Sorting through my ancient filing cabinet the other day gave me some ideas for today’s post. Back in 1999, I did a keynote presentation for UNUM/Provident, an insurance company based in Maine. (Photo Credit: Bollops)
The topic was “It’s a Matter of Perception.”
I had with me a small cardboard box containing 7 essential tools of life. People from the audience were invited to come up on stage and take one item out of the box. Then they were asked to share their perception, either metaphorically or in practical terms, of what they were holding. Their responses were rather interesting.
Here are 7 items they found in the cardboard box that should be part of everyone’s Life’s Toolkit:
Look deeply within yourself - a mirror will never lie to you (Photo Credit: rav2npg)
Snap your way out of dis-empowering thoughts and replace them with something better (Photo Credit: Charloto).
Remind yourself to pick out the good in everyday life (Photo Credit: Nele en Jan)
Be willing to forgive by erasing every word, deed or action from others who might have hurt you in the past (Photo Credit: Matte Hart)
Remind yourself that treating the symptoms of your life’s challenges is only temporary (Photo Credit: Willie Wonker)
Flashes of inspiration come and go quickly - be ready to jot them down at a moment’s notice for future reference (Photo Credit: net_efekt).
Stick to your dreams and don’t give up (Photo Credit: Orhan)
If you liked this post and you want to be notified of the next one, subscribe via Email or Full Text RSS Feed. I would love to have you as part of the community!
Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
Welcome! I'm the founder and professor of Adversity University specializing in personal development for spiritual beings having a human experience. To see a speaking demo tape and other information, please click 
2:01 pm on November 13th, 2007 1
You seem to have good ideas on giving speeches, Stephen
6:44 pm on November 13th, 2007 2
Nita:
Over the last ten years, I’ve climbed the learning curve by experimenting as well as listening to the creative part of me.
8:16 pm on November 13th, 2007 3
Great article Stephen, it really makes you think about the vast amount of things in our lives that we really do not need and the very few that we need to keep close.
I really like the one about “treating the symptoms”. I think that our society has become use to “patching” things up and never really get to the root of our problem. The medical establishment is a good example of how many times only the symptom is treated. I truly believe that giving our bodies the proper nutrition can relieve many of our medical problems.
Nice photos, I have been meaning to check out Flickr, but have not had the chance.
http://www.JuiceofChampions.com
8:46 pm on November 13th, 2007 4
Dear Stephen -
The most important piece of this was the jotting down of ideas when they come to you.
Somebody once said that the first line in any writing comes from God. The rest you have to do yourself.
Don’t want to miss that first line! You NEVER remember it later!
Love,
Corinne
PS You don’t think your finding those hands called “silence” was a coincidence, do you?
9:32 pm on November 13th, 2007 5
Hey Brad:
I thought the band-aid photo was too good to pass up, especially as it matched one of the contents in that cardboard box at the UNUM presentation. I’m following the suggestions of readers, “probloggers” and others to use more visual images in my posts to make them visually stimulating while getting the message across. Seems to be working!
I’m starting to experiment with Flicker as the free source of photos providing, of course, the photographers are properly credited. In the near future, I will add self-made video and podcasting posts and see how that reasonates with both new visitors and the AU community. I think people will be surprised to see how well I speak. Should be interesting!
Give Flicker a whirl for your blog, I think you’ll have fun with it.
9:40 pm on November 13th, 2007 6
Corrine:
I carry a small notepad everywhere I go, even in my car. Some of my ideas have come while on the road. Imagine my frustration at not having a pad and pen handy when an inspirational thought/idea came through! It’s happened more often then I care admit.
Interesting observation about how the first line comes from God while the rest you have to do yourself.
I actually think that when I’m in the “zone,” all of it comes from God. Writing becomes effortless and my fingers fly across the keyboard with new words, phrases, ideas, etc. When not in the zone, I struggle to find the right words until the dam breaks open and all is well again (which usually happens when I just write whatever comes through without regards to what I’m writing, in an effort to loosen the dam).
As for finding the ceramic hands in the church store (written about in the previous article), no it was definitely not a “coincidence.” I was divinely led to it!
8:37 pm on November 14th, 2007 7
[...] Stephen really has an amazing personal story and is truly an inspiration to me. Stephen’s blog is great and he writes about everything from his personal journey overcoming adversity to great advice for developing into a better person. Be sure to check out one of his latest articles: “7 Essential Things for Your Life’s Toolkit”. [...]