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Friday, 16 April 2010

The Long Arm of Hashem’s Justice

Some people think they’re smart, like the British folks who run the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The day before yesterday, the senseless stuffed-shirts declared that the Western Wall and the site of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem are not part of Israel, banning Israeli Tourist adverts that included photos of these holy sites.

The bumbling Brits didn’t realize that when you mess around with Jerusalem and the Wall, you mess around with Hashem.

"Aha, Great Britain – are you so brazen to discourage tourism to My Holy City?" Hashem asks. "You question My children’s right to their Father’s palace? You shall not have a single tourist entering or leaving your silly Island!"

So what did Hashem do?

Hashem let a remote volcano in Iceland erupt, from the Icelandic mountain Eyjaffjalljokull, whose ash cloud grounded all air traffic above Britain yesterday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. You see, the microscopic particles which make up volcanic ash pose a threat to aircraft because they can affect visibility and get sucked into aircraft engines, causing total breakdown.

No one remembers when British airspace was totally closed. Such a natural phenomena as an atmospheral ash cloud is one in a zillion. But, Hashem in implementing His Divine justice is defying statistics more and more as we get closer to Moshiach.

Britain’s air traffic service said late Thursday it was extending a ban on most air traffic until 1200GMT (8 a.m EDT) Friday, this morning. Meanwhile the financial losses and the chaos is mindboggling.

Who else wants to fool around with Hashem and Jerusalem? Step up to the plate…

Big Beam blessings to Elliot Brill from Edgeware in London for his major help in preparing today’s post

http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2010/04/the-long-arm-of-hashems-justice.html

What you think about and how you think about it matters.

Focusing on frustration is fruitless – it only makes you bog down in negativity.
Dwelling on injustices is depressing – it only makes you feel more abused.

Communication is what prepares the way for change.
Action is what moves you from a bad situation to a good one.

The difference between choosing to dwell on frustrations and choosing to communicate and act boils down to one thing. Your attitude. And no matter what anyone says, you’re the only one who can control that.

Your attitude will determine your thoughts which will determine your actions which will determine your opportunities which will determine your life.

Choose well.

That was the final quote on one episode of Criminal Minds. What truth that one small sentence speaks. In our efforts to be normal, or to be perceived as such how many of us hide the very same things as everyone around us? Those things that make  us feel out of place or strange, but are also the same things that when found in another make us soul mates and kindred spirits. Or maybe it isn’t an effort to be or appear normal after all, maybe it is only the fear of rejection and ridicule.  It starts when we are so young, that need to be like everyone else, to be liked by everyone else. And even after we are adults and we feel we should be past it, it’s their.

If we knew each others secrets what comfort would we find. We would find that we are all keeping them, and they are all similar, and none of us are normal and it is ok. Really it is OK.

Three Skills That Improve Conversation

By Brian Tracy

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.

The Benefits of Pausing
First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing. Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity. The third benefit of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

Ask Questions
Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, "How do you mean, exactly?"

This is the most powerful question I’ve ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer. When you ask, "How do you mean?" the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.

Paraphrase the Speaker’s Words
The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker’s words in your own words. After you’ve nodded and smiled, you can then say, "Let me see if I’ve got this right. What you’re saying is . . ."

Demonstrate Attentiveness
By paraphrasing the speaker’s words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

Listening Builds Trust
The reason why listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust. The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening Develops Discipline
Finally, listening builds self-discipline in the listener. Because your mind can process words at 500-600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another person?s words. If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions. The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become. In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is.

Second, continually ask, "How do you mean?" in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.

Brian Tracy is the most listened to audio author on personal and business success in the world today.  His fast-moving talks and seminars on leadership, sales, managerial effectiveness and business strategy are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that people can immediately apply to get better results in every area.  For more information, please go to www.briantracy.com