I stood speechless meekly watching the thunderstorm of uncertainty making me lick the dust?.The best student had failed miserably?..
The child is taken to school, and the first thing he learns is that his father is a fool, the second thing that his grandfather is a lunatic, the third thing that all his teachers are hypocrites, the fourth that all the sacred books are lies! By the time he is sixteen he is a mass of negation, lifeless and boneless.. And the result is that fifty years of such education has not produced one original man in the three Presidencies?.
Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested, all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character-making, assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas and made them your life and character, you have more education than any man who has got by heart a whole library.
The ass carrying its load of sandalwood knows only the weight and not the value of the sandalwood.? If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopedias are the Rishis.
Swami Vivekananda
I considered myself to be the best student of spirituality and so I thought I was a great teacher. But perhaps Nature had other plans. I guess it wanted me to refine and fine tune my thought process. Nature is harsh when it teaches you and I think good students are aware of this fact? Half the day had gone and I was completely demolished not a single thing worked for me. My face had gained weight as my problems had completely taken over me. People always complimented me for my smile. I had a dimple on both sides of my face. They used to say I am damn lucky but today my face had let me down I was looking real horrible I was down and out ,dragging on with no hope breathing foul air into the universe and cursing everything lying before me? The best student had failed miserably?.
I wanted to call John and tell him what had happened? But I considered myself to be the best student of spirituality. having discovered most of the tools for living a great life and I had some great admirers and was really doing very well. I thought problems could never empower me at all. At some point I even felt I had a better spiritual grounding than John?. But yesterday the best student had failed miserably?.
I did not call John ?. I did not think it necessary? I had great respect for his knowledge for all that he has done to this universe, of all the wonderful books he had written, of the compassion he has shown to tens and thousands of people worldwide ?He was a real spiritual icon ?.. He had mentored me from a zero to a hero but I did not think it necessary to call him?. They say that when the student is ready the master arrives but after the master shares his/her knowledge the student tries to empower the master and so he always remains a student?.
The student makes a big mistake when he thinks that Knowledge is everything and once he gains that he can empower everyone and everything. Big Mistake. Knowledge is only one half of this whole piece of puzzle and it can take you only closer to the river of life. To taste the sweet and sour water of the river you got to wet your feet, mingle around with those who are ordinary, listen to their problems, show compassion , throw your spiritual weight around their problems give them simple yet very powerful tools which they can implement in their day to day life and very soon you become part of the river and the waves become friendly to you and guide you to the correct route and ensure your safety at all times?
Nature does not care for knowledge, Nature cares for wisdom. And wisdom is remembering knowledge in our day to day life?. It was close to evening time and the best student had failed miserably?
Poor education had produced a poor student in me? But the best students never gives up . The best students fight back . They don't go to school, they don't go to top level management institutes they go a completely different place where education of a different level is imparted?.
It was 11.00 pm and the day was coming to a miserable close. I was feeling terrible . I did not want to go to sleep. I was ashamed ?. I looked out and it was dark . Perhaps it was a reflection of my inner thoughts? I have this habit of walking from one end of the room to another .. It was 11.30 pm. I desperately wanted to make a comeback and end the day on a winning note? It was 11.40 pm and then the phone rang??
It was Mr PowerPause. John Harricharan?.. I could see his telephone number . I did not pick the phone up, very unlikely of me not to pick John's call. He left me a voice message. Twenty minutes passed by and the great student that I was, I played the voice message. I have no clue how many times I replayed the voice message again and again that night. It seemed as if the morning was all night coming. It was 4.30 am in the morning and I was wide awake still wanting to listen to that voice message one more time?..
What he revealed to me that night has never been mentioned in his books,tapes,videos or maybe I missed that in all his works It seemed as if he was aware of all my problems. It was a breath of fresh air carrying the perfume of sandalwood all over it. I was thrilled. It was mighty powerful. The best student had learnt life's greatest lesson that day?.
During the course of the day I fought with everyone who came close to me. I behaved like a lunatic,a hypocrite an idiot and thought by venting my anger against all of them I would be able to solve my problem. The problem had exposed me completely. One single day had changed the whole equation . There was a lot to be learnt from that single day. Even the greatest saint is a child when it comes to spirituality. I think spirituality by nature is imperfect but if you look closely even nature is imperfect. The full blown rose flower has a bunch of thorns sticking out at the bottom. It is ok to be imperfect but it is not ok to be uneducated in spirituality..
The art of problem solving is a great skill and every student of life needs to learn, practice and remember these magical tools. They are arrows in his/her quivers which can cut across all obstacles and struggles.
People say they have problems with money, with relationships with health and I say to you that it is good that you have problems because your problems can be your greatest life changing tools, your greatest teachers your door to prosperity. You can make a ton of money , attract the right partner into your life and build a perfect balance of mind body and spirit if only you knew the art of problem solving?
This is no ordinary art, it is taught only in select schools to select students. I was the best student who failed miserably that day and so John and Nature selected me to learn this art. Today I am going to give you a chance to learn this wonderful art which will help you bring prosperity to your doorstep, allow you to listen to the sweet voice of nature and break focus of the greatest obstacle bothering you in your life?..
Hidden in between the problems is prosperity. Education has blinded you to ignore it , True spirituality can spot it straight away. John knows it best . I have learnt from him when the going was good and I have learnt more from him when the going was bad. The twenty minute voice message confirms the same. John is an artist who wrote the Power Pause ? But I was not happy with that. It is great and so I converted it into a full length video with his blessings. That video is ready and the first prints are getting awesome reviews. But there was something missing in this whole puzzle. It was a workshop.
POWER PAUSE WORKSHOP
Power Pause Workshop?.. Tens and Thousands of people have bought Power Pause and it has changed their whole lives but there were countless more who wanted more support, a sort of guidance a step by step with examples case studies and so the great moment of truth has arrived because the first Power Pause Workshop will be held starting September 27th. This would be in the form of teleseminar which would be completely different from any teleseminar you attended. Even If you miss them you don't have to worry the pdf and the recording would be available to you. This would be a one of the kind tele-seminar where we will be discussing live case studies of current problems faced by members of the Power Pause Workshop and how John using his ageless wisdom shows you simple yet powerful tools which becomes a great repository a sure shot asset in your custody.
This is the first time he would be doing that and we will have four such sessions. They will last for an hour or more and each of them will be recorded and the transcript would also be given.
FAST TRACK BONUS: Six Member MasterMind Group
Over the last two years I have found that one of the supports which everyone needs at some point is to have a mastermind group. A group which is very active where every other individual comes up with a great idea to help the other . As a bonus for all those who sign up for the Power Pause Workshop in the next 48 hours you would also be automatically enrolled for a 4 session MasterMind group. This group will be very unique and will have only six members and we will meet once a week over the phone and this will be a very intense and personal discussion which will help you to identify the hot spots within you and infuse it with a tremendous amount of high powered energy. You will learn the fine art of fetching five powerful thoughts from the universe and commanding those thoughts to execute each of your dreams. Your wishes would be your thoughts command. It would be very interesting. This has never been done before and I will personally put you in the right group, attend each and every session and together we will create an environment where winning becomes an habit? It would be fun?
Love and Affection
Vish
Toy Story Part 4
Once you have a loyal band of supporters to help you with your fund-raising efforts, you will need to meet with them regularly to discuss problems and progress. Where and how you do this will depend to a great extent on how many people will be meeting together and what venue is available.
If you are working from an office, it might be simpler to have everyone meet there - if there is enough room. Or you may be able to borrow a presentation room from your company. You can also book a lecture room at hotels or centers designed for this, a community or church hall or have them in your own home if necessary. The latter is not ideal, especially if there is a large number of people, due to the possibility of your home being in a hard to find area, lack of parking space, and lack of room and facilities.
Once you've decided on a venue and let everyone know the place and time, there are several things to organize. If you are using a computer screen for presentation and the computer is provided, make sure that it is high enough for those in the back rows to see. It needs to be at least five foot high to make it above the seated height of most people.
Arrange the chairs with plenty of internal aisles. People never seem to sit in the middle of a row, and if anyone comes late or has to leave early they'll be climbing over the others. Don't cram the chairs or the rows together if there is plenty of room. Most people like their space.
If you need to use tables rather than a computer, try to arrange them in a U shape with the chairs around the outside edges. This will allow everyone to see the speaker and have table space too.
Have plenty of material for the supporters to take home. No one relies on memory these days. Record the minutes and send them to all by email within a few days. It's not too much to add an in-depth summary of the meeting and add it to the minutes - along with the time and place of the next meeting.
Make sure that you have access to a sound system and microphone to save vocal strain. Even if the room is small, once people start talking it will be hard to make yourself heard, at least at first. If you can't have a mike, have a bell or whistle - or at least tap a spoon against a glass - to herald that you are about to speak.
How to Encourage Annual Giving from Your Supporters
Once you have good supporters, it's a great deal easier to encourage them to give annually than start out all over again looking for new supporters. For a start, they are now familiar with your goals - even if you have to jog their memories a little from time to time - and they know what to expect. Your organization has obviously met with their approval once, so it's not hard to keep that ball rolling.
It's a good idea to keep your supporters informed about what you are doing throughout the year so that they won't forget you. Then when it's time for another donation, you can start off by thanking them for their patronage last year. All companies enjoy a bit of free publicity and if they can be seen to be doing good to the community they will be happy to keep it up, so it's important to make sure the community knows about their last donation.
You can do this at the time of the donation by publicly thanking them. This could be in the form of a letter to the editor of your local paper - then it won't cost you anything. Or it could be in the form of a comment in your advertising, wherever that appears; the paper, a website or other online presence, and your flyers and brochures.
You could even send them a fancy, certificate-style letter of thanks, commending them for their foresight and generosity to your cause. This won't cost much with modern technology to call on for designing and printout. Some people give gifts to the supporter who donates or raises the most money, but unless these are donated gifts, it will take away from the total of your fundraising. On the other hand, a box of gourmet chocolates or a nice bottle of wine may be a nice touch and doesn't cost all that much.
So, having done the groundwork, it won't be very hard to approach them again and ask for another donation. When a supporter is thanked sincerely and constantly informed and encouraged both verbally and with written material, it makes them feel benevolent and happy to donate again - especially when you are being sincere, rather than obviously flattering them for a reason.
Making sure your supporters know exactly how their money was spent is also important. They should be sent a copy of the annual report plus any other material relevant. Include graphics in your presentation wherever possible because busy people can read the heading and look at the pictures and know immediately what it is all about. This saves them time and so keeps them happy.
How to Plan a Fundraising Event
All events take a great deal of planning and the fundraiser is no exception. No matter whether you are organizing a raffle, a car wash, a cookie drive, a walkathon or a major event like a concert or dinner, organization is the key to make all run smoothly.
Start early; the bigger the event the more time you will need. Six months ahead is not too early to start organizing some events. If you are raising money for a well-known cause, get in touch with them, as they will have guidelines to help make your task easier. They may also have certain rules that you will be required to follow.
Decide on the type of fundraising you will do and whether you will need help. If you will, select your team and make sure all have tasks for which they are suited. The bigger the event, the more helpers you are likely to need. You'll need a committee and sub-committee for each facet such as marketing, advertising, catering, bookkeeping, etc. Meet frequently with your staff and volunteers so that you can check on their progress and sort out any problems.
Ask for donations from family, friends and businesses to cover your running costs and for the prizes if there are to be any. Create a budget and a timeline for when things must be done and see that everyone involved gets one. Book venues and caterers well in advance.
See if there are state rules and regulations of which you need to be aware. It won't help your cause to be associated with breaking the law, even if you were ignorant of it, which is not considered an excuse. Find out what insurance you need. You may need to pay tax so check with an accountant about the rules in your state. Always make sure all monies are accounted for.
Make sure that your event does not clash with any other popular event, and that it is seasonally appropriate. For instance, don't hold an outdoors concert in a season known for its storms or cold nights.
Have invitations printed and make sure there is plenty of publicity about the event well before it is to be held. Invite media representatives. Hire a photographer of your own to record the event; don't depend on photos from the media.
After the event, make sure you thank all concerned by letter - don't forget the volunteers as well as the sponsors. Include a brochure containing images of the event in each thank-you letter. Have one last meeting with the volunteers to see if you want to do it again next year and sort out any problems you had. You may find better ways of doing things.
Both Vishwriter & Justin Alan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Vishwriter has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Cure Anxiety and Web Development. Lecturer, entrepreneur and Fortune 500 business consultant, Vish Writer is the author of the Amazon No 1 bestseller, "The Joy of Becoming God". Visit him at Spiritua. Vishwriter's top article generates over 9900 views. Bookmark Vishwriter to your Favourites.
Justin Alan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, RSS and Guided Meditation. If you'd like to get this article, plus all previous and future articles on How to Run a Fundraising Campaign on an Interactive CD-Rom, Please visit: . Justin Alan's top article generates over 12100 views. Bookmark Justin Alan to your Favourites.
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