A Positive Way to Pursuade Others

If only they would see it from my point of view. Have you ever thought or said this? It’s frustrating when you are trying to get others to see your point, follow your expectations, or you are simply unable to persuade someone to take a certain course of action.

Some people do have the power of persuasion. It seems no matter who, and no matter what the circumstance, these people can persuade others easily, and they often do it without resentment. You may think…if only I can do the same!

I share this because I was recently reminded of a subtle, yet powerful way to persuade others. It originates from the days of Socrates, and it is described by Dale Carnegie in his book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.

What’s the secret formula? It is simply the ability to get the other person to say YES! It makes sense, doesn’t it? After all, yes is the most positive word in the English language. Your job is to get the other person to say yes as many times as possible. You accomplish this by asking questions that you know will bring a yes answer.

I began practicing this idea years ago, and I can tell you that it works wonders. As a teacher, I can tell you that it works very well in the classroom.  In order to persuade my students to follow my classroom expectations I have several options…I can drill them into their heads, I can bring negative behaviors to their attention every time, or I can use this method. Instead of nagging about what they’ve done wrong, I address it in a different way. For example…” don’t you think it would be easier for you to get good grades when you remain focused in the classroom? “Do you want to stay out of the detention room?” “Do you think other students will be more respectful to you if you are nicer to them?” These are just a few examples. Which one of the methods above works the best? I think even on an 8th-grade level the answer is obvious. It’s a softer approach, yet the message gets through loud and clear. I am addressing, yet avoiding focus on the negative. And the best part is that the other person is making up their own mind instead of me telling them what’s right.

I use it in my personal relationships as well. If I am having a disagreement with my wife, I can either throw my opinion at her and claim adamantly that I am right, or I can ask questions to try to get yes answers. Even if she still doesn’t agree, I’ve kept the peace, and at least I have her thinking about my point of view instead of completely turning her off to it. The same is true when I try to teach my own daughters life lessons. Two of the three are teens, and the other one is close. I’m not going to get anywhere with them if I criticize or simply state what’s right and what’s not. If I can get them to answer yes to my questions, I am again leaving it up to them to consider the positives of my expectations or point of view. I am much more likely to persuade them this way.

I recommend this approach the next time you need to convince someone of something. I am not talking about controlling people here. I am simply sharing an effective, peaceful, and powerful way to help others see your point of view and persuade them (not force them) to a particular course of action. Perhaps you are a parent trying to persuade your child to make the right decision. Perhaps you are a leader at work trying to motivate an employee. Or maybe you are simply trying to end a debate peacefully and productively. Whatever it is, I believe this concept will help you accomplish it. This is because the other person will be more open and accepting of what you are saying, they are making up their own mind, and even if you don’t fully persuade them, you will still most likely gain their agreement and maintain their respect.

So what do you think? Is this something that would make your life better?

 

Being a Vessel of God’s Power

I have grown so much as a person in the past few years. However, as joyful as I am about that, I realize that I still have so far to go to fully realize and be the person I want to be, and the one that God wants me to be. I want to accomplish great things, but still sometimes think I don’t have the capability to make a difference.

You may be able to relate and may be thinking that, regardless of some of the excellent qualities you have, you have too many weaknesses to make a difference. If so, I will share a Bible verse that inspired me today from 2 Corinthians 4:7. The version I read (NLT) says…we now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

I was deeply inspired for a couple of reasons. One is that I am learning more and more that God is not just someone on the outside that we beckon when we need him, but instead God is part of us and we are part of Him. He is this great treasure and this light shining in our hearts.

Another reason this verse inspires is that it shows perfection is not required. We are compared to fragile clay jars that can break at any moment. Yet God still loves and trusts us enough to house His treasure in us. In the commentary I read along with this verse, it mentioned great Bible figures that God has used. For each it mentioned God’s greatness in them along with the many mistakes that they had made. It’s further proof that perfection is not required.

My hope is that this will inspire you today. You may be fragile and breakable (even perhaps on the verge of breaking). However, you have an unbelievable power that is part of your very being. When you focus on the fact that this power is perfect, and it is the very power of God working in you, the potential in your life is endless. You can accomplish anything. The key is to get yourself out of the way, and yield to this power, which is God in you. Let this light shine. Then simply follow it and do what you believe you are called to do.

Remember, He trusts you, his breakable and imperfect vessel, to carry this light and shine it for great things. If you do, you will certainly experience more of those great things that you can count. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

How To Find the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven

It would be great to be able to go anywhere or be anything we wanted to be, wouldn’t it? Think about it. On a frigid winter day instantly taking yourself to a warm beach on Miami; Beaming with confidence in a situation that normally produces fear; Accomplishing a goal you’ve always wanted to conquer. The list can go on endlessly.

I have been reminded often in recent times that we indeed have this power. We can bring ourselves anywhere and be anything we want to be. I share this reminder with you today. It’s a wonderful, God-given gift called our imagination. The great thing about this wonderful gift is that, not only can be used to produce wonderful dreams and situations, but it can be used to make those dreams a reality.

How can our imagination, this wonderful gift that had us fantasizing about being parents, actors, firefighters, athletes, heroes, etc. as kids take us to higher levels as adults? It happens in two ways. One is the thought. That is envisioning yourself in the situation or as the person you want to be. It is effective because it affects your subconscious mind. It is this part of your mind that affects the actions you take. When your mind is positively impacted, it inspires you to take the required action to reach your goal, thus getting you there faster.

Here’s the second factor, and what I am learning is even more important. Your imagination can provide the feelings of fulfillment, the same positive feelings you would have if you were actually where you wanted to be. I am learning more that it is these feelings that impact the subconscious in a significant way, even greater than the strong thoughts.

What this tells me is the more you can put yourself in the state of being and feeling that reflects your dream and goal being fulfilled, the faster you will get there for real. Here’s an excellent quote from a book on this idea called “The Power of Awareness” by Neville Goddard. I see it as one of the great keys to creating your desired life… “The man who at will can assume whatever state he pleases has found the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. The keys are desire, imagination, and steadily focused attention on the feeling of the wish fulfilled. To such a man any undesirable objective fact is no longer a reality and the ardent wish no longer a dream”.

The ticket to heaven and how to get there is another discussion altogether. However, if you are looking to experience heaven on earth, this author and others with the same message provide the key. Hold a picture of your desire in your mind and don’t let it go. Then feel it and live it as if you already have it. As the author says, assume the wish fulfilled and it is yours.

I realize we have to act and play our part too. However, I don’t know about you, but if these are the two very simple steps we have to take to realize our wishes and goals, then what is stopping you? If you haven’t spent time using your imagination and feeling and “experiencing” the wish fulfilled, try it now and see how powerful it is. You have nothing to lose. If anything, you will make yourself happier simply by thinking beautiful thoughts. Yet there is much more positive to gain along with it. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

As a post note, in addition to your imagination, you can use several other techniques to realize your desires quickly. This free e-book, The Ease and Keys of Rapid Manifestation will show you how 🙂

 

The Fastest Way to Manifest Your Goals

Take a moment to consider what you want most in life right now. What is the success you are craving? What are the greatest goals you want to accomplish? Once you have the answers to this question, you are already a step closer to the rapid manifestation of your goals.

The next question is…how do I receive it? More importantly, how do I get it as quickly as possible?

As I became tired of waiting for the most positive results, I began researching the answers to the above question. The more I studied, the more I realized there was a consistent 5 step formula that when used consistently, will indeed speed up the process of success and realizing your goals. It works well because it puts you in the frame of mind and mode of action necessary to bring you the success you crave. I have implemented this formula in my own life, and I have experienced significant positive changes. These changes have not only enhanced my life, but they have also impacted many of those around me as well.

You can enjoy these same results. This short e-book, The Ease and Keys of Rapid Manifestation – How to Get What You Want Quickly will help you accomplish your goals and realize your desires, and make it happen much sooner than you can imagine.

Click here for your free copy…

The Ease and Keys of Rapid Manifestation – How to Get What You Want Quickly

 

 

Father Daughter Bonding

I’ve been away for a few days on a mini vacation with my daughter. It was a wonderful trip. Here’s a bit of a background…

I’ve always been a big sports fan, mainly because my father took me to professional sporting events since I was very young. Some of my greatest memories as a child, and even as an adult, were these times spent at games with my father. As I thanked him, he said the only payback required was that I did the same for my kids.

I couldn’t wait to take my own son(s) to games and experience that same bonding time. As it turns out, I had no sons but 3 daughters. However, each one has expressed interest in going to games, and I have had that bonding time with each of them. Due to the fact that games are so expensive now, I can only take them one at a time.

My oldest daughter is a fan of the New York Yankees baseball team. They are my least favorite team, but I still promised her a trip. Since we are only 2 hours from Toronto, the plan was to see the Yankees when they played there. However, as we made those plans, we realized that my daughter was too old (16) to cross the border with only a birth certificate. She needed a passport that she did not have. This was last summer. She was obviously disappointed that I broke my promise of taking her to the game. I told her that in the next season, I would make it up to her by taking her straight to the source…I would take her to a game at Yankee Stadium in New York City. My daughter is in love with New York, so she quickly got over her disappointment and agreed to the deal.

The right time next season arrived, and this past week we took our trip to New York City. We did a lot of driving in a short time, as it’s a 7 hour car ride from where we are, and we only made it a two day trip. We spent a full day in New York, experiencing the typical sights like Madison Square Garden, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the like. We did a ton of walking all day on a hot but beautiful day. In the evening we arrived at the stadium where my daughter was in awe. I was too, even though I’ve been there before. Baseball fans know who Derek Jeter is. The last time I was at Yankee Stadium was his first year playing. Now I also was there to see him in his last. A major thunderstorm in the middle of the game shortened it, but we still had a great time and enjoyed the game. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure I was awake, and that this priceless time at a Yankees game in New York with my daughter wasn’t just a dream.

I could not stop thanking God throughout this trip. I thank Him for this daughter and my other two. All of them are absolute gems, beautiful on the inside and out. I thanked Him for this opportunity, and for the resources to take this trip. And I thanked Him for the safety and protection we experienced throughout, as well as the wisdom to find my way around, get on the right trains, etc.

This was a short two day trip. However, the fun, laughs, and experiences we had will last a lifetime. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂

The Fabric Of Reality

The primary reason I began this blog is to share the many great ideas I have learned from my journey as a Christian, and information I have learned from the many books I have read about personal development.

I use this information to dictate how I live my life. However, I am always open to new ideas and new perspectives. I was presented with one of these new perspectives recently from a friend named Nissim Levy. I share this perspective with you here…

The Fabric of Reality – Nissim Levy

 

Faith That Your Desire Is Already Here

It is said that one of the most efficient ways to rapidly manifest your desires is to imagine that you already have it. I have seen this proof in my own life. Besides, the Bible says that if you believe you already have what you ask for, it will be yours.

The problem is that this faith is not always easy to maintain, especially when the time to realize your desires is much longer than you would like.

Many of you already know some of the popular Bible verses about faith. The most common is the definition provided in Hebrews which labels faith as the assurance of things hoped for (knowing what you want) and evidence of what we don’t see. I often refer to this verse, and I was recently shown another one that I never really pondered before. This verse sheds some powerful light on some concepts I have learned in the past and really helped put things together for me. I hope it does the same for you.

The verse is Romans 4:17. It says that God gives life to the dead, and calls into being things that were not. Another translation says He speaks of future events with as much certainty as if they were already past. What this tells me is that with God, your desire already exists as a completed event. It’s already in His hands. When you lean on Him to bring what doesn’t exist into manifestation, you are in essence demonstrating the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.

I remind you again that your entire, completed future is in God’s hands. He has it completed and already mapped out. What this tells me, is that in Him, what we desire already exists. I believe you can manifest your desires quickly if you can see the future events you desire “with as much certainty as if it were already past”. I believe this is the type of faith God is looking for, and when He sees it in you, He will be quicker to act on your behalf.

When you realize that your desires already exists in God’s kingdom, and see it as something already in progress, you are following the Bible verse alluded to earlier about believing that you already have it. Again, Jesus PROMISES that this type of faith will result in you receiving what you desire.

This concept never really made sense to me, but this verse from Romans has certainly clarified it for me. I hope I can help you do the same, and help you realize that God sees your wish as an already accomplished fact. When you align with Him and this belief, it will be a past tense manifestation in reality. I challenge you to reflect on this and apply it in your life. Please share when the blessings arrive 🙂

Enjoy the Journey

I have always enjoyed long road trips. As a child and teenager my family took several road trips from Long Island to Florida to visit my grandparents. I enjoyed these trips so much that it was always a dream of mine to travel completely across the country from New York to California.

That dream of mind was eventually realized. I am reminded of it now because it is almost 10 years to the day that we began that wonderful trip. The destination of that trip was San Diego, and visiting my brother in law and his family. However, there are so many memories of what occurred on the way there. We drove through big cities, farms, plains, mountains, and desserts. We visited museums, friends houses, historic landmarks, and natural beauty. We experienced 80 degrees and humidity, along with 110 degrees and arid conditions. We had a great time with family. However, even though it did seem long and tiring at some points, the heart and soul of this trip was the joy of the journey to get there.

I share this story as an application to life in general, to a concept I was reminded of recently. It is important to set goals in life and to live with that destination in mind. Yet I am learning more each day that what is even more important is the journey to arrive there. Before you arrive at your destination, there is so much to see, experience, and learn. There is beauty to take in. There are valuable lessons to be learned in the obstacles that arrive. There is character to be gained. There are smaller, unexpected blessings and miracles to be thankful for. The list can go on.

What is your present goal? Fix your eyes and mind on it and work from the end of it. However, I encourage you to also experience the journey. Avoid considering it work or a burden. Yes, just as our 2500 mile drive become drawn out and tedious at times, you may feel that way on your journey. However, be sure to see the sights, and take in every new experience of the journey towards you destination. Cherish it, and let that be just as much of a positive memory as reaching the goal. In fact, you can take those memories and lessons learned and use them to reach your next goals as well.

I understand that it is sometimes very easy to keep our eyes so focused on the goal that we don’t pay attention to the journey. It has happened to me many times. These days I am more willing and able to pay attention to the small beauties of the daily journey of life. When you do that, life is more enjoyable and rewarding, and in many cases your goals manifest rapidly, and you arrive at the destination even sooner than you would have thought. I wish this for you today. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

Don’t Edge God Out

There is an old commercial where people sit and wait by a toaster. When it pops up, they grab the product at the same time and say, “Let go of my Eggo! It was a clever marketing idea in my opinion.

In memory of that commercial, I put a different twist on it for myself…Let go of my ego! As in the part of me that gets in God’s way of helping me accomplish my goals and dreams.

In several of his books, Wayne Dyer talks about the ego we all have, and he compares it to the part of us that is connected to God. He says the ego is the part of us that believes that our life is as good as our accomplishments and how much better we are or need to be than everyone else. The God side of us realizes we are all one and focuses on being our best instead of striving for that greatness.

The key to his explanation is in the title of this post…when we are focused on our ego, we Edge God Out. It has helped me pay more attention to where my thoughts and actions are focused. He also presents this question…is what I’m doing stemming from the part of God in me or from my ego? I share this same challenge with you to determine where your thoughts and actions are stemming from. If you are thinking from your ego, you are edging God out. If you are thinking from God’s perspective, you are on the right path, and you will notice things going much more smoothly.

This concept has helped me in other ways too. For example, there is a Bible verse that I’ve read countless times, and never understood until now. Matthew 16:24 has this message from Jesus…. “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”. It is not a pleasant thought to deny self, especially in this culture where we are told to focus on ourselves first. And taking up my cross brings up feelings of a sacrifice that I don’t know how capable I am of following through. However, I see how simple it is. Another way to translate (this is my own translation) is…in order to be a follower of Jesus and receive His greatest blessings, I need to deny my ego (the part of me that edges God out), and put this part of myself to death on the cross so that the part of God that is in me shines brightest.

I hope this helps you understand this concept better as well. You may now be asking (as I was), how to allow more of God in? I will share a great idea I learned from watching a film called “The Moses Code”. They provide a very easy guideline to follow:

G – give as much as you can and make service the essence of your being.

O – oneness – focus on the fact that there is a part of God in every one of us. In this regard, we are all one body. Instead of judging someone, see them as a part of yourself and how you can serve them. When you build up another, you are in essence building up yourself since we are all one in God. That’s one great reason why you receive so much when you give.

D – destiny – if you haven’t already, determine your destiny and what you really want from life. Pray about it then give it to God. Follow his lead instead of your own ego (which would mean you are edging God out) and take the steps you are led to take in order to make it happen.

When you follow the GOD steps above, you bring more of Him in instead of edging this out. Use this as a guide to determine the quality of the thoughts you are thinking and the actions you are taking. When you let God in, your negative self doesn’t get in the way, and the potential for blessings and miracles is unlimited. Wouldn’t you rather have this power working for you instead of your own limited self working against you? The key is to appreciate the part of God that is in you and allow it to do it’s powerful work. You will reach that destiny quicker than you can imagine. Enjoy the blessings 🙂

World Cup Lessons

Like many people around the world, I have very much enjoyed this World Cup soccer tournament. It has been very exciting and fun to watch. So much, that it has made fans of my other family members who never appreciated soccer as much as I do.

It’s interesting that my family is noticing some things that I’ve always been aware of in this game. I will use the greatest example for my theme today. Players face adversity in each game. The get tackled, bumped, bruised, and knocked to the ground. Here’s the interesting thing. Some players get barely bumped and go down to the ground writhing in pain as if they’ve been shot. Others get sent tumbling to the ground, but then get up immediately and get right back into the action of the game.

Which player would you rather be? You will get knocked down and tackled at times in life. I believe that when that happens, instead of dwelling on the pain and staying on the ground, it is best to get yourself up as soon as possible and get right back into the action of the game. You will gain the respect of those around you and will reach your goal quicker. In addition, you will have more fun getting there.

The key to achieving your goals is persistence and not giving up, even when you are knocked to the ground. That’s what champions are made of. Enjoy the blessings 🙂