Paul's Secret

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=110 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="040f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="041203c0.jpg" border=0 width="32" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Magic of Reading</B></FONT><B>      |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Magic of Reading"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03ff2f02egerdp.jpg"> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">    <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">  <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14">    <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="14"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="311add00.gif" border=0 width="173" height="208" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="042f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>Paul's Secret</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>What if you knew before hand there was a secret or solution to every problem you had?  The world would be a little different place, wouldn't it?  Fear, uncertainty would vanish.  You would gain power, satisfaction and a wonderful sense of calm knowing all your problems could be solved.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dr. Davis tells who Paul was and how one encounter with him added a powerful mind technique to Davis' collection of life lessons.  Using Paul's Secret you will have new power and determination when faced with all problems great and small.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Paul's Secret</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3693d980.jpg" border=0 width="317" height="408" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="13" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>I would like to share with you the wisdom of a very smart person I once knew.  Use Paul's Secret to find a solution for five of your problems right now.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Paul was the maintenance man at an apartment complex where I used to live.   He spoke a foreign language common among African Americans living in the outlying areas of Charleston, South Carolina.  The first time you hear someone speaking Gullah, you are likely to stop, smile, and say “What did you say?”  That was always the way I felt around Paul.  He was a Gullah expert, and unlike many speakers of the language he was not bilingual.  He would not slow down and speak English for you.  I loved Paul.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Well, I had contacted the apartment management about a problem my wife and I were having.  They sent the extraordinary Paul to the rescue.  Now, I can't speak Gullah and I can't even begin to imitate the way Paul sounded in conversation-you'll just have to come to Charleston and seek out some locals for this unique experience-but I will tell you the  magical lesson I learned from Paul that day.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>My wife and I were being annoyed by the strangest thing, a tendency of the front door to stick.  We felt we were sealed into our apartment every time we closed the door. I was totally baffled.   After I explained the problem to Paul, he said the few words that have profited me so much ever since.  This is my translation of what Paul actually said:  </B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>“I have a special type of grease that will solve your problem.  I get it at the </B></div> <div> <B>hardware store. You know, there is a secret to everything."</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>I wish you could have seen my face when I heard those words.  Inside my brain these were the thoughts Paul's comment evoked:  “You mean, there is a secret to everything?   All my problems can be solved.  Life is not just one unsolvable problem after another?  I can conquer all my problems!  Yes, you are right!   And knowing all problems have a solution makes all the difference in the world.  I bet most solutions can be discovered just by asking yourself, or possibly someone else, a single question.  Wow.  What a concept.  What an idea!”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Paul applied the grease to our door, stood back, swung the door open and closed a couple of times and smiled his big smile:  “See?  What did I tell you.  There is a secret to everything.”</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>How to use Paul's Secret:</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The next time you are faced with a problem say to yourself:  There is a secret or solution to this problem, what is it?  I will bet that 90% of your problems will be solved in five minutes or less by you just by asking this question.  I find that when I ask it, almost always the answer quickly follows.  Sometimes I will take pen and paper and write answers down until the one I like best appears.  I circle that answer and use this as my solution to the problem.  Yes, it's a fact.  Most problems have multiple solutions or secrets.  Simply select the one you will use.  I would also say that most solutions should appear easily, without a lot of effort and teeth grinding.  Agonizing over decisions and problem solving is a good way to stifle the creative process and destroy the ability to make the decision or solve the problem.  This is also a characteristic common to people who lack confidence. “Do it quick, do it easy, keep moving is my motto.”  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Let's solve some problems right now.   The following is a little game to play to discover the solutions to five problems.  After you've done the process with multiple problems, it should be a simple matter to solve problems as they present themselves singly.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>1.  Recognize and appreciate Paul's Secret, that there is a secret to everything.  Knowing in advance that your problem has a solution makes it a million times more likely you will find it.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>2.  Make a list of five problems you want to solve.  If you only have three problems, well, lucky you, list the three!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>3.  Relax and suspend all judgment about this activity. You do not have to take action now or in the future on any conclusions you may reach. It may be helpful to imagine that someone else is doing this activity.  (I sometimes ask myself, “What would so-and-so do?”  So-and-so is usually the one person on the planet who would for sure know how to solve the problem.  That could be someone you know personally, or Albert Einstein, Gandhi, Jesus, or Benjamin Franklin.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>4.  Focus your attention on each problem, one at a time.  Set a timer for five minutes. Now, answer the following question easily and effortlessly with little thought and no anxiety: What is the solution to this problem? Write down your solution as quickly and clearly as you can.  You should have your solution within five minutes.  If you are still working great on the problem after five minutes, feel free to continue.  If not, shut off the timer and turn your attention to the next problem.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>5.  Continue this process until you have completed your list.  Remember, allow five minutes per problem, more if you are working great on a problem.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>6.  When you are done look back on your handiwork. You may be astounded to find that even your biggest challenges have simple solutions. Paul said "There is a secret to everything." I believe it.  All we have to do is free our minds of worry and effort and we will find it.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>I have found that this technique works for me every time.  The key for me is not being concerned at all about actually taking action.  I do not care how difficult the action may be or whether or not I will actually do what it takes to solve the problem.  All I am interested in here is finding a solution.  After I have a solution, then I can decide whether or not I really want to solve the problem.  If the answer is "yes" I will be willing to do whatever it takes.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Henceforth, every time you are confronted with a problem, be empowered with the thought:</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>  This, too, can be solved.  This, too, has a secret!</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>End</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ben Franklin University"><U><B>Ben Franklin University</B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>