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Please feel free to use these prayers for your own use in whatever context you feel they are appropriate.
Invocation
Lord,
Help us to remain true to the self-evident truths so long ago proclaimed but existing from the beginning of time, that we are all created equal, and that we are endowed by You as our common Creator with certain unalienable Rights.
Imbue us with a renewed enthusiasm and respect for these, our mutual rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Cause us to know without doubt that from these rights issue forth genuine responsibilities to work for the common good so that all can truly experience the true fullness of freedom.
We pray the presence of Your Power to be within and among us this evening as we seek to manifest these truths within our individual hearts and within the soul of our nation.
We seek Your guidance as we again pledge our allegiance to the timeless proclamation of individual liberty and our uncompromising independence from any tyranny, foreign or domestic, that would seek to deprive us of any of it.
Steady us in these turbulent times, Lord, so that we will never waiver from our reliance on our faith in Your unyielding love for each of us.
Benediction
We now depart in Your love and with Your peace. But we are no longer the people who earlier gathered; we are now the people who leave to live with renewed passion, filled with infinite power and divine wisdom to be co-creators with You to make all things new.
We leave with deeper commitment to embody the words of the one in whose honor we have gathered this evening:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in . . .”
Here are seven simple steps you can take to get done what needs to be done – NOW!
1. Organize: Order your time, records and interruptions so that you know what to expect – and from whom.
2. Get it All Together: Gather all necessary information and tools, such as calendar, telephone numbers and to-do lists, in one place. Never put these materials in any other place – ever!
3. Plan: End each day organizing the next day’s appointments and must-do tasks. Nice-to-do tasks should be written at the bottom of your “must-do” list. Do these in the order you’ve written them only after all your “must-dos” have been completed.
4. Prioritize: Set goals and map a strategy to achieve them. List every step to accomplish each goal and then put them in order of importance. Refuse to do the easiest – and the least important – jobs first. In fact, make it a habit to do these at the end of each day.
5. Decide: Do it, delegate it or discard it. For each of your projects, decide how it will be handled and by whom. Write the steps, the timelines, the deadlines and the names of those who will be assigned each task on a planning capture sheet. Do the step at the top of the list (or have it done) immediately.
6. Clear Your Desk: Workspaces littered with notes, files, phone messages, mail, etc. are enticements to procrastinate. You might be able to manage the clutter for a brief period of time; don’t count on it for the long-term, however. Clutter will eventually consume your intentions, cloud your perspective, dampen your enthusiasm and overwhelm even your best-laid plans.
7. Divide and Conquer: When overwhelmed by the enormity of a project, break it down into smaller tasks to get a more reasonable perspective. Deal with only one task at a time. When tempted to wander in your thinking, say to yourself, “Not now!” Then continue your train of thought and action until you can say, “OK, Now!”
After hours of frustration trying to get my drain unclogged, I finally broke down and called a plumber. Upon arriving, he asked where the problem pipe was located. I took him to the bathroom and, pointing to the open doors under the sink, I said, "There's your challenge, right there."
He spent a few moments surveying the situation and then took from his toolbox a simple pair of pliers and gently tapped the entire length of the curvy piping. After just a few minutes of inspection, he wrapped his pliers with a bright red bandana he took from one of the many pockets in his tattered blue overalls. With precise aim, he drew back and struck the pipe about halfway between the bottom of the basin and the point where the piping disappeared into the wall.
It worked! The water flowed freely and all was right with the world. The entire visit lasted a mere five minutes. The plumber wrote on the invoice the following words: "House call . . . FREE; Knowing What to Do (Where to Hit the Pipe) . . . $75.00.
But knowing what and where is not enough. The noted comedian, George Burns, was said to have interrupted a person who was not quite finished asking, "What is the key to comedy?" with his answer: "Timing!" In addition to what and where, you must also know when.
There is such a thing as "putting the cart before the horse:" you wind up having to pull a load you wouldn't have had to were you to have done things in the proper sequence and at the right time. You cannot hope to reap without having sown or to acquire wisdom and solid character without making the daily choices to discipline your baser instincts.
Wisdom comes from understanding what you should be doing with your time. . . right now wherever you are. Getting to the place where your knowledge, skills and experience position you to "move the needle" and succeed faster is the essence of living in peaceful abundance. When you know you know you can make things happen, you become equipped with the power you need to achieve what you want. Furthermore, what you want becomes shaped by what you know you can accomplish rather than merely hoping for something you doubt that you can achieve.
This, indeed, is a peaceful – and powerful – life that emerges from finding your better Self.
The following are comments in response to a standing question I've posed to all readers and participants: "What has been the greatest obstacle you have had to overcome on the way to Your Better Self?"
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If all you are looking at is the obstacles in front of you, then you need to widen your perspective. Zoom out! Look at the bigger picture. Stepping back from the rock lets you see the way around it. I'm lazy, really I am. I am not going to hammer through with a jackhammer when I can step back and go around.
I will admit, though, that I've found that my biggest obstacle is often myself. When working in a group I find this a lot, especially when I'm the leader. I get this, "My way or the highway" sort of attitude occasionally, and I forget that the reason I've surrounded myself with the people I have is because they are the best ones to help me get the job done. It pays to listen to the people around you. I've learned that the hard way many times, and I find myself re-learning it. Here are some things I've written down to remember while working in a group (I've found that they are helpful for working in a group whether I'm the leader or not.):
1.) Listen when someone is trying to express their opinion on how best to get the job done. They may not have the best answer, but all viewpoints let you back up and get a bigger picture.
2.) Plan, then be prepared for the plan to fail. Trust your team members to do what they do best as you all pick up the pieces and start anew.
3.) People won't follow a plan/path they haven't agreed upon. Make sure that everyone agrees, or if they can't, that they agree to follow the leader.
4.) This is a team effort, and working as a team is the only way to get the job done. Everyone's skills, no matter how small in comparison to others in the group, should be recognized.
5.) Don't overextend yourself, if your work suffers the whole team suffers. Your failure can cause the whole team to fail.
6.) Don't be afraid to ask for help. It doesn't make you seem weak.
7.) If you must criticize, make sure it's constructive. Criticizing someone viciously is not the way to motivate them. It's entirely unhelpful.
8.)
Did you notice number eight is blank? Well that is because I just know I'm going to learn more later. Recognizing that fact now will, hopefully, allow me to be more open to learning the next thing to come my way.
I've been rehearsing for a Christams dinner theater for our church. The theme is a "Country Christmas" and involves country music and cowboy/cowgirl costumes. I was presented with a brand new western style snap-button shirt at our last gathering. The director handed it to me and said, "Here, try this on for size."
It fit perfectly. I thought it would but I really couldn't say for sure until I actually tried it on – to see if the size was right (or, perhaps, if I was the right size to fill it out). Whenever you have an idea that you think might be a good one, try it on for size by generating a list (it doesn't have to be a long list) of what you can do with that idea to make it happen. Then prioritize each item on your list and begin with the top one and see if it "fits."
Some ideas fit like an old shoe or a comfortable jacket – others are stiff and not very pliable. But until you "try it on for size" you won't know with any certainty. It is indeed a shame for an idea not to come to fruition simply because you thought is might be too big for you. Try it on for size! You'll find that most of your ideas will fit you perfectly.
Whenever I hear this phrase uttered, I think not of radical railing against the "establishment" but of what people with power actually look like. People with power are people with poise, purpose and peacefulness. When you possess power, you know it; and you also know how to use it, for that is the prerequisite of power – being the one in the room who knows what to do . . . next.
Power originates in perception and manifests itself within the individual. In other words, when you know what needs to be done for the benefit of others and are committed to getting it done, you are perceived to be powerful by others and are then able to empower them to help you accomplish that goal.
We all need power to get what we want for ourselves. We also need power to give what we want to others. Power is experienced when you know what you want to both give and receive and when you know that what you want is worthy of your better Self.
"Power to the people" is really power through a person to the people. Are you that person in your world?
“Many people succeed when others do not believe in them. Rarely does a person succeed when he does not believe in himself. “ – Herb True
An Intriguing Story
This true story is about the legendary marketing strategist, Claude Hopkins and the Schlitz beer company. Schlitz was about to go flat in the beer brewery industry. They wanted desperately to break into the top ten American breweries but didn’t know how to do it. That’s when they contacted Claude Hopkins.
Hopkins’ first item of business was to take a tour of the Schlitz facility. Even though the central brewing plant was located on the shores of Lake Michigan with its enormous fresh-water supply, the company had dug five, 4000-foot artesian wells because they wanted the purest water available. Hopkins was shown a special laboratory in which over 2,500 experiments were conducted by company scientists to cultivate the finest mother-yeast cell. He was taken through five different three-foot-thick plate glass rooms where beer was condensed, redistilled and recondensed for purity. The final stop was the tasting room where beer was tasted from five samplings on five separate occasions. He learned that the bottles they used were cleaned and sterilized twelve times!
After his tour, convinced of the company’s commitment to both its product and its customers, Hopkins exclaimed to his hosts, “My goodness, why don’t you let people know about this amazing process your beer goes through?” They replied, “This is the way all beer is made.” Hopkins immediately responded, “That may be, but the first company that tells the public about this will make a fortune!”
What would you have done with Hopkins’ advice? The problem in American business today is not a shortage of good ideas; rather, it’s the lack of implementation of good ideas. The Schlitz company took Hopkins’ advice and became the number one brewery in America within six months!
How did they do it? They simply told the story you just read to all their customers and prospects.
Educate your prospects and customers about what you do, how you do it and why it’s important to them. This is not merely telling how you’re different from your competition; rather, it’s a preemptive strike against your competition by informing the public of what your business and industry actually do. The more information and expert knowledge you can share with prospects and customers, the greater the chances are that they will make an informed buying decision — the one you want them to make.
Here’s the point: The first one to tell the public about the how, what and why of your business and industry — even about “business as usual” processes and concepts — gains a marketing advantage. I call this the “W.Y.K.V.W.O.D.K.A.A. (A.W.)” (Pronounced, “Wick-vee-Wadkah”) marketing principle: “What You Know Very Well Others Don’t Know At All (or “As Well).” Slap yourself in the face with the obvious and tell your customers and prospects about it and you’ll gain the competitive advantage.
How do you tell your customers and prospects about it? Write a report . . . .
Focus on Customers, Not Competitors
What about competitors getting hold of your report? Wouldn’t that be bad news? Chances are they already know much of what you’d be writing about. After all, they are in the same industry. The focus is on your customers and not on your competitors. Giving information to your customers gives them additional reasons to be loyal to your business. And if they remain loyal to your business, where’s your competition? YOU are your own competition: it’s not that others steal your customers, it’s that you don’t do those things that keep your customers coming back to you. One of those things that increases customer loyalty is providing expert information and on-going learning opportunities.
Whatever you do in your business, you’re giving your customers one of two things: a reason to come back or a reason to go elsewhere. – Ken Wallace
But wouldn’t the information in your report stimulate competition? That might happen, to be sure. But the likelihood of it happening is extremely remote. Even if it does, the caliber of competition will be low. Cassette Duplications Unlimited, in the late 1980’s, circulated a report entitled, “How to Produce Your Own Audio Cassette Program” which was amazingly detailed, honest and straightforward. It also contained excellent information about the business of audio duplication and distribution.
A few did use the report as a blueprint to set up their own business and “compete” with Cassette Duplications Unlimited. However, these were small-time operations none of which lasted very long. Most who read the report must have said something like: “Golly, this cassette production and duplication business involves a lot of detail and effort. I never realized it took so much work. Cassette Duplications Unlimited really knows what it’s doing – they’ve got my business!”
This approach contributed to their eventual evolution into the infomercial giant Guthy-Renker International, purveyors of Fran Tarkenton, Tony Robbins and other marketing “cash cows.”
By educating their prospects about how much expertise and work goes into an audio tape program, the company killed two birds with one stone: they discouraged most of their readers from becoming competitors while increasing their customer base from this very same group of readers!
Focus on your customers, not your competition. When you educate your customers, you dilute your competition.
Actions to Take Right Now:
• Make a bullet-point list (like this one) of everything you know about your business and your industry. Become aware of the obvious and ask yourself, “what am I taking for granted regarding my products and services?” It’s these things that your customers are probably taking for granted, too. Remember the W.Y.K.V.W.O.D.K.A.A. (A.W.) marketing principle. This is a significant key to use if you want to lock up additional market share.
Focus initially on processes you use to make and distribute your product(s) and/or the methods used to develop and deliver your services. Proprietary information does not need to be divulged or even hinted at in order to make the report valuable.
• Ask yourself, “Do my prospects and customers know about any of these things?”
Check off those items you think they already know about. This is not to completely eliminate these topics from being part of your report. It may be that some of these “obvious” topics need to be included in order to establish a natural knowledge flow from what is known to what isn’t. That’s the way we learn new information: by relating it to what we already know.
• Make a new list of the items you have not checked (the ones you think your customers and prospects don’t know about) and write a brief statement describing:
• how you do each item
• why it’s important for your customers that you do it that way (but also soliciting their feedback and suggestions on how you can improve)
• steps customers can take to make it easy (easier) to do business with you
• Write your final report (or have someone write it for you) following these guidelines:
Take time to come up with a powerful title. Your title is the sizzle that sells the steak. People are motivated by the potential for gain and/or the avoidance of pain (loss). Your title should create an emotional response toward gain and away from pain (loss). What about the title of this report? Gain is explicit while avoiding pain (loss) is implied. Consider the possible combinations of “gain/pain” in your title. This also holds true for any classified ads you might place.
Some title suggestions:
“How To . . .,”
“Secrets Of . . . ,”
“The Truth About . . . ,”
“A Guide To . . . ,”
“X Ways To . . . ,”
“. . . Made Easy,” or “ . . . Revealed!”
“7 Ways To . . .”
“10 Sure-Fire Tips For . . .”
“5 Big Reasons To . . .”
“The Untold Story Of . . .”
“Tips On . . .”
“Instant . . . Strategies (Tactics) Anyone Can Use”
“10 Deadly . . . Sins”
“You Want To . . . ?”
“Your . . . Is Already Out Of Date!”
“New Methods for . . .”
“Who Knows Why . . .?”
“People Are Saying . . .”
“Now Is The Time To . . .”
“Save Money The Easy Way”
You get the idea . . . .
According to Richard Bayan, author of Words That Sell, the most effective words to use in a title are (in order of effectiveness): You, Your, How, New, Who, Money, Now, People, Want and Why. Check classified ads to see what other words might prove to be effective in creating a desire for your report.
Keep it broad-based and general. Be specific only when you feel it’s necessary and you’re comfortable in doing so. Remember that this most likely will be new information for your customers and prospects, so don’t overwhelm them with too much detail.
Use anecdotes, stories and examples to make your points; use the KISS formula: “Keep It Short & Simple.” To paraphrase a wise author:
“The truly great writer is the one who can give the most to his/her readers while taking the least amount of their time.”
There are at least five effective ways you can distribute your report.
1. Mail it to everyone on your customer and prospect mailing lists with a cover letter that tells them that this information will help them better understand the benefits of doing business with you and why you’re at the top of your industry.
Repeat the mailing every three months. The report should always be included with every mailing regardless of the purpose (discount coupons, special sales announcements, administrative information, invoices, etc.).
2. Take out a classified ad in the newspapers in your market area. The ad could read something like: “The Whole Truth About XYZ Company (or Industry) Revealed! Free report from insiders tells all. Call today xxx-xxxx.” Mail on an “as requested” basis.
3. Place a stack of your reports at every check-out register and entrances/exits in your location(s) for customers to voluntarily pick up and take with them. You can also include a copy of the report with every purchase. As mentioned above, think about including a report with every invoice and other paper you mail. You could even hand them out to people who are inside and/or outside your establishment.
4. Offer your report free on your website. Customers will be able to download it easily and quickly for instant access whenever they want.
5. Publish your reports in the Ezine (Electronic Newsletter/Magazine) you email your opt-in customers and prospects at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, quarterly). Highlight a single section of your report(s) each time you send out an issue to emphasize one of your main points and reinforce its value for the reader. Repetition is the mother of teaching and learning and is the best approach to shaping perception and changing habitual behavior. Repetition is the mother of teaching and learning and is the best approach to shaping perception and changing habitual behavior. It’s true!
All the above methods for distributing your report can be used simultaneously or in any combination you desire. Your customers and prospects will eventually read the information and become better educated about you and your business, specifically regarding:
1. Competence in conducting your business
2. Commitment to your customers
3. Benefits experienced when doing business with you
4. Industry facts and trends
5. Uniqueness of your business within your industry
6. The on-going value you offer to your customers over the long-term
Here’s a great story to put us all in our proper place.
Tom Selleck, star of Magnum P.I ., a 1990’s television show that was filmed in Hawaii, relates the following incident. “Whenever I get full of myself, I remember the nice, elderly couple who approached me with a camera on a street in Honolulu one day. When I struck a pose for them, the man said, ‘No, no – we want you to take a picture of US.’”
Who’s the star of your show? Be sure to point your camera in the right direction by focusing on your customers by proactively providing them with useful and practical information about your company and its personnel, your industry and the long-term value you bring to loyal customers. When you make your customers the stars of your show, they will make you a star in their economic universe.
The same holds true for your relationships with your family, friends and colleagues. When you treat them as stars, their shine will light up your world.
In my recent book, “Your Better Self: A Simple Guide to Where You Want to Be,”I cite Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues as being an excellent beginning for your journey toward manifesting your worthy aspirations and becoming your better Self. I’d like to share now Ben’s friend, Thomas Jefferson’s, 10 Rules that helped guide him to the astounding achievements credited to him.
Let me know if you think there is value to how he lived his life. Do you think you can benefit from organizing your life around the following?
1. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
2. Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.
3. Never spend money before you have earned it.
4. Never buy what you don’t want because it is cheap.
5. Pride costs more than hunger, thirst and cold.
6. We seldom repent of having eaten too little.
7. Nothing is troublesome that we do willingly.
8. How must pain the evils cost us that never happened.
9. Take things always by the smooth handle.
10. When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, count a hundred.
