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The Power of Hope
Hope. Hope by definition means, “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” Think about this. It’s a feeling of expectation and desire. Your marriage is going through some rou...
Author
Rankin Acres
I am the Founder and Executive Director of Be More Able, a consulting practice that spans 40 years helping professionals isolate personal issues that are blocking or sabotaging sales and profitability in any business. I am also a published author and International Speaker.
78 articles
Hope. Hope by definition means, “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” Think about this. It’s a feeling of expectation and desire. Your marriage is going through some rou...
I was eight years old. My parents were watching the Ed Sullivan Show. At school the next day, some girls were all huddled around each other showing cards they had of each of the Beatles. It was an int...
I met her. She was kind. She was funny. She had an engaging personality. She would giggle a certain way. She would smile at you like you thought no one would ever smile at you like that. She could mak...
If I asked you what you thought the term “head over heels" meant, you might reply it means something like being madly in love. And you would be right. But there’s more to this expression. Which I beca...
Your problem isn’t a virus. Your problem has never been a virus. Not when you had the flu, the measles, or the mumps. Your problem is being cooped up. You got through the measles and every flu you’ve...
Your partner, colleague, or friend is communicating their viewpoint about something to you. If you can completely look at what they’re saying, you’ll be fine. However, at the exact moment you find you...
When you listen to a bird singing, all your attention zeroes in on the melodic sound coming from the bird. When you’re listening to your favorite song your attention is often completely immersed in th...
You remember when you were a kid in school standing in line and someone would cut in front of you ? Deep down in our school-kid-soul we knew this was not cool. And this is what age is trying to do now...
I was trying to recall when was the first time I heard this phrase: “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” I know it was sometime very early in grade school. And I got to thinking that in grade school we would...
A counter intention is an intention counter to your intention. Simple. You want to go to Paris and your husband does not. You have a great idea for your company’s expansion and your boss doesn’t think...
If you look up the word forget it means: “a failure to remember.” So in the actual DNA of the word forget is a failure. A failure to remember. And I’m here to enlighten you on how the hell you can "fa...
Ever tried to iron a blouse or shirt and then somehow you ironed a wrinkle into your blouse or shirt? You know. The kind that no matter how much you spray it or iron over it, it’s like there now stari...
You can ask a dozen different people how they would define a friend and you’ll get a dozen different answers. Some similar, some very different. You can Google “friend,” and you will see there are def...
Intention: The word intention comes from intend. And when you dig deeper its roots mean to “extend or stretch.” And I’m not talking about, “ Can you stretch and touch your toes without bending your kn...
You have something you want to tell your spouse or partner. It’s something you’ve been mulling over in your mind to talk with them about. But you have some considerations. Consider is from consīderāre...
You’re a kid looking down at your crayons. That’s Confronting. You imagine a picture you want to draw, pick up your crayons and go into the kitchen. You see a big blank white wall and get busy with yo...
You may be asking yourself what the hell is radioactive texting? Well, I’m willing to bet you've experienced it and not known quite what to call it. So, I gave it a name. And just for context, here is...
Admire: The word comes from Late 16th century Latin admirari , from ad- ‘at’ + mirari ‘wonder’. The 16th Century. That’s when Michelangelo was hanging out. A Lesson from Michelangelo: You step inside...
Affinity: a natural liking for or attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc. Latin from affīnis "bordering (on), related by marriage , connected (with)" (from ad + fīnis "boundary, limit"). It’s intere...
When you are creating you will sometimes meet up with a feeling of tiredness, opposition, or counter-create. You will stir up unfinished paintings. Unfinished writing. A drawing left in a sketchbook....
You bought yourself some expensive new shoes and then right afterwards you said to yourself, “Rick will probably get mad.” Right after the doingness comes your decision or postulate. See? You’re now d...
You know when you’re in your car on a side street and you’re facing an extremely busy intersection of traffic? You’re looking both ways like you’re watching a ping-pong game being played furiously bac...
Imagine for a moment that you are talking to your spouse or partner. And while you’re doing that, I want you to imagine that the essence of your communication (not the words), is an almost imperceptib...
Invalidation. When you read the word invalidation it may produce an immediate emotion or sensation within you. It’s almost as if you’ve stepped upon an ancient Indian burial site. You feel the presenc...
There is a Mini Series you watch that can wreak havoc on your relationships. And no, I’m not talking about St. Elsewhere, the medical drama TV series from the 80’s. I’m talking about the mini series y...
When I work with individuals one on one, I find right away they have a lot to communicate. But what is readily observable is they have a lot of communication that is also on suppress. What does this m...
“ You’re not listening to me.” Right. And why is this? Is it because you blab and blab and blab? No. Is it because you have attitude? No. It’s much simpler than that. When you find the other person ha...
I ask people the definition of the word inhibit and often they pause. They begin to describe to me when someone has inhibitions. Like sexual inhibitions or singing in front of an audience. Yes, there...
What image do you get when you think of the word overwhelm? A single working mother with three kids juggling her hats while getting ready for work and her kids off to school? A stressed-out Fortune 50...
Sometimes you will read a book or books that are defining moments in your life. Back in the 70’s one such book for me was “Fundamentals of Thought” by author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. The follo...
Responsibility is one of those words that when you read it, it carries with it this unspoken thread of DNA that makes you sit up a bit straighter, you know? “It’s your responsibility…” “You’re respons...
You know being immortal truly has its upsides. I mean for one you are immortal. It doesn’t get any better than that, right ? But dang, immortal spiritual beings have pet peeves. We do. And one real bi...
You are having a conversation with your spouse or partner. This is a personal conversation. Not about the weather or politics. You are talking about something that you’re trying to resolve between the...
Let’s start at the beginning... Always: (def) “Every time; on every occasion; without exception: Cathy: “Will you always love me?” Michael: “Always.” Always means without exception. Cathy asks the que...
When I was in grade school, we had dances in our school auditorium. Girls on one side sitting in those metal folding chairs. Boys on the other side. A record would come on and if it was “boy’s choice”...
When people think of integrity they think of being honest and true. This is certainly one definition of integrity. Here is a more basic definition: “The quality or state of being whole or undivided: c...
Imagine for a moment two spheres, like two clear crystal balls sitting on a table. Each about two feet apart. And it is pitch black. These spheres represent two beings that cannot see or hear or sense...
Have you ever met someone you’ve never met before and yet felt that you have met them before? I think we all have. And having met them, the conversation may go something like this: “I feel like I know...
I have a stalker. Actually I have more than one. These are online stalkers. And dang, it’s like a real life episode of NCIS or Criminal Minds. And maybe I’m late to the party and everyone has a stalke...
Now I’m supposed to go to college. Now I’m supposed to get a degree. Now I’m supposed to get a job. Now I’m supposed to get married. Now I’m supposed to have kids. Now I’m supposed to raise a family....
You’re talking with your spouse. You start to argue. As soon as you feel the arg, in argue , you distance yourself from him or her. I’m talking at the precise moment there is a difference of reality,...
When you make a resolution it’s a noun. It’s a thing. A resolution is simply a decision. It is a static thing. Your New Year’s Resolution could be “To lose 10 lbs.” That resolution is static, meaning...
I thought I’d give you an inside look at my latest book, "Marriage, Merriment, and Madness" from what I call a “truth revealed,” viewpoint. First let me explain what this means. When you ask your teen...
After counseling couples for over 40 years, I thought that I should put down in writing what real couples go through behind closed doors. You hear about people “doing counseling” but really, you never...
Ever wonder how a word comes into existence with a certain amount of impact behind it? You know, like this word: Betrayal. See? When you read it it’s not really a fun word. I mean it’s different when...
You met Understanding, yes? Do you recall when you first met? It’s been some time ago. Maybe when you were three months old and you finally understood when your mother said “Good morning little Jack”...
I’m going to get intimate with you. Hold on. Don’t let your pictures run away with you. When you read the word intimate you will get your own mental image pictures of what this means to you. Or how yo...
I have had events in my life that were so profound, that when I experienced them, the telling of the experience to another was just not enough. Like when my daughter was born and I was actually in the...
You’re talking with your boss or colleague and have a disagreement. Or you’re talking with your partner or spouse and have a disagreement. You are trying to resolve this disagreement but it seems this...
You are wrong. There’s a visceral response when you read those three words, right ? And it happens instantly. You can barely finish reading the word wrong without feeling like that lethal injection is...
You remember the line from the 1999 movie Sixth Sense, when the character Cole Sear played by Haley Joel Osment, says, “I see dead people,” yes? It was an iconic line. And it was impressionable in par...
When I was in the Boy Scouts I learned that if you don’t provoke bees, they will just let you be. I’m not sure I bought that completely , seeming how bees always seemed to me to be just on the verge o...
I was in St. Petersburg Russia on a humanitarian project I devote time to. I was invited there to do deliver a seminar. I spent the weekend delivering my lecture to a number of friends, colleagues, an...
When you have the urge to create, within that urge is every moment of counter-create that you’ve come up against over your entire existence. Counter-create? Yes. And it looks like this. You’re five ye...
I was working with a couple to repair their marriage and along that road they both became aware of something they’d never given thought to. It was the ability to confront or grant beingness to their p...
Have you ever been in a marriage or relationship where you had an upset the magnitude of which made you feel like this: “It felt like I had my heart torn apart.” “It felt like an arrow shot right thro...
You want someone to listen to you. That’s actually only partially true. You can recall right now over the span of your life, hundreds of people that have listened to you. Your wife. Your husband. Your...
Have you ever stopped and looked at a thought? Not think a thought. Not think about a thought. But look at a thought? One day not too long ago I was looking at a situation in my life and I realized I...
You have something you want to tell your colleague, friend, or spouse. During your day you think about telling them this thing. You know, it’s on your mind and you feel that you need to communicate it...
Did you know that truth actually has a location? It has an exact time, place, and form where the event occurred. If you look at your marriage vows for example, the moment you said them, you will recal...
(Thank you to my good friend and colleague, John White and Celia Patrick for their five star reviews of my book!) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You Can't Grow Until You Know the Truth John White Columnist Inc. Magazine March...
I have to say that this simple, entertaining and hard hitting book is a must for any executive, parent or business owner. I have four children and have been a small business owner (Optometrist) for th...
As an executive, sometimes you are faced with people on your team who you swear have some disagreement, or some agenda that is counter-intuitive to what you are doing. You work hard. You put in long h...
excerpt from my upcoming book, Hacking the Truth... ...All of what that Mission Impossible team is doing, including Ethan Hunt, is Hacking the Truth. They have a mission. Just like you and your compan...
Hacking the Truth is my soon to be released book to help executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and anyone who leads, get down to the truth in situations that are blocking expansion in your business. Th...
Have you ever been in a meeting with the goal of getting a project done or a goal set, and as you go around the table asking questions your Spidey Sense pings when you hear Jason’s answer? It sounds s...
When people think of courage, they often get a picture of a fireman rushing into a burning building to save lives. Or, hearing of a soldier honored with the Purple Heart for saving his platoon pinned...
You’re at work and things are going well. You get a call from your wife who is apparently driving somewhere because you hear the all too familiar sounds of traffic and wind in the background. She does...
Scenario One: Him You are at work and you find yourself yelling at another executive for what must be the third time this week. You know you have a temper. In the work space you try to keep a rein on...
What happens when your marriage is imploding, while your business is experiencing growth pains and needs every waking hour of your attention? Welcome to Eric and Michelle. This is a true story. Their...
False is a funny word. Just the word false itself. False eyelashes. False Notes. False Co-Workers. False Friends. Someone says, “This is a True or False test.” And when you hear the word true , it kin...
There’s a flavor that has been growing in this culture that has turned my head. It’s not a familiar flavor like I experienced growing up. In my teens I would frequent the famous ice cream chain called...
When you were a kid, did you ever have that experience when you were swimming in a pool or in a lake on vacation, where you thought to yourself, “ I wonder if I can hold my breath and swim from one en...
When I was a kid, we played a game called Hide n’ Seek. With all the advances in technology, I’m not sure kids still play it. I hope so. It was simple and fun. When I first became a consultant some 40...
There is possibly a counter-culture inside your business that keeps your business from growing. Practically every business I visit has this. It’s the first thing I look for. Why? Because the derivatio...
“Be your authentic self,” as I read another article urging individuals and companies to be "authentic." Man, I’m almost sure there is a guy somewhere sitting in a big-ass chair with levers and wheels...
Yes, Gobbledygook is an actual word. Its origin came from a Congressman in 1944 named Maury Maverick. Maverick told his colleagues to speak plain English and “stay off the gobbledygook language,” whic...
Where do you hide something so no one can see it? Right in broad daylight where no one would look. Carl is the CEO of a Fortune 1000 Company. He and several other executives answered my survey regardi...
