The Power of Conversation

You have been selected, along with hundreds of others, to receive a weekly newsletter. This will include stories and practical truths combined with my opinions and thoughts. I will always do my best to keep this interesting and you are welcome to reply with your thoughts and stories of application. Hopefully you can take something away from the letters that you receive, however, I guarantee that you will not always agree with everything I have to write. My spelling promises to often be wrong, my grammar will rarely be perfect, and I can give you expectations of politically incorrect statements. Forgive me in advance. If you find value in the story told, please forward it to your email contacts. To subscribe, email emailjbp@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. To unsubscribe, email with the subject "no more".

The power of conversation and a smile. I recently had to travel with work and, while in the airport waiting for my return flight, I decided to try an experiment. I was going to go out of my way to talk to people. The waiting area was full of people glued to their lap tops or starring into space. Some were reading magazines while others watched outside the window. I hyped myself up with confidence and scouted for my first subject. Two guys beside me were in conversation about having never been to Dallas and what they were going to do when they got there. I chimed in, "you've never been to Dallas?" I followed up with questions like "where will you stay?" and "what do you intend to do there?". I continued by outlining an itinerary for the guys based on the north Dallas area they would be visiting. I drew maps and gave directions. We laughed, and as conversation flowed people began to line up around us waiting for the plane to allow for boarding. An older man in a cowboy hat recognized us as conversing strangers and he chimed in with his two cents as we talked about cities north of Dallas. "I remember when Frisco was nothing more than plow fields." he said. A girl standing in front of him responded, "Now it is great for shopping. You guys should visit the Shops at Legacy." I sat back and watched conversation flow contagiously between 6 strangers. The room, where quite strangers once sat, was now filled with talk and friendly smiles.

As I boarded the plane, I continued the experiment. I found a seat near the isle towards the back of the plane (it was unassigned seating). I left a seat open between me and a stranger sitting by the window. As the plane filled with people I saw a kid lugging a skateboard down the isle looking for a seat. I smiled, motioned him over, and stood up giving him the middle seat between the stranger and I. "You skate?" I asked. And conversation took off. He was 11 and lived in Missouri. He was traveling to Dallas for his cousin's wedding. He began to point out the other members of his family on the plane, telling me his 16 year old brother was in the row directly in front of us. As the plane started to move I engaged the stranger by the window into the conversation, "how about you sir...what do you do?" He was a 45 year old attorney from Tyler. As the three of us laughed about my fear of flying, I saw the older brother sitting in front of us trying to peek back and see what all the discussion was about. The guys beside him evidently chose not to talk. He looked as though he didn't realize his little brother could be so interesting as to hold a conversation with 2 strange men. As we traveled 12,000 feet above the Earth the three of us talked more, and the attorney asked the boy if he liked to play games. When he responded "yes" the attorney pulled out a new Sony PSP and handed it to him to play. "Wow!" the kid exclaimed, and now the older brother was really jealous. He tried to completely turn in his seat to see what was going on.

We continued our flight sharing stories and discussing our interests. As the plane landed the 11 year old talked about how he loved to play lacrosse and how he had two games every Sunday morning. "What about Church?" the attorney asked him almost sarcastically as the plane pulled up to the gate in Dallas. The 11 year old handed back the PSP and began gathering his stuff responding, "Oh, I'm not a Christian."

What do you say? How do you respond? Love? Acceptance? Questions? Nothing?
An odd ending to the story, I know. But that is how it happened.

Today I encourage you to talk to strangers. To love the "unlovable" and to smile so much that others may question your sanity. How can you positively effect every single person you come in contact with today? Can you positively effect every single person you come in contact with? Contemplate these questions and respond with application and follow through.

Also prepare for the unexpected response.

I care about you and I am praying for you and yours.

-- Jonathan Pokluda

I Want That!

You have been selected, along with hundreds of others, to receive a weekly newsletter. This will include stories and practical truths combined with my opinions and thoughts. I will always do my best to keep this interesting and you are welcome to reply with your thoughts and stories of application. Hopefully you can take something away from the letters that you receive, however, I guarantee that you will not always agree with everything I have to write. My spelling promises to often be wrong, my grammar will rarely be perfect, and I can give you expectations of politically incorrect statements. Forgive me in advance. If you find value in the story told, please forward it to your email contacts. To subscribe, email provokethought@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. To unsubscribe, email with the subject "no more".

Not to want.
Hello. My name is JP and I am a guy who suffers from wanting. (It feels good to get that off my chest) A friend put it well the other day saying I am "discontent by nature". I always want more...more money, a newer car, a better job, a bigger house...etc... Sales organizations love me. They say I am driven, focused, motivated, and determined...hmm...words for my resume.

My "wanting" often plays out like this...I need a new pair of tennis shoes. I focus time and energy in researching the latest and greatest shoes on the market. It's fun. I am excited. I look online to see what kinds of deals I can get on the pair that I want. I purchase them. YES! I got my shoes! I wear them. And then, I put them with the last three pairs that I needed and bought. When it's just shoes I get off easy. When it is a 1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille Convertible...not so easy. (For those of you that do not know, I have convertible pile of rust that I once needed now taking up our driveway)

After all, how am I not to want with MTV showing me incredible "Cribs", closets bigger then my living room filled with more clothes than I will own in a life time, and "rides" "pimped" out with more electronics then my house. I want all of that and I want a job that will enable me to get it. It is fun to daydream about things that I want and it is fun to strategize on how I can get them. Wanting these things also leads to motivation, determination, being driven and focused. These are positive words that are born because of the negative characteristic, discontentment.

Why is this a bad thing? Why are we told to be content in all things? Hold on...I am about to get philosophical...

Everyone desires to be happy. Contentment is synonymous with happiness. We want happiness therefore we desire things that we think will make us happy. We want to have those things, so that we no longer want them, so that we can be content (or happy). Essentially we want what makes us happy so that we can be happy not wanting. The unfortunate caveat to this is no "thing" will make you not want.

From Dictionary.com
happy
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: joyous
Synonyms: content, contented, (others omitted)

content
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: 1.) Happy; 2.) Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.

How then, am I supposed to be successful in sales if I don't "want" and I am comfortable (or content)? Here is a very small, but important, change in thinking. Rather than saying "I want new stuff, so I will work hard in order to get new stuff". Say "I will work hard as to Glorify my God and if I am rewarded for doing so, I will take pleasure in that". It is a change of mind and of heart.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying things as long as you do not depend on things for enjoyment. I was talking to my friend this morning that just returned last night from New Orleans. He was there gutting houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and contaminated floodwaters. He said they filled massive containers with tons and tons of stuff i.e. electronics, appliances, etc...; stuff that was once valuable but now trash. He communicated that the experience made him wish he had less.

Another thing to keep in mind is that companies spend Billions of dollars in advertising campaigns and marketing strategies. They hire the very brightest individuals to team up in efforts to get you to buy their product. They are not necessarily there to show you where to find something you need but rather to convince you that you need it. People like me, who suffer from wanting, are out numbered and out witted. I can't wait to give these folks my money so that I can get something soon to be worthless in return. This makes their Billions of dollars spent worthwhile. There is nothing wrong with enjoying things as long as you do not depend on things for enjoyment.

Contentment. To not want. What an interesting concept.

Today I challenge you to give thanks for what you have.

I care about you and I am praying for you and yours.

In His Grip, JP

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Matthew 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Your Potential for Good...

John 3:16:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

You have been selected, along with hundreds of others, to receive a weekly newsletter. This will include stories and practical truths combined with my opinions and thoughts. I will always do my best to keep this interesting and you are welcome to reply with your thoughts and stories of application. Hopefully you can take something away from the letters that you receive, however, I guarantee that you will not always agree with everything I have to write. My spelling promises to often be wrong, my grammar will rarely be perfect, and I can give you expectations of politically incorrect statements. Forgive me in advance. If you find value in the story told, please forward it to your email contacts. To subscribe, email provokethought@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. To unsubscribe, email with the subject "no more".

Potential for good.

What is your potential for good? Asked in a different way....What is your ability to do good and do you maximize it?

I was told it was C.S. Lewis who said however great your ability to do good, so great is your potential to do evil. An ant has very little potential for good and very little potential for evil. A cat may have a little greater potential for good and evil. Dogs or Cattle have even a greater potential for good and in turn a greater potential for evil. For example: a dog may bite someone or tear up the trash but a dog can also lead the blind or fetch the newspaper.

Humans take the cake. Homo sapiens as a species have the greatest potential for good and evil. This potential also changes with our situation or circumstance. For example, a well respected leader may have greater potential for good and evil than someone with less credibility. In addition, someone who is always in the spot light may have greater potential also. Hence with fame comes great responsibility. Think of the President, for example, great is his potential for good and also great is his potential for evil.

So, back to you. How much good are you capable of? Do you enjoy doing good? I recently had a group of guys over. The comment was made that if we all put our heads and our hearts together we could change the world (for the better). We, however, must not have believed this because we haven't done anything yet. We lacked follow through. Homo sapiens, as a species, are also terrible at follow through. we can think of hundreds of reasons not to do something as opposed to concentrating on the one reason to do it. We have good ideas but we lack focus and follow through.

I know by writing this there is the possibility that I could push someone to over committing. I know that you are busy with your family, job, relationships and I acknowledge that some may have tons of other things going on.

Today I encourage you to think of one good thing you can do that may maximize your potential for good. And then...see it to failure. If it is a bad idea...prove it by trying. Don't talk yourself out of follow through. Write it down and make it happen.

What is your potential for good?

Psalm 34:14
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 37:27
Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.