Understand the Power of Perception Like a Winner Does
Would you like to discover why the intellectual factor of perception is critical to success?
Successful people understand how important perception is in everything they do. People who consistently fail never seem to realize that the way they perceive the world has a profound impact on their lives. What they think about, what they feel and ultimately the actions they take or do not take are based on perception. Are you someone who is optimistic and sees the glass half full or someone who is pessimistic and always seems to find fault with everything around you? What Is Perception?
Perception is one of our intellectual factors that governs how we view the world. Based on our perception of the world around us can we make decisions about where we want to go and who we want to be. Doesn’t it seem logical that if perception is the beginning of thought formulation than it deserves some attention?
How can I use the intellectual factor of perception?
You were born perfect. Your intellectual factor of perception when you were a baby was incredible. You used your five senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch to observe the world around you. As you matured you started to form beliefs that shaped your perceptions. For example, if a child went to the gas station with his father and noticed the price of gas was five dollars a gallon he would see this information, but not have a special belief associated with it. The father on the other hand might view this price of gas as a serious problem. Based on the father’s frame of reference he might perceive that the price of gas directly relates to his disposable income. Is it a fact or is this a belief that the price of gas is a major contributor to someone’s disposable income?
Another way to perceive the same situation is that the price of gas has gone up and therefore costs have gone up. Therefore I better get more creative to serve more people so I can earn more money to have an even better lifestyle.
Another interpretation might be gee the price of gas is going up maybe I should buy an call option on crude oil. You can either respond or react to the world around you. A response implies the act of thinking and looking for the good in the situation while simply reaction implies no thinking and often complaining.
How Do You Perceive Life?
Are you one of those individuals who always seems to find the positive side of any situation? Do you look for the good in people or do you pick apart all of their faults? Are you essentially a happy person or are you generally depressed? Perhaps somewhere in between? Do you think there is room for improvement to be happier and more in control of your emotions? All of these questions have one thing in common - your perceptions cloud everything around you.
Make up your mind to change the way you perceive things for a happier and healthier life.
I believe you’re reading this article because you really do want to be happier, healthier and wealthier. These are the basic factors that we can consider in terms of getting really great results in life. If this is you, and if you are serious, I challenge you to become hyperaware of how you perceive everything around you. Stop complaining to people and to yourself when things do not go well. Have the strength to be able to keep a positive mental attitude during difficult times and look for the good in a bad situation. Ask yourself what is the alternative? If you have a bad situation on your hands and you look for what’s bad about the situation how can this lead to any good? Unless you’re one of those strange people who enjoy wallowing in misery this is not a recipe for a successful life.
The intellectual factor of perception is a very important ingredient to building awareness and knowledge. Successful people understand this and choose to be very cognizant of how they perceive things. I encourage you to be optimistic and to realize that there are many ways to look at a situation. What looks to you to be an obvious solution from another angle might appear completely different. Focus at looking at issues from multiple vantage points and I guarantee you’ll get better results.
Friendship: the Simple Secret of Coaching Leaders
My coach never spends time with me,” the hurting leader confessed . “He administrates me, directs me, and even continues to exemplify small group leadership. But what I really want is a friend. I want someone to take me out for coffee, to occasionally ‘hang out with.’”
As a researcher, I’ve spent many hours trying to discover the principles behind effective coaching. I’ve searched for secret formulas and hidden mysteries. When I finally found what I consider the KEY, I was embarrassed by its simplicity. I felt like the famous German theologian who boiled down all his years of research into one phrase: Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Friendship. We often overlook this simple, yet powerful principle. I believe it’s the key to successfully coaching small group leaders.
Jesus, the ultimate coach, revealed this simple KEY in the book of John when He said to His disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (15:15).
Jesus, entered a friendship with twelve sinful human beings, whom He mentored for three years. He ate with them, slept with them and answered all their questions. The gospel writer, Mark, describes the calling of the twelve this way, “He appointed twelve-designating them apostles-that they might be with him. . . ” (Mark 3:14). Jesus prioritized “being with them” over a set of rules or techniques.
I learned this the hard way. I coached seven small group leaders over a period of three years. They often came to my home for skill training, goal assessment and care. When we gathered, I hooked up my computer to my TV, used my flashy PowerPoint slides and tried to WOW them by my teaching. As I polled them later, I discovered that some weren’t impressed by my fancy presentations and high-tech gadgetry. They left unfulfilled, wanting something more.
God began to show me a better way as I talked with other, more effective coaches. One coach, for example, who I met in Australia explained to me why his own network of small group leaders was growing so rapidly, “I’m a friend to my leaders. Those under me follow my example and they befriend the new small group leaders under their care. Through friendship, my network of cell leaders has grown larger than any other.”
It finally began to dawn on me that people really don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Knowledge, skill training, problem solving, group dynamics, and other techniques can play an important role in a coach’s success. BUT, what a new small group leader really needs is someone to bear the burden, to share the journey, to serve as a sounding board.
Does this mean the actual coaching meeting is unimportant? Does it mean that you shouldn’t faithfully rotate among groups or provide needed skill training? NO. What it does mean is that you first must win the leader through a caring friendship. Everything else will flow naturally.
The best teaching, in fact, is the natural type that occurs spontaneously. Jesus didn’t simply teach His disciples about prayer. Rather, He asked them to accompany Him to prayer meetings. He allowed His disciples to see Him praying. When the disciples finally asked Him what He was doing, He seized upon the opportunity to teach them about prayer (Lk. 11:1-4).
The same is true with evangelism. Jesus evangelized people in the presence of His disciples and then instructed them afterwards. He took advantage of real life situations to carefully explain complex doctrinal issues (e.g., rich young ruler in Mt. 19:23).
Let’s get practical. How can you, the coach, befriend those small group leaders under your care? Here are a few suggestions:
* Invite the small group leader over to your home for dinner. Let him or her see your family, your dog, your life. * Send the small group leader a birthday card, a get well note, or a spontaneous “off the wall” humorous letter. * Go out for coffee with the person. * Invite the small group leader to play sports with you, or some other normal life activity. * Pray daily for the person (which will solidify your spiritual friendship).
Everyone can be a friend, although only some coaches will excel in administration. Everyone can be a friend, although only some coaches possess teaching gifts, graduate level education or a call to fulltime ministry.
You probably knew the key was friendship all along. If not, I’d encourage you to start now to build a sincere, caring relationship with those who you’re coaching. Like me, you’ll discover how such a simple truth can have such a powerful impact on people’s lives.
Wise Up in 2009
Statistics tell us 90% of Americans will make New Year’s resolutions. Sadly, 50% of us will have abandoned our goals by the end of January. Of those still holding on to hope, only 50% will be realized. So, why do we continue this tortuous ritual? Perhaps it is the hope that this year we will make better choices. This year, we tell ourselves, will finally be the year we turn that corner, flip over the new leaf, and begin again.
Based upon the six-question process outlined in my book, Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life, here are six guideposts for making better choices in 2009.
1. Know Your Standard Bearer In ancient days the standard or flag was carried into battle by one sworn to uphold all the emblem signified, even to the point of wrapping his body in the banner before the fatal blow should the safety of the symbol no longer be secured. Christ was God’s standard-bearer to the world. His standard is the measure by which we are called to live. Are the goals you’ve set for 2009 based upon His standard or someone else’s? If you’re not sure, you may need to spend some time getting to know your Standard-Bearer.
2. Don’t Let a Detour Determine Your Direction Life is full of detours. One minute we are zooming down the highway and then right in the middle of the road is a detour sign sending us off in another direction, or so we think. Detours and dead-ends are not always a sign that we need to change course. Sometimes these little delays are a test of our perseverance, or our willingness to see things through regardless of the cost. When you hit a detour, ask God if he is trying to get your attention or if the road sign is not simply one left by the road crew the night before.
3. Success Occurs Outside the Comfort Zone Most of us like to operate within our own comfort zones where we know the landscape and can control the outcome. Yet, time after time we hear the tales of those who’ve traversed the sea of ordinary to become extraordinary. And in each story one thing stands true, each of these men and women had to reach beyond his or her own limitations, to stretch beyond their own comfort zones in order to fully embrace what God had for them. Don’t be afraid to stretch outside your area of comfort, for it is out there that God makes Himself known.
4. Giant Strides Begin With a Single Step Most of us want to do something BIG for God. We want to leave our mark on this world. We dream of making it big and giving God all of the glory, and we like overnight successes. Little do we know that each overnight success was preceded by many nights of little successes-and failures-till one day the overnight success happened. Begin each day taking the next little step you know to take.
5. Choose the Road Less Traveled In stead of the road less traveled, most prefer the path of relative ease. Crowded and filled with familiarity, this road appears to go where we want to go, after-all “everyone” is on it. Songs are made to glorify this super-highway and books tempt us with stories of its fulfillment, but once lulled by its smooth surface we find little truth in its travel brochures. Be sure you are not fooled by the flashy advertisements. The road less traveled, the more difficult way, is the true path to fulfillment.
6. Your Goal May Not Be Your True Destination You’ve heard it said: Joy is found in the journey, not the destination. The goal is not to get you to the end as quickly as possible, although that might be yours and mine. God’s goal is to redeem all of us, including those things we keep hidden from others and ourselves. Ultimately, He’s preparing us for our future home. In the meantime, in His perfect time, He is making you fit to live in His presence for eternity. So relax. Enjoy the journey; the destination is already secured.
Cheri Cowell is a speaker and the author of Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life, which offers a biblically sound, non-nonsense approach to making God-centered life choices.
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Book - an Honest Review!
At first blush, I thought Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker’s work on success and becoming rich, seemed like another scheme. Most of these books offer plenty of sales pitches, but are thin on support for their claims or detailed information to back up their promises. However, a second look will tell you that there’s more here.
You shouldn’t use Secrets of the Millionaire Mind as a personal finance guide - it’s not made for it. Instead, think about this books as motivational tool for your whole life. You might not think there’s much use for this book, but despite the lack of concrete financial advice, it really helps you get in the right frame of mind.
The most important thing you need to know is in the title of the book. If you want to be rich, you need to know the secrets of a millionaire mind. Just change your mental approach to money, happiness and success, and you’ll be surprised by what happens.
According to Eker, each of us has our own internal script that tells us how to react and deal with money. He calls this our financial blueprint, and says it’s created by the money messages we encounter throughout our lives. Those messages can come from entertainment, family, friends, and events that happen around us.
What’s wrong with many of us is that our blueprints are full of problems. These errors keep us from relating to money properly, preventing us from achieving what we could. In the book, he lists seventeen different ways that poor and middle class people’s blueprints differ from those of the rich, and keep them from succeeding.
Some of the secrets of a millionaire mind that this book has to teach us are how to think big and focus on our opportunities, that we should admire successful people and avoid negative ones, and that we need to be bigger than our problems. We can’t let the world keep happening to us. Instead, it’s time to take charge and create our own lives.
Each point is carefully explained, showing us how the successful discard beliefs that limit them. Unsuccessful people allow those beliefs to take over. This is a book that’s about success and happiness at base, and the way those things can lead us to wealth.
Now, if you’re someone who’s not willing to change your own financial blueprint, you’ll probably be disappointed by this book. After all, it takes a lot of work and it isn’t comfortable. However, if you’re ready to do a little work and change how you think, this could be just what you need.
If you think there’s nothing to Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, take a second look. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make in the way you think about life, money and success. I know I feel differently now.