What Does Your Internal Music Sound Like?

There is a special treat for you (regarding music) at the end of this post. Please enjoy the article:

Does the sound of your internal music attract other people toward you, or repel them away from you? What music is playing inside of you, right now? Is it upbeat and strong, or is it melancholy and sad?

I am not talking about the last tune you heard on the radio, which is now stuck in your head. Or, that stupid commercial jingle that you haven't been able to shake all afternoon, although these things do temporarily effect the tempo of your inner music, what I am referring to is your "internal" music. The music that emanates from your soul outward to the rest of the world.

At any given moment of your existence, your internal music is playing so that others around you can hear it loud and clear. This concept has also been referred to many times as the "Law of Attraction". The Law of Attraction has been written about so extensively, that you should easily be able to find a myriad of information on the subject just by typing those three words in to Google Search. It is also the basic premises of the national best selling book "The Secret". Unfortunately, many websites you will find on the Law of Attraction (and the book itself) are filled with New Age fluff that I don't personally believe is necessary, but I digress.


The point I am making is that people can hear your internal music before you even walk into a room. It precedes you, much like the radio waves of a radio station proceed forth from it. And, now you want to subscribe to my blog. The only difference is that the radio tower that emits your music (your brain) is mobile, as compared to the tall, stationary radio towers that you see spotted across the landscape of your local town.




Your internal music is made up of the most prominent thoughts, emotions and images that you keep at the forefront of your brain. In other words, whatever you think about most, whatever you focus on most, these become the dominant factors that make up your internal music. For more on changing what you focus on, check out another article of mine: "If what you see is what you get - What do you see?"

External music can also be used quite effectively to change your "inner music" over time. Due to the fact that your brain tends to repeat your stronger thoughts and emotions throughout the day, your brain picks up on the fact that you produce stronger emotions when listening to some songs, then you do when you listen to others. Your brain decides, for you, that the stronger emotions represent things that are important to you, therefore, it replays those songs or events of the day, over and over again which represent your emotionally charged experiences.

Unfortunately, this brain function also occurs as a result of traumatic situations as well. This is why the victim of a car crash (or some other traumatic incident) seems to replay, in their minds, the same scene over and over again. Depending on the degree of emotion, the scenes never cease to be replayed as in the tragic death of a family member.

For more on the relationship between music and your brain, check out This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of Human Obsession, by Daniel Levitin. You can click on the book's title to head to his website where he has some very interesting information about the concept I am presenting here. On a teen blog that reviews library books, called Ya Know at BCL , one can find a review of Levitin's book, which includes this statement:

"Humans prefer music of their own culture when they're toddlers, but it's in our teens that we choose the specific sort of music that we'll love forever. Those years are emotional times, 'and we tend to remember things that have an emotional component because our amygdala and neurotransmitters act in concert to 'tag' the memories as something important.'"

My wife Alison (Truthoughts) pondered this subject in her post titled: The Effect of Music

"I wonder if we choose music to fit our moods more or do we choose music to change our moods. I would probably have to go with the first option. This could be a problem though. If someone is depressed and they only listen to depressing songs, then they probably won’t get out of that stage very soon..."

She is very correct in her assessment. Music does have the power to effect your mood and therefore your actions. Listening to depressing songs, when you are depressed, won't help you much, if your intent is to change how you feel. The truth is, you can use this technology (or brain power) to your advantage. You can change your internal music. You can create a more upbeat, positive music that emanates from your brain to those around you, thereby attracting more upbeat, positive people into your life.

I personally believe that God gave us all music to enjoy (albeit Satan has perverted this gift, by creating some music that is downright evil). The Bible itself is full of verses pertaining to music. Here are some that stood out to me regarding this subject:

Psalm 98:4 "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;"

Psalm 108:1 "My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul."

Ephesian 5:19-20 "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

God created you with the ability to be "moved" emotionally by music. The music that you listen to on a regular basis can effect your mood and in turn your actions. Not only is it the external music that you listen to on a regular basis, it is also your dominant thoughts that cause you to "re-present" your internal music to the world. If you want to change your circumstances, you need to change your internal music by changing your dominant thoughts, especially your emotional charged thoughts. You need to create an internal symphony that attracts exactly who and what you want in your life.

Now that you understand this concept, it is up to you to determine what you choose to allow into your brain. What are you listening to all day? What are those around you listening to?

It is affecting you, and it's up to you to take control of the situation. If you don't like the music that you hear around you, either audibly or coming from someone else's internal music, than you must do something about it. Although changing the station, CD or someone else's internal music, may or may not be possible, you do have the choice to remove yourself from the situation. Only you can change the situation, if necessary, so decide right now, what you need to do to get yourself out of the situation you are in and move forward.


In the meantime, I used Stumble Upon to find this great website that allows you create a "stream" of your very own music, unique only to you. You can choose the genre, the era, the beat, the mood and it creates a continuous, hour-long or so, play list of songs from the parameters that you have set. It's better than radio... it is truly amazing. Use it right now, to change your music. Change your mood, enhance your desire to move forward, to become the best that you can be. You can do it! I know you can!

Remember to subscribe before you leave. I always respond to comments and I look forward to reading yours!

Blogs Listed by Myers-Briggs Typology

This is a list that I have compiled of various blogs that are catagorized by the personality of the blogger using the Myers-Briggs typology test. Imagine, finding the blog of another person that shares a similar (or maybe even the same) personality type as you.

I started a Discussion thread on BlogCatolog because I was curious to see what the personality traits of bloggers are. I wanted to know if there is a dominant type of person who fills the pages of the blogosphere with anything from personal journals to information rich SEO blogs.

As the thread grew, I discovered that I wasn't the only one who was curious, so I created this list. If you already know your M-B type (i.e. ESFP,INTJ, etc.) you can scroll down the list and find other blogs in your category and click away. If you have not taken the Myers-Briggs typology test (or if you took it some time ago) there is a great, free 3-5 minute version here: Myers-Briggs typology test (Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the test site, nor do I particularly endorse any links that may be present on their site.)

Once you take the test you can just scroll down the list and find blogs that are listed in the same category as you. If my theory is correct, you should really enjoy the content of the blogs that share your same M-B type. If you own a blog and would like to be added to the list, leave your 4-letter type in the comments sections and I will add you to the list. Then, write a post on your blog describing yourself and your experience taking the test with a link back to this post. (See the end of this post for several examples.)

The good news is that there is no wrong answer, you are they way you are and there is nothing wrong with that. Here is some information on the Myers-Briggs typology test that will help you decipher the meaning of your 4-letter personality type.

You will come up with one of the following sixteen 4-letter combinations:

ENFJ ESTP ENTJ ESTJ INFJ ISTP INTJ ISTJ ENFP ESFP ENTP ESFJ INFP ISFP INTP ISFJ ...

Each letter respresents one of the following traits:

The first criterion, Extraversion - Introversion defines the source and direction of energy expression for a person. The extravert has a source and direction of energy expression mainly in the external world while the introvert has a source of energy mainly in the internal world.

The second criterion, S ensing - INntuition defines the method of information perception by a person. Sensing means that a person believes mainly information he or she receives directly from the external world. Intuition means that a person believes mainly information he or she receives from the internal or imaginative world.

The third criterion, Thinking - F eeling defines how the person processes information. Thinking means that a person makes a decision mainly through logic. Feeling means that, as a rule, he or she makes a decision based on emotion.

The fourth criterion, Judging - Perceiving defines how a person implements the information he or she has processed. Judging means that a person organizes all his life events and acts strictly according to his plans. Perceiving means that he or she is inclined to improvise and seek alternatives.

List of Blogs

by Myers-Briggs Typolgy Test

(If you find a missing, broken or wrong link - please let me know)

Disclaimer: The author does not necessarily endorse the contents of the following weblogs.

Nor, is the author compensated in any way from any site listed below.

The listings below show their BC Profile name or their

StumbleUpon Profile name followed by their blog name!

If you do not have a BlogCatalog Profile, you can get one HERE

If you do not have StumbleUpon Profile, you can get on HERE

I encourage you to check out the blogs in your category -

you may relate to them better than you think!

Remember to check back often as the list continues to grow!

ISFJ

ISFJs are characterized above all by their desire to serve others, their "need to be needed." In extreme cases, this need is so strong that standard give-and-take relationships are deeply unsatisfying to them; however, most ISFJs find more than enough with which to occupy themselves within the framework of a normal life. ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play. Ironically, because they prove over and over that they can be relied on for their loyalty and unstinting, high-quality work, those around them often take them for granted--even take advantage of them. In the workplace, ISFJs are methodical and accurate workers, often with very good memories and unexpected analytic abilities; they are also good with people in small-group or one-on-one situations because of their patient and genuinely sympathetic approach to dealing with others. (more... )

Truthoughts - Truthoughts: Introspection and Beyond

Shiley - Proof Positivity

focusorganic - Focus Organic.com Live Green

HeyShannon - Little Victories

DebMomOf3 - Mom of 3 Girls

ENFJ

ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are. (more... )

JaneQCitizen - Jane Q. Citizen

earthlingorgeous - Earthly Explorations

CrotchetyOldMan - Crotchety Old Man Yells At Cars

robertstevenson - Rob's Megaphone

daniel23 - Rags 'n' Bones

Wenny - Inside My Bubble

ESTP

ESTPs are spontaneous, active folks. Like the other SPs, ESTPs get great satisfaction from acting on their impulses. Activities involving great power, speed, thrill and risk are attractive to the ESTP. Chronic stifling of these impulses makes the ESTP feel "dead inside." (more... )

(none listed yet - yours could be the first)

ENTJ

"I don't care to sit by the window on an airplane. If I can't control it, why look?"

ENTJs have a natural tendency to marshall and direct. This may be expressed with the charm and finesse of a world leader or with the insensitivity of a cult leader. The ENTJ requires little encouragement to make a plan. One ENTJ put it this way... "I make these little plans that really don't have any importance to anyone else, and then feel compelled to carry them out." While "compelled" may not describe ENTJs as a group, nevertheless the bent to plan creatively and to make those plans reality is a common theme for NJ types. (more... )

TimMc - Concession Central

BennyGreenburg - Ya-ttitude

Dead Rooster - Legally Sane Blogging DeadRooster.com

Flipping Heck - Flipping Heck!

Dane Morgan - Don't Call Me Sir

ESTJ

ESTJs thrive on order and continuity. Being extraverted, their focus involves organization of people, which translates into supervision. While ENTJs enjoy organizing and mobilizing people according to their own theories and tactically based agendas, ESTJs are content to enforce "the rules," often dictated by tradition or handed down from a higher authority. (more... )

(none listed yet)

INFJ

Beneath the quiet exterior, INFJs hold deep convictions about the weightier matters of life. Those who are activists -- INFJs gravitate toward such a role -- are there for the cause, not for personal glory or political power. INFJs are champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. They often are found in the wake of an emergency, rescuing those who are in acute distress. INFJs may fantasize about getting revenge on those who victimize the defenseless. The concept of 'poetic justice' is appealing to the INFJ. (more... )

Clueless - Clinically Clueless

SomethingJust - Something Just To Start

Arcticulates - Arcticulates

ThriftShopRomantic - Of Cabbages and Kings

rainforestrobin - Naked In Eden Blog - Robin Easton

searchingwithin - Open Your Heart to the Love

timethief - one cool site: wordpress blogging tips

fineartathome - Fine Art At Home

rashers - Jim's Scratchings

(Salamat) shawie9877 - A Grateful Heart

dette - Muthahood Crib

mummifiedx5 - Mummified Times Five

lanceman02 - The Jungle of Life

ISTP

Like their fellow SPs, ISTPs are fundamentally Performers (note the capital 'P' :-)), but as Ts their areas of interest tend to be mechanical rather than artistic like those of ISFPs, and unlike most ESPs they do not present an impression of constant activity. On the contrary, they lie dormant, saving their energy until a project or an adventure worthy of their time comes along--and then they launch themselves at it. The apparently frenzied state that inevitably ensues is actually much more controlled than it appears--ISTPs always seem to know what they're doing when it comes to physical or mechanical obstacles--but the whole chain of events presents a confusing and paradoxical picture to an outsider. (more... )

LGramlich - The Dreaming Tree

INTJ

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know. (more... )

ender - Red Monkey

offendedblogger - The Offended Blogger

nardeeisms - Nardeeisms

donkeySOUP - DONKEY SOUP for the drunken soul

globalgirl - Bloom Your Biz

ncarey - Baltimore Real Estate Investing Blog

wolfcreek - Accountability Corner: A Freethinker's Blog

thegoodknife - The Tiger Beat

Majik - Majik's Thoughts

Mark - Dark Gothic's Journal

Aprilfreelance - Christian Advice Site

JollyGreenDad - Jolly Green Dad (Ho, Ho, Ho... Green Giant)

Daudleikr - The Rants of a Crazy Girl

Syn - Syn's Life

rosslyn elliot - Inkhorn Blue

huggingthecoast - Hugging the Coast:A Celebration of Coastal Food

opinionstreams - Opinion Streams

osok521 - Live in Abundance Blog

ISTJ

ISTJs are often called inspectors. They have a keen sense of right and wrong, especially in their area of interest and/or responsibility. They are noted for devotion to duty. Punctuality is a watchword of the ISTJ. The secretary, clerk, or business(wo)man by whom others set their clocks is likely to be an ISTJ. As do other Introverted Thinkers, ISTJs often give the initial impression of being aloof and perhaps somewhat cold. Effusive expression of emotional warmth is not something that ISTJs do without considerable energy loss. (more... )

kirewass - My Recipes

ddousharm - Everything Marketer

hitsu - My Tramping View

breannepotter - The MBTI Blog

Ibne Adam - Let Us Grow

ENFP

ENFPs are both "idea"-people and "people"-people, who see everyone and everything as part of an often bizarre cosmic whole. They want to both help (at least, their own definition of "help") and be liked and admired by other people, on bo th an individual and a humanitarian level. They are interested in new ideas on principle, but ultimately discard most of them for one reason or another. (more... )

neward - Website Design and Internet Marketing

DarkAngelMe - Information...Power and Confusion

CharmaineZoe - Tails of Terror from the Black Lagoon!

ESFP

"Where's the party?" ESFPs love people, excitement, telling stories and having fun. The spontaneous, impulsive nature of this type is almost always entertaining. And ESFPs love to entertain -- on stage, at work, and/or at home. Social gatherings are an energy boost to these "people" people. SPs sometimes think and talk in more of a spider-web approach. Several of my ESFP friends jump from thought to thought in mid-sentence, touching here or there in a manner that's almost incoherent to the listener, but will eventually cover the waterfront by skipping on impulse from one piece of information to another. It's really quite fascinating. New! ESFPs are attracted to new ideas, new fashions, new gadgets, new ______. Perhaps it's the newness of life that attracts ESFPs to elementary education, especially to preschool and kindergarten. (more... )

OutsideMyBrain - Outside My Brain Again

wenfri - Wendy's Reel

Barbsie - Barbsie Loaded

ENTP

"Clever" is the word that perhaps describes ENTPs best. The professor who juggles half a dozen ideas for research papers and grant proposals in his mind while giving a highly entertaining lecture on an abstruse subject is a classic example of the type. So is the stand-up comedian whose lampoons are not only funny, but incisively accurate. ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport. (more... )

praning5254 - Praning's Shoutout

jeremymday - Insight Writer

ESFJ

Guardians of birthdays, holidays and celebrations, ESFJs are generous entertainers. They enjoy and joyfully observe traditions and are liberal in giving, especially where custom prescribes. All else being equal, ESFJs enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest. ESFJs, as do most SJs, bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority. They willingly provide service (which embodies life's meaning) and expect the same from others. (more... )

jsinkeywest - POTPOLITICS

momscrazylife - moms crazy life

g8rbryan - g8rbryanw - daily thoughts

INFP

INFPs never seem to lose their sense of wonder. One might say they see life through rose-colored glasses. It's as though they live at the edge of a looking-glass world where mundane objects come to life, where flora and fauna take on near-human qualities. INFP children often exhibit this in a 'Calvin and Hobbes' fashion, switching from reality to fantasy and back again. With few exceptions, it is the NF child who readily develops imaginary playmates (as with Anne of Green Gables's "bookcase girlfriend"--her own reflection) and whose stuffed animals come to life like the Velveteen Rabbit and the Skin Horse: (more... )

Lucyvp - Wafflelogue

julyalim - Are You (meta) Crayce?

lordiwanttobewhole - Lord I Want To Be Whole

ardi - Story Between Us

ISFP

ISFPs are the first to hear the different drummer. Many eagerly plunge into new fashions, avant garde experiences, 'hip' trends--some even setting the trends. More in touch with the reality of their senses than their INFP counterparts, ISFPs live in the here and now. Their impulses yearn to be free, and are often loosed when others least expect it. The ISFP who continually represses these impulses feels 'dead inside' and may eventually cut and run. (One ISFP friend has become nonambulatory within the past few years. He will still, on impulse, leave home in the middle of the night and go to Las Vegas or wherever, regardless of the difficulties of his physical condition.) (more... )

jyotsana - Ah Woman

INTP

INTPs are pensive, analytical folks. They may venture so deeply into thought as to seem detached, and often actually are oblivious to the world around them. Precise about their descriptions, INTPs will often correct others (or be sorely tempted to) if the shade of meaning is a bit off. While annoying to the less concise, this fine discrimination ability gives INTPs so inclined a natural advantage as, for example, grammarians and linguists. INTPs are relatively easy-going and amenable to almost anything until their principles are violated, about which they may become outspoken and inflexible. They prefer to return, however, to a reserved albeit benign ambiance, not wishing to make spectacles of themselves. (more... )

ttiger - Only Electronics: All You Need to Know About Electronics

DrowseyMonkey - Drowsey Monkey

Svelmoe - Svelmoe

hypkitsune - PC-Week

poddys - The Poddyland News

I hope that you have enjoyed discovering more about yourself and others like you. Let me know what your experience was here in the comments section. Please check back often as the list continues to grow.

If you own a blog, just leave a comment if you want me to add your blog to the list. I would appreciate it if you write a post about your personality type with a link to this post. By sending others here, we will all get more visitors. Someone might just end up on your site because of another blogger's post. Here are some great examples to use:

My Beautiful Wife (Truthoughts): Click Here

TheGoodKnife: Click Here

EarthlingGorgeous has a very clever post about it: Click Here

Osok521 (a.k.a. : snow-bey) has an excellent example: Click Here

More great examples can be found under the section "Links to this Post" below -

If What You See is What You Get - What do You See?

I am going to explain to you how your Reticular Activation System (RAS) works and how to use it to get more of what you want. OK, so now you want to know more...

Our Reticular Activation System, or as it is also referred to on Wikipedia as our Reticular Activating System, is one of the most underused tools that we, as humans, have the potential of utilizing.

How many times have you bought a new outfit, car or a cherished item and suddenly everyone else has that same exact dress or vehicle? Why does this seem to happen? It could be because you have so much influence over others that everyone wants to wear what you are wearing or drive what you are driving, but I imagine that many of the people that you see wearing your clothes or driving your car don't even know you. Hmmm.... so then, why are there suddenly so many people with that same car, when before you bought the car, hardly anyone else drove one, or at least you didn't notice them. And, suddenly, you want to subscribe to my blog.

And that is the key right there. You didn't even notice them before, because until you decided to make that item important to you, you didn't notice it. The cause of this is due to the fact that our brains see literally thousands upon thousands of images every single day. Our conscious brains can't possibly retain all of this information, so our brains were created by God (personal belief - not to get off subject) with the ability to sort out what is important to us vs. what is not. It does this on a sub-conscious level and it is done within nano-seconds of taking in an image. For a great BBC article about this see: Brain 'irrelevance filter' found (thanks to misterDog for pointing out the article in the BlogCatalog(dot)com discussion on this subject.)

Stick with me here, I will be getting to the good stuff in just a moment. If we had to consciously make a decision about every image, sound and touch that entered into our brains, we would become incapacitated due to the overwhelming amount of decisions we would need to make just to use the restroom. And, that could get ugly! By filtering out the items that our brain determines are "unimportant", than we can free ourselves up by only noticing things that are important.

Using the Reticular Activating System to get what you want!

What is important to us, is what gets noticed. However, most of us don't realize at any given moment, what "script" we have given our RAS to run, so what we notice, is left up to whatever we randomly focus on the most. And, most of us don't realize that we can change that script, any time we want. Many things have, in the past, simply slipped by us like a business opportunity, a friendship, a relationship or even another person in need.

Our thoughts control our RAS, meaning that whatever we focus our mind on most, is what we tend to see in life. For example, someone who is always looking for the worst in people, will usually find it. And, someone who tries to make the best of the situation, usually does.

Whatever we focus on (or think about) the most, is what we get more of.

In this great post by Jerry Graham on his blog The Coaching Pair he describes how most of our daily thoughts are negative.

In his post: More Ant Poison Instructions:

A glad heart makes a happy face; (Pv. 15:13a; NLT)

Let’s serve up one more plate of ANT poison. If you recall, earlier this week, I spoke of ANTs, an acronym for automatic negative thoughts. Research shows that as many as 80% of our 60,000 thoughts a day are ANTs.

I'm here to tell you today, that if you want to, you can change that. You have the power and the ability to do so. And, it's not that difficult to do. All you have to do is change what you think about most. In fact, we are commanded to do this in the Bible:

Philippians 4:8-9 (NASB) "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

The next time you feel yourself slipping into a pattern of negative thinking, or hopelessness look up, look to God. Change what you are focusing on. Change your focus to those things mentioned in the verse above. Truth, Honor, Righteousness, Purity, Love, Good Reputation, Excellence, Praiseworthyness. Think on these things.

Graham continues in his post:

...Have the intention to notice everything good that happens to you: any positive thought you have, anything you see, feel, taste, hear, or smell that brings you pleasure, a win you experience, a breakthrough in your understanding about something, an expression of your creativity–the list goes on and on. This intention activates the reticular activating system.”

In conclusion, what you see... is truly what you get! In other words, what you focus on most, is what you will notice in your life. This, then, becomes your reality. So, I ask you. What have you been focusing on?

Getting More By Wanting Less

Is there a way to get more by wanting less? Is there a way to stumble upon some great revelation that when acted upon could reveal the Truth about accumulating wealth?

The answers those two questions are what I am going to share with you here. This is a very short, but very powerful read. Thank you for stopping by and subsribing to my blog.

I believe that we can all get more by “wanting” less. In other words, it’s our “wanting” that drives all these things away from us. Consider the experiment using a bowl of water, pepper and dish soap. Play the video if you are not familiar with this:



You could compare our “wanting” to the finger with the dish soap on it. The more we “want” things the more things will seem to flee from us. I also believe the opposite of wanting more, wanting less, will get us more.

Now, consider the following passage in the Bible:

Matthew 6:25-34 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, {as to} what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, {as to} what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and {yet} your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

"And who of you by being worried can add a {single} hour to his life?

"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is {alive} today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, {will He} not much more {clothe} you? You of little faith!

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'

"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So, there you have it. Don’t be worried about “wanting” more. In the end, it will get you less. God takes care of the birds and the lilies. He will surely take care of you if you seek Him first.

If You Don't Stand For Something... (Part 2)

Are you listening?


I'm going to give you a couple of quick exercises, that you will want to participate in. This will greatly enhance your listening skills and therefore allow you to connect better with everyone around you.

Photo by Declan McCullagh

This is part 2 - To read part 1 please CLICK HERE

Now, at the risk of sounding like a cliche, your listening skills can greatly enhance your success. Not just your financial success but the success of your relationships, your career and even your love life.

The basic premise is that people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. This principle goes beyond borders, gender, race and religion. So, I ask you... are you in it for you? Or, are you truly interested in listening to the other person?

Listening is not just hearing. True listening is understanding their circumstances. Being there with them in the present as they describe the situation they are in. You want to listen to them.

Hearing someone is the mere act of taking in the words but not connecting to what the other person is saying because you are too busy thinking about what you are going to say next.

So, the next time you find yourself in a situation where you are trying to sell someone on your idea, your concept, your belief or your merchandise be sure that you are connecting with them by listening to them. Completely indulge your senses into listening to that person. Stay with them. Stay in the moment. Remain steadfast. Let your mind concentrate on their words and you will succeed.

Exercises:

The following exercise will help you increase your auditory senses. Repeating this exercise on a daily basis (especially right before you know you are going to be in a "selling" situation) will greatly enhance your interactions with other people.

1. Open the comment section of this post and type all of the sounds that you can hear around you right now. Mute the TV if it is on. Be still. Concentrate, and really listen to each sound around you. Take a deep breath, hold it and exhale slowly, right now. This will give your blood cells a surge of oxygen and enhance all of your senses. I know you are probably thinking, I don't have time for this right now, I'll come back later, but I challenge you to stay with it because that's the whole point! It will only take a minute or two and you will feel extremely focused after you are done with this exercise and ready to take on whatever task you face.

Once you have completed the previous exercise, you are now ready to see your new listening skills in action.

2. Using the same technique that you used during exercise number one, the next time you find yourself in a conversation, stop talking, and start listening. Listen as intently as you did during exercise number one. But this time, focus directly on their voice. Listen to every word they are saying. Try to "get" them. To fully understand them. Mentally keep track of how different this feels when you truly connect with that other person. Suddenly you see yourself connecting with outher people on a deeper, more fullfiling way than you ever have before.

I challenge you to share this post with your significant other, your children and other friends and loved ones whom you would like to have a closer relationship with. I look forward to reading your comments.

If You Don't Stand For Something... (Part 1)

You will fall for anything!

What do you stand for?

Did you know that everyone you know, including yourself, is a salesperson?

What?

It's true! Sales is just a transference of belief. Quite literally, whomever is most "convicted" about what they believe, or what they stand for, will end up "selling" the other person on their beliefs. You want to keep reading and subscribe to my blog.

Now, when I say beliefs... most of us conjure up ideas of religious beliefs or possibly political beliefs (the two most taboo subjects when trying to stay neutral at a dinner party).

However, whenever I tell people that everyone is a salesperson, most people say, NO WAY! I'm no salesperson. I hate sales.

And then I respond, have you ever been in a relationship? To which most people respond...Yes!

Who sold who? More than likely it was a joint effort of each you selling each other, but your significant other obviously "bought" what you were selling. Right?

So again, I go back to - All sales is, is a transference of beliefs. Whomever is more committed to the outcome, willing to take a stand... That person is doing the selling, and the other person is doing the buying!

Now, no one ever wants to be SOLD anything. We all hate be SOLD something, and yet, we all love to BUY things. So, think about that the next time you find yourself in a situation where you are wanting to get your opinion your, your idea, your merchandise sold. Turn it into a "buying" situation for the other person. Not only will they end up buying what your selling...

They will thank you for it.

More tips on how to make this happen to follow... stay tuned by subscribing!

If You Don't Stand For Something... (Part 2)

Myanmar Cyclone - Worst Disaster Since Indonesian Tsunami

Death Toll Could Top 40,000 - Urgent Prayer Needed for Missionary Groups

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military government raised its death toll from Cyclone Nargis on Tuesday to nearly 22,500 with another 41,000 missing, almost all from a massive storm surge that swept into the Irrawaddy delta.

...Despite the magnitude of the disaster -- the most devastating cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh -- France said the ruling generals in the former Burma were still placing too many conditions on aid.

"The United Nations is asking the Burmese government to open its doors. The Burmese government replies: 'Give us money, we'll distribute it.' We can't accept that," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told parliament. Full Story...

People Seeking Fresh Water in Yangon (Reuters)

Video - Cyclone's Deadly Power
Video - Myanmar Death Toll Climbs
Video - Doubts over Myanmar Aid Plan

Please Pray for Missionary Groups in Myanmar (formerly Burma)

Understand the Times ministry has a housing project for orphans in Myanmar called Bryce Lodge named after his late son. Here is an update from Roger Oakland about Bryce Lodge:

We have not been able to reach our contacts in Myanmar. As you may have read, the media is reporting that 10,000 or more people have died as a result of Cyclone Nargis. Most of the people that have perished are on the river. Many live in huts that can be devastated in the high winds and flooding that they have experienced. Bryce Lodges are concrete block buildings. We pray that they held strong during the storm and that all are safe there.

Travel to Myanmar is a difficult endeavor. Understand The Times plans on giving aid, in our Lord's name, to the people of Myanmar, especially the children of Bryce Lodge. With the uncertainty of the reports about the people many of us support, surely they will require assistance. This will require resources and we are asking for your help. Whatever you can give to Mission Myanmar is greatly appreciated!

We will continue to follow God's lead. We ask that you continue to pray for the people of Myanmar and the children of Bryce Lodge. We will send out another note as we receive more information.

You can read more about Bryce Lodge (with pictures)
at my wife's blog: Truthoughts

There is another great blog post about
other mission groups in Myanmar here: Gospel Blog

Prophecy:

Could this be another sign of the times talked about in the Bible? Jesus spoke of these things when his disciple asked when shall the end of the age be?

Luke 21:25-27 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Flickr Widget Code

This site allows you to enter your Flickr feed tag and choose the size of your layout and it creates the java script that you can enter on your webpage or your blog page. It's the best Flickr Widget Code Creator that I have found out there. You can see what it does with your photos right here on my site. I wrote the text above the pictures on my own.

Here is the Flickr Widget Code Site:

Leave a comment so I can ccome check out your site and see how it looks there!

The Power to Control Your Own Environment

Do you believe that you can control your own environment?

To an extent, I imagine, is what most people would answer. To what extent is what I would like to ramble about today:

As I stood at the kitchen sink looking out the window at the freshly cut lawn, the live oak tree originally planted by the builder and the dutch elm tree my wife and I planted representing our 5 year marriage (May 10), it occurred to me that we as humans have been granted the ability, by God, to "customize" our own environments.

Similar to how we can each customize our own blogs here at Blogger.com, we can decide whether or not we want to fertilize our lawn so that is springs forth with vibrant life or sits there lifeless and lacking in color and development. However, no matter how much we individualize our environments, or our blogs, they are still blogs. We still have a certain set of rules to live by in order to maintain the integrity of the blogosphere. Conversely, we have the ability to change our environments to whatever we want, but God remains in control of our destiny.

To what degree can we change our environment? I would have to say that the degree with which we can change our environment is only limited to the creativity of our own minds and our own desire to change our environment. For example, if the grass in the backyard starts to get too long, I can either get the mower out and change the situation (or pay someone to do it) or I can ignore the issue and watch the grass grow wildly long and out of control so that it overtakes the flower mound around the live oak tree and anything else that gets in it's path (it's Bermuda).

The same principle holds true for other areas of our environment besides just the physical appearance of our surroundings. We have the ability to change our health, our finances, our relationships and our spiritual walk with God.

Do you fear change? Do you fear the unknown? Is there something in your life that you need to change but have been putting it off for far too long? Is it something as simple as picking up the phone and telling someone you forgive them? Could it be that getting the mower out and mowing down some of those decisions that you have been putting off could make your life's lawn look much more appealing? Well, then I say to you... decide right now, to take action do one thing, right now, that will enhance your experience here on earth. I challenge you to take that step, walk away from the computer and take care of that item, right now, and then, come back here and post a comment on what you did to change your life for the better!

But, before you go... bookmark this page so that you can make it back here when you have completed your action and comment about it! Be sure to pass this post along to your friends so that we can all encourage each other in changing our environments for the better. You also have my permission to link back to this post.

I look forward to seeing what you have done. I too will be posting comments on my own decisions. Now, let's get started!