Relationship tool

We were eating dinner last night and were talking about the decline in membership of churches. (We are consultants specializing in ways to bring new life to an organization, repair relationships, and increase growth.) We were discussing a refinement of a tool that repairs and cements relationships that once learned operates transparently in our daily lives. Success is built on relationships. People seem to often build their relationship on the premise that as long as you can do something for me, in other words, have value to me, then we can get along. But as soon as I feel that you have nothing to offer that benefits me, I won't be associating with you. That is not a healthy relationship. What do you think a healthy relationship would look like?

Slowing down

Yesterday I decided to stop and reconsider where I am going in internet marketing. There is way too much too know, and those who know it tend to talk in terms that I know nothing about. Specially the simple things. For example, people tend to use initials. FYI. If you know what it means, great. But if you don't, just try and find out. (FYI: For Your Information.) I joined a forum and wanted to talk privately with a person and ended up communicating with myself. :)
I joined one money making opportunity that looked fantastic. I am still waiting for basic information how to promote and use it. (However, there are others that produce an income flow within a few days.) So now I am going at my pace. I won't be reaching the top by next week. But I will be further along. There are just way too many opportunites available, so I am choosing one at a time, master it, and then do another. I only started a few months ago, and the urgency generated had me feeling I had to do "this" now, and all it resulted in was detracting me from my goal, which is to generate a livable source of income independent of recommended retirement plans, i.e. 401k's, stocks, job, etc. So now I am on a slower track to success.

More on perspective

Your perspective is from where you want to be, not where you are. Let me share with you a personal example that continually changes my thinking, increases my understanding, and gives direction to how I act and talk. A few years ago, as I was reading and studying the Bible, I wondered how come hardly anyone behaves and talks the way it says we should. So I came up with the questions "What if what the Bible says is true?" (In terms of behavior, relationship, and what God did for us.) And "How would I pray if I didn't ask?" So I came up with what I call a "Thank you" prayer, that takes a Bible verse and treats it as true.
Examples:
Thank You, Father, that You are not a God of disorder, but of peace. 1 Cor 14:33
Thank You, Father, that we turn from evil and do good; we seek peace and pursue it. 1 Pet 3:11
As I was saying in my last post, our perspective is from where we want to be, not where we are.

Perspective

I was thinking that we all are constantly learning, no matter what our age. As we learn, we go from the start of I am interested in this, to learning more about it, to participating and getting experience with it, to sharing it, to teaching it. Everytime you start or join a program, you sort of follow these steps. At each step what you say and how you interact about it changes. I was thinking that from the start we should talk and act as if we were an expert. It doesn't mean we are, but it would reduce the number of wrong turns we make along the way. What started this train of thought was my excitement that occurred when I made my first online sale and actually received real money. I wanted to share that excitement with everybody. And then as more money rolls in, I just expect it and it is no big deal. The goal changes in order for me to get excited. I received $100 in one day, I received $1000 in one day, etc. We share those experiences, but it is difficult to identify with that excitement if you are only receiving $10 a week. So ask yourself the question "How would I behave if I were receiving $100 a day?" Act and talk as if you have achieved your goal. Examine what you are about to do and say with the question "Would I do it this way if I had acheived that goal?" Your perspective is from where you want to be, not where you are.

A New Way Is Coming

I am reading the Twitter Handbook and I am thinking that just as twitter is revolutionizing communication and relationships, there is coming a revolutionizing change in the way we do marketing, especially with the younger generation. Just as the way we do church is not the way our parents did church, they may want to do church differently also. Substitute the word "business" or "marketing" for "church."
From the Twitter Handbook p10
"The New Media Revolution is about people, participation, and persuasion."
"...the universal hunger has always been for freedom, connection, and participation."

Relationship

I attended a meeting at church last night where we discussed ways to form neighborhood groups to care for each other. It is interesting how everyone has some ideas about what to do, some good and some better. There are a lot of similarities between Christianity and marketing. Both are all about relationship. We want to improve ourselves and our skills so we can improve our relationships. When we forget this, we get diverted from what we are trying to accomplish. Strong healthy relationships prevent problems.

Broken Relationships

I had a discussion last night with a person who needs reconciliation and restoring a broken relationship. What can I do to help? I already took the first step. I listened to the person.
Most problems occur because the relationship is breaking down, or is already broken. Accusations occur because of misunderstandings and assumptions about how we perceive the other person. And obviously we need to confront the person. Hence, the relationship gets more broken. How could we respond to repair the relationship, rather than further breaking it?

me and them

I noticed that our conversation reveals the way that we think. As I conversed with some other church members yesterday lamenting again over the deterioration of our youth and society, I found that we are good at stating problems, but poor at solving them. The current church structure encourages one to let someone else do it. Give money, support ministers and missionaries, get a speaker, and so on. But what if I was empowered to change those I come in contact with? How would I do this? What kind of change would I be working for?