Viral Happiness

Why do we find it so hard to trust?

Recently, I sent an email offering assistance with anything that might be a problem or issue for my readers. I genuinely wanted to know what they were facing. I wanted to know what I could do to help them.

There were no strings attached, and I tried to make this fact very clear. I wasn’t selling anything; I just wanted to help.

Before I sent the email, I wondered how many of my subscribers would take me up on the offer. It occurred to me that some people would just automatically ignore my email. I’ve found that lots of people sign-up for email updates and then ignore them.

But now I’m wondering how many people chose to ignore it because they were skeptical about my sincerity.

One of the people who did respond told me honestly that their first reaction was to wonder, “What does he want from me?” In other words, what’s his angle?

At first, that reaction surprised me. At least, it surprised me until I mulled it over for a little while. And as I sat and pondered, this thought popped into my mind: if one of my ‘gurus’ had sent an email with the same offer, I might have had the same skeptical reaction.

And I really can’t explain why.

I’m associated with lots of honest, helpful, and sincere people. As a matter of fact, I’d say that the vast majority of the teachers and experts I know put service first. So why am I skeptical?

More importantly, what breakthroughs might I miss because of my skepticism? That, my friend, is a valid question.

There are people on my list who missed out on some free help because they were skeptical of my offer. Now I’m forced to wonder what help I may miss out on because of my own skepticism. That is a GREAT and unexpected lesson. One that I intend to take to heart.

So, what do you think? I really want to know.

What makes us so skeptical?

Okay.

The election is over, so everyone just take a minute to breathe. What are your hopes after this historic outcome?

My hope is that the personal acrimony I’ve seen from both sides will stop. Right now. I’ve never seen a more polarizing election.

I’ve heard friends who were against Obama spout some of the most outlandish ‘facts’ that I’ve ever heard. I’ve heard friends who were against McCain say some of the most hate-filled things I’ve ever heard. These are just men, that’s all – flesh and blood like me and you.

Some of Mr. Obama’s support has taken on an almost religious, cult-like attitude. Now that he has won, we will NOT see the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

By the same token, much of his opposition has also attacked him with religious fervor. I assure you that we have not just elected the anti-Christ.

Both sides have been deifying and demonizing the other side. And that has got to stop.

This is a good lesson for all to remember. The people who govern us are just people. They are not larger than life. They do not possess super-human qualities. They are just people, like you and me.

They have highs and lows. They have certainties and insecurities. They have successes and failures. They are human, not demons and not divine.

They want to make a good living and have friends and be loved and enjoy fuilfilling work and make a difference. And that’s exactly what I want to do. I would guess that’s what you want to do, too.

So, if you are tempted to think (after this election) that all of our worries are over or that the worst thing in the world has just happened, let me assure you that neither is true.

You need to simply keep on working on you and trust that God and this Universe are loving and friendly toward your personal development.

No matter where you stood in this election, just get on with your own personal development and know that expanding your development is the BEST way to assure that everything is going to be alright.