Do Miracles still happen in this day and age?

Have you ever experienced or witnessed an occurrence, where the only possible response was to announce that by “miraculous means” we have…… (received funding, progressed to the next stage, defied the medical prognosis etc)? It's usually followed by the words “despite” (the barriers, blockages, the naysayers, the indisputable facts).

Just recently our own Australian Prime Minister won what was widely stated as the unwinnable election.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has hailed the Coalition's "miracle" return to government and says it represents a great victory for the "quiet Australians".

Flanked by his wife Jenny and two daughters, a jubilant Mr Morrison told Liberal supporters at an event in Sydney that "I have always believed in miracles".

"I am standing with the three biggest miracles of my life here tonight, and tonight we have been delivered another one," he said to deafening cheers.

Photo Credit James Brickwood. "How good is Australia!' Scott Morrison claims victory."

The Sydney Morning Herald, May 19th 2019 – Nicole Hasham

In his book The Miracle Equation, Hal Elrod gives the nod to “acts of God”, and then goes on to offer us the methods to create miracles by our own hands. He provides the following equation, and by an equation, he is very clear that you must do both aspects to get the “miraculous results” you are looking for. It’s as simple as this…..

“Have unwavering faith with extraordinary effort”.

Simple? Well yes, but then he unpacks that there will be moments when we need to take a “leap of faith”, and as humans, our brains are hard-wired to protect us from “leaping”! Herein comes the extraordinary effort. Ahhh now it gets hard.

I think organisations and individuals can and do get brave around vision and strategy; I’ve facilitated some fantastic workshops that had people “energetically leaping up to the whiteboard with their sticky notes of ideas”. However, when we get to the “responsibility/accountability” components, the room gets quiet, because the reality is that the trigger for change means some form of effort. Here is a simple diagram. I sketched out one day for a client:

Photo Credit: Sammie Vasquex - Unsplash.com

All aspects of the diagram are important because you need to be clear on the following:

Trigger – what is the purpose or the actual driver for the change? What is the external or internal context that is causing this trigger?

• Opportunity created or Issue resolved – This is not the trigger; it is the miraculous outcome that you are looking for – here is where you are taking your “ brave leaps of faith”.

• Conduct a Lessons Learned – This is important as we manage risk to our business, our reputation and our relationships. At this point, our hard-wired brain may help or hinder us because it leads to….

• Decision-Making Methods – are they holistic, taking in the practical and psychological impacts?

• Effort or Eff-it, a choice will be made, either overtly with a plan, or by nature of how people behave “no matter what”.

Finally, in Hal’s book, he focuses on realistic goal setting - and I’ve shut the book by now – because the plan aspect is not my greatest interest. It’s your acts of bravery (effort) in determining what you want to take “leaps of faith in”, and your acts of bravery when at last you shout “eff-it!”, and finally get moving on the next big thing.

Contact me if you want some help with your next brave.

I have a Brave Women weekend coming up in August. Join me in one of the most amazing parts of the world, where you will discover your brave, accept your humanness, and decide your effort or eff-it. Numbers are limited so your inquiry may tentatively ensure your place.

Shirley