THE IMAGINATION

 

                                             IMAGINATION

                          "THERE IS A SENSE IN THE TREE WHICH FEELS YOUR LOVE AND 

                          RESPONDS TO IT. IT DOES NOT RESPOND OR SHOW ITS PLEASURE

                          IN OUR WAY OR IN ANY WAY WE CAN NOW UNDERSTAND".

                          YOU MAY BELIEVE THE REAL WORLD IS EVERYTHING YOU CAN SEE, AND THAT EVERYTHING YOU CAN'T SEED ISN'T REAL. AND YET THE COLOR YOU SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT SOMETHING IS IN FACT NOT ITS REAL COLOR. EACH THING ABSORBS ALL THE COLORS THAT IT REALLY IS, AND REFLECTS THE COLOR IT IS NOT, AND THAT'S THE COLOR YOU SEE. SO THE SKY IS ACTUALLY EVERY COLOR BUT BLUE!

                        THERE ARE MANY SOUNDS YOU CAN'T HEAR BECAUSE THEIR FREQUENCIES ARE BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN HEAR, BUT THEY ARE FREQUENCIES ARE BEYOND WHAT YOUR EYE CAN SEE, BUT THEY ARE REAL. IF YOU IMAGINE ALL THE KNOWN FREQUENCIES OF LIGHT AS THE SIZE OF MOUNT EVERREST, THEN ALL THAT YOU CAN SEE IS SMALLER THAN A GOLF BALL!

                         YOU MAY BELIEVE THE REAL WORLD IS MADE UP OF ALL THE SOLID THIGS YOU CAN SEE AND TOUCH. BUT ACTUALLY NOTHING IS SOLID! THE CHAIR YOU'RE SITTING ON RIGHT NOW IS A FORCE OF MOVING ENERGY, AND IT'S MOSTLY SPACE. SO HOW REAL IS YOUR CHAIR?

                      "A WISE MAN, RECOGNIZING THAT THE WORLD IS BUT AN

                      ILLUSION, DOES NOT ACT AS IF IS REAL, SO (THEREFORE)

                      BE ESCAPES THE SUFFERING".

                            YOU MAY BELIEVE THAT YOUR IMAGINATION IS JUST THOUGHTS AND DREAMS AND HAS NO POWER IN THE REAL WORLD. AND YET  ONE OF THE HURDLES FOR SCIENTISTS IS PROVING THINGS TO BE TRUE OR NOT IS REMOVING THE SCIENTIST'S BELIEFS FROM SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS, BECAUSE WHAT THE SCIENTIST BELIEVES OR IMAGINES WILL BE THE OUTCOME OF AN EXPERIMENT AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE EXPERIMENT. THIS IS THE POWER OF HUMAN IMAGINATION AND BELIEFS! JUST AS THE SCIENTIST'S BELIEFS AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF AN EXPERIMENT, SO DO YOUR BELIEFS AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF YOUR LIFE.

                      YOUR BELIEFS, TRUE OR UNTRUE, FORM YOUR WORLD. WHAT YOU IMAGINE AND FEEL TO BE TRUE CREATES YOUR LIFE, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE GIVING TO THE LAW OF ATTRACTION, AND THAT IS WHAT WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU. YOUR IMAGINATION IS MORE REAL THAN THE WORLD YOU SEE, BECAUSE THE WORLD YOU SEE COMES FROM WHAT YOU IMAGINE AND BELIEVE! WHAT YOU BELIEVE AND FEEL TO BE TRUE IS WHAT WILL BE YOUR LIFE. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN'T HAVE THE LIFE YOU DREAM OF , THE LAW OF ATTRACTION MUST FOLLOW WHAT YOU, SAY, AND THAT WILL BE YOUR REAL WORLD.

                      TO BELIEVE IN THE THINGS YOU CAN SEE AND TOUCH

                       IS NO BELIEF AT ALL, BUT TO BELIEVE IN THE UNSEEN

                       ISA TRIUMPH AND A BLESSING.

                                                                              --- ABRAHAM LINCOLN

                           A STORY OF LIMITATION HAS BEEN PASSED ON FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT THROUGH THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY, BUT THE TIME HAS COME TO TELL THE REAL STORY.

I DON'T AGREE THAT THE BODY NEEDS TO DIE

                                TOWARD A DIFFERENT 

                                       ORDER OF REALITY

                       I DON'T AGREE THAT THE BODY NEEEDS TO DIE. I AM CONVINCED THAT WE CAN ACHIEVE PHYSICAL IMMORTALITY. WE BELIEVE IN DEATH AND THAT'S WHY THE BODY DIES.

                       THE BODY DOES NOT DIE BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN DEATH. THE BODY EXISTS, OR SEEMS TO, BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN DEATH. BODY AND DEATH ARE PART OF THE SAME ILLUSION, CREATED BY THE EGOIC MODE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, WHICH HAS NO AWARENESS OF THE SOURCE OF LIFE AND SEES ITSELF AS SEPARATE AND CONSTANTLY UNDER THREAT. SO IT CREATES HE ILLUSION THAT YOU ARE A BODY, A DENSE, PHYSICAL VEHICLE THAT IS CONTANTLY UNDER THREAT.

                        TO PERCEIVE YOURSELF AS A VULNERABLE BODY THAT WAS BORN AND A LITTLE LATER DIES - THAT'S THE ILLUSION. BODY AND DEATH. ONE ILLUSION. YOU CANNOT HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER. BUT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. EITHER YOU KEEP ALL OF IT OR YOU RELINQUISH ALL OF IT.

                    HOWEVER, YOU CANNOT ESCAPE FROM THE BODY, NOR DO YOU HAVE TO. THE BODY IS AN INCREDIBLE MISPERCEPTION OF YOUR TRUE NATURE. BUT YOUR TRUE NATURE IS CONCEALED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THAT ILLUSION, NOT OUTSIDE IT, SO THE BODY IS STILL THE ONLY POINT OF ACCESS TO IT.

                     IF YOU SAW AN ANGEL BUT MISTOOK IT FOR A STONE STATUE, ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS ADJUST YOUR VISION AND LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT THE "STONE STATUE", NOT START LOOKING SOMEWHERE ELSE. YOU WOULD THEN FIND THAT THERE NEVER WAS A STONE STATUE.

                      IF BELIEF IN DEATH CREATES THE BODY, WHY DOES AN ANIMAL HAVE A BODY? AN ANIMAL DOESN'T HAVE AN EGO, AND IT DOESN'T BELIEVE IN DEATH...

                  BUT IT STILL DIES, OR SEEMS TO.

                     REMEMBER THAT YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD IS A REFLECTION OF YOUR STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS. YOU ARE NOT SEPARATE FROM IT, AND THERE IS NO OBJECTIVE WORLD OUT THERE. EVERY MOMENT, YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS CREATES THE WORLD THAT YOU INHABIT. ONE OF THE GREATEST INSIGHTS THAT HAS COME OUT OF MODERN PHYSICS IS THAT OF THE UNITY BETWEEN THE OBSERVING CONSCIOUSNESS - CANNOT BE SEPERATED FROM THE OBSERVED PHENOMENA, AND A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING CAUSES THE OBSERVED PHENOMENA TO BEHAVE DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING CAUSES THE OBSERVED PHENOMENA, TO BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY, IF YOU BELIEVE, ON A DEEP LEVEL, IN SEPARATION AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL. THEN YOU SEE THAT BELIEF REFLECTED ALL AROUND YOU AND YOUR PERCEPTIONS ARE GOVERED BY FEAR. YOU  INHABIT A WORLD OF DEATH AND OF BODIES FIGHTING, KILLING, AND DEVORING EACH OTHER.

                  NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS TO BE. THE WORLD THAT YOU CREATE AND SEE THROUGH THE EGOIC MIND MAY SEEM A VERY IMPERFECT PLACE, EVEN A VALE OF TEARS. BUT WHATEVER YOU PERCEIVE IS ONLY A KIND OF SYMBOL, LIKE AN IMAGE IN A DREAM. IT IS HOW YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS INTERPRETS AND INTERACTS WITH THE MOLECULAR ENERGY DANCE OF THE UNIVERSE. THIS ENERGY IS THE RAW MATERIAL OF SO-CALLED PHYSICAL REALITY. YOU SEE IT IN TERMS OF BODIES AND BIRTH AND DEATH OR AS A STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL. AN INFINITE NUMBER OF COMPLETELY DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLDS, IS POSSIBLE AND, IN FACT, EXISTS - ALL DEPENDING ON THE PERCEIVING CONSCIOUSNESS. EVERY BEING IS A FOCAL POINT OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND EVERY SUCH FOCAL POINT CREATES ITS OWN WORLD, ALTHOUGH ALL THOSE WORLDS ARE INTERCONNECTED. THERE IS A HUMAN WORLD, AND ANT WORLD A DOLPHIN WORLD, AND SO ON. THERE ARE COUNTLESS BEINGS WHOSE CONSCIOUSNESS FREQUENCY IS SO DIFFERENT FROM YOURS THAT YOU ARE PROBABLY UNAWARE OF THEIR EXISTENCE, AS THEY OF YOURS. HIGHLY CONSCIOUS BEINGS WHO ARE AWARE OF THEIR CONNECTEDNESS WITH THE SOURCE AND WITH EACH OTHER WOULD INHABIT A WORLD THAT TO YOU WOULD APPEAR AS A HEAVENLY REALM- AND YET ALL WORLDS ARE ULTIMATELY ONE.

                            OUR COLLECTIVE HUMAN WORLD IS LARGELY CREATED THROUGH THE LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS WE CALL MIND. EVEN WITHIN THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN WORLD CONSCIOUSNESS WE CALL MIND.  EVEN WITHOUT THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN WORLD THERE ARE VAST DIFFERENCE, MANY DIFFERENT "SUB-WORLDS", DEPENDING ON THE PERCEIVES OR CREATORS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE WORLDS. SINCE ALL WORLDS ARE INTERCONNECTED, WHEN COLLECTIVE HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS BECOMES TRANSFORMED, NATURE AND THE ANIMAL KINGDOM WILL REFLECT THAT TRANSFORMATION. HENCE THE STATEMENT IN THE BIBLE THAT IN THE COMING AGE, THE LION SHALL LIE DOWN WITH THE LAMB". THIS POINTS TO THE POSSIBILITY  OF A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ORDER OF REALITY.

                       THE WORLD AS IT APPEARS TO US NOW IS, AS I SAID, LARGELY REFLECTION OF THE EGOIC MIND. FEAR BEING AN UNAVOIDABLE CONSEQUENCE OF EGOIC DELUSION, IT IS A WORLD DOMINATED BY FEAR. JUST AS THE IMAGES IN A DREAM ARE SYMBOLS OF INNER STATES AND FEELINGS, SO OUR COLLECTIVE REALITY IS LARGELY A SYMBOLIC EXPRESSION OF FEAR AND OF THE HEAVY LAYERS OF NEGATIVITY THAT HAVE ACCUMULATED IN THE COLLECTIVE HUMAN PSYCHE. WE ARE NOT SEPARATE FROM OUR WORLD, SO WHEN THE MAJORITY OF HUMANS BECOME FROM OF EGOIC DELUSION, THIS INNER CHANGE WILL AFFECT ALL OF CREATION. YOU WILL LITERALLY INHABIT A NEW WORLD. IT IS A SHIFT IN PLANETARY CONSCIOUSNESS. THE STRAGE BUDDHIST SAYING THAT EVERY TREE AND EVERY BLADE OF GRASS WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME ENLIGHTENED POINTS TO THE SAME TRUTH. ACCORDING TO ST.PAUL THE WHOLE OF CREATION IS WAITING FOR HUMANS TO BECOME ENLIGHTENED. THAT IS HOW I INTERPRET HIS SAYING THAT "THE CREATED UNIVERSE IS WAITING WITH EAGER EXPECTATIONS FOR GOD'S SONS TO BE REVEALED". ST. PAUL GOES ON TO SAY THAT ALL OF CREATION WILL  BECOME REDEEMED THROUGH THIS.

                    UP TO THE PRESENT... THE WHOLE CREATED UNIVERSE IN ALL ITS PARTS GROANS AS IF IN THE PANGS OF CHILDBIRTH".

                   

THE PURPOSE OF BUSINESS

 

                               THE KEY OF SUCCESS

                     WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BUSINESS?  THE PURPOSE OF A BUSINESS IS TO CREATE AND KEEP A CUSTOMER IN COST-EFFECTIVE MANNER. PROFITS ARE NOT THE PURPOSE OF A BUSINESS. PROFITS ARE THE RESULT OF CREATING AND KEEPING A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS WHO YIELD A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF PROFITS AFTER ALL COSTS.

                       WHAT IS THE KEY MEASURE OF BUSINESS SUCCESS? THE ANSWER IS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. EVERY EFFORT AND ACTIVITY OF YOUR BUSINESS MUST BE AIMED AT SATISFYING CUSTOMERS IN A MANNER THAT IS BETTER THAN ANY OTHER COMPETITOR.

                        WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION? THE ANSWER IS REPEAT BUSINESS. IT IS ONLY WHEN CUSTOMERS BUY FROM YOU AGAIN THAT YOU DEMONSTRATE THAT YOU HAVE FULLFILLED THE PROMISE YOU MADE TO THEM WHEN YOU GOT THEM TO PURCHASE THE FIRST TIME. A RESALE TO A SATISFIED CUSTOMER REQUIRES ONE TENTH OF THE TIME AND EXPENSE AS A SALE TO A BRAND NEW CUSTOMER. ALL SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS RELY ON REPEAT BUSINESS, WHICH IS POSSIBLE ONLY WITH HIGH LEVELS OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. THIS IS A REAL DISCIPLINE.

                         WHAT IS THE KEY TO LONG-TERM PROFITABILITY? ANSWER IS RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFERRALS.

                            THE ULTIMATE QUESTION THAT DETERMINES THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS  OR FAILURE OF YOUR BUSINESS IS, "BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US, WOULD YOU RECOMMEND US TO OTHERS?"

                              YOU CAN SURVIVE AND THRIVE ONLY WHEN THE MAJORITY OF YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE SO HAPPY WITH YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE SO HAPPY WITH YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT THEY WILL ENCOURAGE THIER FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES TO BUY FROM YOU AS WELL. SINCE A REFERRAL FROM A SATISFIED CUSTOMER IS FIFTEEN TIMES EASIER TO SELL TO THAN A COLD CALL (WHICH MEANS IT COSTS ONLY ONE FIFTEENTH AS MUCH), REFERRALDOUS FOCUS AND DISCIPLINE TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN CUSTOMER SERVICE POLICIES THAT CAUSE PEOPLE TO BUY FROM YOU, THEN BUY AGAIN, AND THEN RECOMMEND YOU TO FRIENDS.

                                     SET HIGH STANDARDS

                    YOU REQUIRE THE DISCIPLINE TO SET STANDARDS OF EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE IN EVERY AREA OF YOUR BUSINESS AND THEN TO CONTINUALLY STRIVE TO GET EVEN BETTER. YOU NEED TO PRACTICE THE CANEI FORMULA, WHICH STANDS FOR, "CONTINUOUS AND NEVER-ENDING IMPROVEMENT." NO MATTER HOW HIGH YOUR LEVEL OF QUALITY IS TODAY, YOU CAN NEVER BE SATISFIED. YOU MUST CONTINUALLY BE RAISING THE BAR ON YOURSELF - AND ON EVERYONE WITHIN YOUR AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.

                     YOU REQUIRE THE SELF-DISCIPLINE TO WORK LONG, HARD HOURS FOR MANY MONTHS AND EVEN YEARS TO GET TO THE TOP IN YOUR BUSINESS. THE AVERAGE ENTREPRENEUR, BUSINESS OWNER, OR SELF-MADE MILLIONAIRE IN AMERICAN WORKS FIFTY-NINE HOURS PER WEEK. SOME ENTREPRENEURS EVEN WORK SEVENTY TO EIGHTY HOURS PER WEEK IN THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF BUILDING THEIR BUSINESS. YOU MUST BE PREPARED TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO PUT IN THIS AMOUNT OF TIME AND LEVEL OF HARD WORK IF YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST AND GET TO THE TOP OF YOUR FIELD.

                          THINK ABOUT THE SOLUTION

                  TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS, YOU NEED THE SELF-DISCIPLINE TO BE PRACTIVE RATHER THAN REACTIVE. YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN PROBLEMS. YOU NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE DOING EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY RATHER THAN GETTING SIDETRACTED BY LOW-VALUE TASKS AND ACTIVITIES.

                   ABOVE ALL, YOU NEED THE SELF-DISCIPLINE TO SETTLE IN FOR THE LONG TERM, TO DEVELOP OF LONG-TIME PERSPECTIVE IN YOUR BUSINESS LIFE. BECAUSE OF THE INTENSITY OF COMPETITION. IT TAKES MANY  YEARS OF DISCIPLINED EFFORT FOR YOU TO BECOME A BUSINESS SUCCESS, WHETHER THIS IS IN YOUR OWN BUSINESS OR WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS. THERE ARE NO EASY WAYS TO GET TO THE TOP. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY, THAT IS THROUGH HARD WORK, DISCIPLINE AND WILLPOWER.

                      ON AVERAGE, IT TAKES ABOUT TWO YEARS TO BREAK EVEN IN A NEW BUSINESS VENTURE. IT  TAKES ANOTHER TWO YEARS OF POSSIVIVE CASH FLOW TO PAY BACK THE MONEY YOU BORROWED IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS. IT THEN TAKES ANOTHER THREE YEARS BEFORE YOU BECOME TRULY SUCCESSFUL. IN ADDITION, EVERYTHING COSTS TWICE AS MUCH AND TAKES THREE TIMES AS LONG.

                     BASED ON THESE STATISTICS, WHY SHOULD YOU START YOUR OWN BUSINESS OR EMBARK ON A NEW BUSINESS VENTURE? BECAUSE THE TIME IS GOING TO PASS ANYWAY! AFTER ALL, FIVE YEARS FROM NOW YOU WILL BE FIVE YEARS OLDER, AND TEN YEARS FROM NOW, YOU WILL BE TEN YEARS OLDER. AL THE END OF THAT TIME, YOU WILL EITHER BE AT THE TOP OF YOUR FIELD OR STILL DOWN AMONG THE 80 PERCENT STRUGGLING FOR EVERY DOLLAR AND WORRYING ABOUT MONEY EVERY DAY. THE CHOICE IS YOURS. DISCIPLINE IS THE KEY.

                         IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, YOU LEARN  THE DISCIPLINE THAT CONTROLS THE LIFEBLOOD OF YOUR BUSINESS, SALES. IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, AS PETER DRUCKER SAID, "THE PURPOSE OF A BUSINESS IS TO CREATE AND KEEP A CUSTOMER".

                                   ACTION EXERCISES

                 1. STAND BACK AND LOOK AT EVERY AREA OF YOUR BUSINESS, AS IF YOU WERE AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT. WHAT CHARGES WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

                 2. IMAGINE YOU WERE STARTING YOUR BUSINESS, OVER AGAIN TODAY. ARE THERE ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES THAT YOU WOULD NOT BRING TO THE CURRENT MARKET?

                3. IDENTIFY THE   20 PERCENT OF YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT ACCOUNT FOR 80 PERCENT OF YOUR SALES AND PROFITS. HOW COULD YOU SELL MORE OF THEM?

                4. PROJECT FORWARD ONE, TWO, AND FIVE YEARS IN YOUR BUSINESS, WHAT ARE THE TRENDS? WHAT WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS BE BUYING IN THE FUTURE.

                5. LIST THREE WAYS YOU COULD IMPROVE YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE TO ENSURE THAT CUSTOMERS BUY FROM YOU AGAIN AND TELL THEIR FRIENDS.

                 6. LIST THREE WAYS THAT YOU COULD ATTRACT MOR AND BETTER QUALIFIED LEADS FROM YOUR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING ACTIVITIES.

                7. LIST THREE WAYS THAT YOU COULD MAKE MORE SALES TO THE PROSPECTS YOU ATTRACT OR THAT YOU COULD ATTRACT MORE AND BETTER PROSPECTS.