Book of “FAITH”, brought me a deeper faith…
Recently, I saw a book in our rack, which I ignored for a time. I should have read it but my laziness always comes on my way. If you have already seen on my profile you would probably noticed that I only like reading health and wellness, and fashion articles. Well In fact, I don’t really have an interest in reading books (except for the Bible) because I get bored and sleepy even when I just turned the first page.
Not until, I read the book entitled “Faith”. I was amazed of what the author, Norman Vincent Peale, delivers through this book and his other writings. He is said who authored the best selling inspirational / self-help book “The Power of Positive Thinking” which was called before as “The Power of Faith”.
In his daughter’s foreword, “… my father valued no message more than that of the importance of faith in each of our lives.” This line encouraged me to know what faith is and what it can be done in my life.
“Faith is the most powerful of all forces operating in humanity, and when you have it in depth, nothing can get you down. Nothing.” – Norman Vincent Peale
I would like to share you a story that Peale told in this book. It inspired me to have a deeper faith and self-confidence. I hope for those who are fond of worrying and lacking faith, this would also touch your lives.
(*Excerpt from “Faith” by Norman Vincent Peale)
“… A friend of mine once lost a job He had a wife and two children. I thought I would comfort him, so I took him out to lunch and said, “I will be glad to help you in any way I can.”
“I do not need your help,” he replied. “I can handle this problem.”
“Who is helping you?” I asked.
“God is helping me,” he replied. “There is a job for me. I can see it in my mind’s eye.” His friend gave him the exact specifications of the job he wanted.
“You have a wife and two children – how much money do you have in the bank? Have you saved any money?”
“Not much.”
“Are you interviewing potential employers?”
“Yes. I see about five people a day, and I get turned down five times a day.”
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
“No. I realize that I have to be turned down so many times to get this job. I do not know how many times I have to be turned down. But I know if I am turned down five times a day, that is five fewer times I have to be turned down to get the job. And I will be turned down four or five times tomorrow, four or five times the next day. It may continue a month, two months, three months, but the process just eliminates them. The ‘no’s’ are all behind me and I will get nearer to the person who will say to me, ‘Yes, here’s your job.’”
One day, my unemployed friend walked into an office and described to the person there the job he wanted. The man said, “The job is here waiting for you. Where have you been?”
Later I saw this friend at a convention where I was to speak. He was the presiding officer during part of the meeting. I asked him, “Where did you get such ideas as that, anyway?”
And this is what he said: “I got it from the Bible. It tells us if you have faith, believe in yourself and in God, and know where you want to go, and then picture it and put it in God’s hands, asking if it is His will, you will get God’s help and you cannot fail.”
‘If there is still in your mind the idea that you cannot do something, the reason you do not accomplish it is because you are thinking negatively Start believing, start having faith And presently you will attain results. It is not by identifying yourself with failure, but by identifying yourself with success, that success and not failure comes to you.’”
A few days before I read this book, I just started to write an article which I supposed to publish in this blog. This is regarding my fear of trying and being rejected for a job application in call centers. Read the passage below, you will see that I haven’t finished it. That’s because of the miracle happened to my life brought to me by God. He used the book of Normal Vincent Peale, “Faith” as an instrument for me to have confidence and change into a better person.
How can I overcome my fears?
I suppose to hunt for a job today… the other day… last week… last month. I’m not sure how long would I say “I suppose to apply today” and how long I would be unemployed. I am becoming a liar, deceitful or someone who doesn’t stick with one word. Worst case, others may think that I am lazy and useless.
The only explanation behind this which keeps me from backing off is that “I am afraid to be rejected”. I am not confident of my communication skills, this makes me feel inferior. I could say that I have the courage to apply in a regular office job where it’s not a requirement to speak English fluently. Moreover, I’m comfortable doing admin office task because It’s been my specialty since I graduated college. I’ve been working from several local companies as an Office Staff/Encoder. The reason why I have to shift career option is because all of those were contractual basis—unstable, low paying job and less chance for growth. So I choose (not wholeheartedly) to work “again” in a call center for a better career and future too.
Two years ago, I remembered the time that I was applying for a customer service representative or call center agent position. I have so many experiences being rejected which lead me almost to quit. Until later, I got the chance to be qualified as trainee/agent in two call centers, one in Makati and the other in Ortigas. That time I felt overwhelmed, I got two jobs to choose. I ask my relatives and friends on what to choose between the two. Although, I was already attending my Communication Skills training in Makati under an exclusive Professional School, I decided to move in the call center in Ortigas. I don’t know if I made a wrong decision. I only last in that call center for a month because I was fed up of pressures of handling outbound calls and of our supervisors who always yell at us every after shift. Plus I didn’t expect that we will handle Filipino customers in US. So how can I be trained for English communication skills? I felt demoralized and discouraged that time.
Maybe, this is also one reason why I’ve lost my interest and high spirit to work in a call center. After that, I decided to go back working in a regular office job, regular office schedule.
Though, as I said earlier, I have to move into other career for a better living. I need to help my family and my husband in our daily expenses. Especially this time, our financial problem came out.
–
Now, I became stronger and confident. I started to apply for a call center job last week. Though I have to be turned down for how many times it wouldn’t make me feel inferior and say “I cannot do it” and “I quit”. I tried Peale’s advices which he had told to a man who asked him how to get more confidence — and it works with me.
(*Excerpt from “Faith” by Norman Vincent Peale)
“… there are two things you should do. You need counseling to help you learn why you have this deep inferiority feeling. But,” I said, “you also need some first-aid things to pull you through this present emergency. I’ll give you a couple of those right now. Let’s stand up. I can’t give you these in a slumped condition.”
“Now,” I said, “repeat after me these words: ‘I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME THE STRENGTH.’ and – ‘IF GOD BE FOR US (ME), WHO CAN BE AGAINST US (ME)?’ –
I got him to repeat it several times. I wrote out on a card for him. I told him, “Now keep thinking this great thought Think it as you leave this place and walk down the street. Think it when you get up tomorrow morning. Then go to your appointment in a relaxed manner and tell that man honestly why you think what you have to sell is something he needs.”
And then he says:
When you are honest and real and whole, then you have normal courage and normal self-confidence. This is the secret of courage and self-confidence: LET GOD HELP YOU TO BE YOURSELF.
I hope this will inspire you and other people. Believe in God, Jesus Christ. He is there to guide and provide us our needs. Let Him plan for our lives, because He knows what’s right and best for us. Pray and have faith!
If you have faith “nothing shall be impossible.”
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