The Power of the Right Word Spoken at the Right Time

Never Underestimate the Power of the Right Word Spoken at the Right Time


Has anyone ever come along side of you and whispered just the right words at the precise moment in time when you needed to hear those words? I have, and in that moment those words made all the difference in my life.  Sometimes these healing words can be spoken audibly or can be read in print on in an email

I remember clearly the night I discovered the phrase “I approve of myself.” I’m currently working on a blog in which I tell that story about those four powerful words.

Once, when I was in a bad dating relationship, my friend Harold Ivan Smith asked me “Michael, what are you pretending not to know?”

In the early 90’s, I was facing a job transition with the company I worked for, and was a bit uncertain about my future. I had been in touch with a friend of mine by the name of Michael Wells. He wrote and thanked me for something I had sent him he included these most encouraging words.

“I received the music you sent. Thanks. Oh, by the way, you are being prayed for.”

And then he quoted a Bible verse that has since come to mean a great deal to me.
“Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Holy Bible, Joshua 1:9

Those were definitely the right words spoken at the right time. They were healing and restorative words.

I remember another instance when I was deciding between living in Albuquerque or staying in Orlando. My father said these words to me.

“Son, I think that the move to Albuquerque is the right move for you. But if you get out there and you find out that it is just not a good thing, then I believe there is enough money in the Lewisburg bank to get you back home.”

I recently renewed a friendship with a “kid” who was in my youth group when I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His name is Larry, Dr. Larry Lacher. He is the pastor of a large Church of the Nazarene in Ohio.

In one of our emails back and forth Larry offered these most heartwarming words to me.
“Of all the good influences I have had in my life, you are the #1.”

Wow! What a boost that was to receive those words. I felt I could go after Moby Dick with the tartar sauce on my sword after receiving that inspiring note.

Words are a huge source of power in our everyday lives. They have a life of their own in their ability to burrow deeply into someone’s heart and mind, for good.

Winston Churchill deserves much credit for victoriously dragging the British Empire through World War II with the power of the spoken word. He spoke the right words at the right time.

Someone near you needs to hear the right word spoken to them, today.

Will you speak these words to someone this week?
You’re going to make it.
We’re going to be all right.
You Can.
You will.
You are …
I believe in you.
You have been a major influence on my life.
You are almost to the finish line.
You inspired me today.
You helped me when I needed it the most.

A Properly Placed Word:
A properly placed word can give hope
A properly placed word can restore peace
A properly placed word can offer encouragement

A properly placed word can inspire
A properly placed word can comfort
A properly placed word can bring joy

A properly placed word can offer healing
A properly placed word can give assurance
A properly placed word can restore one’s faith

A properly placed word can strengthen a grip
A properly placed word can give life meaning
A properly placed word can restore confidence

A properly placed word can lift one’s spirit
A properly placed word can give a new perspective
A properly placed word can turn a life in the right direction

A properly placed word can end strife
A properly placed word can prolong a life
A properly placed word can heal a marriage

A properly placed word can inspire a team
A properly placed word can inspire a nation
A properly placed word can change a direction

Will you go and speak words of esteem, power, encouragement and healing to someone today?

NEVER UNDERSTIMATE THE POWER

OF THE RIGHT WORD

SPOKEN AT THE RIGHT TIME!

What Do You Know For Sure

Our lives can be compared to a rolling stone. As we roll along we touch hundreds and thousands of other stones, particles, obstacles, we take a dip in a few watering holes, and keep on rolling. Everything we touch, everything we hear, everything we read and every person we meet affects us in some way. Some experiences affect us in more profound ways that others.

Would you share with me a few nuggets of wisdom you’ve gleaned as your life has rolled along? Maybe you’ve read a significant book and you want to share something from it. If you’ve adopted a significant phrase, Bible verse, or saying that is significant I would like to hear it. With your permission, I want to compile some of the most interesting and meaningful insights sent to me and then share them with my followers on this blog.

Let’s keep the rules to a minimum during this experience together.
1. Write from your heart.
2. Try to keep it under 300 words.
3. Short is good.
4. I’ll list you as anonymous if you request it.
5. Send me an email (address listed below) with your submissions.
I’ll post my blog based on these submissions on Friday, April 16, 2010.

OK, here are some of the best things I know.

One of my life verses from the Bible:
“Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
(Joshua 1:9)

When I look at my life and the twists and turns it has taken I am amazed at times that I’m still standing. I’ve experienced God’s peace, steadfastness and grace and I’m still climbing, I’m still working, and I’m still dreaming. Dream with me!

I know these facts based on the book Aspire, Kevin Hall.
“You must learn to see beyond the clouds.
Sapere Vedere is knowing how to see.

Believing is seeing.

People with Sapere Vedere say ‘I’ll see that bridge before I cross it.’

Sight is a function of the eyes; vision is a function of the heart.

Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel. Never let your eyes determine what you heart believes.

“The two most important days of our lives are the day we were born and the day we discover what we were born to do.”
(Aspire, Kevin Hall)

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
(Henry David Thoreau)

Maya Angelou says,
“I’ve learned that …
People will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

So, “from this day on I resolve to leave every person I meet better for having met me.”
(Aspire, Kevin Hall)

Can you tell that I love this new book, Aspire, by Kevin Hall? I bought it in January 2010 and have read it twice already this year and am making a constant study of it and the principles Kevin teaches. It is good reading.

These are some of the things that I know. And now it is your turn. (By the way, I did that in 292 words.)

I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon.
My email address is pm.biggs@comcast.net or michael@up-words.net
I’ll publish the selected thoughts on Friday, April 16, 2010.

With hope and anticipation of what you’ll send.

Michael

HOPE

When I was a small boy growing up in Tennessee I had tons of hope. At Christmastime I had high hopes for what might be under and around our Christmas tree. “Would I get that new bicycle? Would there be a football this year?”

As I moved into college I hoped for a passing grade in philosophy. I hoped to master music theory and be able to properly write four-part harmony. Hope filled my life.

As I started my career I hoped for that first job to come through when all of my friends around me were getting their calls and deciding their destinies. Finally, my call came and I moved to Orlando.

When I met Carolyn, I hoped she liked me. I hoped there would be a second date, and a third.

It seems that my life has been a journey of moving from one hope to another. Does this ring true with you? I wish we could sit across from each other and talk about our hopes and dreams.

Napoleon Bonaparte had this to say; “Leaders are Dealers in Hope.”

Hope is one of the most powerful and encouraging words in the English language. It is also listed as one of the three abiding spiritual attributes in the scriptures. “And now abides faith, hope, and love.”
(I Corinthians 13:13)

John Maxwell had some great insights to offer on the subject of hope in the December 2009 issue of Success Magazine.

”Hope shines brightest when the hour is darkest.
Hope motivates when discouragement comes.
Hope energizes when the body is tired.
Hope sweetens when the bitterness bites.

"Hope sings when all melodies are gone
Hope believes when the evidence is eliminated
Hope listens for answers when no one is talking
Hope climbs over obstacles when no one is helping.

"Hope endures hardship when no one is caring.
Hope smiles confidently when no one is laughing.
Hope reaches for answers when no one is asking.
Hope presses towards victory when no one is encouraging.

"Hope dares to give when no one is sharing.
Hope brings the victory when no one is winning.”
(*From Think On These Things, by John Maxwell ,Beacon Hill Press)

You can’t do without hope. It is like a breath of air or nourishment to the soul.

Bob Eaton, former Chairman/CEO of the Chrysler Corporation says, “A leader is someone who can take a group of people to a place they don’t think they can go.”

How can we offer hope to people? Read what John Maxwell says.

1. “Help people change their way of thinking. Hope can only become a reality if you can help change how they think if they think negatively.

2. Help them win some small victories. Positive thinking must be followed by positive doing. Nothing succeeds like success.”

“When people sense victory they sacrifice to succeed.
     When people sense defeat they give as little as possible.
When people sense victory they look for ways to win.
     When people sense defeat they look for excuses.
When people sense victory they become energized.
     When people sense defeat they become tired.
When people sense victory they follow the game plan.
     When people sense defeat they forsake the game plan.
When people sense victory they help other team members.
     When people sense defeat they hurt others.

3. Express sincerely your belief in them and in their future.”

(Taken from Think on These Things, Beacon Hill Press written by John Maxwell.

“Hope is people who have the courage to remake the world, not as it is, but as it should be.”
President Barack Obama

“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.”
Christopher Reeve

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Dale Carnegie

"All the great spiritual leaders in history were people of hope; Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Mary, Jesus, and Gandhi all lived with a promise in their hearts that guided them toward the future without the need to know exactly what it would look like. Let’s live with hope.”
(Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Our founding fathers had hopes for a new kind of freedom. They wanted to worship and to abide in a land without undue taxation and without restrictions from a former life.

Ann Sullivan helped Helen Keller hold on to the hope that one day she would hear, see and speak, even in the midst of her handicaps, and Ms. Keller overcame mountainous obstacles to accomplish her dreams.

Abe Lincoln had a hope to end slavery.

President John Kennedy had a hope that someday Americans would land on the moon.

Henry Ford had a hope that someday his vehicles would encircle the globe.

Lance Armstrong had a hope that he would win the Tour de France bicycle race in spite of his diagnosis of cancer.

What are your hopes? What can you see in your mind’s eye right now that is still invisible to the natural eye? A ship’s captain cannot see his port-of-call for 99% of his voyage, yet he has a dream and a hope that he will successfully navigate the waters of our world and reach his destination.

One of my favorite biblical passages ends with this thought. “… To give you a future with hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Here’s the good news … I have a future full of hope, and so do you!

Let Me Sing You a Song

It has been said, “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” (Page 143 Aspire, by Kevin Hall)

With that in mind, would you mind if I sing you a song? Maybe you’ve forgotten some of the words. It happens to me sometimes. How embarrassing when the conductor looks at me and cues me to sing, but I haven’t even turned to the right page. I’m clearly lost.

If you’ve momentarily lost your place, if you’ve forgotten the lyrics to your song of life, here are a few of the words to refresh your memory.

God loves you.
You are special.
No one has your finger print or foot print.
You are a unique specimen and cannot be duplicated.
Failure is not final. Never has been, never will be.
You have capabilities, just like everyone else.
Go with your strengths. What are you best at?

I think the second verse goes like this:

It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishment the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.

(Invictus, William Ernest Henley. 1849-1903)

You can’t be invincible if you are feeling down, deflated, out of gas and out of air. That is when you need a friend to come along side you, one who knows the song in your heart. Let them sing your song to you. The words will come back to you.

In his book, Aspire, Kevin Hall tells of a man named Arthur Watkins, a retired university professor who devoted his life to etymology, the study of words. Listen to what Arthur has to say about the word "inspire"
.
“Inspire” comes from the Latin “inspirare”, which means to breathe, and “in” implies “into”. To inspire is to “breathe into.”

How can you and I “breathe into” someone today?

Arthur continues, “When you 'encourage,' you add to someone’s heart."

As I sit writing this blog, I just received the most encouraging email from a long-ago friend with whom I recently reconnected on Face Book. Wilbur’s words breathed into my spirit. Wow! What encouraging words he said to me. He “added to my heart.”

Words have a tremendous power for good in our world.

Words can bring hope.
Words can encourage.
Words can inspire.
Words can calm.
Words can heal.
Words can uplift.
Words can sooth.
Words can teach.
Words can lighten.
Words can stop discord.
Words can change a direction.
Words can restore a relationship.

That is what I love to do. I seek to find a way to encourage someone every day that I live. Maya Angelou puts it this way:

“People will forget what you said,
People will forget what you did,
But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

What words can we speak to someone today? Do you know someone whose light has gone out of their spirit? Is their pathway dark and stormy?

Come along side of them, and sing to them their song.


On the journey together,
Michael

I'll Never Lose My Vision

Three years ago I had the privilege of meeting Dr. David LaShana, former chancellor of three successful institutions of higher learning. During our visit I had the chance to ask him about a time when he called on J.C. Penney. I want to pass this story along to you.

While Dr. LaShana was President of Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana he scheduled an appointment with J. C. Penney, the founder of the chain of stores that bear his name. When he entered Mr. Penney’s office, he found Mr. Penney sitting behind his desk holding Dr. LaShana’s business card and moving it back and forth as if to bring it into better focus.

Mr. Penney looked up at Dr. LaShana, cleared his throat and said, “You’ll have to forgive me. I’m losing my vision.”

Mr. Penney stopped abruptly, slammed his hand down on his desk and said in a raised voice, “No, that’s not right. I’m losing my eyesight. I’ll never lose my vision!”

Wow! What a profound statement. “I’ll never lose my vision!”

I have a plaque on my office wall at home that reads,

“ONLY THOSE WHO CAN SEE THE INVISIBLE

CAN ACCOMPLISH THE IMPOSSIBLE”

How is your vision?

I recently read a great new book called Three Feet from Gold, written by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, based on the principles of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. In it the authors’ state “Every wealth creator is crystal clear about two things: a vision and a mission.” (Page 105)

I’ve read dozens of books on success and hundreds of articles, and all of the writers are in complete agreement on this one fact – "You must believe it before you can see it." (Three Feet from Gold, by Sharon L. Lechter, CPA and Greg S. Reid, Page 127)

Henry David Thoreau states “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”

In the Bible, Hebrews Chapter 11:1 states “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (New American Standard Bible © 1995)

What are your dreams? What is your vision? Are you moving toward it? Is it vivid in your mind’s eye? Can you sense it, taste it, imagine it and see it? I can. I know what my dream is and I have a plan for accomplishing it. My dream is to offer hope, encouragement and inspiration one word at a time to individuals and organizations.

Let’s move toward our dreams, hold them close and visit them often so that we never lose sight of our chief aim in life.

"Sight is a function of the eyes; vision is a function of the heart. Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel. Never let your eyes determine what your heart believes.” Pg 91 (Aspire by Kevin Hall

“I’ll Never Lose My Vision”

__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.

Holding On To Essentials

When I was in the seventh grade, our small high school band allowed our seventh grade band members to join with them and march at the football half-time performances. I played drums and the drum assigned to me the first two years was the tenor drum.


When I went into my freshman year I graduated to the snare drum and was given an old Slingerland snare drum. It sounded horrible, but I played it and loved it.

During my first half-time show as a brand new snare drummer we lined up on the end zone line and the majorette blew the whistle for us to begin.

Between the end-zone line and the goal-line I dropped one drum stick. I had to throw off the snares and help keep the beat with one stick, like I used to do with the tenor drum.

Between the goal-line and the ten-yard line I dropped the other stick. I had to march 90 more yards and not play one single beat on my snare drum during this, my first half-time show in my career as a snare drummer. You see, I dropped my essentials and that put me out of commission.

When I reflect back on this incident, here is what I take away from it.

Hold onto your essentials!

What am I talking about?

In life, there are some essentials that we all must hold on to in order to be effective. These would be the principles that we always fall back on and always hold close at all times in every situation when dealing with people.

Skills like:
Remember people’s names. Develop some handles and tips for remembering names. It matters.

Use appropriate eye contact. Look them in the eye. After all, you have nothing to hide. You are honest, trustworthy, and an upright individual. Give appropriate eye contact to every person you meet.

Know your product line. Know the significant facts about what you represent. Know how it helps, how it benefits their life, how it is new and improved, and what it does better than brand X or Y.

First Impressions Matter. Remember, in face-to-face meetings you have thirty seconds to two minutes to make a good first impression. You are being judged on everything from speech patterns, volume, words used, to your body posture, eyes, hands, clothes, and facial expressions, slump of your shoulders and a myriad of other signals you may or may not be aware that you are emitting.

These are the essentials. In your line of work I’m certain you could add a dozen more, and it is a good idea to do that. This is important.

Let me leave you with one final word that I learned a long time ago from Mary Kay Ash’s book People Management. . This is perhaps THE most important essential in human relationship building that you can learn.

“Imagine that every person you meet

Is wearing an invisible sign around

their neck that says

‘MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT’”.

Remember this and then adjust your relationships in terms of this thought. Watch the difference in how you begin to relate to people and how they relate to you.

And always remember ...

Hold On To Your Essentials!
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.

I Only Know Two Notes

When I lived in Waco, Texas I was asked to direct music for a Baptist Church in the community of China Spring. That church was full of wonderful, loving people and I made some good friends during my time there.

It soon became apparent to me that we had a lot of budding young musicians and some adults who were instrumentalists and they needed an outlet for their talents, so we formed a church orchestra in the fall of 1994. We planned, promoted, bought the music, and invited all of the musicians we could find from that congregation and we launched our church orchestra on a beautiful sunny Sunday in late September.

Twenty-two people showed up that first Sunday. And they sounded pretty good to me, all things considered, when one considers the vast range of skills represented among our group. But I’ll never forget what happened after that first Sunday morning rehearsal.

Carrie, an 8th grade trombone player came up to me after rehearsal. She looked sad, almost as if she was about to burst into tears.

She said, “Mr. Biggs. I only know two notes.”

I looked at her, smiled and said, “That’s OK, Carrie. Every time those two notes show up on the page you play them to the best of your ability, and next week you’ll know three notes, then five, and pretty soon you’ll be able to play the whole song.”

Guess what? She did learn. She did play. So did we all. We were at varying levels in our skill development, but we pulled together, we had fun, we learned, and we made music together.

So, how many notes do you know? College graduation was not the end. It was a commencement! It was the beginning! How exciting is that? This is the key: we keep learning and growing.

My career path has taken me lots of places, with some completely different career tracks, including music, insurance, retail sales, real estate, education, professional writing and speaking. Along the way I’ve continued to add notes to my repertoire. I’m no longer a one-note samba.

I love what public speaker and humorist Charlie “Tremendous” Jones was fond of saying. “You’ll be the same person five years from now that you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

Ah, that’s the secret isn’t it? Books and people. Reading and life experiences. Are we exposing ourselves to other minds? What have you learned lately? That’s the significant question.

I’ve been fortunate to have some major “minds” in my life along the way. In the mid 70’s I had a friend named Dan, a professor at Seattle Pacific University. Every time we got together he always found a way to challenge my thinking and open my eyes to new ways of viewing things.

My friend Steve was in public relations, and times spent with him were revelations in how to look at things from a different perspective and view life from all angles.

Jim taught me much about my relationship with God and helped me form my God-concept.

When I worked retail we were required to complete learning tutorials about every three to four months on some new product that was being introduced. That kept us sharp and up to speed so that we could best represent our wares.

What’s new in your field? What resources are available to you for your skill development?

What have you read recently?

How are your people skills? Have you read any great books lately on getting along with people?

How is your home life? Are you stuck in the rut or are you trying fun, fresh activities to keep the spark alive and the family close?

How many notes do you know?
__________________

Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.