Have You Ever Been Presented With An Opportunity But Are Waiting On A Sign From God?

How many times have we heard… “I am praying for a sign from God.” Ironically enough the opportunity that presents itself more than likely was an answer to a previous prayer. All too often we want to dictate how we want our prayers to be answered, so when the answer comes if we do not like it we wait until something else comes along that aligns more with our comfort level. Could it be possible that the “sign from God” is as simple as you taking action?

Can we get transparent and honest with ourselves; and stop hiding behind the intention of prayer in order to avoid taking action on an opportunity?

By all means prayer works! Prayer is the channeling, the acknowledgement of as Napoleon Hill would say “Infinite Intelligence.” The power of prayer can changes the hearts of nations and gives strength to move beyond our current limitations.

But the other side of the coin to FAITH is ACTION. FAITH without WORKS/ACTIONS is dead. It is kind of like being freezing cold, God gave you a house with a fire place. Provided you chopped wood and matches but you stand there and freeze to death because you were waiting for a sign to light the fire place.

“I am praying and waiting on the Lord to give me a sign.” Can be a delay tactic which hinders us from utilizing the very things/resources/gifts or talents which are already in your grasp.

This reminds me of a powerful story from the Bible about this woman who had no money, she was about to loose her children and house. One day she came across a prophet and in absolute agony she told him of her helpless situation. He asked her what did she have of value, she told him of this small bottle of olive oil she had. He then told her to gather as many empty vessels as she could, after vessels were collected to take them in her house close the door and start pouring the oil that she already possessed into the empty vessels. The women did what she was told and from the little bitty bottle of oil she filled every single empty vessel she gathered. She turned her situation around by taking ACTION.

ACTION by asking for help. ACTION by being open to receiving a formula of resolution. ACTION by finding something of value. ACTION by stepping outside of her comfort zone and asking for the empty vessels. ACTION by following through with the formula. ACTION is what empowered her to completely transform.

She was a single mom, helpless, scared, and desperate; but by her FAITH by taking ACTION with what she had the little bottle of value that created a whole other situation for her and her family. It would have been so easy for her to accept her dilemma and to not be willing to take any ACTION; because how in the world would a little bottle turn into to gallons of oil. She could have talked herself out of taking action. However she did not. Someone gave her guidance, she had the FAITH to take ACTION.

This story always reminds me that each of us has something so special with in us that can turn our lives around. Think. Be absolutely honest with your self. What talents do you have that you have not used because you are still waiting on a sign? Maybe it is not the sign that is missing; but the willingness to trust in the talents you already posses. Talents may come easy but to continuously become better they must to be utilized. Your talents will never reach their potential if you constantly allow them to lay dormant.

Talents may be smothered by fear (False Evidence Appearing Real; the 1st time I heard this was at the Eker T Harv. Millionaire Mind Intensive), or it could be lie of paralyzing doubt (which may be caused by past experiences of failure, or by the belief that you are not good enough, or do not have what it takes) and/or it may be the case of P.P.S. (the Problematic Procrastination Syndrome).

“The distance between when you know you should do something and when you actually take action to do it is called procrastination.” Tony Rush

See the best way to cure P.P.S. is by taking ACTION!

I have a dear friend who is very loving and likes to help people. They constantly give their time and energy to everyone they encounter. This person is highly intelligent and creative; they could literally sale ice to a polar bear but they always have this convincing reason as to why they are not able to pour their skills into a lucrative endeavor. To them it just always seems that the time is not right. My friend has had about 3 to 4 great opportunities presented to them in the past couple of years. They may start course on the opportunity but then they stop; and say they are waiting on this or that to still happen before fully committing or taking action. Then when the next opportunity comes it seems better then the last but yet it is missing something. When all the while if they could just hold tight and run with just one opportunity it would then be the answer to what they were searching for to begin with.

There is a whole other world out there for you just waiting to reveal itself if you just activate the other portion of your FAITH muscle by taking ACTION. We are suppose to live a live in the abundance of His grace so why do you continue to expect so little from the Creator of the Universe?

How to Give an Excellent Presentation

Whether you are presenting to a small or large audience at work or in the community, here are 10 factors that can help you give an excellent presentation:

1. You know your subject.
It’s obvious to me and the rest of the audience that you know your material well and can handle questions with ease. You are confident but not cocky. It’s okay if you use notes, but you are not buried in them.

2. You communicate a clear message.
Not only do you know your subject well, but you are able to focus it into a concise message that I can understand, regardless of my level of expertise.

3. Your message is relevant to me (also known as “you care about the audience”).
You explain how your message relates to me and my experience. Once I heard someone give a speech that consisted entirely of stories about his experiences with famous people, to which I couldn’t relate at all. I kept thinking, “how does this help ME?”

4. You are prepared.
You show your respect for me and the rest of the audience by moving through your points in an organized manner, speaking within the time limit and comfortably handling the room environment and logistics.

5. You keep my attention.
You vary your voice and body language so you are interesting to listen to and watch. You make eye contact with me, you speak loudly enough so I can hear you easily and your body language matches your words.

6. You care about your subject.
Your presentation or speech conveys your sincere enthusiasm for your subject. You don’t have to be jumping up and down in the front of the room, but if you don’t care about your subject, why should I?

7. You share stories and examples.
Your stories don’t have to be long or overly dramatic; they can be short examples or anecdotes that illustrate your message and help it make sense to me.

8. Your slides are not the focus.
You remember that you are the presentation and your slides are just the visual aids. You spend most of your time making eye contact with the audience instead of looking at the screen. Your slides are easy to read and contain high-quality images. (Or, you don’t use slides at all!)

9. You are authentic.
You are your real self instead of putting on an act or pretending. You connect with me and the rest of the audience by sharing your real experiences and opinions. And you’re the same person offstage as when you’re onstage.

10. You’re not perfect.
When something unexpected happens or you make a mistake, you acknowledge it with grace and humor. And we are reminded that the goal is communication, not perfection, since perfection is unrealistic and unnecessary.

The next time you have to give a presentation or speech for any kind of audience, make sure you include these 10 factors, so you can deliver an excellent presentation.

Making the Environment Right for a Presentation

Giving a presentation to your colleagues at work needn’t be a horrific experience. All it takes is a little planning and preparation on your part to impress the boss and keep your coworkers awake while imparting the information you want to get across.

The environment of a presentation can be key to success or failure. Many a fine presentation was ruined by an uncomfortable or unsuitable environment. The make the environment as comfortable and productive as possible try to arrange the following items:

1) Room size and location. You want to have the room fit the number of people attending your presentation. Too small a room and your listeners may have to stand, or even sit on the floor. Too large a room, and your listeners could be scattered all over the four corners of the place, making it difficult to establish eye contact, or draw in your audience. If at all possible, have a good idea how many people are attending your presentation before you book a room.

The room location should be clearly indicated in any brochures or advertisements for your presentation. You don’t want your audience wandering all over a building looking for your room and missing half your presentation. You also don’t want your room location to be too close to a potential distraction, like a swimming pool, or a bar.

2) Room temperature, seating, tables. You want the temperature to be cool enough to keep your listeners awake, yet warm enough so they aren’t uncomfortable. Ask your listeners before you begin if they are comfortable. Show them where the thermostat is so they can adjust it during the presentation if need be.

Seats should have good back support, and there should be enough seats for everyone. The seats should have armrests and be adjustable.

Tables should be clean of any extraneous items and allow for a unobstructed view of the speaker. You may want to be sure the tables are grouped together to facilitate team work and exchange of ideas. Prepare the tables with any materials the participants need for your presentation, such as paper to take notes, outlines or copies of the slides you are presenting, pens, markers (if needed), and name tags.

3) Comfort. Nothing is worse for a presenter than a room full of caffeine or food depraved listeners. If you have a morning presentation, it is pleasant to offer coffee, tea, juice and other breakfast type items such as cereal bars or muffins for the participants to have prior or during your presentation. For a later day presentation, pitchers of ice water, soda, and energy bars are appreciated. If your room is near a place that offers food, such as a cafeteria, or vending machines, please point these out to your participants prior to getting into your talk. In addition to food, please tell your listeners where the bathrooms are.

Now that your environment is conducive to good listening and your listeners are comfortable and feel a little pampered and special, all eyes and ears will be on you, not on their growling tummies or sore backs. All it takes is a little preparation.