When There’s Nothing We Can Do

 


"Out of all that you possess, what do you believe is the most valuable?" he asked me.

"Rich, you know me well enough to know I put little value on things in my life. So, this, for me, is a difficult question," I replied.

"It's not the same answer for everyone and yet, most people put little, if any, value on this," he said.

Rich is a man with more energy than any one person should have. When he is speaking with you he talks to everyone around you. When he is in a room everyone knows it. He is not boisterous, rude or obnoxious. He is just super happy and friendly with everyone he meets.

There are times when I see people and wish out loud, "I want to be that happy." I'm not sure I'd want to be as happy as Rich. He sometimes exhausts me.





I thought about what he said for a few minutes while he scanned the people nearby.

"Hey, this is Bobby Perks. He's a big time writer!" he said to someone. I, in turn, wanted to hide.

"Well, I would guess I would say I value my home. It's a simple one, big enough for Marianne and I, but I would guess shelter would have to be at the top of my list."

"Good answer. I knew you wouldn't say your car. You don't drive a fancy one. You don't wear a watch or fancy jewelry. You're right, stuff doesn't matter to you."

"So, what's your answer?"


"Your words. Not because you are a writer and a speaker. I believe that you own your words and many people don't. You care about what you say."

He gives me more credit than I deserve for I have, like some people, said things I regretted later.

I thought about "owning my words."

 

Language Of Care Versus Language Of Neglect


 

 

They say that actions speak louder than words, but people tend to say things without really thinking.

Words build up or tear down.

Words inspire or insult.

The first words spoken have made lovers out of strangers.

The last words whispered may ease a mourners pain.

Words spoken in anger are often forgiven, but rarely forgotten.

"Just what I needed to hear!" means God spoke through you.

You are what you say and how you say it.

Matthew 12:37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Dale Carnegie once said, "You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime."

Sometimes words are all we have when there's nothing we can do.

"I wish you enough!"

Bob Perks

Bob Perks is an inspirational author and speaker. Bob's new book I Wish You Enough has been published by Thomas Nelson Publishers. A collection of stories based on his Eight Wishes expressed below. Available through your favorite bookstore or online. Visit www.BobPerks.com





"I Wish You Enough!"
(c) 2001 Bob Perks

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."

 

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It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

–J.K. Rowling


Outside Sky Point Mall, no one is safe. David Metzenthen’s new novel – “Tigerfish”

tigerfish

Tigerfish

David Metzenthen

ISBN 978-0143568421
Format Paperback
Publisher Penguin Books
Published 29 January 2014

From best-selling and award-winning author David Metzenthen comes a powerful new novel.

Better in here, they think. Safe and sound. No shocks and no surprises.

Twenty-one degrees Celsius all year round. Ryan Lanyon lives in the shadows of a shopping centre on the far side of the city.

But outside Sky Point Mall, no one is safe.

His brother is a bouncer. His best mate owns weapons. Ariel works in a surf-shop and has never seen the sea.

And the tragedies of the past will poison the future - unless someone has the guts to cross the line.

Buy the book

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Your Wish Is My Command!

I am going to take a little idea from The Secret - and expand upon it - and also introduce a principle to those of you who haven't yet seen The Secret. I recommend that you do see it as soon as possible!

OK - here's the principle: That each and every thought you have is actually heard by your very own genie!

Stick with me here - because I do understand just how challenging this suggestion might be to some of you. I'm asking you to look at this light-heartedly - as it doesn't have to shake your foundations completely - it can be absorbed in a light-hearted way - and used in the same manner.

We've all been getting told for years to "be careful what you ask for - you just might get it"!

Some of us have been told this in a light hearted way; some in the form of a joke; some in the form of reference to prayer in a religious sense; and some in a very serious way. Whichever way we tend to view this - it is in itself part of the relationship we have with our genie... our thought processes.

The Law of Attraction which is the main focus of The Secret, is about owning what we create within our lives - and taking responsibility for our thoughts and understanding just how powerful they can be.

OK - the genie principle.

I truly believe that if each of us can embrace the simple idea that we have a friendly genie paying attention to each and every thought we have - then we will learn to grasp in a light-hearted way that we do actually create our own results in life.

If we can imagine that each thought (and our verbalizing of those thoughts) is being heard, and responded to like this; "OK - your wish is my command"! "I'll get right onto that for you"!

Whether the thoughts and words we use are positive - or negative - the results will be in alignment with those thoughts and words. Too many sages down through the ages and into the present have been agreeing on this for too long for it not to be true!

Remember - the votes have been unanimous for centuries!

What we think - we will manifest!
What we think - we will become!
What we think - we will continue to think - unless we take action to change our habitual thinking.

Thinking that has been put there by life; by our experiences in life; by other people who have had the same thought patterns put there by life; by their experiences in life; and by other people in their lives... and so it goes. Generations of thoughts which have created reality for millions of people - have been passed down to us.

Right now we all have a choice: To continue living under other people's opinions passed down to us about life; or to embrace change here and now and begin to create our own positive thoughts based upon a few pinnacle principles...

Unconditional Love; Abundance; Forgiveness; Spiritual Awareness; Inner Peace (which will spread to your community, then to your state, then to your country, and eventually globally); Deserving; Kindness; and Mind/Body/Spirit balance.

Of course there are other pinnacle principles on which to base new thoughts and ideas - but those just given above are some of the main ones necessary for each of us to manifest abundance, good health, a balanced lifestyle, peace and happiness in our lives.

I am very aware that many of you reading this will already be relating to your own genie as being God, and of course I encourage and respect that thought process, and the feelings surrounding those beliefs. My reasoning in writing this is to encourage a light-hearted aspect to our relationship with our thought processor.

A genie is something that most of us can actually visualize - so being capable of visualizing someone taking notes - then acting on those notes - is one slightly different way to view the importance of how our thoughts turn into reality!

May you and your genie have a sensational week together.

Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!

© Phil Evans
Phil Evans is a Motivator, Business Coach and Inspirational Writer based in Australia. You can visit his website at: www.peoplestuff.com.au or feel free to email Phil with your comments on his story at: phil@peoplestuff.com.au

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Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact

power_cues
Power Cues: The Subtle Science of Leading Groups, Persuading Others, and Maximizing Your Personal Impact

Nick Morgan

ISBN 978-1422193501
Format Hardcover
Publisher Harvard Business Review Press
Published 2014-05-13

Take control of your communications — before someone else does

What if someone told you that your behavior was controlled by a powerful, invisible force? Most of us would be skeptical of such a claim—but it’s largely true. Our brains are constantly transmitting and receiving signals of which we are unaware. Studies show that these constant inputs drive the great majority of our decisions about what to do next—and we become conscious of the decisions only after we start acting on them. Many may find that disturbing. But the implications for leadership are profound.

In this provocative yet practical book, renowned speaking coach and communication expert Nick Morgan highlights recent research that shows how humans are programmed to respond to the nonverbal cues of others—subtle gestures, sounds, and signals—that elicit emotion. He then provides a clear, useful framework of seven “power cues” that will be essential for any leader in business, the public sector, or almost any context. You’ll learn crucial skills, from measuring nonverbal signs of confidence, to the art and practice of gestures and vocal tones, to figuring out what your gut is really telling you.

This concise and engaging guide will help leaders and aspiring leaders of all stripes to connect powerfully, communicate more effectively, and command influence.

nick_morganAbout the Author: Nick Morgan, founder of Public Words Inc., is one of America's top communication and speech coaches. He is a former Fellow at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he was affiliated with the school's Center for Public Leadership. From 1998 to 2003, he served as editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Working the Room, reprinted in paperback as Give Your Speech, Change the World.

Buy the book

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"One act of beneficence, one act of real usefulness, is worth all the abstract sentiment in the world."

-- Ann Radcliffe
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[Public Speaking Quotation] … for Sweet Benjamin

sweet_benjamin

"Imprison it"...? Hmm. My mother used to say to me "Put your words on the palm of your hand and look at them before you speak." I liked that. Sweet Benjamin needs to guard against speaking without thinking.

If he's going to be a speaker, he needs to consider his message and his audience before he speaks.

But "imprison" ...? What do you think?

Keep On Dancing

 


If you are feeling like you have gotten a little "off track" with your intentions this year, not to worry. Be gentle with yourself. Take a few minutes to read today's post, and just remember to "Keep On Dancing".

What I have noticed lately, is that things don't always seem to happen for the reasons we think, and that can be perfect for us. I started several projects in the last few weeks, that did not work out the way I thought they would, or the way I wanted them to, thank God.

Because they did not work out, space was created for something much better to come into my life. And so, I was able to better understand, that it is not always about the end result of a choice or a project, but how taking that step to go for it in the first place, makes you feel.

What is important, is that you take some inspired action, because your vibration while you are doing something that excites you, and you are passionate about, is what will bring you the essence of what you wanted in the first place. It just may not come from where you thought it would.

What is so freeing about all of this, is that it removes a lot of the fear around moving forward, fear that you may fail, be disappointed again, or even embarrassed. It gives you the courage to just step up to the plate and go for it, no matter what the outcome.

If you are feeling stuck, and afraid to take the next step, or any step for that matter, you will never achieve the life of your dreams. Life is not always about being comfortable. It is about moving forward, out of your comfort zone.

And the interesting thing about it is, that the more steps you take, the stronger and more confident you feel inside, where it really matters, and pretty soon you begin to realize that there truly is nothing that you cannot do, that anything is possible, just as long as you keep on dancing.

Veronica Hay

Veronica Hay is the author of In a Dream, You Can Do Anything.An extraordinary collection of writings that will uplift you, motivate you, inspire you, and gently guide you along the inner path of your life.Go to: http://www.insightsandinspirations.com or feel free to email your comments about today's message to: veronicahay@telus.net 

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[Quick Public Speaking Tip] Oops, how embarrassing, you're boring your audience

oops_boring
It’s a moment that nervous speakers dread – to realise that most of your audience is bored.

They’re glassy eyed, maybe even falling asleep, chatting or texting.

Horrors!

Worse still and more embarrassing is the presenter who becomes frantic, attempting to regain attention.

It has happened to me twice.

The first was early in my speaking career when I became aware of a lady in the front row, slumped, with her head back and her mouth open, quietly snoring. The second was later, during a presentation, and I watched with increasing concern as one after another, the people in the audience got that glazed look. They were too polite to nod off or chat, but the evidence was there. I had been asked to present on the subject and had failed to research that audience and their needs, which, it turned out, were on a different level altogether.

I well remember the panicky feeling. Fortunately I managed to turn the situations around. As the snores gently increased, we moved quickly into small group discussion so that the people around the sleepy-head moved and woke her up to participate. And in the presentation, as it became increasingly obvious that the material I had prepared was just not appropriate, I was able to drop the script, and work with the audience to find out their needs and present something they needed and got quite excited about. But I will never forget that initial feeling of losing attention.

Avoid the whole situation if you can by researching your audience and make sure you address the What's In It For Me factor.

Avoid the whole situation if you can by embedding signposts so that your audience can follow the road of your presentation with you.

Avoid the whole situation if you can by ensuring you have variety wired into your presentation, and have something up your sleeve that you can move into if necessary.

Introduce a new visual.

Involve the audience.

Ask questions.

Change your stance, body language or walking pattern.

Stop.

Stand still.

Change from a complex approach to the subject and create pure simplicity. Change direction entirely.

Ask for directions to take.

Whatever you use, it will become a smooth, professional piece of your presentation instead of a situation that embarrasses you and your audience.

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[Inspiration] Seek not to change the world …

"Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. What you see reflects your thinking. And your thinking but reflects your choice of what you want to see."

From A Course In Miracles