Personal Development On the Potter’s Wheel
Personal Development | Vision Manifestation
A New Year A New Me
HOW TO SHIFT INTO THE
RIGHT GEAR IN 2014
By: Nanette Floyd Patterson, MA LPC
I had just finished shopping at the local
grocery store as I got into my car to drive
home. Without looking I positioned
the shift lever in what I thought was
the correct position and pressed the gas
pedal. My car should have moved, but
when it didn’t, I took a big sigh and said,
“Now what?!” I took a deep breath and
began to analyze what was happening.
I glanced at the dashboard; no warning
lights. I glanced at what should have
been the obvious, the shift lever and it
was in neutral instead of drive. I was not
paying attention to the position of the
shift lever. I was just ready to go.
Have you set goals in life and it seemed
that you thought you were positioning
yourself correctly to achieve them, but
there was no movement or momentum?
You felt like you were giving it all you
had but you were going nowhere fast.
Have you consider your position? Are
you in the right position for movement?
As we go into the New Year, many will
set the same goals they had this year for
the upcoming year. Some will experience
the same results because their goals do
not align with the Vision Giver’s goals.
When you are out of alignment with
God, you experience a “neutral” position.
When you realize that you are out of the
correct position, you must shift gears
to the right position regardless of your
circle of influence. According to Idioms.
thefreedictionary.com, “shift gears” is an
idiom that means to suddenly change
what you are doing. Is it possible that
your 2013 goals were not what God had
in mind? To keep from being in neutral, it
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DECEMBER 2013
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is important to analyze your goals. Make
sure that they line up with God’s will for
you. Not being in alignment with the
Vision Giver will surely get you nowhere
fast. You will be spinning your wheels,
feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
Oftentimes we shift gears but not into
the right position. We fail to reposition
certain parts of our lives to line up with
the Father. How do you move into the
correct position?
Pay close attention to the people
around you and ask God for clarity of
relationships. What is their purpose in
your life?
Use more of your spiritual senses and
less of your natural senses. Don’t allow
your emotions to drive you.
Understand your motives behind
every step you take. If it is self-serving,
rethink your actions.
Ask God for clarity of vision. Realize
that listening to many people about
God’s vision for you will result in many
opinions which will cause confusion.
Ask God if you are in the right position.
If He says no, ask for clarity of position.
Then act accordingly.
Surround yourself with likeminded
people.
Remember, shifting gears means nothing
if you are shifting into the wrong
position.
WWW.WOMENOFSTANDARD.ORG
Workplace Dynamics
“Glossophobia”
by: Tee Way
Actor George Jessel stated that “The
human brain starts working the
moment you’re born and never stops
until you stand up to speak in public.”
Glossophobia is the fear of public
speaking. Some people would rather
do anything in the world except
speak in front of a group of people.
The fear of speaking is characterized
by nervousness, quivering voice,
shaking hands, queasy feeling in
the stomach and anxiety attacks.
Glossophobia is so common that
Toastmasters International and
other organizations have been
established to help people with their
public communications skills.
Anyone who desires to be successful
must conquer this fear. When
we are in the workplace, the way
we communicate defines who we
are. Our effective communication
skills allow our team members to
experience who we are and what
we represent. In the workplace we
need balance and consistency in
our communication. An effective
communicator knows how and
when to say things. When done in
a respectable manner, speaking up
strengthens our influence and allows
a healthy inter-office dialogue to flow
among team members. So the more
we interact in the communication
process, the better we become at it.
In the blockbuster movie, The
Butler, there is a poignant scene
where Cecil Gaines (played by
Forest Whitaker) goes to the person
in charge of hiring all of the White
House butlers to ask for a raise. After
years of being under-compensated
for their valuable work, he speaks on
behalf of himself and others in a way
that was respectful, courageous and
to the point. I am sure he felt afraid
and intimidated by his boss, but
the desired result was greater than
his fear. Although his request was
denied through several presidential
administrations, he continued to
work hard and went back again and
again until his favor with President
Reagan secured a much deserved
pay increase for him and his team
members.
The great deliverer, Moses also
experienced glossophobia. His
assignment was to tell the Pharaoh
of Egypt to let God’s people go. He
was willing to forfeit his God-given
purpose because he felt he could not
speak. In Exodus 4:11, God told