Practicing gratitude

Well, gosh darn, why wasn’t my prayer answered? I could relate to my client’s frustration. It reminded me of my prayers as a child which usually took the form of Let’s Make a Deal.

Prayer is less about making deals and more about building a relationship with God. It is a practice of accepting God’s blessings and building faith. It is a practice of gratitude.

Prayer is always working. Our job is to let go of attachment to when or how it will happen. When we shift our attention away from telling God what to do and surrender, the universal flow of good comes rushing in to meet us.

Prayer for Accepting Good
I recognize at the center of all life is a power for good that is God and a universal presence of God’s love. Today I align myself with God’s love and know that it brings every good and perfect thing to me. I am guided and directed on my path and know whatever is needed is already provided. I surrender any limiting thoughts and trust that all is well. I gratefully receive all the good that God has to offer. Amen.

The Power of Purpose

Simon Sinek’s sharing of business with purpose is awesome. It is exactly the principle behind a covenant-based business and living a faith-based life. When we live by purpose we move away from the desire to possess and move to being inspired to express.

He states, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” They buy because of our vision and purpose.

Simon Sinek video

Peace

It can be so easy to get caught up in the news and discussion about the death of Osama Bin Laden. We may not be able to understand all that is happening or why things happen the way they do. Our practice is to start from where we are at and speak the highest word of truth we can.

I was reminded of the Prayer of St Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.                                                              Where there is hatred, let me sow love.                                                                                Where there is injury, pardon.                                                                                          Where there is doubt, faith.                                                                                                  Where there is despair, hope.                                                                                            Where there is darkness, light.                                                                                          Where there is sadness, joy.

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The Ultimate Sales Technique

My client was frustrated. She provides a valuable service and has an easy time meeting people. She was stuck when it came time to telling them about her business.  She didn’t want to be a pushy salesperson.

The word ‘salesperson’ is so 1970’s. I know very few salespeople. The guy who sold me my car was one.  The telemarketer who tried unsuccessfully to sell me a vacation in Las Vegas was another. They weren’t interested in me; they wanted me to buy what they had.

I shared with my client that she didn’t need to sell anything. She has been in her industry for 20 years, has a wealth of information and a list of successful clients. Her job is to get to know people and what they are interested in. Her focus is to stay connected. The more engaged we are in others, the more engaging we are to others.  The power is in building relationships. Businesses become successful because of our relationships and how much we care for each other.

I’d like to take credit for this insight but it came from observing my beloved husband Laurence. I watched as he built his business from the ground up. I noticed how he paid attention to people and remembered facts about their families and interests. His legacy was that he sincerely wanted to see others succeed. In return, he excelled and prospered in his work.

The gift is living by intention and having that intention be focused less on the desire to possess and more on being inspired to express love. When we live out of love, God provides far more than we could ever imagine. Praise God!