Overcoming Tough Times
Help enough other people get what they want and you’ll get what you want!
--Zig Ziglar
What is Your Passion?
“It may be called the Master Passion, the hunger for self approval.”
--Mark Twain
The other day I pulled into a gas station to refuel and noticed an Indian sitting on sidewalk adjacent to the building entrance. He was older and dressed in tattered clothing.
He wasn’t begging and no one seemed to take notice of him. After filling my tank I decided to speak with him and give him some money (mind you, after filling the car, I didn’t have a lot of money left over).
The man was very pleasant and well spoken. Turns out, he had been a silversmith when times were good and enjoyed a good reputation, participated in shows and had won several prestigious awards for his work. But, like so many in this country, he had fallen on tough times, went through a divorce and pretty much had everything he owned cleaned out. Now, he no longer had the tools or means to purchase the materials he needed to do his work…and beside, few Americans are buying Native American Jewelry these days.
I suggested visiting either the Salvation Army or Goodwill (one was across the street), but he had done so previously and no one offered any help. As a long time supporter and volunteer for the Salvation Army, I was somewhat surprised but I did know they had closed their operations in this particular community due to a lack of funding.
I wound up driving him to the Goodwill and spoke to store manager about at least getting him some new clothes and a voucher for a motel.
As I drove off I began to get angry. Here we are the wealthiest nation on earth (despite the downturn, we still are) and yet, we have homeless and hungry, children without a roof over their head…yet, we can spend a billion dollars a month on a war in Iraq but can’t help our own?!
This otherwise productive individual could no longer work his passion. That seems to apply to many of us today. When I owned a company and would interview a prospective employee, I would always ask, “If you had all the money you needed, didn’t have to ever worry about bills, what would you do with your life?”
The answers nearly always surprised me. They ranged from the completely clueless to areas of life I could only imagine (one wanted to be a big game animal keeper in Africa).
Much of this revolves around our sense of purpose. Do you have one? Are you pursuing it (or is the only thing you’ve been pursuing is the American Dream of wealth?) or have you given up on your dreams?
Years ago, when I was a millionaire, I was very unhappy. I had multiple homes, a thriving publishing business, a certain amount of fame and so on. However, at the time, I was married to a person who was very selfish and a spendthrift who would never be happy until she got (fill in the blank). Despite achieving several of her ‘wants,’ she was still unhappy and it created a dismal marital atmosphere.
After we parted ways, I found someone truly special and we’ve been together 15 years and although we’ve have had more than our share of financial disasters, I wouldn’t trade her in for anyone else! Why? Because she’s one of the most unselfish and understanding people I’ve ever met.
We each place a large value on helping others (and animals) out before much else. Yes, these economic times are a cause of stress and challenge for us as well…but I know we’ll meet that challenge head-on.
The lesson, if you will, is to keep your dream alive. There will be detours and bumps along the way, but keep your eye on the goal and devote some portion of each day toward achieving the goal (in between household chores, work, children and the other never ending errands).
If you’re involved in the non-profit world, you know funding is a challenge so visit our site at: http://www.minimalistgroup.org
for resources you can use and check our sister site for a new mini-course in getting free money through government and private grants. Go to:
http://www.poormansurvival.com/freemoney
The world has changed on us. Again!
Two of the most dynamic individuals I’ve had the honor of meeting were Zig Ziglar and Dr. Robert Schuller. Each was a speaker at a Success Expo and a mutual friend of ours took the time to introduce them to me. ( I wasn’t a speaker at this particular expo, a book I had written was sold during the conference).
Ziglar is a world famous motivational speaker and a treat to listen too. Schuller, is the pastor at the Crystal Cathedral, which he started in the parking lot of a drive-in theatre decades ago and is now considered a spiritual leader and author of several books including Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do.
If you’re like me, you no doubt have or are currently facing many challenges in your life. Perhaps a layoff, foreclosure, divorce, physical impairment, or other problem is afflicting you.
A number of years ago I lost my first fortune. I sold the successful publishing company I had built from scratch to a man who never paid me. That same year I got a divorce. I left with my clothes and my computer. This wiped out everything I had worked so hard to build and one thing I learned is that few companies will hire an entrepreneur!
A few years later I rebuilt my fortunes only to take a gamble on an out-of-state business opportunity and lose everything again due to an uninsured medical problem, which kept me from working for six months and again, wiped out everything I owned.
With each negative experience, I learned something new about the world and myself…tough times never last but tough people do!
Further, I learned that every problem has a solution; usually multiple solutions. A problem clearly identified is half solved.
To borrow an old cliché, one must frequently look outside the box to produce new solutions to problems and challenges. Developing a mind-set of knowing solutions will materialize is half the battle.
Inner peace (or peace of mind) refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being "at peace" is considered by many to be healthy (homeostasis) and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness.
Peace of mind, serenity, and calmness are descriptions of a disposition free from the effects of stress and stress can be a killer (that’s what put me the IC unit of our local hospital for two weeks).
Here are a few simple things that can help you:
Reduce the amount of time you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV.
· Stay away from negative conversations and from negative people.
· Don't hold grudges. Learn to forget and forgive. Nurturing ill feelings and grievances hurts you and causes lack of sleep.
· Don't be jealous of others. Being jealous means that you have low self-esteem and consider yourself inferior to others. This again, causes lack of inner peace.
· Accept what cannot be changed.
· Every day we face numerous inconveniences, irritations and situations that are beyond our control. If we can change them, that's fine, but this is not always possible. We must learn to put up with such things and accept them cheerfully.
· Learn to be more patient and tolerant with people and events.
· Don't take everything too personally. Some emotional and mental detachment is desirable. Try to view your life and other people with a little detachment and less involvement. Detachment is not indifference, lack of interest or coldness. It is the ability to think and judge impartially and logically. Don't worry if again and again you fail to manifest detachment. Just keep trying.
· Let bygones be gone. Forget the past and concentrate on the present moment. There is no need to evoke unpleasant memories and immerse yourself in them.
Inner peace ultimately leads to external peace. By creating peace in our inner world, we bring it into the external world, affecting other people too.
Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic, and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered to the right direction, our direction.
RESOURCES
Peace of Mind Resource-Free Software
http://innerpeace.org/newusers.shtml
Peace of Mind Resources from the Success Group
http://www.successconsciousness.com/peace_mind.htm
Crystal Cathedral
http://www.crystalcathedral.org/
Zig’s Site
http://www.zigziglar.com/
Coming Soon…your personal help line via email