How Rude I Was (Or Was I?)

Prosperity is built on faith. It requires thinking truth in spite of appearances and making decisions based on the images of one’s dreams over and above the state of perceived reality. The truth is that there is only abundance in this world. However, perceptions often get in the way of individuals being able to see that truth.

Let me share a recent experience to illustrate:

Saturday night my husband and I returned home late from an event. As usual, we each went to our desks to check email one last time before hitting the sack. Coincidentally, his office is directly below mine, so sometimes I just stomp on the floor if I need him to call me (see, outbound calls from my desk take extra long to connect, and it's just faster to stomp). On the other hand, when he needs to get a hold of me, he just calls my desk phone (because his outbound calls connect quickly as they should).

Well, that night I was extra tired and went to sleep long before he was done. At midnight or so, I heard my office phone ring. I knew Trevan was still up, and he obviously thought I was still in my office, too. So as not to keep him waiting and wondering, I jumped up, ran into my office, picked up the phone before it could go to voice mail, and immediately said, “I’m not still up…”

There was silence on the phone and then a click.

It was at that point that I realized the person on the other end was not Trevan, but some innocent caller trying to get some help from ThoughtsAlive.com. I had answered my business line at midnight in a terribly unprofessional way, and probably made the person on the other line feel confused, embarrassed and horrible.

Even worse, it was some unknown person of a different culture who called from a country on the other side of the planet, according to the country code on my caller ID.

I have since tried to call back to apologize and explain, but have yet been unsuccessful… getting a failed connection, or busy signal. So part of the reason for this article is to say how sorry I am for being rude, in case the caller has opportunity to read this message.

As I went back to sleep, I couldn’t help but put myself in the person’s shoes and wonder how they must have felt. It can be so intimidating to call someone you’ve never met, even when the person answers politely with a very sunny, “Hello!”

(Case in point: I remember being a newlywed, nervous to call even the utility company, because I was afraid I’d stammer, forget why I was calling and maybe mess something up... who knows what I could have messed up, but those were still my fears...)

So here was someone who pays good money to make a long distance international call, who calls for a reason, perhaps to get some help with an order or something, and I answer with “I’m not still up…”!

How rude.

Well, isn’t it interesting that “appearances” did not accurately represent the “truth?”

Let’s analyze the “truth” vs “appearances” here.

Fact: the phone rings

My Assumption: Trevan is calling me from downstairs

Fact: I pick up the phone and say, “I’m not still up.”

Client’s Assumption: I am speaking to the client, expressing annoyance about the late night phone call

My Assumption: I was speaking to Trevan, hurriedly explaining why I hadn’t picked up sooner

Fact: client hangs up

Result: a mess of misunderstandings, and possibly hurt feelings

Lesson: Appearances aren’t always what they seem to be. I would have been happy to speak with a reader at midnight had I known it was a reader who called. The truth: I was (in my mind) speaking to someone else; the appearance: I was annoyed.

So if someone seems rude or unhelpful, you have a choice to assume that they aren’t frustrated with you at all. If they truly are, then you can find out for sure (or get the whole truth) by picturing them as if they are actually reacting to some other concern on their mind, assuming the best, and then inviting additional communication. From this experience I have fresh determination to exert greater effort to respond rather than react when appearances do not seem to be in my favor.

Even if you cannot imagine the truth being anything other than how it appears, release the strain by letting go and trusting that God can and will make something good out of whatever appears to you to be so bad. Then do not retreat. Press on, believing.

When you begin to assume that everything works out for the best for YOU, you’ll respond to apparent setbacks with optimism and understanding, thus yielding more positive results and accelerated progress.

The same principle applies to prosperity. Spend more energy on actions based on the positive results you expect to attain, rather than on reactions to the perceived state of lack you find may yourself in right now. It’s just a perception.

You might be thinking “Yeah, well the bank says I’m broke…” I’m here to tell you that you are richer than you realize. When you can see what I see, you’ll understand what I mean, and start to behave differently too, and when you do, everything changes. It all begins with believing more strongly in what you cannot see: in something that is NOT supported by physical evidence. That’s faith; and faith can move mountains.

If you find what I’m describing to be difficult to do, then all you lack is knowledge about how this process towards increased prosperity really works. When you understand the process, fear, confusion, and uncertainty dissipates and faith prevails.

For a mind-bending explanation as to why you have every REASON to believe you’ll prosper in 2008 in spite of appearances, read Hidden Treasures: Heaven’s Astonishing Help with Your Money Matters before you talk yourself out of it! You'll be so glad you did.