Loving on the Trail
Secret to Communication Mastery

by Alan Steinborn

This article, published earlier this year, is so important I decided to publish
it again as a reminder and a holiday gift to all of us.

Enjoy!

...........................

Loving on the Trail

I tried an experiment a few days ago with profound results for all of us who desire
more fulfilling interactions.

It was this past Sunday afternoon. I was going for a walk at the Austin
Hike and Bike trail when a funny idea came over me.

As I walked past multitudes of men, women, walkers, talkers, bikers, babies,
dogs and joggers I asked myself:

"Alan, what would happen if for every person you see, you look at that person
and say silently to yourself 'I love you', no matter what you are thinking or feeling?"

This sounded a bit corny to me. After all, I didn't know these people!

How could I love them? Isn't that a bit contrived, I reasoned?

Well, I tried it anyway.

The change was immediate and dramatic!

Immediately I awakened to the rich variety of faces, gestures, and bodies.

I was awe struck by exquisite beauty that I had simply walked past
and completely missed hundreds of times before.

I drank in a deep taste of warm sweetness.

I noticed how my typical judgments of people changed as I started
to say to myself 'I love you' not only to the people, but to all the thoughts
and feelings flowing through me.

And people started reacting to me differently!

Many people smiled warmly as I passed them.

I had the distinct sense that people were OK just as they were.

This was an astounding realization!

I felt powerful; as if I could effortlessly go up and talk
to any of them and the right words would come out of
my mouth and we would have an amazing conversation.

So how does this relate to your abilities as a communicator?

Can you guess?

People you communicate with are just like you. They want love like everybody.

When you love them and yourself, even silently, they will be MUCH more interested
in you and what you have to say.

Think about the people in your life that you admire. Maybe you know them or maybe you know them at a distance, but I bet there is one thing they all have in common. You can see how much they love.

In fact, in my several years helping people deliver successful presentations,
I can't think of one recommendation that would be as powerful as this one.

I invite you, as corny as it might sound, to try this experiment today.

This experiment has two steps:

1. Give those you encounter a silent 'I love you' without them
   even knowing and see how it impacts your life.
   
   
2. Also give all your thoughts and feelings an "I love you"
   at the very same time and see how it impacts your life (I use one "I love
   you" for both the person I am looking at and the feelings and thoughts
   going on WHATEVER THEY MAY BE.)

Practice this often and the next time you give a presentation, to one person
or one hundred thousand, you will automatically fall in love with them, paving
the way for an amazing interaction.

If you want to gain a new level of fearlessness and life mastery, I offer training and coaching programs that help you achieve success and satisfaction in your work and life as a whole.

Feel free to contact me at 512/306-9446 or alan@speaknow.biz.

Yours in Presence,

Alan Steinborn

Alan Steinborn, All Rights Reserved, 2003, 2004