The Gift, Is The Present

Just after publishing my first ebook, Dream Your Life Positively which dealt basically with the universal laws of attraction, a good friend asked me: Does it means that all disasters, diseases, or personal loss are a reflection of my thoughts?

The world we live in is our responsibility I said. We act and interact with the other inhabitants of this planet. By direct or indirect connection, these negative energy waves cross your path. It is not the ACT itself of this negative energy the important factor. You are not to be blamed for all the horrors happening in your life or around the world but your ACTION and reaction towards them is very much a direct cause of how these energies will decrease or increase. Your ability to accept the challenges thrown in your path and take responsibility for your actions will define and create the map of your life’s journey.

Deciding to approach your daily life in a positive way will attract things and people who are positive towards you. It is that simple. If you look at life as a blessing, the universe has an inexhaustible supply of riches reserved for you. On the other hand if you see it as a curse, it will become a curse. Read again Dream Your Life Positively to reconnect with this force inside you. A dear friend once sent me this story which I want to share with all of you. It is a simple letter that made the rounds of the web, and nobody knows its origin, but it exemplifies in a poignant way my view on the Law of Attraction.

I hope it will touch you as deeply it touched me. Do a positive action right now and send this link to all of your friends. “The Present” Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service , where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.

Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene. One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band – he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days, weeks and months passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.

The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present .”

Be Present And When Necessary Have The Courage To Speak Up And Speak Out

I am writing this at the beginning of 2008 before the first Sunday of the year, because I have just received an email regarding what is happening in some mega-churches across America and I understand that some major big-named ministries are being investigated regarding their financial affairs. I was aware that there were problems but I did not realise they were this serious. What happened to the simple preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

What is missing? And who are missing? If some men of integrity are missing then things can suddenly go very wrong. Let me correct that. They do not go wrong suddenly. They go wrong slowly bit by bit until the issue is immense and the Name of Jesus Christ is ridiculed and laughed at, as a consequence of the activity and behaviour of those who perhaps started well.

Let me illustrate this in a different way by looking at Thomas. You will find the actual account in John Chapter 20.

Nobody knows where he was nor why he was not present with the others, but he missed so much by being absent.

Thomas was not in the Upper Room on resurrection evening when Jesus Christ appeared to his baffled wondering men. He was the disciple who had been quick to ask questions, and now his mind seems to be racing, as he attempts to work out just what has been happening.

Did he go off to consider seriously all the various events of these past few days? Jesus had been betrayed, arrested, crucified and buried. Thomas had witnessed these facts.

But now some trustworthy women were saying that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had met them that morning, and Peter and John were adding to the irrationality of it all.

The risen Jesus had appeared to those who had gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem, and He had spoken to them and breathed upon them.

Thomas had missed seeing and hearing the risen Jesus, and receiving from Jesus, and this raised further questions in his questioning mind.

He would not accept the explanatory answers of Peter and John and the others. That was not good enough. Mere words were insufficient.

“For me to believe I will have to poke my fingers into His wounds!” Thomas wants evidence.

He has to wait another week, and that can be a long time when you have a heavy troublesome burdened heart.

One week later, through the same locked doors, Jesus Christ reappears, and now Thomas has his chance. He did not need to touch Him.

Realising who this is he blurts out, “My Lord and my God!”

By being absent a man can miss seeing that vital convincing evidence.

There is something further though. By remaining silent when you become aware that what is going is not quite right, then other things can go wrong. Money can be misused. Funds can be diverted from their original intention.

During this coming year, if you are a committed Christian, be present at all the Services you can. Be in the Word of God every day. Take time and make time to read it and pray. Know the Scriptures as well as you can. Keep yourself as pure as if possible in this soiled sinful fallen world.

If you serve on a Committee or Board and you see things going wrong or just beginning to go wrong, have the courage to speak up. God will honour that. But not only that – there will normally be someone else around who will have the spiritual insight to see the same issues and who will rise and speak to support you.

These things take courage. I remember someone saying to me when I was appointed to a very important committee forty years ago this year – I must have been a boy member! – now stay to the end of the meeting because it is when good Bible believing people slip away and absent themselves that bad decisions are made in the final minutes when there is no-one to speak up and speak out.

This calls for real leadership!

Much is at stake – even the glory of the Name of God, and of our Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Sandy Shaw

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

Executive Personal Assistants and Negotiation Skills

Executive Assistant often has to deal with negotiation in their roles. This is because they will encounter business at a high level and often be responsible for negotiating with suppliers, other department and even customers, whilst their managers are absent.

Therefore, a successful Executive Assistant will need to develop some great negotiation skills, if they are going to succeed in their careers. However, approaching the business world for the first time as a negotiator can be intimidating.

How should I prepare myself?

Think about your skills that you have developed in your work experience and in your wider life. Remember when you are dealing with people skills, such as negotiations, you can draw upon your life experiences. Outside of work, where will you have negotiated?

• Buying your house
• Getting your jobs
• Getting holiday approved
• Compromising with your partner, husband or wife.
• Or even negotiating for cooperation with the toughest bargainers of all,
your children.

The above examples are likely to be encountered by the majority of the population, at one point or another. So when you are preparing to negotiate on a business sense, you should think about all of the strengths that you possess in a negotiation. I would do this exercise and right down a list of your natural attributes.

What makes a good negotiator?

There are many attributes to a good negotiator. Here is a list of the skills that one should possess:

• The ability to prepare and research the subject. This is important because you need a sound base of knowledge to argue your points. It will also help you to understand what the best outcome is for yourself and what motivates the other side.

• The ability to prioritise. We rarely get anything that we want in a negotiation, as there has to be an element of compromise on both sides. Therefore, you need to be able to prioritise your requirements that are fundamental to the outcome of the negotiation.

• Listening. You need to understand where the other side is coming from. A failure to appreciate their point of view, may lead to you failing to come to final agreement.

• Open mindedness and adaptability. You often are presented with potential solutions during the discussion.

Therefore, you will need to be able to take on new ideas and outcomes and see if they can work for you. Often a suitable outcome is presented to you, which you had never expected. If you are inflexible, you will miss these opportunities.