Will Bowen Audio

IF - Part 9

I think it was Zig Ziglar who said, "You don't know enough to be a pessimist."

Zig meant that something that goes terribly wrong today can actually be the very thing that brings about something fantastic tomorrow.

When we triumph over something or we experience a disaster, our ego tells us that the triumph is the BEST THING POSSIBLE and that a disaster is the WORST THING EVER.

Yet, in time not only do we realize benefits from our disasters but we also often experience problems and irritations from our triumphs.  Consider the people who struggle so hard to become famous but then can't leave their homes without being mobbed!

There's an old saying, "nothing is ever as good or as bad as it appears."

If that's true, and if you don't know enough to be a pessimist, why not just relax and watch the twin imposters of disaster and triumph pass through your life with ease?

IF - Part 8

Remember the movie that opens with Winnie the Pooh sitting around struggling to think?

While rubbing his temple and squinting his eyes, Pooh says,
“Think…think….think…think - think…..think.”

It’s such a great visual for what most of us do when we have a problem.

We STRUGGLE to come up with a solution but there seems to be nothing.

Until… we go do something else.

In our frustration, we give up on the problem and walk away
and then BANG the perfect answer —the one we worked so hard to bring to mind just floats in like a butterfly and rests gently on top of our head.

When we make thoughts our aim, we miss the very elusive, beautiful, and powerful ideas that come when we are otherwise engaged.

This is why it’s SO important to shut down once or twice a day and meditate, to take vacations where we don’t work, and to take a day once each week where we just relax and chill.

Stop being Winnie the Pooh — think, but don’t make thoughts your aim.

IF - Part 7

20-years-ago, I sold life insurance to people in their homes.

 

I remember one couple in particular.

 

They were poor and lived in a run-down old house off a dirt road.

 

BUT, ONE DAY (they assured me) they were going to be insanely RICH!!

 

And how was this massive influx of prosperity going to take place?

 

The husband explained that men’s cologne was all about the name you gave it not the smell.

 

He said, “It ain’t what it smells like—heck you can get a chemist to create any smell you want.  The money is in the name!”

 

He went on to explain that all successful men’s fragrances had a great name and, most importantly, the had come up with the best name EVER!

 

“Really?”  I said, genuinely interested. “When did you come up with it?”

 

"11 years ago.” He said.

 

“How’s it going?” I asked.

 

“Still waiting on the right time.” He said.

 

"What???”  I thought to myself. You had more than a decade to work on your dream idea that you’re sure is going to make you rich and you've done NOTHING?

 

There’s an old saying, “Some people dream big dreams while others stay awake and actually accomplish something.”

 

Let’s remember to dream, but not to make dreams our master.

IF - Part 6

A. Frederick Collins, a 20th century American Scientist and Author once noted,

 

 “There are two types of people - those who come into a room and say, 'Well, here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are.’”

 

So, which one are you?

 

I can tell you that for most of my life I was the former.

 

I expected everyone to not only take note but to take interest in the fact that I….[drum roll]…..Will Bowen was now present.

 

WHAT A LOAD OF BULL !

 

Once I discovered that it’s a lot more engaging, attractive, fun, and easier to take an interest in others, my life (and my popularity) improved dramatically.

 

It’s natural for human beings to want to be unique, special, important and yet it is possible to “Look to good, and talk too wise” as Kipling says.

 

Today let’s remember that it’s not about being the brightest bulb in the room, it’s about inviting others to shine!

IF - Part 5

People use the word “hate” far too often.

 

“I hate broccoli, I hate that movie, I hate my job, "I hate Mondays,” and on and on ad nauseam.

 

The word “hate” is defined as “to dislike to the point of taking action against.”

 

Wow!  “To take action against” — that’s heavy.

 

The word “hate” implies violence or other punitive action.

 

This wouldn’t be so bad if we said, “I hate the way our environment is being destroyed” and then TOOK ACTION AGAINST the problem.

 

But for most people, the only action they take is the act of hating.

 

When others hate us it’s SO easy to turn around and hate them in return.

 

Think about it, you hear that someone does not like you so what do you do?  

 

Right!  You start looking for things about them that YOU don’t like.

 

This is sad because hate diminishes your soul.

 

In this message, learn how not to react in hate.

IF - Part 4

When people are attacked, they respond. Even people who are naturally passive and non-confrontational will, when pushed hard enough, strike back. It’s a natural defense mechanism. We even do this when attacked with lies. Someone tells a lie about us and we become almost obsessed wanting to respond with lies about them. It’s like the old gangster movies, “You hurt one of ours and we hurt one of yours." This is NOT a natural defense mechanism—it’s just seeking to respond hurt for hurt, unkindness for unkindness. It’s our ego’s attempt to balance the scale but it's not the way a mature person conducts themselves. It’s not easy to endure being lied about but returning lie-for-lie only makes things worse. Rise above lies to be the adult you desire to become.

IF - Part 3

Neil Patrick Harris's character Barney on "How I met your mother" loves to split words in half for emphasis. For example he'll say, "Let's get dressed and go out tonight. It's going to be LEGEND... wait for it....DARY!" When Barney does this his friends roll their eyes in irritation. Why? Because NOBODY likes to wait. People want everything YESTERDAY! Waiting is a drag, a hassle, a waste of time, a pain in the neck, etc. patience allows us to live in peace now even as we wait for what we want. No matter how fast something shows up, if we're irritated during the wait it's too slow. The key isn't to keep speeding up getting what we want. It's slowing down our demand that things be here now and, instead, enjoy the process. We discuss this as we consider, "If you can wait and not be tired of waiting," from "If" by Rudyard Kipling. Trust me, it's going to be LEGEND....wait for it.....no, seriously, wait......DARY!!

IF - Part 2

"If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

 But make allowance for their doubting too.”

 

It’s been said time and again that one of the most difficult things to do is to trust our own inner voice.

 

It’s far too easy to follow along with the herd of people thinking that, somehow, they magically know something we don’t.

 

What we forget is that they, too, are following others and so we’re caught up in an endless loop of follow the follower.

 

And if we attempt to break free, we are held down by those around us who either criticize us or scorn us for breaking from the pack.

 

And yet…

 

EVERY great advance in human history has come from someone who broke the norm and followed their quiet, inner knowing.

 

And the TRULY successful of those people are the ones who can not only see a bright vision ahead but can engage others to help bring it about.

 

Learn to bring the two together, now.

IF - Part 1

My mom gave me a card for my 17th birthday. It was one of those nice, elegant-but-fun cards created by Hallmark. I got a bunch of cards that day and because the one my mom gave me was dense with text I set it aside to read later. Lying in bed that night I read mom's card and something exploded in my soul! The card’s cover was adorned with “If” by Rudyard Kipling and this was the first time I had ever read this amazing poem. I read the poem over and over. Next, I got out of bed and found my big, square cassette recorder and read “If’ into the attached microphone. The next day I listened to my own voice reading this poem on my way to school. I burned it into brain and throughout my life whenever things get hard I find Kipling’s words coming back to inspire and guide me. Our new JumpStart series is my take Kipling’s classic poem “If." Come along with me as we explore this beautiful, synopsis of success written 123 years ago. Today let’s consider… “If you can keep you heard while all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”

Love is - Part 26

And now these three remain, Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these if love. Paul wrote this letter to the people of Corinth (located in what we’d now call south-central Greece) where he’d founded a church just a few years previous. So, as we conclude this series let’s perhaps consider two important questions. WHY did Paul write this letter in the first place? WHAT promoted him to instruct the people in the little church to be patient, kind, forgiving, etc.? The answer to both questions is the same — COMPLAINING! Paul wrote his letter because the people in the Corinthian church had been writing HIM griping about EACH OTHER! (Doesn’t this sound like most churches??) The congregation in Corinth had been barraging poor Paul with letters complaining about each other! Paul’s letter is a response; not something he just sat down and sent to be inspiring. No. Paul was tired of the bellyaching!! And, to sum it all up he used just one word — love. Love each other. That’s the highest demonstration of both spirituality and humanity. Love.