Keith Lightfoot Blogosphere

At what point do we totally stop believing in outside forces, spiritual guides and the law of attraction?

As children we were open to the idea that people/fairies/angels existed for our enjoyment, our benefit and our protection.

We wrote to Santa Claus and described in intricate detail the gifts we required to survive another year, we ceremoniously placed our lost tooth under the pillow or in a glass beside the bed, we openly prayed for help and we truly believed we could accomplish anything.

Our parents encouraged us to believe, they smiled and applauded when we innocently said Grace at the table, they told us that our dreams and goals were possible and they did their best to make every day special for us.

In 2006 a new book swept through the United States of America and went on to become a best selling publication in many countries.

The book was simply called “The Secret” and apparently contained recently uncovered information relating to a long forgotten secret of success that could transform all areas of our lives.

The story was featured on nationwide television and the authors appeared on major talk back shows, testimonials of individuals who had applied the techniques began to flood the internet and the air waves.

Even the first paragraph of the dust cover literally obligated us to clutch our copy of the book to our bosom and head to the check out counter:

“Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and in philosophies throughout the centuries.

For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life transforming for all who experience it.”

The book contained powerful words of wisdom from some of the world’s most well known authors, speakers, personal trainers, philosophers, money making experts, visionaries, life coaches and psychologists.

Examples of people who used the Law of Attraction included William Shakespeare, Robert Browning, Ludwig van Beethoven, Socrates, Plato, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Sir Isaac Newton. 

Parallels of teaching the Law of Attraction were drawn with various religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Surely then, this was a new and remarkable discovery!

Given that you have read this far, it is likely that you think that I am being somewhat flippant and potentially negative about this amazing book called The Secret.

And yet the absolute opposite is true!  The authors of the book are not the first to write about The Law of Attraction and they are likely not to be the last.

There is an old saying: “There is nothing new under the sun” and the older I get, the more I begin to understand the truth in that statement.

You can find books of all shapes and sizes, some new, some very old, all doing their very best to teach you The Law of Attraction.

Napoleon Hill wrote about it in his famous book Think and Grow Rich: Published in 1937.

“At last here is the one, sure way to overcome all obstacles, achieve any ambition, bring success as though provided from an every-flowing river.

Our brains become magnetized with the dominating thoughts which we hold in our minds and, by means with which no man is familiar, these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonizes with the nature of our dominating thoughts.

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”

The internet is overflowing with PDF files, documents, videos, songs and poems showing you how you can succeed by using the combined forces of the universe, God, your tongue, invisible angels, interconnection, spirituality, Saints and your attitude.

If this is true then why do so few succeed. Why do millions of people go through life searching for happiness and success? Why are people still rushing to buy a book with information that has been in print for hundreds of years?

People who have believed and adopted the secret of success have been successful, those who have not, remain frustrated and unhappy.

Everybody is looking for the instant fix, the lotto cure, the microwave motivation, the perfect partner, the no-exercise weight loss program and the magic guaranteed pathway to mega fame, fortune, good looks and friends.

Everybody can see what is wrong with everybody else and everybody wants everybody else to change.

The story is told of a Middle Eastern mystic who wanted to make a difference and like many of us, thought that everybody else needed to change their ways except him.

His prayers when he was young, bulletproof and always-right were “Lord, give me the energy to change the world!”

At middle age when he began to realise that perhaps change takes place one-house-at-a-time, then one-street-at-a-time, then one city, his prayers were “Lord, give me the strength to change all those who come into contact with me!”

As an old man when he was blessed with wisdom instead of pure knowledge, he prayed “Lord, please just give me the grace to change myself!”

People are so terrified of speaking in public, that they say they would choose death, rather than have to make a speech.

Whether or not the person would actually go through with the stated selection is irrelevant, because what it highlights is the extreme pressure felt by up to seventy five percent of the world’s population, when asked to make a public address.

Hopefully this article will bolster your confidence a little and offer some practical tips on the art of public speaking.

The information presented here is based on my own personal experiences with speaking in public, feedback from attendees, discussions with other presenters, intense study of the great speakers, conducting public speaking training courses and mentoring people in the art of delivering a powerful and memorable speech.

Firstly it is important to decide “who you are”.

The more I train people, listen to speakers, attend social functions and observe audience reactions, then more I realise the huge importance of “being yourself”.

If you are the kind of person that people consider to be quick witted and generally funny; then you should include some humour in your talk, otherwise be very careful!

The internet, speech writing books and well meaning friends will often advise you to tell jokes to win the audience over. On many occasions I have cringed in my seat as joke after joke falls flat on a very embarrassed group of people.

Let’s face it, some people are really good at impromptu humour and joke telling, and some are not!

My worst nightmare is when a very nervous public speaker, typically at weddings, uses low level sarcasm and dredges up past (seemingly funny) events about the happy couple, to deflect the focus away from him/herself in a dismal attempt to seem funny and relaxed.

There is a scene in “The Wedding Crashers” where John Beckwith gives good speech advice to Claire Cleary just before she speaks at the wedding.

He says “I know, but the funny because it’s true bit, only works if the truth is a very small thing like, “everyone knows Jennifer likes to shop, ha ha ha”. Honestly, I think you’re better off going for something from the heart “

Like all great inexperienced Public Speakers she ignores his advice and says “I think people are going to love this.”

Eventually, after all of her words have fallen flat and people are shifting nervously in their seats, she moves to her natural state of tenderness and compassion, delivers the remainder of her talk from her heart and ends with “True love is the soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another” (a suggested quote given to her by John Beckwith).  Naturally the audience and the happy couple are moved by her address.

Be genuine … be you … let people see you … it is great to step it up a little and press the boundaries of your comfort level, but at least try to stay within your spirit.

There are numerous web sites offering “canned” talks for every occasion and if you are very new to Public Speaking you may benefit from at least some form of outline to get you started.

Some of the basic elements of Speech Writing include:

1. Have a basic plan.
Are you intending to educate, inform, inspire or motivate.

2. Decide on a beginning, a middle and an end.
Hot Tip: It is often a good idea to write your own name and your first few words at the top of your page. Your nerves will be at their highest just as you start, once you have said your own name and the basic introduction your heart rate may have begun to slow down a little.

3. Make sure you do not have too much content.
It is useful to remember that even the best audience will reach information saturation after about twenty minutes.

4. Use different methods of communication to reach people.
Visual (overhead slides), audio (your talk) and audience participation (exercises).

5. Do your research first.
Find out exactly what the conference organiser or coach is looking to achieve through your presentation. Make sure your information is accurate and not based on rumour, opinion and heresay.

6. Get yourself involved with good personal stories and relevant examples.
Story tellers will be remembered long after all the factual presentations are forgotten.

7. Focus on a powerful opening and memorable close.
Promoters of live bands know that people will react well to a great opening (well known song) and a powerful final number.

This is Willie’s second book (the first was “It only takes a minute to change your life”) and he uses this new book to reflect on his personal experiences, setbacks and comebacks.

Willie also describes the temporary failures of many successful people and how they rose above their obstacles to try and try again, until they finally broke through.

There are many motivational books on the market and I have heard some say that there is no room for any more, and that the message is very similar across every book.

I believe the message has to be the same and in “being the same” reinforces the very thing we should do to succeed.

Every author brings a new flavour to the message, coupled with their personal heartaches and stories, and he or she adds a unique element to what we already know.

It is this “unique viewpoint” that often jells with us and finally causes us to get our “but” out of the way and allows us to move towards our goal.

I found the book refreshing, full of great uplifting stories and overflowing with awesome quotes, some of which I have listed below for your enjoyment and inspiration.

One of personal favourites:

“Most of us are standing in a river and dying of thirst.”  
Cathy Mateo

Willie Jolley: Quotes and Reflections

“In every life there comes a time
A minute when you must decide
To stand up and live your dreams
Or fall back and live your fears
In that minute of decision
You must grasp the vision
And seize the power
That lies deep inside of you!
Then you will see
That dreams really can and do come true
And that all things truly are possible
If you can just believe!
It only takes a minute to change your life!
It only tales a minute to learn that
A setback is nothing but a setup
For a someback!”   
Willie Jolley

“I have only just a minute
Only sixty seconds in it
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it
But it’s up to me to use it
I must suffer if I lose it
Give account if I abuse it
Just a tiny little minute
But an eternity is in it!”   
Dr Benjamin Mays

“The minute you make a decision to take action … is the minute you change your life!”  
Willie Jolley

“None of us can change of yesterdays, but all of us can change our tomorrows!”  
Colin Powell

“While prosperity discovers vice, adversity best discovers virtue, and the virtue that comes from adversity is fortitude. The good things, which belong to prosperity, are to be wished, but the good things, which belong to adversity, are to be admired. Therefore he knows not of his own strength that has not met adversity.”
Sir Francis Bacon

“Adversity can either break you or make you.  The same hammer that breaks the glass also sharpens the steel.” 
Bob Johnson

“Good timber does not grow with ease, the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.” 
J. Willard Marriott

“If thou faint in the time of adversity, thou strength is small.”  
Proverbs 24.10

“Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank wit poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat. The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.” 
Theodore Roosevelt

“Mediocrity is a place and is bordered on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by lack of vision.”  
John Mason

“Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it demands on your perspective.”
Mary Roberts Rinehart

“Do you get upset because roses have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 
Author Unknown

“All men dream, but not equally. Those men that dream at night in the dusty recesses of their minds, awaken to find that it was just vanity. But those that dream by day are the dangerous ones, for they dream with their eyes open, to make sure that their dreams will come true.”
T.E. Lawrence

“You can be the designer of your life, or the victim of your circumstances; it’s up to you!” 
Redenback

“The only ‘good luck’ most great people ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome ‘back luck!’“
Channing Pollock

“If the dream is big enough the facts don’t count.” 
Dexter Yager

“Gravity is a fact, but airplanes circumvent that fact on an hourly basis.” 
Neil Armstrong

“Keep my words positive, because my words become behaviors
Keep my behaviors positive, because my behaviors become habits
Keep my habits positive, because my habits become my values
Keep my values positive, because they become my destiny.’ 
Mahatma Gandhi

“Because I’m special, I have my sense of self
And it’s not for sale, I know who I am
And I refuse to fail, I know who I am
I’ve got the power to succeed, and in the spirit of faith
I’ve got all that I need
A blessing in disguise, as evidence of things not seen
Is the secret of success, in the seed of self esteem,
Because I am, that I am, there’s no way I can let myself down,
Hang-ups and setbacks are only stepping stones to higher ground,
Because I am special, I am who I am.”    
Danny Queen

“There are only two things to worry about;
Either you are well or you are sick.
If you are well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you are sick, there are two things to worry about;
Either you will get well or you will die.
If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.
If you die, there are only two things to worry about;
Either you will go to Heaven or you will go to Hell.
If you go to Heaven, there is nothing to worry about.
If you go to Hell, well why worry now! It’s too late!” 
Author Unknown

“You may not be responsible for being knocked down, but you are responsible for getting back up.” 
Jesse Jackson

“If you can just believe, all things are possible to them that believe.” 
Mark 9.23

“We go through life with a series of God ordained opportunities, brilliantly disguised a challenges.”
Charles Udall

“In life you are either just interested in a relationship or committed to a relationship.  You are either just interested in completing your studies or committed to completing your studies.  You are either just interested in starting your own business, following your dream or committed to it.  You are either just interested in improving your health, income, or lifestyle or you are committed to it.  You are either just interested in reducing the stress and mess in your life or you are committed to it.  Once you make up your mind, the main thing is to keep “The Main Thing” … “The Main Thing!”  Stay focused and committed and you will see results and not regrets.” 
Jewell Diamond Taylor

“He who Knows Not, and Knows Not that he Knows Not, but thinks he Knows, is a fool … shun him!
He who Knows Not, and Knows that he Knows Not, is a child … teach him
He who Knows, but uses not what he Knows, is asleep … wake him!
Oh, but he who Knows, and Knows that he Knows, and uses what he Knows, is a Leader … Follow him!” 
Author Unknown

“All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes!” Roman 8:28