Thought for Today !

Sometimes you need to listen and not give advice.  

Many people ask me questions about all kinds of things and some seek advice and guidance but today i'd like to ask you all to remember to listen.  When your friend wants to ask your advice about something are they just wanting you to agree with their decided opinion?  Is your work colleague relating an experience or asking for advice on how they should have handled it?  

We can sometimes get too drawn into the situation of offering our advice when it isn't needed.  Be there for all who need you but engage in the conversation by listening to their real needs.  

Are you practising listening ?

Steps to help :

• Focus on what the individual is saying, give them your full attention.
• Listen to and identify the words they are using.
• Do they pause for you to answer?

If they are just getting something off their chest, the steps below may help you.

• Give positive feedback and steer them away from negative words/phrases.
• Help them see your side/other side of the conversation.
• Ask them clarifying questions.
• Be helpful and positive in your guidance.  

Heaven's Gate

Heaven's Gate


So you've done it, lived your life, been good and kind, a spiritual person, gave to charity and worked hard. 


So you arrive at Heaven's Gate - what next?
Poor old Saint Peter shuffles forward with a clipboard in hand, "Just a few questions and then you can be on your way," he mumbles.
Somethings obviously are the same as on earth, you think to yourself.


So what are the questions?
Well everyone is different and we all live very different lives, even within families.  
What questions do you think you'll be asked?


Some of you will say, well i've never thought about that, mmmm let me see...


Okay so its not something you expect to think about regularly, I agree.  But honestly why not give it a few minutes now?


Some of the things you won't be asked are :


So how many bedrooms did your home have?
How many houses did you own?
How many acres of land?  Really that many !
You drove a what?   Nice !!!
Bank balance please?  That many zeros!
Income before tax ?
How many plasma TV's?
How many people did you walk over to get to your current employment position?
Where did you holiday?
etc ...




So to think about some you might be asked :


Who did you help when they didn't ask for your help?
How kind were you to people you didn't like?
How many times did you do it because you knew it was the right thing to do?
How many times did you forgive people who did and said hurtful thing to you?
How many times did you turn the other cheek?
How often did you just sit and listen?
How many times did you wipe the slate clean and begin again?
How often did you cry when you couldn't see a solution to a situation?
Did you love with an open and just heart?
What intention did you hold in your heart before you did something for someone else?


If you're being really honest you might find that one or two from the top list creep into your questions, however, it's what you're asked when you get there that's important not what you answer today.  


Which list do you want to answer when you reach Heaven's Gate ?