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And... what if you can't solve the problem? Well, the good news is... you can manage it! Schuller gives us '...twelve principles for managing problems creatively and constructively!'

Twelve Principles for Managing Problems Positively

1. Don't underestimate.

'Never underestimate a problem or your power to cope with it. Realise that the problem you are facing has been faced by millions of human beings. You have untapped potential for dealing with a problem if you will take the problem and your own undeveloped, unchanneled powers seriously. Your reaction to the problem, as much as the problem itself, will determine the outcome.'

2. Don't exaggerate.

Schuller points out that most people he has counselled tend to exaggerate their problem by playing it up too much to themselves. To put personal problems into perspective, he writes: 'In my experience as a pastor, I have never met anyone who wanted to exchange his problem for someone else's.'

'If you will play it down and pray it up, God will give you the ability to cope with the worst that will happen.'

3. Don't wait.

'To wait is to waste time and opportunity. Right now understand that you alone are responsible for managing your problem. Don't expect anyone else to do it for you. Look to God and to your own capabilities. If you expect others to rescue you, you will only be disappointed. Worse than that, you may also become cynical and bitter.'

4. Don't aggravate.

'We have the power to make any problem better or worse. We do this when we react positively or negatively. If you've got a problem, don't add to it. Don't make your problem worse by aggravating it with self-pity, jealousy, cynicism, hatred, anger, or lack of positive faith in the future.'

5. Illuminate.

Schuller suggests that we use the IPDE formula to illuminate the problem. 'IDENTIFY the problem. PREDICT what this problem will do to you if you don't do anything about it. DECIDE on your response from all the alternatives. Then EXECUTE on the most positive action that you can imagine.'

6. Motivate.

The real trick is to '...consider all of the positive reactions...' that you can take, and '...you will be motivated to take positive action.'

7. Bait.

Most people try and solve their problem by being miles away from the potential solution. Meaning that if you want to catch a giant marlin you can't throw your bait out into your garden... you have to get into a boat and travel to where the marlin are... and then throw in your bait.

'Need a job? Go to where the jobs are. And then throw out the bait. Put in your application. Put ads in the paper. Let people know you are available.'

8. Date.

This principle reminds us to solve our problems the way we go about finding a spouse... knock on doors... play the field... keep trying... romance the opportunities... set up as many dates with destiny as you can.

9. Sublimate.

'Every problem, even yours, is loaded with possibilities. You can turn your mountain into a gold mine. Believe that every time that every adversity holds within it the seeds of an undeveloped possibility. When you can't eliminate the problem, sublimate it. Turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone.'

10. Now dedicate.

'Most people fail, not because they lack intelligence, ability, opportunity, or talent, but because they haven't given their problem all they've got!'

'Anyone can succeed if he can get enthusiastic about life even when life seems empty. Doors will open to the enthusiastic person first!'

Schuller promises, 'Remember this : Unexpected sources of help come from unpredictable quarters to the person who remains positive and enthusiastic and cheerful! That's my promise.'

11. Communicate.

'Do you need help? Then ask for it. Don't be too proud to tell people you need help. Do you need hope? Are you discouraged? Depressed? Has enthusiasm waned? Do you want to quit, pack up, and run away from life? Then ask for help. Seek it out. There is hope waiting for you. Whatever else you do, COMMUNICATE. You will be surprised at how help will come to you and your problem will be managed.'

12. Insulate.

'Insulate yourself from negative forces and negative personalities. Negative thinking can easily produce exaggerated conclusions that are most irresponsible.'

Continues Schuller: 'Be positive. You can solve your problems. When a problem seems to defy solution, you can manage it. Take charge, take control, and never surrender leadership.'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

Says Schuller: 'People who win over tough times are people who never stop believing. They have faith in themselves and their Lord and in the ideas that God gives them. These winners, survivors, pray for God's guidance and when they know what it is they have to do, they take action. They do something about it.'

'I say to you: you can do anything you want to do. You can be anything you want to be. You can go anywhere from where you are - if you are willing to dream big and work hard.'

Put Your Problems Into Perspective

Robert Schuller discusses SIX principles pertaining to all problems.

1. Every living human being has problems.

'Nobody is free from problems. A problem-free life is an illusion - a mirage in the desert. It is a dangerously deceptive perception, which can mislead, blind and distract.'

'To pursue a problem-free life is to run after an elusive fantasy; it is a waste of mental and physical energies. Every living human person has problems. Accept that fact and move on to the second principle.'

2. Every problem has a limited life span.

I love this principle because it takes heed of natural historical evidence.

Writes Schuller: 'Every mountain has a peak. Every valley has a low point. Life has its ups and downs, its peaks and valleys.'

'History teaches us that every problem has a life span. No problem is permanent. Do you have a problem? They will pass; they will not last. Your problem will not last forever, but you will! Storms always give way to the sun. Winter always thaws into springtime. Your storm will pass. Your winter will thaw. Your problem will be resolved.'

3. Every problem holds possibilities.

Schuller points out the exciting paradox posed by problems. Pointing out that... 'There are two sides to every coin,' he says, '...every human problem holds possibilities for someone willing to look for them.'

4. Every problem will change you.

'Problems never leave us the way the found us.' We either learn from the experience we gain or we suffer the consequences of not taking positive action to move through the problem.

5. You can choose what your problem will do to you.

We may not be able to control the things that happen to us, or the problems that we encounter in life, but '...we can control our reaction...' to these problems. It can make you tender or tough; it can make you better or bitter. It all depends on you.'

6. There is a negative and a positive reaction to every problem.

Schuller uses the example of a financial setback to explain the choices we can make. The negative solution would be to go out and steal money to solve your problem. The positive solution would be the most courageous solution... to face your creditors honestly and arrange new terms.

In using these six principles to putting your problems into perspective, as Schuller says, it is all about... 'Possibility Thinking - I do not claim it can solve every problem. But I have no doubt that the vast majority of problems can be solved if we only believe. "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26)'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

Schuller goes on to share the story of some tough people who chose to rise to the top in tough times.

Mary Martin... a sixty-nine year old member of his congregation... nine-times Life magazine cover-girl... who lost her dearest companion in a horrendous car crash that almost crippled her.

Schuller asks: 'What gives some persons the power to fight on after the loss of a precious loved one after experiencing torturing physical pain day after day? There is no substitute for deep abiding faith. If we hold on, we will win out! Unquestionably the profound faith and the beautiful providence of God produce a strong and unquenchable optimistic mental attitude.'

Benno Fischer... a survivor from the Jewish concentration camps for the entire duration of the Second World War from 1939 to 1945... separated from his sweetheart that he was due to marry in 1939 and reunited again in 1945 in Stuttgart. 'They embraced; they cried; they laughed; they loved; they survived. And they came to America! Tough times never last, but tough people do!'

Judy Hall... divorced, mother of two young teenage-daughters, without steady-income... who started a dressmaking business with one hundred dollars and an idea. Now her enterprise turns out 123 quality dresses a month. 'If a single, divorced mother of two children, with no money and no special training, is able to invade a surplus market with a new product and a new concept and develop a super successful enterprise, then it's probably possible for you to create employment opportunities for yourself.'

In discussing Judy Hall's story, Schuller shares a simple four-question test to see whether an idea will be successful or not:

Question 1. Is it practical and will it fill a vital human need?

Question 2. Can it be done beautifully?

Question 3. Can it be done differently enough so that it will stand out in front of all others?

Question 4. Can it receive the stamp of excellence and be a little better than anything else that is being offered?

John Prunty... a long-distance runner who plunged from a scaffold and broke his neck. 'In that moment of truth this young husband and father knew he was a quadriplegic, a victim of a broken neck, paralysed from the neck down for life!'

Said John, "I decided to be a survivor. In fact, three D's became my guiding theme... desire, dedication and determination. I knew I needed to generate and sustain the desire to live, to heal, and to recognise my full potential. Then I had to dedicate myself to that concept. Determination alone would give me the victory, I resolved never to surrender.'

Today, John Prunty manages his own business from his wheelchair... 'John Prunty's a winner, he's a survivor, because he knows that... Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!'

There are many great testimonials in this book, which demonstrate that... 'Everybody has problems. No life is problem-free.'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

As he relays the thought process that went through his mind, we learn that Robert Schuller has himself experienced TOUGH TIMES.

From being the son of a '30’s Depression era farmer whose farm was flattened by a tornado... escaping with their lives from this very tornado... struggling to get through college... losing all his possessions in a fire... struggling to start a church with just five hundred dollars in a strange State with no friends, contacts or family... having a wife who has struggled with cancer... the near-loss of his daughter in a serious motorbike accident... the amputation of her leg... to building a twenty-million dollar, internationally-acclaimed Crystal Cathedral with not a cent in his pocket to begin with!

In his speech, Schuller recalled how his father had shown extraordinary determination in slowly bouncing back from the disaster that befell his family. His father had spent his last remaining savings to purchase seed corn to begin planting crops again. This despite the best advice of his bankers to sell to avoid bankruptcy.

He taught the young Robert that : 'People who never take a chance, never get ahead.'

Unfortunately the first crop was almost totally wiped out by a drought... but his father recovered enough seeds to begin planting again..! At this time the young Robert noticed a sign in a bank that read - Great people are ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of determination!

'That slogan was an explanation of my father's success and inspiration to me to attempt the impossible too!'

As Schuller came to the end of his story to his audience, telling of how his father died a successful man despite all his tribulations, he asked.

'So you're having tough times. Are they tougher times than my father experienced? Are you burning corncobs for fuel? Have you lost everything in a tornado? Is the mortgage due and the cash not there? Are you tempted to walk away and put the place up for sale? Then let me tell you something about tough times. I believe I have walked the path and earned the right to comment on tough times. Let me tell you something about tough times!'

Now, here's where I really get to enjoy Robert Schuller's work, he admits : 'I hadn't got the foggiest idea what I was going to tell them about tough times! I had painted myself into a corner. I prayed silently. I prolonged the dramatic pause as I paced like a tiger in the cage back and forth across the empty stage, returning the stares of a very attentive audience.'

'I was stunned to hear this sentence come out of my mouth. I was shocked. I was inspired! I am convinced it came directly from God. It was a sentence that would not only inspire me and my audience but many others. It would even give birth to a book. Like a thunderclap, this sentence filled every corner of the huge ballroom: Tough Times Never Last... But Tough People Do!'

And so begins a great book!

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

The book begins in the summer of 1982 with Schuller facing a very negative audience of 3500 depressed agricultural-industry delegates, who were experiencing the disastrous effects of one of the severest recessions in U.S. history. Says Schuller, 'In recessive times the tendency is to react negatively.'

He knew that his audience was facing TOUGH TIMES..! The speech that he had prepared seemed to be so out of place that he instinctively dumped it as he walked out onto the stage. Anyone who knows the pressure of public speaking can recognise the anxiety that he must have felt at that moment.

'I found myself walking across the stage without the faintest idea of what I would tell these troubled people. I paced quietly from one end of the platform to the other, trying to collect my thoughts, I searched the eyes of the audience. I decided to recover my position by asking a question.'

"They tell me that you are having tough times. Is that right?"

'The question gave me the time to embrace a dramatic pause. Such a pause can be a lifesaver to a public speaker. I continued to pace back and forth, pretending to exude the confidence of a well-prepared lecturer.'

'I could tell that my opening question had grabbed their attention... from that point I delivered a spontaneous lecture that at times erupted with new insights.'

For this writer something about reading Schuller's message, many years ago, changed my personal speech-making delivery style to one of just talking straight from the heart... on things that you know about and have personally experienced... and it works!

I have faithfully kept away from speech-coaches who want to clone every speechmaker into the SAME style... and allowed myself the privilege of breaking all the rules and just being myself on that stage!

Says Schuller : '...the most effective speech is not a sermon but a witness. Essentially the principle is this: if you don't have any advice to give, you can always share your own story. If there has been any excitement, challenge, crisis, and resolution in your life, then share it! Everybody likes a good story.'

That simple piece of advice makes every one of us mere mortals a potential quality story-teller because we have all experienced major challenges in our lives. It is the attitude that we displayed in dealing with these challenges... and succeeding... that determines whether we WANT to share our experiences with others.

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!

Author - Robert H. Schuller

Book Review - How To Turn Problems Into Exciting Possibilities

Review by Trevor Nel – March 2001

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'Lord, give me the guidance to know when to hold on and when to let go... and the grace to make the right decision with dignity.'

To me, this is the opening prayer of a man who has REALLY lived life to the full in our tough, cynical, negative world.

This is the prayer of a man who has the wisdom and insight of years of experience in counselling thousands, if not millions, of people to dust themselves off from their failures in life... and to take those bold, daring decisions to take decisive action to change their lives for the better.

This man is Robert H. Schuller - founder and senior pastor of the impressive Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California - and author of more than twenty books. His classic - Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do - is one of the most dog-eared, highlighted and underlined of books on this writer's shelves. It is so laden with simple, powerful truths that it can be read hundreds of times over... and still, one will never tire of it!

In this book the reader will discover how to apply Robert Schuller's key ingredients in the recipe of success, being to:

1.) Put your problems in proper perspective
2.) Apply the 12 principles of managing problems effectively
3.) Take charge and control of your situation
4.) Tackle impossibilities with the Ten Commandments for Possibility Thinking
5.) Count to 10 and Win
6.) Apply the Faith that will move your mountain
7.) Apply the One Power that pulls everything together successfully

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum