Blog

Bill Gibson – Do Whatever It Takes…A Lesson From The Late Dr. Robert Schuller

The scene: Two large round tables of business people at a Fund Raising Event for Dr. Robert Schuller’s (author of Possibility Thinking) Worldwide Television Ministry in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1986. I was 42 years old at the time. He was 60. The evening before I had the honour to be the Master of Ceremonies for The Dr. Robert Schuller Night in Vancouver (thanks to Jim Janz the organizer) with several thousand people attending…other speakers included Jimmy Patterson (self-made multi-millionaire and the honourable Grace McCarthy). It was one of the highlights and jumping off points of my speaking career. The man was a giant among evangelists and motivational speakers and I had the opportunity to get close to him.

The next day Bev and I and our family attended the small Fund Raiser. Dr. Schuller gave equal time to each table asking each of us to pose a question to him. Someone at our table made the comment that Dr. Schuller had been under doctor’s care and was on a strict diet and posed the question to him; “how do you control yourself and stay disciplined and stay away from those delicious desserts you so love?”

His response was; “there are times in our life we must just take control and become extremely self-disciplined.” The last words had just come out of his mouth when a waiter appeared from nowhere. He then teasingly put the most wonderful looking thick freshly baked piece of lemon meringue pie under his nose and then placed it on the table in front of Dr. Schuller and said “dessert for you, Dr. Schuller?” We all went silent as we waited for his response. His eyes lit up as he stared at the piece of lemon meringue pie and a big smile came over his face. Then he threw his head back and his arms out and in his big booming voice roared; “forgive me Jesus for what I am going to do!” There was a burst of laughter as he took his fork and cut off the front piece of the pie, put it in his mouth and slowly devoured it while making sounds of joy.

Then without saying a word he reached over and picked up a salt shaker, removed the top and poured all the salt on top of the remaining 70% of the pie.

He then looked at us and said something like this…“now, I know I will not eat the rest of the pie because it is now impossible to eat with all that salt on it and sometimes we have to “do whatever it takes”…even if it is painful…to help us be disciplined to overcome the urges and habits that are holding us back on our journey.”

That lesson has always stayed with me. We often say that we don’t have enough time to pursue our dreams? We Bill & Dr. Schullercould turn off the Television and set specific times for social media or go off social media for a week. We want to lose weight? We could only shop on the outside isles of the supermarket where the healthy food is found or throw out all the sugar and sweets in our homes. Sounds drastic, although I have never met anyone that has successfully overcome habits and addictions that are holding them back without making hard decisions and most of the time taking drastic measures to make the change. As Dr. Robert Schuller stated that day…sometimes we have to “do whatever it takes.” The photo is of Dr. Schuller and I at The Dr. Robert Schuller Night event in 1986 in Vancouver.

Dr. Robert Schuller passed away this past Thursday, April 2, 2015, at the age of 88. He was the heart and energy behind the building of the magnificent Crystal Cathedral in California. For years millions of people in countries around the world were inspired and uplifted every Sunday morning by him through his Television Ministry. This is my blog tribute to Dr. Robert Schuller and his family. I am sure he is still wearing that beautiful robe. Only now it is white and radiating “white light” that is still touching the hearts of many souls here on earth and beyond. Thank you Dr. Schuller for being such an inspiration to us all. May you rest in peace.

JJ1I am grateful forever to you Jim Janz for giving me such an opportunity to meet such a great man. You can learn more about my good friend Jim Janz the author of A Rendezvous With Destiny or order his book by contacting him on: jejanz@telus.net or http://myrendezvouswithdestiny.com/

“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!”  – Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl

Bill Gibson – Look Within If You Want To Win

Through my own personal development and spiritual practises I sometimes have insights that surface for me and I put them in writing. Some of you may find the following insights useful at this time in your life. For me, I find the more years I am on this planet, the more I understand that the real power comes from within.

 

Disclaimer:

The Personal Development & Spiritual Life section of my Blog is placed on my Blog with only the good intent to support and serve the core beliefs and values of all people, regardless of race, creed or religion. This insight I am sharing with you is not meant to challenge, convince or spark a debate.

The force that is present in most of our lives has many names. Some of them are Allah, Shiva, Krishna, God, El Shaddai, Great Spirit, The Infinite, The Divine, and the list goes on. The language I often utilise is God, the Divine and the Infinite.

 

Look Within If You Want To Win

 

“Today I Ask The Man … What Is The Plan?”

And Where Is “The Source That Can Give Me The Course?”

The Answer Came “It Is The Divine That Leaves Scarcity Behind”

And “It Is The Inner Substance That Is My Abundance”

 

I Must “Look Within If I Want To Win”

If I “Look Without I End Up In Doubt”

To “Have Love I Must Seek Above”

And To “Go Below I Lose The Glow”

 

“I Can Do My Part By Trusting My Heart”

And When “I Give Freely I’m Always Surprised …

How “High I Actually Do Rise”

 

If I Take It All “I Experience A Fall”

And When I’m Greedy “I End Up Needy”

So With “Charity We Find The Ways To Prosperity”

 

By “Doing What I Love, I Fly Like A Dove”

And When I “Let Go” I’m In “The Flow”

Forcing “Myself Brings No Wealth”

Enjoying The Trip Is The Key …

For Real Prosperity For You And Me

 

When I “Love What I Do”

It Gets Easy “To Make It Through”

And If I Always “Give It My Best”

I Find Out “I Don’t Need To Rest”

 

Take The “Short Cut” I End Up “In A Rut”

When I’m Thorough “There Is Always Tomorrow”

To Have “The Health And The Wealth”

I Tap Into The “School Called The Energy Pool”

 

I Build My “Kingdom With Divine Wisdom”

And When I Add “Trust As A Must” And “Humility As The Way”

It Guarantees That You And I

Have A Wonderful Stay

–         Bill Gibson

 

“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!”         – Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl

Bill Gibson – Increase Sales & Profits With Reality Immersion

How many of us put ourselves in our customers’ shoes and see and feel how they experience us and our business? Let me give you a “real-life” example of utilising Reality Immersion to Increase Sales and Profits.

Michael Vance, professional speaker, tells a story about a dentist whose business was not doing very well, so he decided to go to a seminar on how to market more effectively. When he came back from that seminar he and his secretary went through the office on their hands and knees, taking a child’s view of their office. They got a feeling of what it was like to be a child at the dentist’s office.

The first thing they noticed was that the guest desk was too high and the children who came in had to look up over the desk. They had the desk inset into the floor and put little chairs in the front of it so that the children could sit down and have eye contact with the receptionist. They even took the medical forms and made them simple so small children could help fill them out. Colourful graphics that educated children on caring for their teeth were placed on the wall and headphones were installed in the waiting rooms so that children could listen to stories and dental care tips on CD’s. They built a play area for the children in the waiting room.

Then they did some research. After the children had their teeth examined, the receptionist would help them fill out a form on how they felt about their trip to the dentist. The most common complaint from the children was that they were terrified before the dentist did the work because they did not know what he was going to do.

The dental staff did some brainstorming and decided to explain the process to the children before the staff actually did anything. The child would work on his or her own teeth without the instruments being turned on. This showed the child exactly what was going to happen, and it reduced the anxiety. To top it off, on their way out the children received a signed photograph of their dentist to put on their wall – their hero!

Later on after the company grew, pictures of the dental assistants were put in the lobby so the children could choose the person they wanted to help them. The business in that dental office doubled. When I was one of the two consultants on the Nedbank sponsored “Fix my Biz” 13 week Reality T.V. Program on etv (now It’s my Biz), we used a similar approach with a new dentist in the West Rand in Gauteng. He saw a noticeably difference in customer satisfaction feedback and little feet through the door.

If you are selling to individuals there may be ways to help and be of better, impactful service to their family members. Brainstorm what needs to be done from the customer’s point of view.

In dealing with an organisation, look at ways to make a personal assistant or key decision maker’s secretary’s job easier when dealing with your company or with her boss. See it from her perspective. It could also be providing the accounts department with extra information to make their job easier when dealing with your company, or giving them extra breakdowns that helps them do their jobs faster and more efficiently. Think, see and feel from the customer’s point of view.

“If you have found this blog article to be valuable for you, I would be grateful if you “shared” it with your Social Media Networks. Also feel free to circulate it by e-mail or other means internally within your organization or externally to your clients, suppliers and personal and business network. Thank-you!”    – Bill Gibson

Bill Gibson is a Canadian who is living in South Africa. He is an international speaker and author and a developer of sales, service, marketing, collecting, employee morale building, personal development and entrepreneurial training programs and systems. His blog is www.bill-gibson.com and his website is www.kbitraining.com. He can be reached at bill@kbitraining.com or phone +27-11-784-1720 in South Africa. You can follow Bill Gibson on Twitter: @billgibson1, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gibsonbill or Knowledge Brokers International SA Pty Ltd Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/knowledgebrokers?ref=hl