Every second or third Sunday I, my wife and two boys visit my mother and father for the afternoon and we have our Sunday lunch there as well; although it is almost evening by the time we sit down to eat. My father thinks he is Gordon Ramsay in the kitchen organising the cooking and the dishing up with order and authority. Woe be tide my mother or brother if they put a foot wrong when helping to get the food to the table.
Both my father and brother partake in the old tradition of the Sunday lunch drink down the local pub. Amongst their friends they debate politics, the economy and generally put the world to right whilst the alcohol slowly takes its effect.
Sometimes these weekly debates spill over to the dinner table as did happen recently. Religion was the subject of conversation and it was expressed that religion was the cause of the majority of the wars. Now I tend to jump right in with the defence of religion.
My argument is that wars are not caused by religion but by people; people who declare that they are fighting in the name of their religion. These people in my view do not grasp the basic principle of their religion, and that is one of peace.
Islam is a very peaceful religion that totally opposes violence as does Christianity.
Wars tend to be started because of somebody’s greed, lust for power or the fundamental idea that a culture or religion is the only way that nations should live their lives by and will not rest until the world falls into line. Fundamentalism, the fight for their religion or culture to reign over all others is the reason that wars are fought - in the name of religion.
Stating that religion causes war is like saying that Football Clubs cause football hooliganism. Yobs gather to fight in the name of Millwall or Birmingham City but it is not Millwall or Birmingham City Football Clubs that cause the riots; it’s the people doing so in the name of their Football Club. And in truth, are these hooligans really football supporters?
Many of them wouldn’t know the offside rule anyway.
Everybody is entitled to live and let live. Everybody is entitled to their own point of view. Forcing a way of life and beliefs onto other people is a huge reason why wars are started. Fundamentalism exists amongst all religions and yet these people refuse to see the harm they are doing to their religion, home and country.
How much motivation, inspiration and self belief is needed to create a world of peace? To be in a world where all religions, cultures and individuals can live side by side without disturbance would be an ideal dream.
How fantastic would that be?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Showing posts with label ego. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ego. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Sunday, 1 March 2009
How to Provide Motivation to Persuade People to Come Around to Your Way of Thinking
Some people seem to be naturally gifted with the power of persuasion. Optimism, inspiration and self confidence radiates with every word they say. Their personality is adorned with charisma and others trust implicitly every word they speak.
So what techniques are these people using that make their points of view so compelling?
One mistake that many people make when trying to convince somebody to do something or believe in something, is to present their reasoning without due regard to the other persons existing points of views.
It becomes necessary to try to think of all the opposing arguments so that you can tackle each one by one. Usually people are hard to convince because they have many reasons to oppose what you are trying to say. If you can answer all their arguments effectively you can more easily start to programme their subconscious mind into believing what you want them to believe. You will know when an argument has been countered effectively when the person moves onto the next point without returning back to the previous one. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
There are at least three reasons why somebody may be initially opposed to what you have to say.
Belief Conflict
Somebodys’ beliefs are opposed to your own despite the fact that these beliefs may not even be backed up by hard evidence. For many centuries people believed that the world was flat and that there was a point where we could all fall off. It took a lot of hard persuading and much evidence to change that belief system.
Greater Knowledge
Someone has a greater knowledge on the subject on which you are trying to have your say. Try to convince an astronomer that the sun is nearer to the earth than the moon and you task is nigh on impossible because he knows differently.
Sceptics
These types of people will doubt almost anything. They have to be absolutely convinced about a point before accepting it, usually needing to see facts and evidence first.
So how do you go about persuading these hard to convince people of your point of view or command?
Shaking Beliefs
Talk assertively and with confidence about your subject matter. If their beliefs are not founded on sound knowledge, a manner of authority will cause doubts about their beliefs.
Undermining Knowledge
The idea is to convince the person that you are an authority on their subject. This is far more important than trying to convince them of a specific idea. By doing this you become a trusted source in the minds of their subconscious which in turn becomes easier to programme. In order to prove your authority on their subject matter, you will probably need to highlight documents and point out clues in order to support your thinking.
Convincing a Sceptic
Sceptics can be persuaded of a new idea provided that again, evidence can support your words. The more clues that can be provided the easier your task becomes. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Now that all initial arguments have been overcome the programming of their subconscious mind starts. List all the benefits of your idea or command that you want the other person to take on board. Be assertive when delivering these benefits and repeat them over and over again. Constant repetition will shake any belief system as long as the conscious mind can be by-passed or you have become a trusted source.
It really helps if you truly believe in what it is you are trying to sell. A totally belief in your idea gives you self confidence and you will sound far more convincing to the other person. It is the entrepreneur who really believes in his product that becomes the success.
It may sound like the advice is to manipulate people into believing in your idea or doing what you want them to do. The word “programming” possibly makes people seem like computers. The whole point is to understand the mechanics of the techniques. These techniques are being used on us inadvertently many times a day. Conversations express points of views that are conveyed to all involved and these words are stored in our minds at a subconscious level. It is just a natural process.
Once opposition to your idea can be overcome, your idea expressed with optimism, self confidence and inspiration can be much more easily sold.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
So what techniques are these people using that make their points of view so compelling?
One mistake that many people make when trying to convince somebody to do something or believe in something, is to present their reasoning without due regard to the other persons existing points of views.
It becomes necessary to try to think of all the opposing arguments so that you can tackle each one by one. Usually people are hard to convince because they have many reasons to oppose what you are trying to say. If you can answer all their arguments effectively you can more easily start to programme their subconscious mind into believing what you want them to believe. You will know when an argument has been countered effectively when the person moves onto the next point without returning back to the previous one. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
There are at least three reasons why somebody may be initially opposed to what you have to say.
Belief Conflict
Somebodys’ beliefs are opposed to your own despite the fact that these beliefs may not even be backed up by hard evidence. For many centuries people believed that the world was flat and that there was a point where we could all fall off. It took a lot of hard persuading and much evidence to change that belief system.
Greater Knowledge
Someone has a greater knowledge on the subject on which you are trying to have your say. Try to convince an astronomer that the sun is nearer to the earth than the moon and you task is nigh on impossible because he knows differently.
Sceptics
These types of people will doubt almost anything. They have to be absolutely convinced about a point before accepting it, usually needing to see facts and evidence first.
So how do you go about persuading these hard to convince people of your point of view or command?
Shaking Beliefs
Talk assertively and with confidence about your subject matter. If their beliefs are not founded on sound knowledge, a manner of authority will cause doubts about their beliefs.
Undermining Knowledge
The idea is to convince the person that you are an authority on their subject. This is far more important than trying to convince them of a specific idea. By doing this you become a trusted source in the minds of their subconscious which in turn becomes easier to programme. In order to prove your authority on their subject matter, you will probably need to highlight documents and point out clues in order to support your thinking.
Convincing a Sceptic
Sceptics can be persuaded of a new idea provided that again, evidence can support your words. The more clues that can be provided the easier your task becomes. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Now that all initial arguments have been overcome the programming of their subconscious mind starts. List all the benefits of your idea or command that you want the other person to take on board. Be assertive when delivering these benefits and repeat them over and over again. Constant repetition will shake any belief system as long as the conscious mind can be by-passed or you have become a trusted source.
It really helps if you truly believe in what it is you are trying to sell. A totally belief in your idea gives you self confidence and you will sound far more convincing to the other person. It is the entrepreneur who really believes in his product that becomes the success.
It may sound like the advice is to manipulate people into believing in your idea or doing what you want them to do. The word “programming” possibly makes people seem like computers. The whole point is to understand the mechanics of the techniques. These techniques are being used on us inadvertently many times a day. Conversations express points of views that are conveyed to all involved and these words are stored in our minds at a subconscious level. It is just a natural process.
Once opposition to your idea can be overcome, your idea expressed with optimism, self confidence and inspiration can be much more easily sold.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Friday, 27 February 2009
How to Practice Forgiveness and Experience That Wonderful Sense of Well Being
Forgiveness is a truly inspirational quality to have, admired by many, the examples of which should provide motivation to us all to practice forgiveness ourselves. Those wonderful reports of people who have lost loved ones under murderous circumstances, yet have still found it in their hearts to forgive the perpetrators.
How easy is it to forgive though, when hurt has penetrated deep inside and the feelings of revenge or justice are upper most in the heart? http://www.2knowmyself.com/
There are hundreds of articles written about forgiveness. Many of the great religions are founded upon forgiveness. They promise the feel good factor and experiences of inner peace if forgiveness is practiced. So words of forgiveness are expressed, wanting that calm to materialise inside, yet still, there is a little part that won’t let go of the hurt that is being felt.
Reading articles and opinions about forgiveness provides motivation in the short term but soon the old way of thinking starts to creep back in as the emotional pain rears its ugly head again.
The fact is we must try to unravel the underlying reasons for the feelings that prevent us practicing forgiveness. We must deal with our ego issues as these are the reasons for our bad feelings and the pain that we feel. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Jealousy is a tremendously negative emotion that blocks the ability to forgive. Somebody gets the job you have tried so hard to get or that fantastic looking girl has gone off with another guy. It is so difficult to forgive the opposition when the green eyed monster of jealousy masks the truth.
Forgiveness is associated with strength and self confidence. People with self esteem and confidence crack on with their own lives and don’t get bogged down with what other people are doing. A lack of self confidence tends to make someone look for the faults in others and when somebody commits a crime against their moral judgement, this gives them a feeling of strength, believing that the perpetrator is a lesser person than they. Practicing forgiveness then relinquishes that position of strength.
When trying out a new venture there is normally some insecurity involved as one is learning the ropes and perhaps lacks the self belief that success can be achieved. So any criticism at this point can harbour much resentment. As time goes on and the venture becomes successful, self confidence and self esteem are far stronger and it is easier to look back at the criticism and forgive the person that has made the comments. They may even be viewed as actually having a point. http://2knowmyself.com/
To practice forgiveness we need to understand the real emotions that surround our pain. Jealousy, insecurity and a lack of self confidence will always sap our strength and thus our ability to forgive. By building up our emotional strength and self esteem we are far more able to practice that admirable quality of forgiveness and get on with our lives with hope, optimism and motivation.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
How easy is it to forgive though, when hurt has penetrated deep inside and the feelings of revenge or justice are upper most in the heart? http://www.2knowmyself.com/
There are hundreds of articles written about forgiveness. Many of the great religions are founded upon forgiveness. They promise the feel good factor and experiences of inner peace if forgiveness is practiced. So words of forgiveness are expressed, wanting that calm to materialise inside, yet still, there is a little part that won’t let go of the hurt that is being felt.
Reading articles and opinions about forgiveness provides motivation in the short term but soon the old way of thinking starts to creep back in as the emotional pain rears its ugly head again.
The fact is we must try to unravel the underlying reasons for the feelings that prevent us practicing forgiveness. We must deal with our ego issues as these are the reasons for our bad feelings and the pain that we feel. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Jealousy is a tremendously negative emotion that blocks the ability to forgive. Somebody gets the job you have tried so hard to get or that fantastic looking girl has gone off with another guy. It is so difficult to forgive the opposition when the green eyed monster of jealousy masks the truth.
Forgiveness is associated with strength and self confidence. People with self esteem and confidence crack on with their own lives and don’t get bogged down with what other people are doing. A lack of self confidence tends to make someone look for the faults in others and when somebody commits a crime against their moral judgement, this gives them a feeling of strength, believing that the perpetrator is a lesser person than they. Practicing forgiveness then relinquishes that position of strength.
When trying out a new venture there is normally some insecurity involved as one is learning the ropes and perhaps lacks the self belief that success can be achieved. So any criticism at this point can harbour much resentment. As time goes on and the venture becomes successful, self confidence and self esteem are far stronger and it is easier to look back at the criticism and forgive the person that has made the comments. They may even be viewed as actually having a point. http://2knowmyself.com/
To practice forgiveness we need to understand the real emotions that surround our pain. Jealousy, insecurity and a lack of self confidence will always sap our strength and thus our ability to forgive. By building up our emotional strength and self esteem we are far more able to practice that admirable quality of forgiveness and get on with our lives with hope, optimism and motivation.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
There's Nothing Like Being Stuck in the Toilet to Sink Your Self Esteem
There are probably many times when things go wrong and a lack of self esteem creeps in. Sometimes the problem can be so severe that you have your doubts about God being by our side helping us through the turmoil’s in life. God however does carry us through and we always come out the other end being the stronger for it.
I am about to introduce literally some toilet humour into this writing. It’s not intended to offend so please turn away now if this is not your thing.
I was using a public convenience the other day and it reminded me of a time some while ago when I was caught out. Now I know this will resonate with more than a few of you when I say that I was desperate to use the toilet on this particular occasion and rushed into a public convenience. After doing my business I went for the toilet paper. None there!!!
What do you do?
Well some of the alternatives would be:-
Search to see how much tissue you have in your pockets.
Wait until there is nobody about and then dart into another cubicle with your trousers around your ankles.
Call for help to see if somebody can get you some paper from another cubicle or an attendant.
Wait until you get home.
I’m sure there are hundreds of answers to this problem. In my case I did have enough tissue in my pockets to get me out of the mire. At times like this, panic could easily set in and we could end up wondering where the help is at this particular moment. But the truth is, answers are given, we do get ourselves out of sticky situations and two days later we are laughing about these with our friends.
As with all awkward and difficult situations there are lessons to be learned. There is no doubt that I will use public conveniences again in the future but the lesson that I have learned; CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY PAPER FIRST.
This is a light hearted look at problems. But so many problems in life are far more serious than this. Our self confidence, inspiration, optimism and hope can be knocked for six and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. At first, there is desperation; absolutely hating to be in this dark, horrible place, wanting more than anything to get out of this tunnel. But after a while you start treading carefully, feeling your way along the walls. Occasionally we may stumble over a bolder but our self confidence starts to grow now. The darkness seems to be more bearable as our eyes get accustomed to it and we can even make out some silhouettes of obstacles in our way.
God is on this journey with us, guiding us and holding our hand. Eventually he shows us the light, his light at the end of this particular tunnel.
And we have learned from this experience, so that we are not so afraid to take another trip along this tunnel, but we are wiser now, we recognise the barriers along the way and we can get to the end a lot faster.
If we believe in God, we never walk alone. We have hope in our hearts which creates optimism and motivation, inspiration and self confidence and the ability to overcome the most dire of circumstances.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
I am about to introduce literally some toilet humour into this writing. It’s not intended to offend so please turn away now if this is not your thing.
I was using a public convenience the other day and it reminded me of a time some while ago when I was caught out. Now I know this will resonate with more than a few of you when I say that I was desperate to use the toilet on this particular occasion and rushed into a public convenience. After doing my business I went for the toilet paper. None there!!!
What do you do?
Well some of the alternatives would be:-
Search to see how much tissue you have in your pockets.
Wait until there is nobody about and then dart into another cubicle with your trousers around your ankles.
Call for help to see if somebody can get you some paper from another cubicle or an attendant.
Wait until you get home.
I’m sure there are hundreds of answers to this problem. In my case I did have enough tissue in my pockets to get me out of the mire. At times like this, panic could easily set in and we could end up wondering where the help is at this particular moment. But the truth is, answers are given, we do get ourselves out of sticky situations and two days later we are laughing about these with our friends.
As with all awkward and difficult situations there are lessons to be learned. There is no doubt that I will use public conveniences again in the future but the lesson that I have learned; CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY PAPER FIRST.
This is a light hearted look at problems. But so many problems in life are far more serious than this. Our self confidence, inspiration, optimism and hope can be knocked for six and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. At first, there is desperation; absolutely hating to be in this dark, horrible place, wanting more than anything to get out of this tunnel. But after a while you start treading carefully, feeling your way along the walls. Occasionally we may stumble over a bolder but our self confidence starts to grow now. The darkness seems to be more bearable as our eyes get accustomed to it and we can even make out some silhouettes of obstacles in our way.
God is on this journey with us, guiding us and holding our hand. Eventually he shows us the light, his light at the end of this particular tunnel.
And we have learned from this experience, so that we are not so afraid to take another trip along this tunnel, but we are wiser now, we recognise the barriers along the way and we can get to the end a lot faster.
If we believe in God, we never walk alone. We have hope in our hearts which creates optimism and motivation, inspiration and self confidence and the ability to overcome the most dire of circumstances.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Saturday, 21 February 2009
See How Easily you Can Enjoy Your Evening with Self Confidence
Do you know who you are?
This may sound like a really peculiar question, but are you truly the person that you portray to the rest of the world. When you are out with friends do you try to be the life and soul of the party, always cracking jokes and making people laugh, appearing to be have extreme self confidence.
Perhaps you always act like the supremely tough person with self confidence, hoping to make others respect you by allowing them to think that you are somebody not to be messed with.
But is this your true nature or are you attempting to portray a false image?
It is human nature to be liked by everybody else. Very few people like to be hated or have others think ill of them. We prefer to have others think highly of us and act in a way that is going to promote a positive image of ourselves. This gives us self confidence and self esteem albeit temporarily while our friends play along with our acting.
Once you are away from the crowd you probably start to ask questions of yourself.
Did you make a fool of yourself?
Did you go over the top and make comments that offended someone?
Was you really true to yourself?
Perhaps your self confidence and image of yourself isn’t yet as highly developed as you would like. If it was you would have the belief that you are a decent person and your friends will accept you for the way you are.
How often before meeting friends for the evening do you rehearse the things you are likely to say?
How many jokes do you practice in your head just so you can spread some hilarity amongst the crowd?
Do you go over the tough sounding sound bytes to make your acquaintances look up to you?
All this can be quite emotionally draining and does nothing for your self confidence especially if things don’t go according to plan. Your evening could be ruined all for the sake of impressing others.
You need to be yourself. Deep down you know you are a good person. Have the self confidence and belief in yourself to be yourself. Others will respect you for it. By going out in the evening with the only plan being to be yourself you may actually start to enjoy yourself. It’s surprising how spontaneity can give you the quick and funny one liners without having to rehearse any lines. Getting into debates can be very interesting without having to plan them or make them come up in conversation. Just let them happen. By the end of the evening your friends will have seen the real you and they will be the happier for it because they are likely to have been more relaxed in your company; not having had to compete to keep up with you. Your self confidence will have been boosted to.
O.K. you may naturally be the witty guy full of the wise cracks. You may well be the hard man with the self confidence to be able to handle yourself. That is perfectly fine if that is the real you. But you decide. If you act in a way that is done only to impress others then stop.
Who is the most important person for you to impress?
It’s yourself. And you can only do this if you are true to yourself. We cannot be everything to everybody.
So why even try?
Although you can try to influence what others think, you cannot control what others think. What you can control is what you think. Concentrate on yourself. Look at what your principles are; the principles by which you try to live your life. Have the self confidence and belief that these principles are good ones. By acting according to these principles others will see the real you and this is what will gain their respect most of all.
It is not being said here that you can’t have a laugh and a joke, but don’t go out of your way to force it to happen. Let it happen naturally with spontaneity. It is much more fun that way.
Living your life according to what you believe in should be practiced twenty four hours a day. It isn’t difficult because this is the way you are naturally. Going against your principles is where the hard work is.
Study your principles. Have the self confidence that these principles are good and then be yourself living as best as you can according to these principles.
This is who you really are.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
This may sound like a really peculiar question, but are you truly the person that you portray to the rest of the world. When you are out with friends do you try to be the life and soul of the party, always cracking jokes and making people laugh, appearing to be have extreme self confidence.
Perhaps you always act like the supremely tough person with self confidence, hoping to make others respect you by allowing them to think that you are somebody not to be messed with.
But is this your true nature or are you attempting to portray a false image?
It is human nature to be liked by everybody else. Very few people like to be hated or have others think ill of them. We prefer to have others think highly of us and act in a way that is going to promote a positive image of ourselves. This gives us self confidence and self esteem albeit temporarily while our friends play along with our acting.
Once you are away from the crowd you probably start to ask questions of yourself.
Did you make a fool of yourself?
Did you go over the top and make comments that offended someone?
Was you really true to yourself?
Perhaps your self confidence and image of yourself isn’t yet as highly developed as you would like. If it was you would have the belief that you are a decent person and your friends will accept you for the way you are.
How often before meeting friends for the evening do you rehearse the things you are likely to say?
How many jokes do you practice in your head just so you can spread some hilarity amongst the crowd?
Do you go over the tough sounding sound bytes to make your acquaintances look up to you?
All this can be quite emotionally draining and does nothing for your self confidence especially if things don’t go according to plan. Your evening could be ruined all for the sake of impressing others.
You need to be yourself. Deep down you know you are a good person. Have the self confidence and belief in yourself to be yourself. Others will respect you for it. By going out in the evening with the only plan being to be yourself you may actually start to enjoy yourself. It’s surprising how spontaneity can give you the quick and funny one liners without having to rehearse any lines. Getting into debates can be very interesting without having to plan them or make them come up in conversation. Just let them happen. By the end of the evening your friends will have seen the real you and they will be the happier for it because they are likely to have been more relaxed in your company; not having had to compete to keep up with you. Your self confidence will have been boosted to.
O.K. you may naturally be the witty guy full of the wise cracks. You may well be the hard man with the self confidence to be able to handle yourself. That is perfectly fine if that is the real you. But you decide. If you act in a way that is done only to impress others then stop.
Who is the most important person for you to impress?
It’s yourself. And you can only do this if you are true to yourself. We cannot be everything to everybody.
So why even try?
Although you can try to influence what others think, you cannot control what others think. What you can control is what you think. Concentrate on yourself. Look at what your principles are; the principles by which you try to live your life. Have the self confidence and belief that these principles are good ones. By acting according to these principles others will see the real you and this is what will gain their respect most of all.
It is not being said here that you can’t have a laugh and a joke, but don’t go out of your way to force it to happen. Let it happen naturally with spontaneity. It is much more fun that way.
Living your life according to what you believe in should be practiced twenty four hours a day. It isn’t difficult because this is the way you are naturally. Going against your principles is where the hard work is.
Study your principles. Have the self confidence that these principles are good and then be yourself living as best as you can according to these principles.
This is who you really are.
How fantastic is that?
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Thursday, 19 February 2009
How You Can Walk Through a Storm with Hope and Optimism in Your Heart
There are many times when life gets us down. Life is hard, finances are tight or a relationship breaks up. We’ve all been there and we are left wondering where God was throughout these difficult times. Why did God not help us in our hour of need?
I find the verse “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson such a poignant piece of work. For those that have never read it, I feel inspired to copy it for you here.
Footprints in the Sand
One night I had a dream.
I dreamed that I was walking along the beach with the Lord,
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
One belonged to me and the other to the lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why in my times when I needed you most,
you should leave me.”
The Lord replied “My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints
it was then that I carried you.”
The truth is that God is always there by our sides and watches over us “for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health”. He is there for the good times as well as the bad. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we come through it eventually and it is Gods guidance, his desire to carry us that brings us safely to the end of that particular journey in our lives.
Knowing that God holds our hands when we need him most helps us to walk through the storm with hope in our hearts believing that we will never walk alone.
We can always have motivation, inspiration, optimism, self confidence and self esteem when there is help by our sides.
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
I find the verse “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson such a poignant piece of work. For those that have never read it, I feel inspired to copy it for you here.
Footprints in the Sand
One night I had a dream.
I dreamed that I was walking along the beach with the Lord,
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
One belonged to me and the other to the lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why in my times when I needed you most,
you should leave me.”
The Lord replied “My precious, precious child,
I love you and would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints
it was then that I carried you.”
The truth is that God is always there by our sides and watches over us “for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health”. He is there for the good times as well as the bad. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we come through it eventually and it is Gods guidance, his desire to carry us that brings us safely to the end of that particular journey in our lives.
Knowing that God holds our hands when we need him most helps us to walk through the storm with hope in our hearts believing that we will never walk alone.
We can always have motivation, inspiration, optimism, self confidence and self esteem when there is help by our sides.
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Flippin' Heck That's a Big 'Un. What Is? Your Ego
Why is it that people start fights?
Possibly because of somebodys ego. That somebody will have probably thought that they didn’t get the respect that they deserved. This welled up anger inside them enough to thump the other person. Their ego provides the motivation for a fight.
Some people spend a good part of their lives in fights purely because others don’t have the same high regard for them as they have of themselves. Their ego is inflated, becoming so large it becomes fragile. Others around them cannot possibly keep providing the fuel to keep this ego so well inflated. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Egos can also be deflated, particularly when a person believes that they aren’t as successful as they ought to be. This can bring on the onset of depression. We all have a sense of worthiness, even those who suffer from an inferiority complex. The problem comes when an ego is so great that life just becomes one of pain and mental suffering.
Why do some companies have such a tremendous desire to build huge, tall buildings?
Do they really use all that space in these skyscrapers?
Well some do, but others are built to satisfy the egos of the company directors. The skyscraper is a symbol of how demanding an ego can be. We all try, in our own way, to build skyscrapers. In a positive manner, some of us look to become leaders or build financial success which in turn boosts our self confidence and self esteem. On the negative front, a minority will cause wars and tremendous suffering, all in the name of power and a desire to boost an ego.
Unfortunately skyscrapers sometimes fail to get built or come crashing down. As was mentioned earlier, this failure can lead to depression. How deep and severe the depression can be equates to the difference between ambition driven by ego and the current level of achievement.
How many people remain in unhealthy relationships because of their ego?
They continue to put up a front, creating to the world an impression that life is perfectly rosy in their relationship. Despite the underlying unhappiness, these people refuse to remove themselves from the relationship because of what others might think of them. Frightened perhaps that others may not see them as being normal because they are not part of a couple.
So how do we let go of this gremlin called an ego?
Despite not trying to preach religion, a belief in God certainly can help. God ultimately controls everything and in a roundabout way that includes us. Yes we make choices, but it is God who provides these choices, those opportunities and the tools with which to use to reach our goals. Take away some of these tools and we wouldn’t be the person we are today.
God doesn’t just give us everything we desire directly; he doesn’t plant that tree in our gardens that money grows on (despite what my wife and kids might think). But he does give us the tools to create the things that we desire. He gives us our minds, produces opportunities and creates those chance meetings with people who provide us with knowledge and inspiration.
These tools are responsible for our current identity and achievements. If we find that our egos are as inflated as a hot air balloon, we shouldn’t knock ourselves for it; just ask God to provide the tools that we need to develop the motivation, optimism and self confidence to achieve our dreams.
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
Possibly because of somebodys ego. That somebody will have probably thought that they didn’t get the respect that they deserved. This welled up anger inside them enough to thump the other person. Their ego provides the motivation for a fight.
Some people spend a good part of their lives in fights purely because others don’t have the same high regard for them as they have of themselves. Their ego is inflated, becoming so large it becomes fragile. Others around them cannot possibly keep providing the fuel to keep this ego so well inflated. http://www.2knowmyself.com/
Egos can also be deflated, particularly when a person believes that they aren’t as successful as they ought to be. This can bring on the onset of depression. We all have a sense of worthiness, even those who suffer from an inferiority complex. The problem comes when an ego is so great that life just becomes one of pain and mental suffering.
Why do some companies have such a tremendous desire to build huge, tall buildings?
Do they really use all that space in these skyscrapers?
Well some do, but others are built to satisfy the egos of the company directors. The skyscraper is a symbol of how demanding an ego can be. We all try, in our own way, to build skyscrapers. In a positive manner, some of us look to become leaders or build financial success which in turn boosts our self confidence and self esteem. On the negative front, a minority will cause wars and tremendous suffering, all in the name of power and a desire to boost an ego.
Unfortunately skyscrapers sometimes fail to get built or come crashing down. As was mentioned earlier, this failure can lead to depression. How deep and severe the depression can be equates to the difference between ambition driven by ego and the current level of achievement.
How many people remain in unhealthy relationships because of their ego?
They continue to put up a front, creating to the world an impression that life is perfectly rosy in their relationship. Despite the underlying unhappiness, these people refuse to remove themselves from the relationship because of what others might think of them. Frightened perhaps that others may not see them as being normal because they are not part of a couple.
So how do we let go of this gremlin called an ego?
Despite not trying to preach religion, a belief in God certainly can help. God ultimately controls everything and in a roundabout way that includes us. Yes we make choices, but it is God who provides these choices, those opportunities and the tools with which to use to reach our goals. Take away some of these tools and we wouldn’t be the person we are today.
God doesn’t just give us everything we desire directly; he doesn’t plant that tree in our gardens that money grows on (despite what my wife and kids might think). But he does give us the tools to create the things that we desire. He gives us our minds, produces opportunities and creates those chance meetings with people who provide us with knowledge and inspiration.
These tools are responsible for our current identity and achievements. If we find that our egos are as inflated as a hot air balloon, we shouldn’t knock ourselves for it; just ask God to provide the tools that we need to develop the motivation, optimism and self confidence to achieve our dreams.
Terry Norrington
http://www.whatisthemeaningoffaith.com
http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/index.htm#terryn1
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