____ http://boazpower.com ____(August 26, 2002)
In a recent brainstorming session at a client company, we discussed a powerful concept. When youre up against a blank wall, a seemingly insurmountable moment in life, its time to shake your tree of resources.
The average person knows 200 people. If that doesnt seem conceivable to you, just open the Yellow Pages of the phone book. Ask yourself, under each heading, who you know. Do you know an architect, a banker, a chiropractor, a dentist, an engineer? Going through the alphabet in the Yellow Pages will show you how many people you do know. Then there are all the names on your Rolodex, the informal phone book youve created over time, and your e-mail list.
In difficult moments, most people seem to turn inwardly and feel very much alone. We forget about all the people we know. They are, in reality, a large group of valuable resources that could be equated to many apples on a tree.
What happens when you shake an apple tree? I know because we had some apple trees on our little farm in Israel when I was growing up. When you shake an apple tree with determination, the ripest and juiciest apples fall to the ground.
Like all of us, Ive had moments in my life when I thought there was no hope. I remember one period of time, in 1991, when a series of events literally brought me to my knees. Not due to any lack of effort on my part, I lost a network medical television show I was producing on Lifetime Television, lost a beautiful home in foreclosure, injured my shoulder in a fall at a television studio and had open heart surgery to cure a rare heart condition.
I wanted to give up. Between you and me, I honestly wanted to die. However, instinctively, I made a list of all the people I knew. I then started calling them and we just talked. I told them about my situation and asked for suggestions. I was shaking my tree of resources. I found that I had more people who cared about me than I realized.
The encouragement, help, and ideas I received from that series of phone conversations was amazing. I found that there were many bright people around me. The least I got from any one conversation was encouragement. One particular call meant the world to me. When I didnt believe in me any more, a dear friend said, Just trust in my belief in you. So, for a while, I trusted in my friends belief in me and that helped greatly. Ill never forget that one conversation because it was a turning point in a very dark moment.
What about you? Are you facing a difficult moment right now? Are you having a health, emotional, relationship or financial challenge? First take an inventory of your assets. Write down what you do have that is good and solid. Here are some important questions to answer, on paper. Did you wake up this morning? Good. If you dont think thats important, trying missing a day. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have at least one person who would be sad if you died?
I know these are simple questions. However, they are important things to recognize. Lets start there. Then write a list of all the people you know. Start calling those people and ask for advice. These are the resources on your apple tree.
Most people like giving advice. It makes them feel important when we ask for their input. Write down their ideas. Keep doing this until a light bulb comes on. The combination of people showing that they care and the ideas that they will share will be highly beneficial. Napoleon Hill, in the book Think and Grow Rich, wrote about the importance of having a mastermind group people who share powerful ideas. Let those powerful ideas of others encourage you to take some kind of action toward a productive solution.
As you apply the ideas from your resource tree, keep in touch with those resources and report your progress. That interaction, mixed with a spirit of appreciation, will keep your spirits going in the right direction.
Another thought that can help, in a moment of distress, is to give your problem over to the universe. Did you ever go to sleep worried about a certain situation? Then, when you woke in the morning, it didnt seem as bad. In fact, on many occasions, you woke up with a possible solution.
We spend about a third of our lives sleeping. Lets use that time more productively. When faced with a problem, form a question to the universe and ask yourself that question several times when you lay down to sleep. For example, Im looking for an answer to my financial dilemma? Ask yourself that question over and over as you fall asleep. Many times, in the morning, youll awaken with a productive idea.
So lets give your life a fair shake. a shake of that incredible resource tree you own. The fruit that will fall into your hands could be bountiful!
-BoazPower@aol.com
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Shake Your Apple Treeby cincinnatisaxman4,202 views
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