IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDE

“Building a positive attitude”

There was a man who made a living selling balloons at a fair. He had all colors of
balloons, including red, yellow, blue, and green. Whenever business was slow, he would release a helium-filled balloon into the air and when the children saw it go up, they all wanted to buy one. They would come up to him, buy a balloon, and his sales would go up again. He continued this process all day. One day, he felt someone tugging at his jacket.

He turned around and saw a little boy who asked, “If you release a black balloon, would that also fly?” Moved by the boy’s concern, the man replied with empathy, “Son, it is not the color of the balloon, it is what is inside that makes it go up.”

The same thing applies to our lives. It is what is inside that counts. The thing inside of us that makes us go up is our attitude.

Have you ever wondered why some individuals, organizations, or countries are more successful than others? It is not a secret. These people simply think and act more effectively. They have learned how to do so by investing in the most valuable asset–people. I believe that the success of an individual, organization or country, depends on the quality of their people.

I have spoken to executives in major corporations all over the world and asked one question: “If you had a magic wand and there was one thing you would want changed, that would give you a cutting edge in the marketplace resulting in increased productivity and profits, what would that be?” The answer was unanimous. They all said that if people had better attitudes, they’d be better team players, and it’d cut down waste, improve loyalty and, in general, make their company a great place to work.

William James of Harvard University said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” Experience has shown that human resources is the most valuable asset of any business. It is more valuable than capital or equipment. Unfortunately, it is also the most wasted. People can be your biggest asset or your biggest liability.

TQP–TOTAL QUALITY PEOPLE

Having been exposed to a number of training programs, such as customer service, selling skills, and strategic planning, I have come to the conclusion that all these are great programs with one major challenge: None of them works unless they have the right foundation, and the right foundation is TQP. What is TQP? TQP is Total Quality People–people with character, integrity, good values, and a positive attitude.

Don’t get me wrong. You do need all the other programs, but they will only work when you have the right foundation, and the foundation is TQP. For example, some customer service programs teach participants to say “please,” and “thank-you,” give smiles and handshakes. But how long can a person keep on a fake smile if he does not have the desire to serve? Besides, people can see through him. And if the smile is not sincere, it is irritating. My point is, there has to be substance over form, not form over substance.

Without a doubt, one does need to remember “please” and “thank-you,” the smiles, etc.– they are very important. But keep in mind that they come a lot easier when accompanied by a desire to serve. Someone once approached Blaise Pascal, the famous French philosopher and said, “If I had your brains, I would be a better person.” Pascal replied, “Be a better person and you will have my brains.”

The Calgary Tower stands at 190.8 meters. The total weight of the tower is 10,884 tons, of which 6,349 tons is below ground (approximately 60%). This shows that some of the greatest buildings have the strongest foundations. Just like a great building stands on a strong foundation, so does success. And the foundation of success is attitude.

You Can Win

A STEP BY STEP TOOL FOR TOP ACHIEVERS

Winners don’t do different things.
They do things Differently.

Success doesn’t mean the absence of failures; it means the attainment of ultimate
objectives. It means winning the war, not every battle.

Edwin C. Bliss

You have met people who literally wander through life. They simply accept whatever fate brings them. A few may succeed by accident, but most suffer through a lifetime of frustration and unhappiness.

This book is not for them. They have neither the determination to succeed nor the
willingness to devote the time and effort necessary to achieve success. This book is for you. The simple fact that you are reading this book indicates you want to live a richer, more fulfilling life than you have now. This book can enable you to do that.

WHAT KIND OF BOOK IS THIS?

In one sense, this book is a construction manual. It describes the tools you will need for success, and offers blueprints to help you build a successful and rewarding life.

In a second, sense, it is a cookbook. It lists the ingredients the principles you will need to follow to become successful and gives you the recipe for mixing them in the correct proportions. But, above all, this is a guidebook a step by step, how to book that will take you from dreaming about success to unlocking your potential for success.

HOW TO READ THIS BOOK

This book will help you establish new goals, develop a new sense of purpose, and generate new ideas about yourself and your future. It will enable you, as the title suggests, to guarantee yourself a lifetime of success.

But the concepts in this book cannot be absorbed by casual browsing or by gulping the whole book down in one reading. It should be read slowly and carefully, one chapter at a time. Don’t move on to the next chapter until you are sure you understand every concept in the previous chapter.

Use this as a workbook. Write marginal notes to yourself. Use a highlighter as you read and mark those words or sentences or paragraphs that seem vital, or especially applicable to you.

As you read, discuss the concepts in each chapter with your spouse or partner, or with a close friend. A second (and hopefully frank) opinion from someone who knows your strengths and weaknesses can be especially helpful.

START AN ACTION PLAN

One of the purposes of this book is to help you create an Action Plan for the rest of your life. If you have never created an Action Plan, it defines three things:

1. What you want to achieve
2. How you expect to achieve it
3. When you plan to achieve it

As you read this book, keep a notebook handy, divided into three sections: your goals, the stages in which you plan to reach them, and your timetable for success.

By the time you finish reading this book, your notebook will be the foundation on which you can build your new life.

The principles in this book are universal. They are applicable in any situation, organization, or country. As Plato said, “Truths are eternal.” Throughout the book I have used masculine gender, only for the purpose of ease in writing. The principles apply to both genders and are based on the premise that most people fail not because of lack of ability or intelligence but because of lack of desire, direction, dedication, and discipline.

Creating a Better Shift for 2013

To create change first re-interpret your story.

So, 2013 is almost here, and there are some things in your life that you would like to change. Great! With the start of a new year comes the chance to create from a fresh perspective.  But as with any lasting change comes the necessity to check out both the causes and effects of what is currently in play that makes the reality what it is right now. Rather than focusing on merely trying to make change outcomes without understanding and shifting the cause of those outcomes, life can be quite frustrating.

Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.~Alan Cohen

Here is a seven step process to consider before and during your work of creating a super great 2013. Try using this inner-to-outer method of creating results with a new foundPersonal Power that is yours to fully express!

1. Gain Awareness: Thoughts Create Reality

Identify your personal story by checking out your current circumstances. Understand that your reality is the effect of the cause: how and what you hold to be true is being played out in your life. For the most part, we all have been conditioned by experiences we had early in life, and typically made up false interpretations that we held on to, and mistakenly use today to frame our reality.

2. Research Your Limiting Beliefs 

Search out the underlying beliefs that are the basis of your personal story, and how you framed them to create the results you now have.  Beliefs are neither ‘good’ or ‘bad’ – they are merely thought energy you are using to support your reality.  See the way you have placed limits on yourself as giving you clues regarding what thoughts, feelings and beliefs typically need to be re-framed.

3. Release and Heal Your Feelings

Get in touch with your feelings. Most likely, some feelings are deeply repressed.  Heal the feeling (over time) by feeling, sharing, and releasing it as it comes up.  See it for what it is, merely a feeling, and not the truth.

4. Check Out What’s True

Step back and check out the truth of your interpretation. Ask yourself, “Is it really true?” It may not be – look at the actual evidence. Here’s your chance to create a new future, based on what you hold as true in your mind. Know this: you have total authority over your thoughts, your feelings, and what you believe. You are the king or queen of your kingdom, and how you express your power is based on what you choose to believe, say, and do. 

5. Claim a New Paradigm

Change the old limiting belief that has been ruling your life up until now.  Check out thereasoning that has supported the limit you have placed on yourself.  For instance, if you have been limiting yourself by not sharing your opinions, your reasoning (excuse?) might be, “because nobody really values what I have to say.” Turn that upside down and overcome your false reasoning (that usually starts with the word “because”) with a new paradigm, such as “I have powerful insights to share that can help others,” or simply, “I contribute powerfully to others.”

6. Step Into Fear and Take Action

Reinforce the new rule, and take consistent action to deepen it.  As you hold in mind and focus on your new paradigm, opportunities will come your way to prove that your new paradigm supports the changes you want to make. (Side note: these new opportunities show up based on the strength of your commitment to your new paradigm, and is often the result of the “Universe” lending a helping hand to make those opportunities possible.

Tuning into and requesting such assistance to be present is a good idea as well.) The bottom line is this: for change to happen you do have to take action! Muster up some courage, take a risk, and step into the opportunity. As you take consistent action and stay focused on your new way of being you gain momentum in bringing your desired reality fully to life.

7. Celebrate Victories

As you see results appear, give yourself a “high five” to reinforce that you made success happen!  Then immediately jump up and down and yell out the window, “I am really, really great! Look what I just accomplished world!” Then settle down, push the ‘hold button’ on over-gloating, and remind yourself that your power rests in what you choose to believe and make real.

Be gentle with yourself, however, for much of what we believe rests in our unconscious mind. Stay vigilant, for when an undesirable and persistent kind of reality appears, remind yourself that you are both the source of that experience, and have the power to create the life you want.

Want to change your life? Then go inner-to-outer to create the life you desire, and know that you have the power and authority to make it happen!

What matters in LIFE does really matter!

What are the things that really matter in your life? What are the things that matter the most for you? Is it the people or is it the material possessions that seem more important to you?

Is it your family or is it your job? Is it your partner, your children, your friends or is it the money and the power?

When the time will come for you to leave this world, looking back at your life, would you regret not making more money and accumulating more things or would you regret not spending more time with your loved ones?

Here is a beautiful story that I know for sure will help you answer all of these questions and many others:

“A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.” Author Unknown

So what are the things that matter the most for you? Share your insights by commenting bellow:

Don’t Focus On The Pain; Focus On The Prize!

Do you believe that your best is yet to come?

You may not feel good about what is happening to your life today. You may be beset by one disappointment after another. Disappointments in your family. Disappointments in your job. Disappointments about your health.

 

You’re reading my message not by some accident.

I believe God made you read this because He wants to tell you, “Don’t give up!” He wants to tell you that you’ve got an amazing, mindboggling, phenomenal Reward waiting for you. Words cannot describe, minds cannot fathom, and imaginations cannot fantasize this out-of-this-world Reward waiting for you…

Friend, God wants you to think of your rewards. When the going gets tough, think of your rewards. When you’re filled with disappointments, think of your rewards. When you feel like you can’t take another step, think of your rewards.

Because if you want to win in life, here’s what you do: Don’t focus on the pain; Focus on the prize!

We Love Rewards

Have you noticed?

We love rewards.

We love trophies, medals, plaques…

We love rewards so much, they have this powerful capacity to transport our minds from dwelling on the pain of today to the prize of tomorrow.

Let me give you an example.

I have this crazy friend—let’s call him James—who runs ultra-marathons. Just in case you don’t know, an ultra marathon is 100 kilometers long.  How far is that? From Manila to Tarlac.

I asked James what was the reward for running an ultra marathon. His answer shocked me. He said, “A T-shirt.”

“A what?” I said. I couldn’t believe my ears.

“A T-shirt,” James said again.

“You’re running 100 kilometers to get a T-shirt. Is it a…uh… branded shirt? The one with a crocodile? Or the one with a guy riding a horse and carrying a stick?”

“Nope. It’s just an ordinary shirt, but it says, I’m an Ultra Marathon Finisher…”

I told James, “Look, you don’t have to run. I can make that T-shirt for you. Tell me what color, size, and shape. I’ll even put your name on it…”

But James said, “Nope, I don’t want your T-shirt. I want the T-shirt that they’ll give me if I finish the race.”

I don’t have plans to run an Ultra Marathon. But from what I hear, at a certain point of the race, each of your legs will weigh like a ton. Each of your legs will feel like they’re as heavy as tree trunks.

But at least for James, that simple reward was enough to lift his legs to take one more step.  And another step. And another step. As he placed one aching foot in front of the other, all he thought about was, “I’ll get that T-shirt… I’ll get that T-shirt…”

And James finished the race.

It’s amazing how our brains are wired to respond to rewards.  Rewards-as-stimuli are encoded in our DNA.  It’s built into our mental architecture.

And Jesus knew human psychology so well.

He said, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”  (Revelation 22:11)

I’ve got an announcement to make: Life is not a sprint; Life is not a 100-meter dash; Life is not even a 400-meter dash; Life is an Ultra Marathon.

I urge you, don’t count in days, weeks, or months. Don’t even count in years. I urge you to start counting in decades. Because everything worthwhile takes time to grow.

It takes time to grow a marriage.

It takes time to grow children.

It takes time to grow a ministry.

It takes time to grow a business.

It takes time to grow a dream.

And I promise you, there will be days in your life when your legs will feel so heavy, they’ll be like tree trunks. There’ll be days when you don’t want to take another step.

But God says, “There’s a reward at the end of your journey. There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There’s a T-shirt at the end of the marathon.   But it’s no ordinary T-shirt. It’s the Garment of Worship. It’s the Robe of Heaven. It’s the Wardrobe of the Saints. It’s the Cloak of Glory. You will shine like the stars in the sky. You will sing with Angels. You will reign in the Heavenlies.

Until you realize that God is our ultimate Reward.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez

ROAD TO SUCCESS

Hi Readers, I just want to share with you my applicant’s inspiring story.

Let’s name him “Jeck”, of course not his real name. He is 29 now and has been exposed to Events Planning, Production Designing, Film Directing and Marketing for almost 11 years. His first 7 years was spent with freelance job and have worked with different TV stations like GMA 7, ABS-CBN and TV 5. He always excels in Film Directing, Production Designing and Events Organizing because those are his expertise. He received several awards and the most prestigious one was held last 2008 when GAWAD URIAN commended him as one of the BEST PRODUCTION DESIGNER here in the Philippines.When he got a chance to work abroad, in Dubai, he accepted it and thought that it would be a good opportunity for him to earn more for his living. He never dare to think of the ups and downs that he might encounter and since he has a dream, he just nailed it.

During the middle part of the interview, I asked him, “What would you consider as one of the greatest challenge in your life/career?” He stopped for a while and think. Teary-eyed he said, “Well honestly, having a retarded mom and the fact that she doesn’t knew that she has 2 sons”. When I heard that, I was shocked. I never imagined that a successful person like him would have that kind of situation. He endured that pain since grade school. Imagine your classmate would ask you, “where are your parents?” every PTA meeting, he says, “I never met my dad and my mom is a retarded so they won’t be able to attend”. His classmates would laugh at him and insult him having a retarded mom. Then I asked him, “How did you managed to overcome that situation?” he said, “I don’t take it as a problem, she’s my mom. I understand her situation more than they do and I love my mom. When they started to insult me? I simply don’t listen to them. I only listen to those people who understand me, those who knows me well.” Jeck never thought of it as a hindrance in pursuing his dreams. He instead took it as a basis of the thing called “Challenge”.

How about you? What would you consider as one of the greatest challenge in your life? How would you take those challenges? Would you consider having a retarded mom as well? For sure not.

It’s not how big your problems are rather its how you perceived those obstacles that are on your way to success. Others may dismay you, but you yourself should not. Your friends, best friends and boyfriend/girlfriend may leave you but remember your FAMILY will never ever do. Your family is your strength and one of the reason for living. No matter what kind of attitude they have: strict, hard headed, hot tempered, etc. in the end, they are still your family. They are the ones who knows you well, who understands and love you deeply.

Uniquely YOU

I once complained to my father that I didn’t seem to be able to do things the same way other people did. Dad’s advice? ‘Margo, don’t be a sheep. People hate sheep. They eat sheep. ~Margo Kaufman

I still hear people telling me from time to time that I should be more normal and I laugh every time because I think to myself, what is normal anyway? We are all different and diversity is what makes this world so beautiful. If we all start wearing the same clothes, thinking, talking and behaving in the exact same way, life will no longer be as interesting as it is now. Why would anyone want to live in a world like that, why would anyone waste their time and energy in TRYING as hard as possible to be NORMAL?

Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else. ~Judy Garland,

Diversity is such an incredible thing and even though we can’t all be friends with one another that doesn’t mean we can’t accept and embrace our differences, since this is what makes us all unique. Life is beautiful because of the diversity present all around us and not because of the many people who are constantly trying to act as normal as possible just so they won’t be noticed, judged and criticized by others.

So here is why you should no longer care about being normal

1. INSANITY –  TO BE NORMAL IS TO BE INSANE

Think about it. Who in their right minds would walk through life without questioning their own BELIEFS – beliefs that were handed down to them by their parents, their teachers, and friends mass media, etc.; without questioning their WAY OF THINKING – they think at 30, 40, 70 the same way they were thinking when they were 20 years old, not realizing the impact thoughts have on their level of happiness;  without questioning their NORMAL BEHAVIOR and without questioning what life is really all about?

Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from. ~Jodie Foster

2. COURAGE – IT TAKES GREAT COURAGE TO BE DIFFERENT

When will you understand that being normal isn’t necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage. ~Unknown

It takes courage to step outside the norms and be different; it takes courage to say NO to the so called normal and just embrace your real essence, to embrace who you really are deep down inside and BE YOURSELF without the fear of being judged, labeled and criticized by those around you.

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. ~Dr. Seuss

3. ACHIEVEMENT – NOTHING GREAT WAS EVER ACHIEVED BY NORMAL PEOPLE

To be normal is the ideal aim of the unsuccessful. ~Carl Gustav Jung

Great things can only be achieved by those who let go of the need to label themselves as being normal, by those who have the courage to step away from the crowd and embrace their uniqueness. There’s no need to pretend you’re normal anymore since normal is not necessary something to aspire to but rather something you need to heal yourself from.

I sometimes ask myself how it came about that I was the one to develop the theory of relativity. The reason, I think, is that a NORMAL adult never stops to think about problems of space and time. These are things which he has thought about as a child. ~Albert Einstein

4. EXCITEMENT – TO BE DIFFERENT IS A REAL ADVENTURE

Normal people don’t have much fun since they are so busy doing the things normal people do, worrying about the many things normal people worry and stressing about the many things normal people stress about. It’s so liberating to JUST BE who you want to be and live YOUR life according to your own rules and not the rules of other, without hurting anyone in the process of course.

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Hellen Keller

5. IMAGINATION – UNIQUENESS REQUIRES IMAGINATION

It is quite easy to be normal, everybody can do it but it takes great courage, skills, imagination and creativity to be different from the rest of the world and trust me, the world needs more people like that, the world is thirsty for uniqueness.

For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity. ~Jean Dubuffet

Be HAPPY in spite of SAD-storm in life

 

If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy

How can you be happy in an unhappy environment, in an unhappy world, is that even possible? Is the world we’re living really a hostile place to be, is the world we’re living really an unhappy world?

I guess it all depends on who you are asking but if you really think about it, the world is neither happy nor unhappy, neither good nor bad, and just like Shakespeare said it, “there is nothing either good orbad, but thinking makes it so.”

We are the ones who perceive things as being in one way or another. The outside world is nothing more than a projection of the inside world, a projection of our own inner world, a projection of our own fears, doubts, struggles, our own darkness. The world is full of negativity, poverty and suffering because we have projected our own negativity, our own pain and suffering on to it and now we somehow see it as being separate from who we are. We choose to blame the world for our lack of happiness, our lack of abundance and inner peace not understanding that by doing so are inflicting even more pain upon ourselves and those around us.

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler

If we choose to watch the news every single day, if we focus our attention on the things that are missing, on the things that are not working, on poverty rather than abundance, on ugliness rather thanbeauty, than yes, the world would definitely be seen as a really unhappy place.

Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy. ~Robert Anthony

On the other hand, if we choose to focus on the many incredible things that take place every day across the world, all the beautiful people in our lives, all the amazing things that are happening to us and all around us, then the world would be seen as a beautiful, harmonious, peaceful and happy place and as a result we will find happiness.

We often hear people telling us how they want to change and save the world but what’s there to be saved? Is it really the world that needs to be saved or is just US – the humans inhabiting this world? The world is a projection of ourselves and the moment we become aware of this truth that will be the moment we’ll all find peace and we’ll all be happy.

Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done. The world is sacred.It can’t be improved. If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it. If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it. ~Lao Tzu, 2500BC

Happiness is a choice and it comes your way the moment you start taking responsibility for your own thoughts, your own beliefs and your own life and it has nothing to do with your geographic location, your age, skin color, race, religion, weight, etc..

Until we won’t let go of our need to see ourselves as victims of the world and until we won’t let go of the constant need to complain and criticize everyone and everything for what is missing in our lives we won’t really be happy. If we are too busy focusing our time and energy on what is wrong, on what is not working, on what is lacking we won’t have any time life to spend on improving ourselves and our lives.

We only have one life to live, this life and we should as well enjoy it, appreciate everything about it, appreciate all that we are and all that have and live in harmony with the rest of the population, no conflicts, no hate, no negativity. We are all in this together, we are all ONE and it would be such a pity to ignore this truth and continue to fight amongst each ourselves.

What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner. ~Colette

Stop Worrying

WHY WE WORRY?

When it comes to concerns about life’s uneasy or potentially disastrous issues, we start to worry.  I don’t think there is a single person in this world that hasn’t experienced a copious bout of the worries in their lifetime — but why do we do this?

There could be a number of reasons, some being:

You feel you need to ‘prepare’ yourself for the worst

You are a ‘glass is half empty’ kind of person and just expect the worst to happen

It is in your experience that disaster always strikes, so worry is a necessary coping mechanism

There are so many things that could go wrong and you feel you need to focus on each one to embody it or try to find a possible solution for it in the event of it happening.

Now, if we actually look at this list from an outsiders point of view — in other words, we take ourselves out of the equation and are impartial — these worries are not only a waste of precious manifesting time but they are a reinforcement of unconstructive potential timelines.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK

Just remember you bring about what you think about the most.  This is not meant to scare you, it is a preparation tool so that you can steer your thoughts to more positive neurological pathways.  When you reinforce encouraging scenarios in your mind, as opposed to harmful scenarios (aka worrying), you are creating potential for a more fruitful future.

Easier said than done?

Sure, but it is possible.

Answer this: Has worrying ever solved your problems anyway?

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say ‘no’ it probably hasn’t, right?  So what can you do now to alleviate any future concerns you have?

Eckhart Tolle has pointed out three memorable and straightforward options that you can apply here, either: remove yourself from the situation (in this case, remove the worry), change it (transmute the worrisome thought form), or accept it totally (surrender to any future possibility).  But let’s go into it a bit more:

HERE ARE 6 SIMPLE TECHNIQUES YOU CAN CARRY OUT WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A STATE OF WORRY:

1. DO SOMETHING 

Swap worry for doing. Can you actually do something about it now?  If the answer is yes, take those first steps and you will begin to lighten the load off your mind.  Even if it means writing the problem down.  Just getting it out of your head and onto paper can be a relief.  You can even then burn the paper or trash it symbolizing your new stance on worry.  Tell your troublesome thought who is the boss!

2. FIND A SOLUTION

Map out a possible solution. Again, it is always helpful to write it down so that your mind is free of it.  When you can look at some achievable solutions, you may gain a better perspective of how you can change or alter the course of your quandary.

3. ACCEPT

If there is absolutely nothing you can do, then try acceptance of what is.  If you cannot change what is, you need to let it go and find peace within your situation.

4. MEDITATE

Solutions will present themselves when we quiet the mind.  There is a wealth of information just waiting for you to tap into when you are in a meditative state.   Clearing your mind of what I like to call ‘mind-static’ (continuous loops of mind chatter) will help you to excavate that diamond of truth and gain a lucid perspective.

5. POSITIVE THINKING

Remind yourself that what you think you attract. Do you want to attract more of what you are worrying about? If not, then switch to thinking about what you do want to manifest in your life and let all negative outcomes go.

6. AFFIRM HAPPY OUTCOMES

Practice positive affirmations and visualize your best outcome to the situation at hand.  Keep reaffirming, every morning and evening, this ‘happy outcome’ and truly feel the emotions of having it in your life right now.

“Make sure your thinking is pointing you in the right direction to manifesting your ideal destination” 

The mind can be trained to think differently — you are 100% in control of your destiny.  You have a choice to rewire your thought process to align with what you want to manifest — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Don’t fall into the trap of being a ‘victim of circumstance’ — this state doesn’t really exist as you create everything and only you can give it the necessary potency.  Playing any kind of victim role is a disempowering position that you should try to not take part in.

You are the powerful creator of your reality and you are in the driver’s seat — where are you going?  Where do you want to go?  Wherever you see yourself in the future just remember, worrying never got anyone anywhere — so…

Hakuna Matata* all the way!

*a Swahili phrase that is literally translated as “There are no worries”

By:

Cherie Roe Dirksen

The Simplest And Most Powerful Way Of Bringing People Closer To God…

 

Do you want to bring friends, or officemates, or family members closer to God—but feel very frustrated right now because they’ve not been responding?

Then keep reading. Because this article is made for you. In this article, I’ll teach a simple, non-confrontational, and happy way of bringing your loved ones closer to God.

Why is this important?

Because it’s your sacred mission.

Our Two-Word Mission Statement

If you’re working in a company, I bet you’re aware that your company has a “mission statement”.

But I also bet that you don’t know it by heart. (If you do, you must either be the owner of the company, or the HR manager that wrote the mission statement, or a genius who memorizes everything—even the entire Chemistry Table.)

Let me tell you about the history of the “mission statement” in my little spiritual family, Light of Jesus. 

When webegan in 1980, wehad a very long, convoluted, complicated, heavy-loaded mission statement containing hundreds of words. The problem was that no one could remember it. I’d actually go around and ask people, “What’s the mission of theLight of Jesus? And I’d get all sorts of answers from people who want to pretend that they know. They’d tell me, “Our mission is to shine the light of Jesus through the annunciation of the visitation of the presentation of the resurrection…” And I’d say, “I’m not asking for the mysteries of rosary. I’m asking for our mission statement.”

The point was that it was too long.

So 18 years later, we shrunk it from hundreds of words to 24 words. It was a vast improvement—and people were happy! But here’s what we found out. Even if it was just 24 words only, no one could still remember it too! I ask them, “What’s the mission statement of the Light of Jesus?” And they’ll tell me, “The mission of the Light of Jesus is to shine the light of Jesus so that the light of Jesus will shine.” Answers like that made me wonder if our members were fasting too much.

So 4 years ago, we shrunk down our mission statement from 24 words to 2 words. And it worked. People remember. There were going to be exceptions, we knew. Perhaps if a member 114 years old OR if an alien stole their brains, it’s exceedingly easy to remember.

Here’s our two-word mission statement: Make disciples. 

Problem—No One Uses That Word Anymore

Making disciples is what Light of Jesus Family is all about. That’s the reason why we exist. That’s the reason why there’s a Feast, our weekly gathering.

But alas, most people are afraid of that word,disciple.

It seems so scary. Because we don’t use that word anymore. If someone approaches you in a mall and says, “Hi. Can I disciple you?” I think you’d run away.

But Jesus used it a lot in the Bible. Here’s the simple definition of disciple: Someone who follows Jesus.

How do you do this?

Can you make disciples of Jesus?

Jesus Shows You A Simple Way To Make Disciples

Making disciples looks so intimidating, but Jesus showed us a very simple way to do it.  He showed us a pattern, a strategy, a process that is so simple, it will blow your mind. If you follow this strategy, believe me, you’ll be able to make disciples and bring people closer to God.

One day, Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. And Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector in that area. The Bible says, because he was short he could not see over the crowd. (Luke 19:1-10) In today’s politically correct world, you can’t say Zach was short; you have to say Zack was horizontally challenged. But let me point out something very important: Zack was short physically, but he was also short spiritually.

Let me explain why he was small.  Tax collectors weren’t even allowed to enter a synagogue or the church in their time—just like prostitutes—because they were public sinners. Because they were unclean.

You’d wonder why, right? I know we don’t like paying taxes, but we don’t prohibit employees of Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to enter our churches. Here’s the explanation. In the time of Jesus, tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Roman empire. They collected taxes for the enemy that has conquered their land. (Think makapili when the Japanese conquered the Philippines.) Not only that, Zacchaeus and tax collectors like him weren’t paid by the Romans. So to make a living, they would overcharge their countrymen. So some of them—like Zacchaeus—became very rich.

And then the Bible says that Zach ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.  

You know what made the difference for Zack? Zack wasn’t just small. Zack KNEW he was small. There are many people who are spiritually small, but don’t know they are spiritually small.

We need to acknowledge our smallness before God by climbing the sycamore tree of humility. And if you humble yourself, God says that he will lift you up.

When Jesus saw Zack, he said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”

But people grumbled against Jesus. They said, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 

Here’s the difference: People saw a sinner.  Jesus saw a saint. People see the past. Jesus sees the future.

That day, Zack was saved. He said, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

And Jesus said, Today salvation has come to this house.

Right now, you may feel like you’re Zack. You feel very small in yours eyes; you may feel very small in the eyes of other people. But Jesus still sees you. Because though you’re small, you’re BIG in God’s eyes. You feel very small. You know you’ve failed, you’ve fallen, you’ve stumbled, you’ve sinned.

And Jesus tells you the same thing today. Jesus says, “I want to stay in your house. I want to live in you. I want to make your life my home. I want to make you the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Not temporarily but permanently. Open your house to me. Open your life to me. Open your heart to me.  You may think you’re a small person. But that’s not true. In my heart, you’re very big.”

Discipleship Is Friendship

The strategy of Jesus is summarized by these three words: Discipleship Is Friendship.

Let me break it down into three lessons…

1. Meal Before the Message

When Jesus saw Zack, He didn’t say, “Repent, you thief! Ask forgiveness from God. You’re stealing from people and enriching yourself, you greedy bastard… And IF YOU REPENT, I’ll think about staying in your house and we could have lunch—so that we can discuss how you can repair your wrongdoing, pay all those who you have stolen, and give half of your wealth away.”

That would be how some religious leaders would do it, but not Jesus. Jesus’ first words to him were, “I must stay in your house.” He wanted to have lunch with Zack. He was offering his friendship.

In ancient middle-eastern culture, having a meal with someone is a solemn declaration to that person—and to the entire world—that you want to be friends with that person.

Do you want to make disciples?

The meal must come before the message. The relationship must come before religion. The testimony must come from the teaching.

In other words, Jesus first wanted to express his love for Zack. He wanted to build a relationship with him before he talked about rules, or rituals, or regulations.

Arguments don’t win souls; Affection does!

There’s another person Jesus evangelized…

The Woman Who Changed Spouses

The Way She Changed Clothes

The Bible doesn’t give us her name, so let’s call her Sam. For Samaritan Woman. Sam lived in a small dinky town called Sychar. There were no more than twenty homes in this little barrio. And the Bible says she was drawing water from Jacob’s well. (John 4:6-8)

Jesus comes along and asks her, “Can you give me a drink?”

With that one simple line, Jesus gives her something gigantic.

He was giving her WORTH.

And He did it in three levels.

First, Jesus was a Jew and Sam was a Samaritan. Jews hated Samaritans. Why? Samaritans were bastardized Jews. They were a product of the intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles, such as the Philistines, Edomites, and Moabites—the hated enemies of Israel. So Jews didn’t even share the bowl or glass or plate of a Samaritan, because they were unclean. But Jesus asks her, “Can you give me a drink?” He was going to use her bowl. In one act, Jesus was giving her worth as a Samaritan.

Second, Jesus was male and Sam was female. In the time of Jesus, a man wouldn’t talk to a woman in public because it was beneath their dignity. (In ancient times, a woman was a little bit higher than the family cow.) But Jesus was talking with her, giving her worth as a woman.

Third, Jesus was holy and Sam was unholy. The Bible says she drew water at 12 noon. Who in her right mind would do that? (Everyone draws water early morning when it’s not too hot.) She drew water at noon because she was hiding from people.  Sam was an outcast. Why? Because she had five husbands—and the man she was living with wasn’t even any of them.

Jesus told her he knew that she changed husbands as often as others changed clothes. But He still insisted in becoming her friend. By asking, “Can I have a drink,” Jesus was saying, “In this town, no one likes you. Because they feel you’re a big sinner. And to talk to you means bad luck. But I like to be your friend today.”

Have you messed big time in your life?

Here’s the second lesson I want to share with you today…

2. Worth Before The Word

 When Jesus discipled this woman, He didn’t first give the Word. He didn’t start the conversation by saying, “Sam, don’t you know the ten commandments? Doesn’t the word adultery mean anything to you? My goodness, you have five husbands!  Tsk, tsk, tsk …”

He didn’t say that. Instead, He gave her worth before giving the word. He told her, “You’re valuable. You’re important. You’re worthy to be my friend.”

When you’re discipling, you don’t talk down to people. You don’t say, “You’re a sinner and you’re going to Hell. God is sick and tired of your sinfulness. Gosh, when will you repent?”

Look around you. There are many more Zacks and Sams in the world today. And all of them are waiting for Jesus to love them.

Question: How Many Catholics Still Go To Church

       Every Sunday, churches are full.

But this standing-room-only crowd give us a false complacency that the Catholic Church is doing well.  Truth? It’s not.

My own Bishop told me that very few Catholics are attending church today. (We just have a huge population—that’s why our churches are full.) He gave me the statistics… Out of 10 Catholics, only 1.5 attends Sunday Mass regularly. Out of 10 Catholics, 8.5 no longer attend church on Sundays.

(Point to one person standing and one person sitting down) And 1.5 people feel the church will condemn them because they’re living in immorality.

Some of these 8.5 people still go to church perhaps 3 times in their lifetime: When they’re hatched, matched, and dispatched.

And only 1.5 people still attend church every Sunday.

Here’s our problem: We focus on serving those 1.5 people. We forget that God calls us to reach those 8.5 people around us who don’t go to church.

Jesus said, If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)

But that’s not what’s happening today. Sadly, we focus on the 99 who are attending church. All our church activities are for insiders. We sing songs that insiders like. We preach messages for insiders.

As church, we need to change.

The Purpose Of The Feast

That’s why we created the Feast, our weekly gathering. This is our small and humble way of reaching out to that one lost sheep. The Feast isn’t designed for insiders but for outsiders. Everything about the Feast—the music, the message, the atmosphere—every detail of the Feast is designed for the unchurched, the irreligious, people who feel far from God, or people who feel spiritual but not religious…

But as beautiful as the Feast is, it can’t make disciples. Because the real work of discipleship happens not in events, but in everyday life…

3. Do Before Delegate

When Jesus saw Zacchaeus up in the tree, he didn’t say, “Hey Zachy, I’m preaching at the Market two days from now. Can you go there at 8am? I’ll reserve a seat for you. I’ll be preaching on How To Live An Abundant Life. If you come, you’ll receive a welcome gift—a Novena to God’s Love….”

When Jesus met Sam the Samaritan, He didn’t say, “Sam, can I invite you to a prayer meeting? You’ll love the music ministry…”

He didn’t do any of that.  The first thing He did was offer His friendship. And that’s what we need to do too.

Before you invite people to a religious event, invite them to a friendship.

Because discipleship is friendship.

So here’s my third lesson: Do before Delegate. We like to delegate discipleship to the Feast. Don’t do that. Do it first.

Here’s a tragedy: People come to a prayer meeting, like it a lot, but after a few months drop off. Why? Because a friend wasn’t there to disciple them.

Seek Out The Unchurched

In your prayer meetings, I encourage you to create a welcoming atmosphere. Talk to people around you. If you find out that there’s someone new beside you, then make a new friend. Invite that person for coffee.

One day, a woman came up to me and said, “Bo, God has changed my life upside down. I’ve left all my un-renewed friends. Because we talk about the most inane stuff. They curse so much, I feel like puking. And they smoke like chimneys. I really can’t stand their gossip, the cursing, their smoking anymore. I now hangout only with members of our prayer group. So everytime we talk, we talk about godly stuff. We talk about the Word. We talk about what God is doing in our lives….”

I told her, “Keep meeting your prayer group friends for prayer and fellowship. But you need to set aside time to build relationships with un-renewed friends. Who will reach out to them?”

Remember, God calls you to be a fisher of men.

There are two images of fishing in our minds.

The first image is a fisherman wearing a hat and seated on a recliner, with a tackle box beside him, holding a bottle of beer in one hand and holding a fishing pole on the other.

The second image is a group of rugged men on a boat, pulling a large circular net with weights around its side.

When Jesus calls us to be “Fishers of men”, He didn’t mean the first image because that didn’t exist during His time. He meant the second image—because that was what He saw everyday around the Sea of Galilee.

Here’s my point: You can’t make disciples alone. You can only make disciples within a community. Why? Jesus said that people will know that we’re disciples because of our love for each other. (John 13:35)

I tell members of Light of Jesus to create an open event for people who aren’t attending the Feast yet… Play badminton or watch a movie together or go to an outreach… Love is the greatest magnet because love is our greatest human need. So let the unchurched see how they love each other.

My Meal Ministry In College

When I was in college, I had a classmate who I ate lunch with everyday for 2 years. Every once in awhile, I’d talk about God—but he wouldn’t want to listen to me. We’d just end up arguing. So I decided just to be his friend.

We talked about girls, sports, girls, politics, girls, exams… did I mention that we talked about girls? Sorry, we were regular college kids with hormones raging through our veins. Our favorite pastime was sitting at the cafeteria and grading beauty. I will say, “That’s an 8.1” and he’d say, “Are you sure? Nah, just a 7.6…”

When I dropped out of college, I never saw him again. In one sense, I felt I was a big failure in the evangelistic department. Because he never followed Jesus.

Fifteen years later, I was walking in a mall when a guy greeted me. He said, “Bo Sanchez!” I turned around and saw my long-lost pal. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

And the first thing he said was, “Bo, remember all our lunches and how you tried to talk about God to me—and I just ridiculed you?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I want to thank you for planting the seeds in my heart. I’m now a missionary. Thank you Bo…”

“But I didn’t really talk about God to you. I couldn’t. You kept arguing with me. So instead of talking about God, we talked about girls!”

That was when I realized something: Our lunches “worked”. I just gave him my friendship. And that simple friendship was God’s Love to him. The meal came before the message. Because the meal was the message!

The Three Stages Of Discipleship

Here’s what I realized: Just like farming, discipleship is composed of three stages. Planting, Growing, and Reaping. Sometimes, God wants you to do all three. Most of the time, God will ask you to do only one of these three stages to a person. The third stage—Reaping—is always the most exciting, because you’ll actually see someone turn to the Lord and give his life to God.

But sometimes, God will call you to the Planting stage only. It’s very discouraging when God calls you to be in the first stage—because you won’t see any results. For example, after having lunch with my college buddy everyday for 2 years, I didn’t see any evidence that he was growing closer to God.

Perhaps you’re in the same shoes. Perhaps you’ve been loving your children, or loving your husband, or loving your friends—but they still refuse to join you at your prayer meetings or pray or read the Bible. That’s okay. You’ve done your part. You’ve planted seeds. Trust in God that His Word does not return empty. God says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Believe That The Seeds You Plant Will Bear Fruit

Last month, I received news that filled my heart with so much joy. You see, seventeen years ago, I worked with a bunch of teenagers in Light of Jesus. I personally took them under my wing.

But when they hit their twenties, some of them got busy in their careers, got married, had babies, and worked abroad. I didn’t hear from them for MANY years.

Last month, our international missionary Roy Pasimio visited the Middle East. And he told me that we now have new video Feasts in that part of the world. I asked him, “Who are our leaders there?” And Roy told me, “Remember the teenagers that were part of our youth group years ago? They’re now our leaders there.”

Yes, the seeds planted in their youth are now flourishing and bearing fruit.

Friend, don’t be discouraged when it seems like nothing is happening to your loved ones that you’re trying to disciple. Be happy that you were able to “plant” your love and friendship in their hearts.   Your role is to plant. God’s role is to grow the plant. As they say, you may be the only Bible that people will read. Believe that one day, harvest will come.

May your dreams come true,

Bo Sanchez