- The first step to developing a meaningful strategy for your success (personal,department,or company) is to create your ideal future in such detail that all of your senses can experience it, right now.
- The passion is important, so until you have the answers to these questions you have no foundation for your strategy and, without a foundation, you will never have a strategy worth pursuing or the energy to make it a reality.
- Unless you have what it takes to make your dream a reality, you have nothing, and if you are incapable of developing a dream worth the effort, you might just as well drift and let the world give you as much or as little as chance dictates.
Thursday 14 June 2007
The Big Picture
"Know precisely where you are going and passionately pursue your dream"
Consecration
"Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord...that he may bestow upon you a blessing."
Exodus 32:29
Presenting myself to God implies a recognition that from now on I am altogether His. This giving of myself is a definite act, just as definite as believing in Jesus Christ. There must be a day in my life when I pass out of my own hands into His, and from that day forward I belong to Him and no longer to myself. That does not mean that I consecrate myself to be a preacher or a missionary. Many people are missionaries merely because they they have consecrated their own natural gifts to His work. But that is not true consecration. Then to what are we to be consecrated? Not to "Christian work", but to the will of God, to be and do whatever He requires. (W.N)
Blessings Shaun
Exodus 32:29
Presenting myself to God implies a recognition that from now on I am altogether His. This giving of myself is a definite act, just as definite as believing in Jesus Christ. There must be a day in my life when I pass out of my own hands into His, and from that day forward I belong to Him and no longer to myself. That does not mean that I consecrate myself to be a preacher or a missionary. Many people are missionaries merely because they they have consecrated their own natural gifts to His work. But that is not true consecration. Then to what are we to be consecrated? Not to "Christian work", but to the will of God, to be and do whatever He requires. (W.N)
Blessings Shaun
Wednesday 13 June 2007
CHANGE
CHANGE…
Change has been defined as…
"Change is the window through which the future enters your life." It's all around you, in many types and shapes. You can bring it about yourself or it can come in ways that give you little choice about its what, when, and how. Fighting against change can slow it down or divert it, but it won't stop it however. If you wish to succeed in this rapidly changing new world "you must learn to look on change as a friend - one who presents you with an opportunity for growth and improvement."
We all face change because of what we face in life.
Our careers change; business has to change to keep up with globalization trends; families change because children are born and grow up; we change due to the experience and journey of life.
But, sometimes we want to change, and need to change for our journey of life to be successful, for us to achieve our dreams or for our lives to experience the fulfillment we desire. In fact, it will be inevitable.
So, what are the ingredients for change:
A high degree of dissatisfaction with your present situation(-s) or condition(-s).
A need for a clear vision.
A defined plan.
We cannot change everything about our present situation all at once, but we can begin with the areas we are most dissatisfied with. Selecting specific areas we wish to target for change helps us focus our efforts for improvement. Without a high degree of dissatisfaction we tend to settle for status quo and usually do not see the necessity for change.
Vision, a clear future picture for certain areas of our lives, is the motivating force that drives the desire for change. A clear-cut vision is a definite to accomplish a high rate of change. Many only have a fragmented idea of their future which cannot sustain change.
A defined action-oriented plan is vital to achieve the vision and address the areas of dissatisfaction or the rate of change will be limited.
These elements need to be understood to understand the process of change and to measure the likely rate of change. If any of these elements are not present, no change will occur.
Without having high levels of dissatisfaction, vision and planning, the barriers and perceived pain of change cannot be overcome and therefore desired success or fulfillment will not be attained.
Change has been defined as…
"Change is the window through which the future enters your life." It's all around you, in many types and shapes. You can bring it about yourself or it can come in ways that give you little choice about its what, when, and how. Fighting against change can slow it down or divert it, but it won't stop it however. If you wish to succeed in this rapidly changing new world "you must learn to look on change as a friend - one who presents you with an opportunity for growth and improvement."
We all face change because of what we face in life.
Our careers change; business has to change to keep up with globalization trends; families change because children are born and grow up; we change due to the experience and journey of life.
But, sometimes we want to change, and need to change for our journey of life to be successful, for us to achieve our dreams or for our lives to experience the fulfillment we desire. In fact, it will be inevitable.
So, what are the ingredients for change:
A high degree of dissatisfaction with your present situation(-s) or condition(-s).
A need for a clear vision.
A defined plan.
We cannot change everything about our present situation all at once, but we can begin with the areas we are most dissatisfied with. Selecting specific areas we wish to target for change helps us focus our efforts for improvement. Without a high degree of dissatisfaction we tend to settle for status quo and usually do not see the necessity for change.
Vision, a clear future picture for certain areas of our lives, is the motivating force that drives the desire for change. A clear-cut vision is a definite to accomplish a high rate of change. Many only have a fragmented idea of their future which cannot sustain change.
A defined action-oriented plan is vital to achieve the vision and address the areas of dissatisfaction or the rate of change will be limited.
These elements need to be understood to understand the process of change and to measure the likely rate of change. If any of these elements are not present, no change will occur.
Without having high levels of dissatisfaction, vision and planning, the barriers and perceived pain of change cannot be overcome and therefore desired success or fulfillment will not be attained.
Tuesday 12 June 2007
New Season, A New Land
The difference between one state and another, or one position or another, or one season or another is our own thinking.
The Israelites were on a journey to the promised Land., the land promised to Abraham for his descendants to inherit. The had been delivered out of the tyrannus hand of the most powerful king and nation in the known world-Egypt. They were brought to the brink of the Promised Land years before and had shown by their unbelief and rebelliousness that they couldn't inherit it. So, for 40 years, the Lord Jehovah leads them through the wilderness and reveals His nature and character to them.
As they are about to enter the Promised Land, Moses now unveils the intention of the past season and reveals the intention of God for their new season.
Deu 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you on this long journey through the desert these past forty years, sending hardships to test you, so that he might know what you intended to do and whether you would obey his commands.
Deu 8:3 He made you go hungry, and then he gave you manna to eat, food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did this to teach you that you must not depend on bread alone to sustain you, but on everything that the LORD says.
Deu 8:4 During these forty years your clothes have not worn out, nor have your feet swollen up.
In their old season that they were now about to leave behind, God had revealed Himself as God sufficient for every need. Just enough!
When they needed meat, He sent quail. When they needed water, He brought it out of the rock. When they needed bread, He sent manna. When they needed protection, He sent the cloud. And each time it was just enough for the day, time and need.
The wilderness was the land of "just enough" with miracles coming from the heart of God. Clothes didn't wear out and shoes grew with their feet. Sustained in every area, but "just enough".
Deu 8:7 The LORD your God is bringing you into a fertile land---a land that has rivers and springs, and underground streams gushing out into the valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8 a land that produces wheat and barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey.
Deu 8:9 There you will never go hungry or ever be in need.
Deu 8:11 "Make certain that you do not forget the LORD your God; do not fail to obey any of his laws that I am giving you today.
Deu 8:12 When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in
Deu 8:13 and when your cattle and sheep, your silver and gold, and all your other possessions have increased,
Deu 8:14 be sure that you do not become proud and forget the LORD your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.
Deu 8:15 He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.
Deu 8:16 In the desert he gave you manna to eat, food that your ancestors had never eaten. He sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end he could bless you with good things.
Deu 8:17 So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength.
Deu 8:18 Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.
But now, as they are about to enter the land He had promised them,the Lord unveils what His heart and desire is for them. More than enough!
Bread without scarcity. No lack. Increase of business, silver and gold and possessions and power to become rich. It required a whole new state of thinking. He had taught them in the old season to know that its not their power or might or great strength that gets them this "more than enough" land, but to trust Him and His word -that is what sustains them.
The New Season is about a GOOD land, a FRUITFUL land that the Lord is bringing us into. But, if we do not change our thinking we could end up not possessing it, enjoying it or knowing the Lord of the "more than enough" in it. Our "just enough" thinking will keep us in "lack land", "the land of"just enough".
God's nature of abundance and increase is revealed in His Promised Land-the New Season.
We fight at times to keep the old state of affairs, simply because we refuse to change our thinking. "We can't afford!", "We never have enough!", "We are never going to be able to...!".
And so it goes, our mouths speaking out of the abundance of our thinking. In Ephesians Paul says we should be changed or renewed in the attitude and processes of our thinking, putting off the OLD and putting on the NEW.
We need a whole new mentality for this new land, that we may grasp the "Lord's will be done and kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven".
Dwell in the promise of the Lord for the new land. Spend time in it that you may see and enjoy this GOOD land (season) He is bringing us into.
The Israelites were on a journey to the promised Land., the land promised to Abraham for his descendants to inherit. The had been delivered out of the tyrannus hand of the most powerful king and nation in the known world-Egypt. They were brought to the brink of the Promised Land years before and had shown by their unbelief and rebelliousness that they couldn't inherit it. So, for 40 years, the Lord Jehovah leads them through the wilderness and reveals His nature and character to them.
As they are about to enter the Promised Land, Moses now unveils the intention of the past season and reveals the intention of God for their new season.
Deu 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you on this long journey through the desert these past forty years, sending hardships to test you, so that he might know what you intended to do and whether you would obey his commands.
Deu 8:3 He made you go hungry, and then he gave you manna to eat, food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did this to teach you that you must not depend on bread alone to sustain you, but on everything that the LORD says.
Deu 8:4 During these forty years your clothes have not worn out, nor have your feet swollen up.
In their old season that they were now about to leave behind, God had revealed Himself as God sufficient for every need. Just enough!
When they needed meat, He sent quail. When they needed water, He brought it out of the rock. When they needed bread, He sent manna. When they needed protection, He sent the cloud. And each time it was just enough for the day, time and need.
The wilderness was the land of "just enough" with miracles coming from the heart of God. Clothes didn't wear out and shoes grew with their feet. Sustained in every area, but "just enough".
Deu 8:7 The LORD your God is bringing you into a fertile land---a land that has rivers and springs, and underground streams gushing out into the valleys and hills;
Deu 8:8 a land that produces wheat and barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and honey.
Deu 8:9 There you will never go hungry or ever be in need.
Deu 8:11 "Make certain that you do not forget the LORD your God; do not fail to obey any of his laws that I am giving you today.
Deu 8:12 When you have all you want to eat and have built good houses to live in
Deu 8:13 and when your cattle and sheep, your silver and gold, and all your other possessions have increased,
Deu 8:14 be sure that you do not become proud and forget the LORD your God who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves.
Deu 8:15 He led you through that vast and terrifying desert where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. In that dry and waterless land he made water flow out of solid rock for you.
Deu 8:16 In the desert he gave you manna to eat, food that your ancestors had never eaten. He sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end he could bless you with good things.
Deu 8:17 So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength.
Deu 8:18 Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.
But now, as they are about to enter the land He had promised them,the Lord unveils what His heart and desire is for them. More than enough!
Bread without scarcity. No lack. Increase of business, silver and gold and possessions and power to become rich. It required a whole new state of thinking. He had taught them in the old season to know that its not their power or might or great strength that gets them this "more than enough" land, but to trust Him and His word -that is what sustains them.
The New Season is about a GOOD land, a FRUITFUL land that the Lord is bringing us into. But, if we do not change our thinking we could end up not possessing it, enjoying it or knowing the Lord of the "more than enough" in it. Our "just enough" thinking will keep us in "lack land", "the land of"just enough".
God's nature of abundance and increase is revealed in His Promised Land-the New Season.
We fight at times to keep the old state of affairs, simply because we refuse to change our thinking. "We can't afford!", "We never have enough!", "We are never going to be able to...!".
And so it goes, our mouths speaking out of the abundance of our thinking. In Ephesians Paul says we should be changed or renewed in the attitude and processes of our thinking, putting off the OLD and putting on the NEW.
We need a whole new mentality for this new land, that we may grasp the "Lord's will be done and kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven".
Dwell in the promise of the Lord for the new land. Spend time in it that you may see and enjoy this GOOD land (season) He is bringing us into.
Sunday 10 June 2007
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin never let criticism or bad luck get him down for long. “Enemies do man more good than harm,” he wrote a friend. “They point out to us our faults; they put us upon our guard; and help us to live more correctly. The best men have always had their share of envy and malice of the foolish and wicked, and a man has therefore some reason to be ashamed of himself when he meets with none of it. My good friend Rev. Whitefield once said, When I am on the road and see boys in a field pelting a tree, though I am too far off to know what tree it is, I conclude it has fruit on it.”
Thursday 7 June 2007
Why a Personal Coach
- Evaluate and establish needs, values, and beliefs;
- Set goals that help you move forward in life;
- Focusing on what is important to you;
- Helping you establish what you want to achieve with your life, by guidance in forming precise and defined goals;
- Help work through issues you face;
- Unveil and understand the possible causes igniting them;
- Develop and implement a plan to deal with them;
- Embark on a journey that helps you get from where you are right now to where you want to be in the future;
- Help you overcome the obstacles on the path to the future;
- Journey with and monitor progress on a process toward your goals, making their acomplishment a lifestyle;
- Assist you in understanding, analysing and identifying solutions to the obstacles you encounter;
- Taking you on a path of success and fulfillment.
Contact me for a discussion concerning your specific areas:
Skype: shaun.smit
or Email: go2shaun@aol.com
Tuesday 5 June 2007
A Door of Opportunity
2 Cor2:12 "...and a door (an opportunity) was opened to me by the Lord,"
1 Cor16:9 "For a great and effective door has opened to me,..."
Acts 14:27 "Now when they had come and gathered the church together,they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
We can see a number of relevant points from these scriptures regarding the ministry of Paul:
1 Cor16:9 "For a great and effective door has opened to me,..."
Acts 14:27 "Now when they had come and gathered the church together,they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
We can see a number of relevant points from these scriptures regarding the ministry of Paul:
- The Lord opens doors of opportunity;
- When the Lord opens an opportunity, it is solid, sure, success-creating, promoting and honoring and significant;
- God will give the breakthrough for us to do what we have been commanded and called to do.
Its important that we realise that it's not just for 'ministry', but that we should trust the Lord to always give us the breakthrough opportunity into that which we believe He has called us. Of course, what we need to know and seek Him for is: 'What has He called and purposed me to do.' Paul knew that the Lord had called them to bring the message of faith to the Gentiles (those outside the covenant of Israel). It was there in Antioch that the Lord opens a door for them to begin. Doors, of course, imply an entering in, a going through.The Lord opens the opportunity and we need to step through. We trust God for the divine moment of God-given opportunity to fulfill what we are destined for; we stay close to the Lord in obedience and faith and then take the step of bold faith to 'move' in that direction. Be strong and of good courage, God told Joshua concerning the 'door' He was giving the nation of Israel. Acts 13: 46 "Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said,...behold we turn to the Gentiles." Today, know that and trust God that He WILL open a door of opportunity for YOU. Begin to confess: "My door of opportunity from the Lord is being opened for me. I have divine opportunity coming my way to do what the Lord has called me to do. My opportunity is significant and will launch me into my God-given purpose and destiny. I am stepping into my breakthrough by faith. I will boldly enter my God-given door of opportunity. Right now, divine opportunities are coming my way. " Those to whom Paul and his team were ministering, refused to receive them and in fact opposed them with contradiction, using vile words to hurt their reputation. BUT GOD....gave the breakthrough! You may feel that you are on a 'go-nowhere road where all you get is opposition and experiencing contradiction in everything you attempt to the point all you can hear in your head is "you are worth nothing;you will never amount to anything". Time to trust God for the breakthrough and a significant door of opportunity! He has one for you.
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