TrevorNelDailyOnline

Schuller goes on to talk about the importance of living a life of unbending, mountain-moving faith.

'Faith is indeed the greatest miracle-working power imaginable. Faith never fails a person; we fail when we give up on our faith.' He suggests that there are five phases to developing faith, and if any one of these five phases is ignored we will not get the results we are looking for.

He writes: 'Faith is like a seed. If a seed is not planted, it can't bear fruit. But planting is just the first phase. Unless the seed is watered, it won't sprout. Sprouting is the second phase. Once the seed is planted and watered, growth will begin. But unless the plant is nourished, it will not reach full maturity. It will not blossom, which is the third phase.'

Then, the right climactic conditions are needed to bear fruit - the fourth phase. And, finally it must be harvested at precisely the right time - the fifth phase.

1. The Nesting Phase.

This phase begins when an idea first enters your mind. Schuller asks the reader to consider where that idea first comes from. 'Faith begins when you begin to believe in the ideas that God sends to you. Greatness does not depend upon your position in life, but upon your respect of the positive ideas that flow into your imagination!'

He regularly states his assertion from the pulpit as to the source of all ideas: 'All of us have incredible creative potential because all ideas come from God and all of us can tap into this wisdom. Don't reject the ideas simply because of your awareness of your own imperfections.'

He provides some insightful wisdom of his own: 'Common people are brilliant only if they believe in their own ideas. Most human beings have the same basic brain capacity. The major difference is the attitude that a person has towards his own ideas!'

Schuller does caution: 'Of course, no idea is perfect.' He suggests that we should be looking for the positive potential in every idea. He does point out that: 'Positive results follow a positive mental picture. This is the irrevocable law of faith built by God into the universe.'

2. The Testing Phase

Schuller balances his enthusiasm for all ideas with the understanding that they need to be tested for their validity and practical application. 'No person plunges recklessly and irresponsibly ahead with every idea that moves through his brain.'

He suggests that the ultimate test of the quality of an idea is whether it will be an inspiration to others or... make a positive difference in the lives of others.

3. The Investing Phase

This is 'the point at which you make a public commitment. You commit time, money, energy, and - possibly the most valuable products of all - pride and prestige to the publicly announced project.'

Schuller comments: 'Many people fail their faith at this third phase. They are just not faithful enough to invest everything they've got into their dream.'

4. The Arresting Phase

This is when the problems begin to arise, where the troubles begin to crop up. 'The arresting phase of faith is God's way of testing us before the final victory. He wants to make sure: Are we really depending on Him? Will we really be grateful if we make it? Can He trust us with success? Are we going to prove humble enough to handle the big prize?'

'Every project I've ever tackled has gone through its severe arresting phase. And at that point in time, you have the choice to hang on or to give up. You and you alone reserve the ultimate choice: Quit or keep believing. Which response will inspire the most people?'

5. The Cresting Phase

This is where success comes shining through. Schuller uses Christ's life story to demonstrate how all five phases were experienced by Christ.

He closes this discussion on Faith with the comment: 'The God who created you gave you a brain that is brilliant. You are as deserving and as capable of achieving success as any other person alive in the world today. God created you as an inspiration to many people. Open your mind to receive possibility thoughts. They will come like eggs dropped in a nest. Tenderly receive them and be prepared to trust in them through the testing phase, the investing phase, the arresting phase. Never abandon the dream until you've reached the cresting phase.'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

In playing the Possibility Thinking Game, Schuller came up with a very simple strategy to begin to solve seemingly impossible problems. He discovered that when he '...listed ten possible ways to do what was impossible at that moment...' he ultimately came up with a solution.

He described how he needed to raise $1,000,000 (One Million Dollars) and began to list his possibilities on a piece of paper:

1. Get 1 person to give $1,000,000
2. Get 2 people to give $500,000
3. Get 4 people to give $250,000
4. Get 10 people to give $100,000
5. Get 20 people to give $50,000
6. Get 40 people to give $25,000
7. Get 50 people to give $20,000
8. Get 100 people to give $10,000
9. Get 200 people to give $5,000
10. Get 1000 people to give $1,000

Robert Schuller got his money... and he learnt that... 'Anyone can count to ten - and anyone can be a success! It's true. Count to ten and win. This simple possibility thinking game can help anyone with any problem. Don't play it alone. Play it with problem-solving people. Play it with possibility-thinking people. Play it with people who have a record of achievement and success.'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

This section is perhaps the most illuminating in this book, in that it opens one's mind to the awesome power of managing ideas effectively.

Says Schuller: 'Impossibility thinkers are people who instinctively react negatively to a possibility-laden idea. They impulsively look for reasons why it can't be done. They quickly abort an idea and forget about it.'

'The possibility thinker looks at every idea to see if it has possibilities. If it does, he takes an option out on the idea. He does not let it slip by.'

Through his own personal experiences, he learnt to' Never underestimate the value of an idea. Every positive idea has within it the potential for success if it is managed properly...' and came up with the Ten Commandments of Possibility Thinking, as summarised below:-

1. Never reject a possibility because you see something wrong with it!

Says Schuller: 'There is something wrong with every good idea. Don't throw away a suggestion when you see a problem. Instead, isolate the negative from the possibility. Neutralise the negative. Exploit the possibility, and sublimate the negative. Don't ever let negatives kill the positive potential that is within an opportunity.'

2. Never reject a possibility because you won't get the credit!

'God can do tremendous things through the person who doesn't care who gets the credit. Decisions must never be based on ego needs. They must be based on human needs and market pressures that transcend your own desires. Decide today: Would you rather satisfy your ego - or enjoy the fruits of success?'

3. Never reject a possibility because it's impossible!

'Almost every idea is impossible when it is first born. Possibility thinkers take great ideas and turn the impossibilities into possibilities. That's progress!'

4. Never reject a possibility because your mind is already made up!

'People who never change their minds are either perfect or stubborn. I'm not perfect and neither are you. I'd rather change plans while still in port, than to set sail and sink at sea.'

5. Never reject an idea because it's illegal!

'You might be able to get the law changed. A lot of laws on the books today need to be changed.'

6. Never reject an idea because you don't have the money, manpower, muscle, or months to achieve it!

'Make the commitment to do what's great, then solve the problems. A successful person has very few resources, except the capacity to take an idea and marshal stronger and smarter people around him to pull it off.'

7. Never reject an idea because it will create conflict!

'You can never develop a possibility without creating problems. Every idea worth anything is bound to be rejected by people who don't go along with it.'

8. Never reject an idea because it's not your way of doing things!

'Learn to accommodate. Prepare to compromise. Maintain a balance between the tension of an opportunity that demands exploitation and the limitations of the resources available at the moment.'

9. Never reject an idea because it might fail!

'Every idea worth anything has failure potential within it. There is risk in everything. You never reject an idea because there's some risk involved. You isolate the risk, insulate it, and eventually eliminate it.'

10. Never reject an idea because it's sure to succeed!

Schuller levels some strong words at fellow Christians who overplay the humility card: 'To choose poverty instead of prosperity, failure instead of success, low achievement instead of top-of-the-ladder achievement, simply for the sake of being humble, is not super-Christian. It's dumb. Only successful people can help people who are failing. Only winners will survive to give food to the hungry.'

He quotes Rich de Vos - president of the Amway Corporation: "The poor cannot help the poor."

So where did Robert Schuller get The Ten Commandments for Possibility Thinkers?

'All ten came from the Bible. All ten come from Jesus Christ - The World's Greatest Possibility Thinker. He said: "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt. 17:20)'

More tomorrow:

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum

He outlines 18 Leadership Principles For Maintaining Control. These principles, as summarised in the extracts below, have made an enormous impact on this writer's life and should be studied in full by reading the book to really gain maximum value.

1. Don't surrender leadership to outside forces... take charge of your destiny.

2. Don't surrender leadership to faces... more particularly the looks on their faces or their body language... stick to your guns!

3. Don't surrender leadership to farces... or myths, lies generalisations and deliberate untruths.

4. Don't surrender leadership to fences... or 'little boxes' or paradigms that tend to want to shape our decisions. Think about what new results might happen if you deliberately set out to break the conventional wisdom or generally accepted rules.

5. Don't surrender leadership to frustrations... every one who wants to achieve will face enormous frustrations from uncooperative people, bureaucratic 'red tape' and lack of finances... don't give in on your dreams and goals.

6. Don't surrender leadership to your fantasies... 'Don't allow yourself to indulge in negative fantasies that limit the size of your goals and stifle your creativity.'

7. Don't surrender leadership to fears... 'The Bible says, "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). That means that when you surrender to fears, you can be sure that the fears did not come from God. God does not give us the spirit of fear. If you have many fears, all you have to do is cure yourself of one fear, and that's the fear of failure. This will help: "I'd rather attempt something great and fail than attempt nothing and succeed."'

8. Don't surrender leadership to fatigue... recognise that there are times when you are too tired to see people or to make decisions... take time to rest and recharge your batteries.

9. Don't surrender leadership to faults... 'A lot of people do that. They find fault with a good idea and annihilate it. They surrender leadership to the faults instead of to the potential. There are problems with every idea. But problems call for polishing, not for demolition. It's amazing how faults can control our lives if we let them.'

10. Don't surrender leadership to facts... past facts and statistics can be influenced and changed by the actions you take.

11. Don't surrender leadership to frenzies... most times people react to a problem with frenzied action... sometimes it is better just to sit back, relax and think.

12. Don't surrender leadership to the fates... 'Fortune-tellers, chart readers, and any others who program people subconsciously or consciously with negative self-fulfilling prophecies are dangerous people. Never allow these people to move into the control position of your life.'

13. Don't surrender leadership to forecasts... 'There will always be negative, cynical people who only believe that life will go downhill as time goes on.' Ignore them and live your life as you want to!

14. Don't surrender leadership to your foes... 'Not a single foe, not a single critic offered any better solution to my problem. I soon realised that my foes really weren't interested in solving my problems.'

15. Don't surrender leadership to your friends... 'Friends can give you advice. They can share with you their opinions. But they should never have the final word. The only one who can make the decision and live with the results is you. Do what you believe you must do. Be true to yourself, to your ideals, and to your dreams.'

16. Don't surrender leadership to the fracturing experiences of life... never let past hurts govern your life, you have got to discover the awesome power of having faith in the future!

17. Don't surrender leadership to the flattening-out experiences of life... life is tough, life is not fair, but how you face it and deal with it determine how much you will enjoy the experience.

18. Do surrender leadership to one thing - FAITH... 'Let faith be in control of every decision you make and every action you take. You do that when you let the positive possibilities set your goals. Surrender leadership to faith. Surrender leadership to God. Let Him be in control of your life.' This writer did and it opened my future up to the incredible power of Possibility Thinking described by Robert Schuller.

More tomorrow.

posted by Trevor Nel: Developer - INNER Circle Business Forum