Set a Goal to Achieve Something So Big It Scares You

Hibiscus - EricSiegmund.com

Set a goal to achieve something that is so big, so exhilarating that it excites you and scares you at the same time. It must be a goal that is so appealing, so much in line with your spiritual core, that you can't get it out of your mind. If you do not get chills when you set a goal, your not setting big enough goals. ~Bob Proctor

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Kindness Can Change Things

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. ~Jesse Jackson

Kindness Can Change Things

King Cup flower - Sylvia Slavin

It is naïve to think there is never a time when force will be required or when legitimate power has to exert itself.

Parents sometimes have to use their authority in order to civilize and mentor unruly children.

Bosses occasionally have to fire people who are working against the company's policies and best interests.

Generally speaking, however, the power of human kindness is a superior form of power to brute force. An attempt to lead by persuasion should always go before the last-ditch requirement of confrontation and pulling rank.

Gail Halvorsen was taught these ideas about kindness, service to others, and the like back in Sunday School as a boy. Now a retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, he never tires of telling about a situation where putting his convictions to work helped change the course of history. It helped turn an enemy into an ally.

Halvorsen was a pilot in Europe during and after World War II. In post-war Germany, he was on the ground in Berlin.

Some of the many hungry children in the once-prosperous Germany that Adolf Hitler had reduced to penury flocked around him and his buddies to ask for food. They were hungry. They were begging for a scrap or bread or a handout from the soldiers' rations.

Halvorsen didn't have any food for the group of about 30 kids. He had two sticks of gum in his pocket. He handed them to a couple of the children - and had a bright idea.

The next time he dropped food into the Soviet-blockaded area of Berlin, he dropped gum and candy out for the children as well.

When word got back to his superiors of what he and now other pilots were doing, there was a chewing out for their "unauthorized activities." But one general defended what the pilots were doing. He encouraged them to keep it up. And soon American candy companies were providing chocolate bars and chewing gum by the tons.

As Halvorsen puts it, "It wasn't the chocolate. It was hope!" Little children and their beleaguered parents were encouraged to believe that things would someday be better for them.

Historians of the period have credited the candy drops for helping change the attitudes of the German people toward their recent enemies in war. The same non-government program is also credited with altering American attitudes toward the German people.

Maybe there are children for you to help in your neighborhood, through your company's involvement in the larger community, or in some ministry of your church.

Maybe the people to think about aren't even children.

Maybe there is just someone who needs an act of positive kindness that you can provide. There are certainly no guaranteed outcomes, but it probably won't do harm to be gracious.

Better yet, it could give hope or might even turn an enemy into a friend.   

Rubel Shelly

To learn more about Rubel please go to: www.RubelShelly.com. From Bob Proctor's Insight of the day

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CHARACTER COUNTS - The Boys Down At The Stable, A Lesson

What happens when we step up into the life that we want to live only to discover that people who we thought supported us, don't?

Here's one of those stories and the response from the files of Bob Proctor...

Many years ago a young lady who was attending a seminar shared an interesting story with me.

Apparently she and two or three of her girlfriends went and tried out for a place in a stage play. She got the starring role while her girlfriends were not even picked for the supporting cast.  

Opening night she said she was really excited but afterwards became very disappointed when her girlfriends never came out and supported her. She was explaining the situation to an elderly friend of her fathers named Hap. He wrote her a letter and she gave me a copy with her permission to share it with others. Read it carefully and think.

Dear Ann,

Once upon a time there was a fellow by the name of Al Capp who wrote a comic strip called "L'il Abner."  

Many years ago he had some characters in his strip who lived in a town near Dogpatch. They were the town bums, the n'er do wells, the failures whose whole aim in life was to pass judgement on others.  

Their criticism and ridicule became so vehement that in time the rest of the people in the town became acutely conscious of it. "The boys down at the stable," as they were called because that's where they spent most of their time, soon set the social standards of the town.  

Nobody could do anything without their sanction.

Because they lived within the structure of their crummy little world, they would laugh and point their fingers at anyone and everyone who tried to be better than they were.  

As a result the people feared the ridicule of the boys down at the stable so much that they stopped trying. Soon everybody became bums and the town died.

In every social structure, Ann, whether it be family, town, county or state, there are "The boys down at the stable." They are the jealous ones.  They are too scared to try something different. They show their ignorance by laughing at those who do.  

Learn to recognize them Ann, for what they are. Don't let them hurt you. It takes a certain amount of toughness to succeed. One has to rise above those who would tear you down so that they can laugh and say, "I told you so!"

There are too many of us who love you and want you to make it. I could put myself at the top of the list. You aren't going to fall flat on your face as they would have you. You are going to do a superb job.  

Remember this show is only a small step in the direction of greater things you will do, many of which are beyond your wildest dreams. All you have to do is want to. One of the things I like about you best is that you always give it hell for try.

The show will be a success because of you and others like you who try. There are only winners in the cast. The losers are gathered down at the stable laughing and hoping for your failure.  

If we could dig down deep inside them, I'm sure we'd find they want to win also, but are too scared to try, and they attempt to cover up their own failures as human beings by laughing at others.  

In a sense I'm sorry for them. Their guilt must make them very unhappy people.

Much love,
Hap

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Answer Discouragement with Intelligent Action

I have not read such a powerful message as this one from Bob Proctor as this one about discouragement - the bane of our existence - it's really a feeling of lack of self-worth and that is such a terrible, terrible feeling. I've been there, got nurtured on it on my mother's breast.

When you let it take hold, you sink yourself into a morass of self-pity from which it is often times difficult to extricate yourself.

If you with to receive similar mail do subscribe to his free Insights of the Day newsletter.

That's Good

I often talk about Earl Nightingale and the positive influence he had on my life. The personal association I had with him was a great education but I could never estimate the effect his recorded messages have had on my life.

One of his recorded messages was titled "That's Good". I listened to it so often I could almost repeat it verbatim.

On that record he shared a fable about the devil having a sale that is most interesting and, as Earl mentioned, like most old fables it has a moral that is worth thinking about.

The story goes that Satan was having a sale of his wares. On display, and offered for sale, were the rapier of jealousy, the dagger of fear, and the strangling noose of hatred, each with its own high price.

But standing alone on a purple pedestal was a worn and battered wedge. This was the devil's most prized possession, for with it alone he could stay in business. It was not for sale ... it was the wedge of discouragement.

Why do you suppose the devil valued so highly, and actually would not sell, the worn and battered wedge of discouragement? Makes you think doesn't it?

He prized discouragement because of its enfeebling, demoralizing effect. Hatred, fear or jealousy may lead an immature person to act unwisely, to fight, or to run. But at least they act.

Discouragement on the other hand, hurts the person more than any of these. It causes the person to sit down, pity himself or herself and do nothing.

Now this doesn't have to happen, but unfortunately it all too frequently does. Not until we realize that discouragement is often a form of self pity, do we begin to take stock of ourselves and our predicament and decide to act ... to do something that will take us out of the unpleasant situation.

The answer to discouragement then is intelligent action. Get rid of discouragement before it gets rid of you. The devil might not survive without this priceless wedge ... but we can.

To your success,
Bob Proctor

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How Lives Change When The Student is Ready - Bob Proctor's Story

How Lives Change

The story I am about to share with you may not be relevant to your life. But I can assure you, someone you know can benefit from it.

Read this slowly and then forward it to the individuals you know who feel stuck in life.

After close to fifty years of working in the field of personal development, I am acutely aware there are many people who feel caught in a trap. They're really not sure if or how they could ever spring themselves free.

A person feels stuck when they have no hope. You see hope gives you options. And a person without hope is not able to see any other way to live than what they're doing. And what they're doing is not working.

Today I am fortunate enough to own a company that operates all over the world. I have friends in many different countries. I have a fascinating team of people that work with me. I have great business partners. And believe me when I tell you, life is good.

However, it wasn't always like that. In October of 1961, I was unhappy, I was sick and I was broke. I was earning $4,000 a year and I owed $6,000. I had absolutely no assets. My formal education consisted of two months high school. And I had no business experience and a poor work record. I was 26 years old and I honestly felt like I was trapped.

Life looked to me like a dark tunnel. But then something wonderful happened. I met a man who saw something in me that I was not capable of seeing in myself. He got me to sit down and explain my situation to him. It was fairly obvious I was a lost soul.

Then he asked me what I really wanted. And I didn't know. I couldn't answer him. He made it very clear to me that my entire mental focus was on what I didn't want and why I wasn't capable of doing any better than I was doing. I was totally focused on problems and believe me I was attracting them in abundance.

The man who befriended me was Raymond Douglas Stanford. He was the first of six individuals who coached me over the past fifty years. I can honestly say these people were responsible for leading me into the bright clear light of day.

They helped me recognize that I had tremendous potential, and they assisted me in developing the awareness required to live a constructive, fulfilling life. Ray Stanford also made me aware that the mental prison I had confined myself in had no locks. I was capable of walking out of it at any time I pleased, but I didn't know how.

And I believe there are a lot of people today especially in the economy we are experiencing who may be losing a home or a job, who's attitude has been impacted by what's going on in their world. Many of these people feel there's no answer to their dilemma. They could and probably are doing what I was doing when I met Ray. They're focused on their present situation.

The doom and gloom is filling their mind. And they have to do what Ray taught me to do - clear your mind for a moment. Make believe everything is fine, and think about what you really want. Because that is what Ray did for me. Then he began to explain to me how everyone including me has infinite potential and the difference in people is the choices they make and how they utilize the potential that God gave them.

It's as Steve Bow, who was the Vice President of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, once said, "God's gift to us is more talent and ability than we'll ever hope to use in our lifetime. Our gift to God is to develop as much of that talent and ability as we can in our lifetime."

Raymond introduced me to Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich and he spent a lot of time explaining to me what Napoleon Hill had written about.

He explained that the premise that served as the foundation for Napoleon Hill's life's work was the following: "Anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. " Ray made it clear that the operative word in Hill's premise was "believe."

He said everyone's imagination brings beautiful pictures to the screen of a person's mind. However, only a very small percentage of the world's population ever achieves the beauty or the abundance that flows across their mind from time to time. And he said the reason people don't achieve the good that they desire is for the simple reason they don't believe it.

Ray pointed out to me that if you hear anything often enough you will begin to believe it. And when you believe it, you'll achieve it. This is true of good and bad in our life.

Ray explained that if I would read Think and Grow Rich often enough and visit with him frequently to receive the support I required that I could literally turn my dreams into reality. I'll be honest with you, I did not believe him. But I did believe that he believed it. He actually believed that I could do better. And it was his belief in me that moved me on to the right side of the road.

I was prepared to do anything honest to earn some money, and I started to clean offices in my spare time. In less than five years, I had a company that was cleaning offices in Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta and London, England. My life was changing and it was changing rapidly.

But as Ray pointed out to me, what was really changing was my attitude and my belief about what I was capable of doing. And he made it clear to me that was happening because I was listening to someone that knew more than I did and was eager to help me.

I got so involved in studying Napoleon Hill's work that I was led to Earl Nightingale's condensed narration of Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich. Now I was reading the book and listening to a long playing record. I was developing a greater awareness. What I was actually doing was getting good advice from people who demonstrated by results they knew what they were doing.

Prior to meeting Ray Stanford I spent all my time talking to and listening to people that didn't know any more than me, people who were living in the same situation I was living in, who sympathized with my negative perception of life and why I couldn't win.

A number of years after Ray introduced me to Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich and Earl Nightingale's condensed narration of it, I left my own business and went to work with Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant of the Nightingale Conant Corporation.

It was then that my progress moved on to a fast track. Earl Nightingale and Lloyd Conant became my two new coaches. It was through them that I was introduced to two other men that had a profound impact on my life - Leland Val Van De Wall and Dr. C. Harry Roder.

These four men taught me more about the mind over the next four or five years than most people would ever learn in an entire lifetime. And it was there and then that I made up my mind I would spend the rest of my life teaching what I had learned to everyone and anyone who had a sincere desire to win, to improve the quality of their life, to live the abundant life which is our birthright.

My basic nature is that I am a quiet, shy, withdrawn individual. There are many people in the world that would not believe that because they only know me as they see me today, but I can assure you 42 years ago, that described me perfectly.

It was then that I met Bill Gove who was considered the Frank Sinatra of public speakers. I watched him speaking on a stage at the O'Hare Hyatt Hotel in Chicago, and I thought "WOW is he ever good."

And I thought if I could do what he does, I could teach what I know to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people. And I thought "but I can't do that." It was at that very point that a record started to play in my head. It was a record I'd listened to thousands of times. It was a recording called the Magic Word, and it was a record on attitude.

At one point in the recording Earl said "Now right here we come to a strange fact. We tend to minimize the things that we can do, the goals that we can accomplish, and for some equally strange reason we think other people can do things that we cannot."

He said, "I want you to understand that is not true. You have deep reservoirs of talent and ability within you. You're capable of doing anything you desire." As I said, I probably listened to that recording thousands of times. And if you asked me if I understood it, I would have said, of course I do.

But as I watched Bill Gove stand on that stage and through his public speaking ability have that audience in the palm of his hand as I was thinking I wish I could do that but I can't, that record of Earl's started playing in my head and I suddenly realized "That's what Earl means! -- If Bill Gove can do it, I can do it!" And I made a decision there and then that I would not only learn how to speak in public as well as he was speaking, I would have him teach me how to do it, and he did.

He was the sixth coach that I've had. And today I am comfortable on a stage in front of thousands of people sharing this wonderful information that helps anyone understand regardless of their situation there is a way for them to win.

Today I'm living my dream. Through our coaching program we train thousands of people to change their situation and begin living the way they really want. We show individuals how to multiply their income, how to develop meaningful relationships, how to build their companies into global organizations, and we point out it all begins in their own marvelous mind.

I will forever be grateful to the individuals that coached me - that helped me understand we all have tremendous power within us. And life can be wonderful, but we must make it that way. The people I've just written about showed me how to do it. And they made it very clear to me that if I really wanted to be happy in life, that I should spend the rest of my life showing people what they taught me.

Bob Proctor

Bob Proctor was inspired to create his own coaching program in partnership with Carol Gates. They now coach people in 87 different countries. Bob and Carol have a comprehensive program where they work with you every week for 13 months to create life changing results.

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You Need to become More to Have More

Port of Spain, Trinidad

Jim Rohn's essay below The Great Challenge of Life smacked me on the forehead when it came in the mail from Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day. It was like 'well, duhh kinda obvious'.

I mean so many of us are struggling hopefully upward. We want more are always demanding more of everything and everyone but... here's the kicker if we don't do the work on ourselves we (you and me both) are not going to get anywhere.

Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless. Jamie Paolinetti

Each one of us must be the change we want to see in our lives. That is how we change the world by extension.

You want riches, feel rich inside. You want respect, respect yourself first. You want others to do what's right, YOU be first in line, no preaching. Others will follow by example.

So when you feel that life is shitting on you, seemingly endless challenges getting you down, look at yourself. Focus on the crappy thoughts you think about yourself and look at your resulting actions.

I am slowly and painfully learning what the great man said, you do need to become more in order to have more (of whatever it is you want). It all starts with you (and me).

The Great Challenge of Life


Here's the great challenge of life - You can have more than you've got because you can become more than you are.

I have found that income seldom will exceed your own personal development. Once in a while income takes a lucky jump, but unless you grow out to where it is, it will go back to where you are.

Somebody once said if you took all the money in the world and divided it among everyone equally; it would soon be back in the same pockets.

However, you can have more because you can become more. You see, here is how the other side of the coin reads - unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got.

The marketing plan won't do it. It's a good plan but it won't work without you. You've got to work it. It is the human effort that counts. If you could send a sales manual out to recruit - wouldn't that be lovely?

The major thing that makes the difference is what YOU do.

In order to have more, you need to become more. The guy says "If I had a good job I would really pour it on, but I have this lousy job so I just goof off." If that is your philosophy, you are destined to stay there.

Some people say if I had a lot of money I would be really generous, but I don't have much so I'm not generous. See, you've got to change that philosophy or you will never have "the lots of money." Unless YOU change, IT won't change.

Amazingly, however, when we throw out our blame list and start becoming more ourselves - the difference is everything else will begin to change around us.

Jim Rohn
1930-2009, Author and Speaker 

Followup reading

Meditate to boost your self-esteem, Ed & Deb Shapiro
Be the change guide, Ed & Deb Shapiro
Soul Talk: Are you suffering unnecessarily, Russell Bishop
When hope is under attack, finding guidance from soul's beauty, Cara Barker

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Ignore Seemingly Immovable Barriers and Go for Gold

Did you know that a "Man grows 1,360-acre forest in India...by himself" - determination, perseverance and action are the watch words here. It is always easier to allow yourself to be put down or dissuaded from what you set out to do but when your passion and life's work calls you must follow it to its fruition.

While it is true that none of us know what awaits us down the line but we try to play it safe anyway, following that powerful urge that will not be silenced is the soul's desires expressing itself and it will not be ignored.

Know that your internal guidance when you actively listen always leads you true and while it is not easy or simple, you must ignore seemingly immovable barriers in your way regardless of so-called taboos that must be broken. Go for gold!

Here is your Friday story from Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day - it speaks for itself.


A man in India single-handedly planted an entire forest, proving that one person really can make a large difference.
You always hear that one person can make a large difference in the world. Today, we've got a story that proves that saying.

When he was a teenager in Northern India's Assam region about 30 years ago, Jadav "Molai" Payeng began planting seeds in a sandbar near his birthplace. A few years later, he moved into the area and turned the seed-planting and tree-nurturing into his life's work, planting seeds and helping them grow over a wide area that was initially left for desolate.

In the past 30 years, his seed-planting endeavors have resulted in a massive, 1,360-acre jungle in Assam, a forest ecosystem that has left an incredible mark on the Indian landscape and stands as a testament to Payeng's dedication.

Initially, the forest department told Payeng that trees could not grow in that area. He was not dissuaded; instead he dedicated himself to the task of nurturing the forest, and his dedication has produced results. The Molai woods, in addition to being covered with lush greenery, is now home to a whole host of creatures big and small, including birds, deers, rhinos, tigers, and elephants.

Jadav "Molai" Payeng is a hero to those animals, to the ecosystem in the area, and to conservationists across India. But he is also a hero to us, people living oceans away who don't necessarily work in forestry or in the environment industry. Payeng is a hero because he has proven that with commitment, blood, sweat, knowledge, and dedication to making a difference, one person can truly make a difference, and a large difference, on the world.

It's easy to discount the impact that we can have on the people and places around us. It's easy to feel insignificant when faced with the enormity of the issues that surround us. But it's important to remember that our actions, no matter how small they may be, make a difference. Whether it's bringing a smile to someone's day or revitalizing a forest ecosystem, the little acts of kindness and good have enormous impact.

Our small actions may not necessarily lead to a forest and safe haven for animals, but they have the potential to grow and flourish all the same.

Sameer Vasta
Writer and Blogger

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4 Reasons Why Mind Movies Do Not Work

Image by Mubina H
Mind movies do not work!

We all know that for a fact, right. Wrong! 

We hear stuff like that then we hear others say they are getting great results, so who do you want to believe.

It is about attracting what you want and you are tempted to give it a try, why not. It can't hurt to try, can it?

But nothing happens for you so you side with the nay-sayers.

MindMovies is taking people into an area of themselves 

that maybe they've never gone. ~Bob Proctor

Michele Blood gives us 4 reasons for this non-achievement and it makes sense because I made all the mistakes she listed. 

She has teamed up with the wonderful Bob Proctor and they are promoting a Law of Attraction MindMovie and I received her newsletter in which she talks about the reasons why MindMovies do not work. 

As you will see the mistakes are obvious; I have made them because I figured it was a fad but a pretty one. I expected no results at all so of course, I didn't get any!

Here's how Michele tells it:

One of the things Bob talks about are some of the most common misconceptions about visualization, and boy can I relate. I remember when I first began exploring the Law of Attraction. I pretty much made ALL of these mistakes!

For example...

Image by Rennett Stowe 1. You make some effort to practice visualizations for a few days--but nothing happens. So you decide it's a waste of time and stop. And guess what? Nothing happens. Duh.

2.  You think you have to spend hours every day intensely focused on the things you want most. You settle down in the Lazy Boy and have at it — and you either fall asleep, get a pounding headache, or start thinking about a problem you're having at work. What a hassle — no wonder you've given up!

3.  You've painstakingly glued a vision board together and you stare at it every day. You don't want anyone to know this, but you're bored. This whole activity is dull as dust and you don't feel much of anything except distracted.

4.  You're not completely sure visualization will work--so you figure it's not worth trying unless you are 100% certain something wonderful will happen.

In fact, you've perfected "why bother" into an art form. Any of these things sound familiar? Well here's the good news...

Bob's Got The Answers—And It Will Change Your Life » MindMovies. Here's one of my favorite quotes from this video...

"Even if you don't believe in it--do it anyway. My attitude is: if your way isn't working, try mine. I'm doing all right. I'm healthy, happy, and I'm wealthy. I earn more money in one hour than I used to in twenty years. So I must know something. And I know that this works."  ~Bob Proctor

Image by *Brunna Peretti Loureiro* I sincerely hope you find this as encouraging as I do—because the thing is, even if you're not sure visualization will work for you and result in successful manifesting—just do it! Give it a try and see what happens.

But not for just a day or two--or even a week or two.

What you've got to do is make the commitment to spend a few minutes on this every single day—and I do mean EVERY DAY!

Maybe even morning and night—but consistently make the effort. Because according to Bob (and he should know!) it's the REPETITION of your visualizations that add up to a grand slam eventually.

Michele

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A Perfect Story For Christmas About Giving: It Must Be Raining

Image by Prato9x        

This is a perfect Christmas story: a story for our times to remind us of what's important. Courtesy of Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day.

IT MUST BE RAINING

The images flash across my television screen as I sit there in the comfort of my home.

"It's that time of year again," I thought to myself.

Then realizing how foolish that was to say, I sat up in my chair and watched closer.

The news reporter was telling the story of one of many food banks in our area that were serving those in need of the basics for the holidays.

This particular place had both food and clothing. Food for the body and warm second hand coats for children.

"It's that time of year again," replayed in my mind.

Image by 6U5 I meant that throughout the holidays we see such reports over and over, unlike the other 11 months when the same people are hungry, in need of clothing, basic services and a little help with life.

Maybe I said it because I was becoming numb to it all, like watching the same commercials a hundred times.

I was about to feel the real impact of it all.

I was sitting at the counter having breakfast at a local diner the next day.

It's a small "quaint" place. Local people, husband and wife cook and serve.

A man walked in and sat next to me. There is little elbow-room as it is and he was a big fellow.

On top of the milk dispenser is a small television placed there for both the customers enjoyment and the owners when things get slow.

Image by Julie70 via FlickrIt just so happened that the news was on and once again that same report on the food bank. This time it included more information and a few interviews of some of the people who participated.

There was a little girl looking through the coats. 

The reporter asked her if she found something that fit.

She turned toward the camera and smiled. She flipped her soft brown hair up over the collar as she pulled and tugged at the front to make sure it would zipper properly.

"I like this store. Mommy said I could have any coat I wanted, but I'm getting this one for my friend. Her daddy won't come here. Mommy says he's too proud. Whatever that means. All I know is Mandy needs a coat."

Image by Sandra Regina Out of the corner of my eye I could see the man next to me lower his head. Without looking up he fumbled for a napkin and began to wipe his eyes.

"Incredibly sad, isn't it?" I said.

He didn't respond.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"Hey, don't feel bad, I've shed many tears through the holidays for those who don't have nearly as much as I and I am in no way financially set for life," I told him.

"I'm a writer. I live on my dreams," I added.

He turned toward me. I could still see the dampness of tear-filled eyes. 

He raised his hand to his chest and pointing at himself he said..."I'm Mandy's father. That's the first I've seen that. The little girl goes to school with my daughter."

Oh, my god! My chest tightened, my hands shook and I shared in his tears.

Image by genibee "It must be raining," he joked.

We spoke for a few more minutes about how he felt and what he needed to do. Turns out he's unemployed for more than a year now and doing odd jobs to pay bills.

We said our goodbyes and I approached the register. I whispered that I wanted his check.

"He only gets coffee," she said.

"Well, here. This is for my meal, his coffee and tell him this is for Mandy. He'll understand."

Many years ago I spoke at my friend's church in Atlanta, The Ark of Salvation, a woman came up to me and said God told her to give me everything she had in her wallet. 

I was shaken by the thought and began to refuse it. Things were better for me back then. I couldn't justify what she offered.

God spoke to me as I listened to her explain.

Image by Julie70 via Flickr"It isn't very much, but God said that it would multiply. Please take it."

I did. I shared the story with Nathaniel Bronner, the pastor of the church and he smiled assuring me I did the right thing.

It was $57. I always carry it with me until this very day. I give it away and replace it. It has indeed multiplied many times.

God is an amazing God Who has never failed to replace that $57 each and every time I use it.

I turned to walk away and another man sitting at the counter grabbed my arm and said..."I overheard your conversation with that man. I'll help him, too."

He then wiped his eyes and said, "He's right. It must be raining."

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."

To go along with that how about:

Ed and Deb Shapiro's 6 Lessons Santa Claus Teaches Better Than Any Guru 

Merry Christmas to all 

and to all a good night!

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When You Can See No Further Than 200 Feet At A Time: Inner Modelling With Kim Luret

Another teaching moment from Bob Proctor's Insight of the Day — a story about inner modelling with Kim Luret when you can see no further than 200 feet at a time.

Parents, if you have teenage children or know of any who need inspiration and a boost of self-confidence — no matter their goal in life —  share this story, the video and Kim's blog with them!  

The message: You have to become what you want on the inside before it can show on the outside. Never give up your dreams.

Bob Proctor talks about Kim Luret and her inner modelling project in the video further down the page.

200 Feet At A Time

I have the great pleasure of working with young people. They are so full of promise and potential as they stand at the threshold of their adult lives.

Sometimes, though, I'll see a young person struggle with the belief that before they set out for their dream they must first know the precise plan to follow and its exact outcome.

Part of the work I do is to help such a person understand that not knowing is OK; it's not even necessary. And I help them realize that their unique gift is always right there with them; though they might have a little trouble recognizing it. Because sometimes it looks very different than what they were expecting.

That was certainly the case for me...

"You! A model??... You're kidding, right?"

As if it was yesterday, I can still remember the stunned look on her face as I gathered up my courage and admitted my dream to a close high school friend.

But I wasn't kidding. Not only would I become a model, but I had every intention of becoming the world's next supermodel (though I decided that moment probably wasn't the best time to share this particular detail with my friend).

In fairness to her, I should say that most people would have been hard pressed to share my vision. I was by anyone's account less than, shall we say, "glamorous".

Actually I was about as far away from glamorous as one could get. Yes, I was taller than everyone I knew, including the boys in my school. But I was also rail thin, freckle-faced, with frizzy hair and braces. Oh, and did I mention awkward and painfully shy?

No matter. I knew I was going to 'make it'; it was only a question of time. How I would make it was something else entirely. The truth was, I had no idea how I would get from my small town school to the covers of the world's top fashion magazines.

Bob Proctor on Kim Luret and Inner Modelling

But therein lies the true power of pursuing your dream. It begins with seeing your destination clearly and starting to move towards it, even if you can't say for sure how you will reach it.

Bob Proctor has compared this to driving in a car on a dark night and I agree. All you can ever see is 200 feet at a time by the glow of the headlights, but that's enough to advance you the next 200 feet, and so on all the way to your destination.

Sometimes you may take a fork in the road and discover that your destination changes as a result, and that's OK too. In fact if my name is not a household word today, that's because my own destination changed along the way.

Don't misunderstand – I fully expected to be the world's next supermodel and I did all I knew how towards that end. But early on I realized one crucial fact – I'm not particularly photogenic. And when it comes to supermodels, being very photogenic is pretty much 'Square One'.

The 'light of my headlights' had brought me to the awareness that I would not be an international cover girl. This was a blow to both my ego and my plans. But because I had begun the 'drive', I was about to discover something about myself I hadn't realized beforehand.

My 'fork in the road' presented itself to me a while later in San Francisco, where I was attempting to get a modeling job, or 'booking'-any booking-in print work. I would have been happy to appear in a flyer for the local car wash, but no client seemed to want me.

Then one day Calvin Klein himself came to town to put on a gala fashion show at the San Francisco Opera House. He brought with him several models from New York, but he was holding a casting to select a few local models as well.

Any girl in San Francisco who called herself a model was there, including the most successful and in demand print models I was trying so hard to emulate.

I remember my interview with Calvin Klein. He was smiling and gracious. He asked me to try something on and walk for him, and I did. Then, I watched as his smile grew wider and he booked me on the spot!

And then came the evening of the show. Everything changed for me on that runway. I felt totally natural, at ease and inspired there. I could sense that I had found my 'true place'.

Afterwards people came backstage and asked me where I'd learned to walk like that. I answered, "I don't know!" and it was true. I didn't know because I'd never done it before!

All this time I'd been trying with all my might to be a cover girl when it was now clear to me that runway was my gift. But I never would have known that had I not believed in my original dream and started moving towards it as best I could, '200 feet at a time'.

Soon afterwards I moved to Europe where, unlike San Francisco, 'high fashion' was the look and the runway market was very strong. I went first to Milan and then to Paris, where I still live today.

Ultimately I became an international high fashion runway model, working with top designers such as Armani, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, and many others. I enjoyed a fantastic career spanning more than a decade.

I traveled to over 50 countries and have done shows before royalty and heads of state. I met some of the world's most interesting and fascinating people; some of them rich and famous, some completely unknown but rich in other ways.

And I got the education of a lifetime.

None of this would have happened if I had been 'stuck' on just one possible outcome and continued to try and become a top international cover girl at all costs. As Ken Keesey Jr. says "To be upset about what we don't have is to waste what we do have."

Each of us has what I call a 'Unique Package'; that singular combination of our unique inner and outer selves. And through that package comes our gifts.

Discovering what our gifts are and then expressing and sharing them is what we're all here for. There are no 'better' sets of gifts and talents. They are all needed. We are all needed.

Or as the French say, "Il faut de tout pour faire un monde," which translated means, "It takes everyone to make a world."

The dream you have inside is not there by accident. There's a reason it's calling to you.

I firmly believe that if you'll step onto the path of your dream, always giving your best, the Universe will step up and meet you more than half way.

And even if your destination changes, as did mine, I can promise you this: You will definitely have more, do more and above all be more, for having made the journey.

Kim Luret

Do you think your child or grandchild would make a great model? Former international high fashion model Kim Luret has put together a special video that explains what YOU and that special teenager or young adult in your life REALLY need to know about making it as a model, go here now: http://www.kimluretcoaching.com/ But be sure to watch it now, as it will only be available for a short while.

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Be Authentic, Accept 100 Percent Responsibility for your Well-Being, and Be The Change

 Be Authentic, be yourself no matter what, accept 100 percent responsibility for your well-being, and be the change YOU want to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi).

Ed and Deb Shapiro wrote a book by the same name Be The Change: How Meditation Can Transform Your Life. In one word... beautiful.

Bob Proctor's Insight of the day Friday story eloquently illustrates this. Listen well, watch your thoughts, guard your tongue and observe your actions. This way you will know all you need to know about YOU. Read on!

A Touch of Lemon

A Troubled Freshman

When I met Mr. Jim Lemon, I was a sixteen-year-old freshman at Houston's Jackson Junior High and the chances of my finishing high school were slim. I was a troubled teenager with an attitude, living in a neighborhood that fostered troubled teenagers.

Mr Lemon

Mr. Lemon taught American history and it was clear from the first day that his classroom was not going to be disrupted. It was apparent very quickly that Mr. Lemon was quite different from the other teachers I had known. Not only was he a disciplinarian, but also he was a great teacher. He would never settle for my usual standard of classroom work. Mr. Lemon pushed and prodded and never tolerated the mediocrity that had become my standard.

Report Cards

On the occasion of our first semester report cards, Mr. Lemon called me aside and asked how it was possible that I was a B student in his class and a D and F student in the rest of my classes.

I was ready for that question. I passionately told him about my divorced parents, the local gangs, the drugs, the fights, and the police - all the evils that I had been subjected to. 

Accept Personal Responsibility

Mr. Lemon listened patiently and when I was through he responded, "There's a problem with your list Mr. Phillips, you are not on it."

Then Mr. Lemon explained that the only person responsible for my situation was me. And the only person with the potential to change my situation was me, and that when I personally accepted that responsibility I could make a significant change in my life. 

He convinced me that I was failing not because I was a failure, but because I was not accepting the responsibility for my results in those other classes. Mr. Lemon was the first teacher I had who made me believe in myself. He inspired me to become a better student and he changed my life.

Lessons from Mr. Lemon

Ten years later, I spoke to him again. I was preparing to graduate from Chaminade University in Honolulu.

It had taken weeks of telephone calls to find him but I knew what I had to say. 

When I finally did get Mr. Lemon on the telephone, I explained what his brutal honesty had meant to me, how I finally graduated from high school, and how I was a proud staff sergeant in the Army. 

I explained how I had married the most beautiful and wonderful woman of my dreams and how we had a beautiful a daughter.

Most of all I wanted him to know that I was about to graduate magna cum laude after going to school for four hours a night, four nights a week for three years. I wanted him to know that I could never have done any of these things if he had not been a part of my life.

Graduating with Mr. Lemon

Finally, I told him that I had been saving money for two years so that I could invite him and his wife to come to Hawaii at my expense to be part of my graduation. I'll never forget his response. Mr. Lemon said, "Who is this again?"

Lessons Learned

I was just one of hundreds of students whose life he changed and he seemed genuinely surprised of his impact.

Perhaps none of us realize the impact that we have on other people nor do other people have any idea how much of an impact they have on us. 

How much, then, should we be aware of our influence on others to make sure that it is for the best? And how much more should we tell those who have had a positive impact on our lives?

Rick Phillips

Rick Phillips is a motivational speaker and trainer. You can visit his website at: www.rickphillips.com or feel free to email your comments to pssd@earthlink.net

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