The
Bible says we are to accomplish the three blessings of being
fruitful, multiplying, and having dominion. First we are to be
fruitful. Fruitful means we have mind/body unity. Our
minds are God-centered and our bodies are directed to have Godly
character. Only Jesus and now Rev. and Mrs. Moon have reached
absolute mind/body unity. The Messiah teaches mankind how to
reach moral perfection where a person's words and deeds are in
harmony with God's laws of the universe.
We each have a responsibility to push and stretch ourselves to become like the Messiah. Each of us should as Brian Tracy says, work hard to make our life a "masterpiece." An essential characteristic of being fruitful would be to have a positive personality.
One of the most published and famous books ever written is Norman Vincent Peale's, The Power of Positive Thinking. The opposite of positivity is negativity. We should, as the popular song goes:
Accentuate the
positive,
And eliminate the
negative.
Latch on to the
affirmative,
And don't mess with Mr. In
Between.
Being positive doesn't mean we ignore the bad. It means we have an upbeat, forward, optimistic attitude. There is a famous book called Positive Mental Attitude. Some abbreviate it and say "PMA." Because Satan has ruled this world for all of human history, it has been primarily tragic. But God will eventually win against against Satan and there will be no more of Satan's negatives -- no more locks on doors. Everyone will be safe and can blossom and reach the their fullest potential.
Characteristic of
being positive is being hopeful, grateful, persevering and
cheerful. One of the 12 Boy Scout laws is to be cheerful.
Deep in our hearts we are attracted to those who have a dream.
We are moved by stories of those who persevere through
obstacles.
Victor Frankl experienced Hitler's death camp at Auschwitz and survived. He wrote in Man's Search for Meaning that those who had a goal, a dream, a purpose to live -- those who something to look forward to, outlived those who gave up in despair.
Persistence
God wants us to be indefatigable. Never quit! There is a famous quote by President Calvin Coolige who said: "Nothing in the world can take place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men of talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
When the Bible says "love is patient" doesn't that mean love is optimistic and positive? In the long run, goodness overcome evil.
Motivational speakers
There are motivational speakers who have book, audio tapes and videos. They teach some of the universal principles of personal empowerment and success. They all teach that a person who has achieved a high level of success has a positive mental attitude. They walk their talk. I enjoy listening to and reading these teachers of success. They explain that only 5% of the population ever reaches financial independence and wealth. Only 5% of Americans have their blood cholesterol below 150. Only 5% of Americans write down their goals. Satan is for failure in every area of life. God is for success in every area of life. Motivational speakers study the characteristics of successful people and teach the common, universal laws they live by.
They usually don't push Jesus, even though some of them are ministers and others are very religious. But to be truly successful we need to be reborn through the Messiah and live by the principles he teaches. The most successful people have found peace of mind and meaning in religion -- in being a spiritual person. A truly successful person prays and studies sacred writings. I begin this book with the chapter on patriarchy and it is the longest chapter because it is the basic, core law of the universe. It is the essence of leadership. It is the essence of God. It gives order and direction.
Zig Ziglar
The only
motivational speaker that talks about the law of patriarchy is Zig
Ziglar. The essence of leading a successful life is to live by
the law of true patriarchy. Ziglar's best-selling motivational
book is See You At the Top. Along side Think and Grow
Rich it is the Bible of motivational books. He mentions
patriarchy in one paragraph. In his list of books for further
study he mentions Aubrey Andelin's Man of Steel and
Velvet. This is not enough. I read Ziglar's book in
my twenties. If he had talked more of patriarchy I would have
achieved success much faster. I don't blame him. This is
the core element of success and Satan wants it buried. Ziglar
is a devout Baptist who attends the largest Baptist church in America
in Dallas, Texas. He is focusing on presenting a secular focus
in his motivational speeches and books. But to be really
successful we need to do the twelfth law of the Boy Scouts. We
need to be reverent. And more importantly we need to be focused
on the person who has been the most influential in history -- Jesus
Christ. Sadly, he is interpreted in many ways. Many think
he is not for people being wealthy. Ziglar, quite rightly,
disagrees.
These teachers of success all mention that a person needs to read their books and especially to listen to their tapes over and over again. Father mentions we are to read the Principle and hear lectures over and over again. We are read, reread, and study Father's words our whole life. We can't just read it once and think we got it. Two writers that have influenced me and countless others on how to read, and I mean really read, is Clifton Fadiman and Mortimer J. Adler. I encourage you to read Adler's How to Read a Book. Motivational speakers are like trainers and coaches. They all say that the most successful people listen to success tapes while they drive instead of listening to silly radio commercials. So much of life is repetition. We need to repeatedly hear God's truth. Satan is constantly bombarding us with lies. We must inundate our lives with the Divine Principle and Father's words. We need to study it in Korean. We should not become TV addicts, but do our homework instead. We need to constantly fill our head with truth instead of the negativity and lies the press dishes out every day. The media is so out of it they cannot see that Rev. Moon should have got the Nobel Peace Prize long ago. After 25 years in America, 60 Minutes, does a show on the problems of Father Moon's eldest son instead of the monumental work that the messiah has done.
We need to smile a lot and be as Zig Ziglar says "good finders." Look for the good. Expect the best even though we prepare for the worst. Lift up people. Praise people more than criticizing them. Even yourself. We all make mistakes. But we must not wallow in guilt. Make up for the past mistakes by working to restore them and helping others.
This is truly a day of hope. Let's look at things as being half-full, not half-empty. Let's sing praises to God and the Messiah who have given us truth that has set us free to grow spiritually and build a physical paradise on earth.
God wants every person to be successful.
Success
William Bradford
used the word "success
" in the 1620s when he
wrote his classic Of Plymouth Plantation. They spent
the first three years being unsuccessful. They almost starved to
death. He discovered a principle of success that America embraced. It
was called capitalism. When he switched from socialism he said they
finally achieved "success."
To be successful we must live by the laws of the universe God has
created for proper human relationships. We can learn from others who
have great insights on how to become fruitful, i.e.,
successful.
Successful Marriages and Families
To be truly successful and happy we must have successful marriages. Father often explains how it is through marriage and family that we find the most happiness. The goal of all young people is to get married and have a family. He even says that is the number one goal of students: "Marriage opens the door to human happiness. Studying in order to open the door to happiness is very good. However, if that study is for the purpose of becoming rich or powerful, it is a mistake. Study must be for the purpose of attaining true love."
"Why do you go to school? Happiness cannot exist without love. Therefore, we say that the purpose of going to school is to shorten the road to love."
"When young women go to the university to earn a degree, ultimately it is in order to meet a good husband. There is no other reason. No matter how great a man is, he would be an unhappy person if he could not form a family that is united."
"The reason for studying is to meet a true man and to become a true mother. In order to become a true mother, a woman must study for the country and become a true wife who can serve her husband as a true man. If you cannot gain this stature as a person, you will not be able to serve your true husband or have a true son. A woman must become a true wife, and, as the homemaker of the family, must get along well with the husband until old age. If the study is for the purpose of becoming a good wife, then wouldn't all university graduates eventually be gray-haired couples? However, among university graduates are there more gray-haired couples or people who get divorced? Needless to say, people who are uneducated live together happily for a longer time."
Christian Authors on Family
The most popular books used by Christian ministers in marriage counseling that discuss questions of sex are the LaHayes. Mrs. LaHaye is the president of the largest Christian women's organization in America. She writes eloquently of the traditional family, but the most thorough books are by the Andelins. Every member should own and deeply study their books. Helen Andelin's book, Fascinating Womanhood, has circulated in the church but has not been understood very well. Aubrey Andelin's book, Man of Steel and Velvet, is a must for every man. It teaches men how to be real men. Mrs. Andelin's The Art of Raising Children is absolutely the best book on how to raise children. Nothing comes close.
Self-help Books
Two of
the greatest best sellers of all time is Norman Vincent Peale's
The Power of Positive Thinking and Dale Carnegie's How to
Win Friends and Influence People. Each one's wife wrote a book on
how a wife is to help her husband. Ruth Peale wrote a book that
should be required reading for women, The Adventure of Being a
Wife. We will look at one of Mrs. Carnegie's chapters in her book
How Help Your Husband Get Ahead about how women can help their
husbands by cooking nutritious meals in the next chapter. Both wives
lived the traditional role. There have been many books throughout
American history on how to build Godly, traditional families. America
has rejected these wonderful truths and suffered for it. Mary Pride
writes of how Christianity has not taught these values for the last
few generations. Bill and Hillary Clinton say they are Christian, but
no Christian in the first 140 years of America would believe
it.
Motivational
Speakers
Earl Nightingale is the dean of motivational speakers. He is famous for his speech, "The Strangest Secret. " He built a company in Chicago called Nightingale-Conant (pronounced co - nant. Their website is www.Nightingale.com). It is the leading company producing audio tapes and videos of some of the most inspiring speakers on success in America.
He died in 1989. His wife, Diana, wrote a book about their life called Learning to Fly as a Nightingale. One reviewer wrote, An intimate look into the lives of two people who have inspired audiences around the world. Their messages of inspiration have lifted minds to higher levels of personal and professional success while touching hearts with their personal love story. Diana Nightingale tells of her journey to Earl, with Earl and then finding her wings again after his death."
In her
book she writes, "No journey is without detours, disappointments or
delays. Few of us would call off a trip for any of these reasons. The
same must be true in life -we simply must keep on going, making the
best of each and every day while appreciating those who come into our
lives to share our journey - even if they cannot be with us the whole
way. Life is a personal adventure - exciting, but not without
confrontations with the devil himself. With courage and faith we can
grow stronger with each challenge and find our way
back on the road to the rest of our
journey. When we reach our final destination we will have had many
adventures and received many scars. But hopefully, we will have left
behind something of value and perhaps, inspiration to
others."
Brian Tracy says, "This is a
wonderful, moving story of the relationship between
America's
greatest success philosopher; Earl Nightingale, and the woman he
loved. It will move
and motivate you and put you back in
touch with the things that really matter in life."
Ruth Stafford Peale says,
"Learning to Fly as a Nightingale is a fascinating book which
everyone should read. Earl Nightingale was a legend in his time.
Diana Nightingale brings him
alive again for all of
us."
Two of
the most popular motivational speakers today are Zig Ziglar and
Stephen Covey. Ziglar is a conservative Christian, and Covey is a
devout Mormon. Both downplay their theology and present their ideas
on motivation, goal setting, and time management in a more secular
way. Covey says America's first 150 years were a focus on "character"
and the next 50 years America focused on "personality". He says
everyone should write their values in a constitution. What he doesn't
say is what are true values. I ordered his other books that are
written for his church and found that his number one value is
patriarchy. He lives that ideology. He has nine children, and his
wife is a homemaker. This is what gives him the power to speak. Zig
Ziglar in See You at the Top at least has the guts to say that
men will have more personal power to become successful when they are
the head of the house. In several of his books he refers the reader
to Aubrey Andelin's Man of Steel and Velvet.
The Meaning of Success
I looked
under the heading of "success"
in Books in Print. There were almost a thousand books.
Some are best sellers such as Robert Schuller's
excellent Success Is Never Ending; Failure Is Never Final.
They mentioned one that is a favorite of mine. It is Brian
Tracy's
Maximum Achievement: The Proven System of Strategies &
Skills That Will Unlock Your Hidden Powers to Succeed. He has
many videos and audio tapes. One good one that has the word success
in it is The Psychology of Success. He is an excellent teacher
of goal setting and time management and other skills for success. UC
brothers should be listening to him in their car as they drive to
work. They need to have clearly written goals and achieve
them.
Please be humble to these authors. Don Sardella wrote an article in the UNews called "Never Stop Training For Your Success. " He encourages everyone to listen to motivational tapes. He says, "Transform your automobile into a University on Wheels. Start every day and use your drive time to listen to well-researched, educational recordings." He mentions only one speaker, Tom Peters and quotes from his book Thriving on Chaos, "Workforce training must become a corporate obsession ... and it is on this variable that the ... competitive struggle may most strongly depend."
Brian Tracy
says in his audio cassette series, The Psychology of
Achievement, that he has never met a highly paid achiever who
does not listen to tapes in his car. Let's use success
principles and build an American church in which we can successfully
witness and finally give Father a billion dollars and a million
members.
Father wants
us to contribute our thoughts and to study the thoughts of others.
One of the best books out now is Stephen Covey's
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He teaches
that we must write constitutions. The UC needs to help Father and God
by writing our values and goals in detail.
Passion - Enthusiasm
A
popular motivational speaker is Tony Robbins. Of all the
speakers he is probably the most outgoing and excited. He tells
how he was overweight, broke and depressed until he went to hear Jim
Rohn speak. He became excited about life and is bursting with
energy. He teaches that we are to live with passion.
Norman Vincent Peale wrote a book on enthusiasm. The root of
the word means "in God."
If you
would like to see some some more images of books and tapes by some
motivational speakers and teachers click here
(will load slowly). Because there are many pictures it may load
slow. If you have any suggestions on other self-help books on
personal growth you would like me to mention, please email me and let
know. (JohnGodwin@DivinePrinciple.com)
Sun Myung Moon - Greatest Motivational Speaker in History
Sun Myung
Moon is the greatest teacher of success. He is the most
positive and upbeat person who has ever lived. He goes to
heights of personal development and teaches truths that go far beyond
anything fallen motivational speakers have come up with. But
they have discovered many key laws of success. In the future I
hope to write a book about the kind of man Father Moon is.
Everyone should study him. He has loved, worked, forgiven, and
persevered beyond anyone in history. He is the greatest man who
has ever lived. His words will ultimately be the truth that
will motivate every person to find God and to reach their
potential.
Father is the greatest teacher the world has ever seen. He is teaching us to master human relationships. He says, "There is nothing more difficult than personal relationships. Therefore, though you may not know it, I am training you in personal relationships in the most difficult places. I have already walked that path." There are so many stories of Father and how he perfectly relates to people. He knows just what to say to a fellow prisoner while eating lunch at Danbury Prison in Connecticut, fishing with Christian ministers in Kodiak, Alaska, or talking to leaders of Communist nations like Gorbachev and Kim Il Sung. Father has had several conversations with Christen, and he said the perfect thing every time. He is pure love. I hope someday leaders in the UC who have been around Father will write about their many experiences so the world will really know him.
Work Hard, Hard, Hard
Brian Tracy
says that one quality of successful people is that they work very
hard. They are workaholics. He says that we must "work
hard, hard, hard." No one in human history has worked harder or
been more passsionate and enthusiastic than Sun Myung Moon. He
is 80 years old and has never got more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep a
night. Sometimes he gets none. He is always alert and
totally focused. Satan has met his match. Father Moon is
stronger than Satan and any evil spirit or any person. He has
set the standard for working hard. Someday they will make
movies of him and everyone will be blown away by the absolute work
ethic he has. And he wants us to work very hard. Evil
people and spirits work hard. Those on the side of God must
work harder and smarter.
Mrs. Moon - Dr. Hak Ja Han
Mrs.
Moon also gives speeches that uplift the soul. Together they
are True Parents who teach how each person can fulfill the three
blessings. They teach the truths that will enable every person
to be fruitful, multiply and have dominion. Every person, every
family and every nation will eventually reach its full potential when
mankind embraces the Divine Principle.