non-stop sobbing he spoke, “Christian, pray for Raymond. I remember the first time I held my boy. I felt so proud and I just kept saying, ‘I have a son.’ As the years passed those tiny feet became bigger and walked away from his family’s love and entered a strange, hardened, and destructive world. Tonight, too much alcohol and an overdose of drugs are taking his life.

It’s as though he wants to rebel against everything his family stood for. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Sometimes he seemed so afraid, but he wouldn’t stop. Now it is too late. Christian, you have to pray for Raymond.”
Those large hands trembled in mine and as I looked into his eyes, I mourned with him. Silence fell between us, as I searched for the words that would comfort this crumbling tower of a man. I felt so inadequate. I wanted to scream,
“Lord it has only been twenty-one days since I began that prayer! I am not ready for this!”

Time was running out and I knew I couldn’t stall any longer. I clutched his hands, now wet with tears, and began to pray. The words came easy, much to my surprise.

I finished praying with him and went to Raymond’s bedside. I took his cold, lifeless hand and once again began to pray. “Lord I am asking for a miracle and I know You can do it.”

I stayed with them both until Raymond was taken to Intensive Care. I visited Raymond on a daily basis and continued to pray for him. Eight days passed with little improvement. On the ninth day I entered the ICU and a miracle had taken place. Raymond was awake and talking with his father. CPR had taken on a new meaning for me: “Christian Pray for Raymond”. As I left the ICU with tears falling down my face, I realized, today is the 30th day of my prayer.

Now I not only believe in miracles, I depend on them.

(Author Unknown).

QUOTE: “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”

(Patricia Neal).

LOVE OF WISDOM:

Wisdom is a strange subject, what may be right for one person isn’t always right for another. What is equally important, other than the wisdom being right for you, is that is empowers you.

Each day you are getting stories of wisdom, you may understand the wisdom being expressed but it may not suit your lifestyle.

This is how we must expect it to be. But if a particular piece of editorial empowers your soul and it shakes your very roots, then we need to be thankful for this encounter.

If you were in a situation and the very best possible result, was your happiness, yet as you study the worst possible scenario, this results in your happiness too.

This may not happen too often, but what you have done is think positive. When others may strive for greatness and finish up with the opposite of their desire, they can almost certainly expect sadness and depression.

Try and see the good in everything. If you have two possible solutions to a problem and the outcome doesn’t depend on you, then if you have the ability to make the most of whatever is presented to you, you’ll survive happier.

Today’s story is a tussle with circumstances. But accepting them rather than fight them has proven in this example to be more fulfilling.

MAMA’S ADVICE

Last Friday I came home from work and as I entered my home, I realised that someone had been in the house. As I walked through the house assessing the damage, I found polished furniture, made and changed beds, vacuum and mopped floors, clean bathrooms, laundered and folded clothes, a sparkling kitchen - in general I had a very clean house. I assure you that this is not how I had left my house that morning.

I immediately knew that my daughter had visited and cleaned my house for me. Of course, I was elated but I also felt bad because I knew what a sacrifice it was for her to do this, with three children, a business and a house of her own to manage.

As I was looking at all the deeds she had done, I suddenly heard my mama’s voice in my ear screaming at me, “Will you ever learn this lesson?” I realized then that I was going around unconsciously moving things and putting them in their ‘proper order.’ The lesson that my mental ear was hearing was some advice my mama gave me when I got married.

“If your husband helps you in the house doing anything, never go behind him and change it. When I was first married, your daddy would help me by making the beds, washing dishes or whatever. I never liked the way he did it, so I always went behind him and did it my way. Before long, he stopped helping me and never offered to help me with anything else. So, even if it doesn’t meet your standards or is not done your way, accept it as a gift or he will stop giving.”

Boy, did that lesson ring true today and so many other times in my life. Why is that we cannot accept help without wanting to customize it to our way of thinking? As long as the job gets done well, does it really matter how it gets done? I reflected back, and realised that I had a tendency to always change or rearrange things to my way of doing or thinking. Could it be that this had kept me from growth in my life? Could it be that I had failed to see a better way, just because it was not my way? Could I have missed blessings because of my narrow-minded view? Were there others in my life that wanted to help but were afraid their efforts would not meet my standards? Had I made others feel inferior and unimportant because I had to change them to my liking?

Well, I sat down in my clean house, keeping everything just as my daughter had so painstakingly left it, and thanked God for children that loved me and for His grace in giving me one more chance to pass the test. I hope I have learned to follow Mama’s advice this time!

(Maxine Wright)

QUOTE: “The essence of greatness is the ability to choose personal fulfilment in the circumstances where others choose madness.”

(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer., American Psychotherapist, Author, Lecturer).

SOLVING PROBLEMS:

Part of the battle in life is to control our attitude, if we take the aspects of both Self-Esteem and Motivation we find that both are more readily improved by working amongst a team.

Poor self-esteem when shared amongst a team of friends will be eliminated and made brighter and stronger from all of the support within the team.

Motivation works on a similar thread; when you are part of a team your determination is doubled, when you may have given in working the job solo, the group enthusiasm encourages your dogged effort to continue.

Once you have experienced the benefits of being part of a team you will find an urge to do so more often.

This could become an answer for people who struggle with projects whereupon their pride prevents them from asking for help and the job takes five times as long. Your energy is sapped; if only you could encourage a few friends and work as a team on the same project.

I have heard recently of a ‘Decorating Party’. The idea is based around a desperate need to re-decorate a house for the arrival of a new born. A deadline was looming, so a team of friends were invited around to decorate with a glorious meal and an abundance of wine to conclude the session.

Today’s story is about the beauty of working as a team and how more efficient the task can be if shared amongst the other members.

DO AS THE GEESE DO!

In the fall when you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in the “V” formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who are part of a team and share a common direction get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the trust of one another and lift each other up along the way. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go through it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the power of the flock.

If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation and share information with those who are headed the same way that we are going.

When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing and another goose takes over. It pays to share leadership and take turns doing hard jobs. The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep their speed.

Words of support and inspiration help energize those on the front line, helping them to keep pace in spite of the day-to-day pressures and fatigue. It is important that our honking be encouraging. Otherwise it’s just - well honking!

Finally, when a goose gets sick or is wounded by a gunshot and falls out, two geese fall out of the formation and follow the injured one down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or until he is dead and then they launch out with another formation to catch up with their group.

When one of us is down, it’s up to the others to stand by us in our time of trouble. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other when things get rough. We will stay in formation with those headed where we want to go.

The next time you see a formation of geese, remember….

IT IS A REWARD, A CHALLENGE AND A PRIVILEGE to be a contributing member of a TEAM.

(Namrata V. Rao)

QUOTE: “Remember it isn’t how many times you fall, its how many times you stand up again that counts.”

(Unknown Author)

ADAPTING TO CHANGE:

Some people think that there is a method of how to appear dominating and in charge.

Imagine for example, a politician, don’t they appear to be totally domineering? What about the President or as we have here in England, a Prime Minister, don’t they appear to be always ‘in charge’ of their behavioural patterns?

Broadcasters, high flying business people, high ranking army officials, high ranking government personnel, these and many more seem to have a charisma of strength and determination. So what is their secret?

Making sure they are fully alert, and you will notice these people never allow themself to comment unless they have studied the facts. Knowledge is power!

If you listen and respond, you will create the same energy and communication skills as these who perfect it professionally.

QUOTE: “When you only ever half listen, you can expect nothing less than only ever being half as effective.”

Always pay full attention. Listen and respond, as a well structured response can change the world; more often than not, the structure isn’t planned it comes from keeping full attention throughout your response. In effect what your heart tells you to say.

If you could ever trust that reaction, you’ll realise its potential.

Try and remember a moment where you spoke without thinking, and the quality of that comment that was spoken; you may have even thought that it had come from someone else’s mouth.

Express this power vocally and physically and you will impress. If you knew how to harness this power you would use it regularly

Adapting to change in this way is simple. Test, try and see; you may well be impressed yourself. So don’t forget to listen and respond from the heart instantly.

You will not know unless you try! Now on to today’s story…

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

Today’s example occurred in 1960.

In was an American Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy. The debate was broadcast both on radio and, for the first time on television. The majority of people who listened to the radio thought Nixon won the debate. But by far the majority watched it on television. Those that did thought Kennedy won.

Why? Kennedy was much better at sending “elect me” messages in a visual way that that of Nixon.

(From a book by Nate Booth).

QUOTE: “Every man carries in his eye the exact indication of his rank.”

(Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead ; follow him on twitter . Our inner world — emotional, mental space — helps determine our outer world, right? But the space we spend the majority of our time in also plays a huge role in our lives. It can influence our actions, our mood, and it can determine whether we remain stuck or achieve our dreams. I want to share with you a few strategies I’ve discovered to design your space to help your achieve your goals. I’ve been using this technique for quite some time to take advantage of my environment’s ability to help my achieve my dreams. The reason this is so effective is because when you design your space in a way that supports your dreams, you’re receiving perpetual subconscious reinforcement. So even if you design your space to reinforce a reality that does not yet exist for you, it is still effective because your environment is constantly introducing the possibility to your mind as a new reality. There are three basic categories for engineering your space to reinforce your dreams. Identity modifiers Style and energy Specific goal reinforcement Let’s start at the beginning… 1. General identity modifiers. If you want to change a part of your identity, changing your space will help introduce a new trait of behavior. Here are some examples: If you want to become a writer, reorganize your space to support your identity as a writer. Make sure there is a bookshelf near your workspace with classics novels and books on writing. Buy some nice pens or make word-processor the only icon on your desktop. Put quotes of famous writers around your workspace. Create a fictional cover for a book with your name as the author and have it framed and placed on your desk. If you want to simplify your life, remove all the clutter from your space. But don’t just remove the clutter; incorporate minimalist reinforcements in your space. This might mean getting a desk without a lot of drawers that forces you to keep it neat. Create a minimalist computer experience, a minimalist home and a minimalist workspace. The more you organize your space in a way that reinforces simplicity, the greater effect it will start to have on your inner space. If you want to become a musician, surround your space with musical instruments. Put up photos or album covers of your favorite artists. Make your space speak music. Design in it a way that if someone were to walk into your room, they would immediately think “this person is a musician.” These are just starting points. There are many other creative ways to implement this simple idea. While these examples are of specific traits, the techniques can be applied to any shift. 2. Influencing style and energy. The spaces we live in can be either creative and inspiring, or dull and suffocating. Imagine the picture of a cubicle colored in mind-numbing grays, fluorescent lighting, no plants, no photos, no personality. Not exactly electrifying, is it? Now imagine a workspace that is completely you. The desk is a beautiful, sturdy wood in your favorite color. The chair is well built and comfortable. You have photos of smiling family and friends framed on your desk. The lighting is warm and inviting. It feels much different, doesn’t it? Here are some ways you can improve the energy of your space. And in doing so, make it more inviting and likely to make you want to be there and in turn want to work there to achieve your goals. Take inventory. Take a second to close your eyes and allow your mind to be still and your body to relax. Now open your eyes and look at the room around you. How does it make you feel? Does it call you to your purpose? Does it excite you or does it bore you? Is it inviting or indifferent? Now think about way that you could change or improve your space to achieve the feeling you would most want it to impress. What could you change to make it more in harmony with who you are? Energize your space . It’s amazing the effects that a few simple changes can make in your space to increase the energy and vibration. A few easy and simple ways to do this are by bringing more plants into your space, putting fresh fruit on your table or your desk, and place photos of yourself and family or friends around where you work. What colors could you change to bring in more energy? Could the lighting be changed? Do you resonate with your space? Everyone has their own individual and unique style. Some people may feel more drawn to classical pieces, while others are drawn to a more modern style. Some prefer the thrashing chords of punk rock to work to, while others are moved by the dramatic art of opera. Your space should reflect on some level who you are as a person, what your tastes are, what your interests are, and what you care about. The more your environment speaks to you, the more of an inspiring effect it will have on you. Your imagination is your only limit. 3. Promoting specific intentions or goals. This is really where the rubber meets the road and we get down to reinforcing specific goals, rather than general space manipulation. Everyone says to write down your goals. That’s a good idea, but it’s much more effective when your goals are an element or a fixture of your surroundings. So the idea is simple, figure out what your most important intentions or goals are. Choose no more than five or six. Now place them somewhere in your space that will be constantly visible. Here are a few ways you can do this: Post it. Print them out in big type and put them on a cork board, directly in front of your field of vision where you most often work. Frame it. Print and frame your goals in a 5 x 7 inch frame. Put the frame on your nightstand or desk. Or both. Desktop it . Create an image in a simple image editor (try pixlr if you don’t have one) that’s roughly the resolution of your desktop. Now type out your intentions, save the image and select it as the background on your computer desktop. Use a digital photo frame (thanks to Steve Pavlina for this idea). Create a few images of your goals with plain text, or combine it with an inspiring image. Plug the images into your digital frame and you’re done. This has the added benefit of animation, which has a natural tendency to draw your eye to the image. I haven’t tried this, so I’m not sure how distracting it would be, but I can’t think of a better thing to be distracted by. Send yourself blank emails. When I want to remind myself to stay focused on something, I’ll send myself a blank email with the subject being whatever my reminder is. If I want to remind myself to focus on writing I’ll make the subject “You write for two hours a day this week.” This strategy has a drawback though, as its effectiveness is dependent on how often you check your email. And I don’t think obsessive email checking with the rationalization of being reminded of your goals is a good trade off, unless you make one of your reminders “Stop obsessively checking email.” Setup reminders. Use a software like Dream Wizard . Dream Wizard allows you to plug in your most important goals, add a picture and voice (if you want), and set it to remind you at certain intervals as a pop up on your computer. I think this could also be accomplished with Gcal or other application to send you email reminders. That would another option without having to pay for a piece of software to remind you. Using this method is a good strategy if the majority of your time during the day is spent on the computer. This article was written by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind .  For more unconventional ideas, grab a subscription to Illuminated Mind.

Read more from the original source: 
Feng Shui On Steroids: Design Your Space to Achieve Your Goals

I came across this little story and thought you may like to read it. I’m sure the writer will not mind…

If something is not working… doing more of it, ain’t gonna help
Let me tell you a personal story. When I was a kid (5 years old) – I began my training as a classical pianist. Yes, you are probably surprised, but I was one hell of a piano player. When I got to middle school and went to band class, there was no piano option. So, they gave me a clarinet. And, I just couldn’t play the damn thing. I hated it! And my next door neighbor hated it even more! (as they heard it through the walls and I was TERRIBLE!) I practiced and practiced and I was still terrible! BUT I had more musical training then anyone else in my class, so why couldn’t I succeed and shine? I should have been BETTER then everyone else in the class! BUT I was playing the wrong instrument! One day, before class my music teacher heard me playing the piano in the corner of the room and said “WOW you are a great piano player, why are you so awful with the clarinet?” And my only response was its just NOT the instrument for me! So, when you are “playing an instrument” that is just not RIGHT FOR YOU – there are only two choices.
1) You can keep doing what your doing and either FAIL MISERBLY or be mediocre (and as Seth Godin says – mediocre is invisible and that just sucks!)
2) Or, you can CHANGE the instrument that you are playing and give yourself a chance to finally succeed.
Its that simple. I am NOT SAYING THAT YOU SHOULD QUIT. What I am saying is that maybe you need to look at how you are applying (and trying to profit)

Howie Shwartz - http://www.imleadership.com
© 2009 IM Leadership and AI & JS Enterprises. Inc. All rights reserved.