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	A motivational newsletter from Michael S. Gisondi “Thank you for the great presentation!  There was a lot of truth in what you said about what motivates people to attend meetings and their participation.  I used several of your suggestions Friday as soon as I got back to the office and they worked!  Framing is now my favorite activity next to auditing!” Marguerite Kuntz, from Lunch & Learn on Meetings, in Melbourne, Florida (5/5/06) “What a powerful speaker!  Your talk was entertaining as well as insightful.  What particularly struck me was your point about the goodness and potential within each of us.” Liz Iapicco, from talk, “Unstoppable, Unsinkable, and Starbound:  Three Women of High Impact” Boeing Women’s Leadership Luncheon, Kennedy Space Center, Florida (5/24/06) Please forward this to your friends! Four new exciting programs being offered, see below!! Life Question #4 Remember in the Nineties when a wave of new spiritual books came out?   Shooting up the best seller list were “little instruction books”, “soup for the soul”, and anything with the words “wisdom” or “angel”.  It was a significant trend.  Baby Boomers were the target.  The independent minded, “progressive” ex-hippies were pausing from their careers and the busy-ness of their lives.  They were re-evaluating.  They found themselves exchanging overtime for quiet time, corporate meetings for weekend retreats, and cherry desks for the hard wood of the pew.    What was going on?  This was a generation that was at the forefront of the peace movement, demanded environmental action, invented new miracle drugs, put computers in each home, and more.  They had elected officials and passed legislation that changed society.  They had fought for such ideas that women and minorities should have equal opportunity.  They migrated to glitzy suburbs and weekend homes.    They had even gone from peace rallies to conquer Wall Street and ushered in the age of IRAs, mini-vans and SUVs. This was a generation that had done it all and had it all … material belongings, status, achievement, political power, and more. But the spiritual books and leaders still talked of a “voracious hunger” … a profound need among this age group to re-look … to find more solid ideas on how to live a deeper life, with greater meaning and direction.  There was a need that was not being met by status, wealth, accomplishment, or political power. Another significant aspect of this trend was the “old ways” that were appealing to them.  Whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Evangelical … there was a return to the classical, traditional, and mainstream ideals within the modernity of the new millennium. Who would have imagined an old conservative Pope lighting up the world … in life, with stadium filled masses  … or in death, stopping the world with the full ceremony of Rome? In classical lingo … these ex-hippies were still struggling with life’s basic questions.  After a lifetime of questioning their parents and their traditions, after a lifetime of action and temporal ways … they needed to pause for the greater things.  Classical questions of the nature of God, why we are here, and what this all means were still unsettled for Baby Boomers.  (Three of life’s basic questions!) In the trials of life … spirituality was again winning out over worldly pursuits. Much like Jesus with Pilate … these middle agers were answering Pilate’s question - What is Truth?  Just as Pilate symbolized the material wealth, status, achievement, and political power of the world … now the Baby Boomers were responding to Jesus’ insight to “bear witness to the truth”.  (John, Chapter 18) In the “little instruction books” and books of “wisdom” were not-so-new ideas of charity, prayer, and forgiveness.  These Christian ideas provided the depth, direction, and meaning that other worldly pursuits lacked.    What is truth?  (Life Question #4)  Avoiding long theology, or philosophical “isms” … avoiding math proofs of p’s and q’s … or debates of the subjective and objective …  let’s turn to two notable seekers of truth in history for a straightforward answer to Life Question #4! Sixty years ago, a skinny little bald man from India moved the world with his answer.  For Mahatma Gandhi … a peaceful activist who worked for the needs of the Indian people … there was a very clear answer.  He had dedicated his life to experiments on the subject.  Gandhi’s definition was this … truth is ideas that add power to our lives.  For the Mahatma … truths such as prayer, generosity, service, and self-rule in India were all worthy of total commitment of time, energy, and life. Back in 2000, during the millennium celebrations, the TV show “Biography” listed the top 100 people that influenced the previous one thousand years.  One curious selection was a monk from the 1200s, St. Thomas Aquinas, weighing in at a lofty #24.  The choice was odd for several reasons.  Aquinas was not a colorful figure.  Even his superiors didn’t think much of him at first, calling him a “Dumb Ox”.  How could a monk that stayed in his room writing possibly have had such a great effect on our civilization?  St. Thomas Aquinas made “the list” because he changed the way the world was thinking.  He showed the universality of Christian ideals by connecting them to the great thoughts of Greeks, science, and others.  His understanding of his Christian faith provided a hierarchy of thought that had a significant impact on human thought. Curiously, a Catholic monk from 700 years ago had the exact same definition of truth as the modern Hindu Gandhi … truth is about ideas. It would seem that our ex-hippy friends were merely answering Pilate’s question … trading in ineffective ideas for more powerful ideas to add more power to their lives. Looking around us offers clarity.  People all around us possess powerful ideas that add power to their lives … let’s take a look at others who have answered Life Question #4.  These are people who have ideas that add power to their lives. Its easy to see historical figures committed to the truth … such as Martin Luther King … who was tireless in his commitment to the truth that all people are created equal and that we should be judged by “the content of our character and not the color of our skin.” Its easy to see unstoppable people like Susan B. Anthony pushed forward by the truth that women are equal individuals deserving of all the rights and opportunities of men. But how about the people around us each day … the people we contact around our homes and work? For Cindy … she is so committed to the truth of the benefit of a college education that it guides her life decisions.  She denies herself certain comforts (a needed new car!) and has taken on a second job to provide tuition to her daughter, to give her daughter better opportunities in life.  This idea drives Cindy each day and also provides a deep sense of direction and meaning to all of her tasks. Jack has incorporated a powerful new idea into his life.  After years of bitterness following a divorce, he has finally found a way to forgive.  This truth of “forgiveness” has provided Jack with the added power of improved relations with others. Maria loves to cook.  And she is good at it.  She uses her gift to run a soup kitchen.  She also makes it a point to cook meals for others during times of family crisis (a funeral, a hospital stay). Dwight professes to be a “family man”.  He commonly talks of his activities with his wife and kids.  Dwight also enjoys his job as a police officer.  But for him, the priority is always clear.  Dwight turns down overtime work.  He knows all too well where he wants to be … in the backyard playing catch with his son or taking his daughter to a movie.  With this clear direction, Dwight’s energy is limitless. For Cindy, Jack, Maria, and Dwight … they each had at least one very specific answer to the question … What is truth? For Cindy … a college education is important in life. For Jack … forgiveness is key to relationships. For Maria … cooking for others is an important service of love. For Dwight … his family was a clear priority. These are “truths” … ideas that add power to their lives. But what do we hold as truths and how does our life reflect that? If, like Dwight, we say our family is important, does our daily schedule of activity reflect that? If we profess to live a spiritual life, do we set aside time to pray?  Do we demonstrate truths such as listening to others, giving others the benefit of the doubt, or sharing what we have with others? Is there a specific gift we possess that we feel compelled to share with others? Are there political or social causes that drive us? How do we spend our time during the day or the week? The answers to these questions involve powerful ideas … truths … that we have adopted as answers to life’s questions. But what if we watch a great deal of television … then television is one of our “truths” … and is that what we want our life to be about? Spiritual Challenges 1.      Write down 3 people that seem to have a great sense of depth, direction, and meaning in their lives.   These should be people strong enough to treat others with compassion … who possess a sense of enthusiasm with others … and who are able to endure setbacks graciously. 2.      For each person, make a list of what truths seem to power them each day. 3.      Then make a list of your answers to the question … what powers you each day?  What is Truth? 4.      Are there areas you wish to add more power?  Perhaps becoming a better listener to help your relations with people? 5.      How do you share your gifts with others?  How do you “bear witness to the truth”? Those committed to a spiritual life are committed to continued growth.  None of us are too old to learn and adopt new, solid ideas.  There is a joy in learning.  Being a “seeker of truth” is about skill building.  Its about building a solid foundation.   The ideas that we build our lives on … these are our truths … these are our answer to the question, “What is Truth?” Certain ideas do add power to our lives. There is power in truth. Want a Free Eye Exam?  How is your vision?  When you get up, go to work, participate in volunteer activities, or just go out and have fun … what do you see?  What do you focus on?  Next month’s newsletter will have specific suggestions on seeing the unseen in order to add more power to all that you do! Here are four specific programs now being offered … each can be tailored to your group’s needs … from a talk to a multi-day seminar!  Check out http://PoweredByTruth.com  for more info! Powered By Truth:  A Course in Personal Effectiveness – key steps to a greater sense of depth, direction, and meaning in all of our undertakings! Down To Earth Management – sound, basic, no frills management ideas presented with motivation! One More Step – targeted for youth as well as adults to learn more about our nation’s great space program as well as science … emphasizing life skills such as goal setting. Winning – targeted for youth as well as adults, for those wanting to excel and achieve more based on solid life skills. This past month I sent out a colorful brochure tailored to Native American groups on these four exciting programs … any referrals will mean a share in the fee (thanks) !!! Please pass this newsletter along to friends! Contact for free newsletter !!! Return To Main Page