The story behind the principles laid out in this book is an example of how the little things in life can play such a huge role in how we live. The author's recollection of how he came by the principles compels the reader to look beyond the norm of our daily lives and endeavor to pursue more of the meaning of life that we all search for. The Power of Delta Phi explains and enables readers to adopt principles that empower them to move beyond the constraints of resisting the ever-present change in our lives, so that they may actively pursue solutions to improvise, overcome, and adapt to the ever-changing world we live in. The book sets down a set of eight principles that, when properly utilized, will provide the foundation upon which a person can build a less stressful environment controlled more by their own design and less by chance.

The Power of Delta Phi

Harnessing Change to Work for YouBy W. Donald Fraser

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2012 W. Donald Fraser
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-5258-3

Chapter One

The Mystery

So it finally comes ... the day every father fears and hopes for. The day his beloved child comes to him to ask, no, to interview him about life and why it's so perplexing. My precious wee lass had come to me seeking knowledge. Wow! What an exciting (albeit scary) moment in life. I had to ask myself if I was prepared to meet this critical challenge and I knew I had no choice if I were to remain her hero.

What if my response was perceived as wrong or seemed meaningless to her? What if the presentation was weak and the message lost its value in the process or was so poorly communicated that all I did was confuse her further? What if I fail? These are just a few of the questions a father asks himself in preparation for such a critical task.

The good news is that I actually did have some answers. Back in the day, I had similar questions myself and I asked the only person I trusted at the time. I asked my mentor, the "Old Man". This is how I remember it:

Back in time ... 40 years or so ago ... I had just broken off a long term relationship with what I had perceived as my soul mate and life had no meaning left for me it seemed. I was not spiritually connected and I felt completely lost. My father was killed suddenly in what was reported as an accident during my teens only a few years prior. The one person I looked up to and believed might have valuable and reliable answers to my questions was my best friend's father, my boss, the "Old Man".

He was revered as the "Spirit Guide" in the small mountain hamlet where we lived. It seemed like everyone in our village went to him for advice and counsel on difficult issues. His wisdom was without question and reputed to be gospel when it came to resolving issues in our town. The challenge for me would be to find a way to ask him for help without compromising my sensitive, adolescent male ego. I didn't have to wait long for an answer to my dilemma. As always, he recognized that something was wrong with me and offered a solution of sorts.

"What is wrong with you today" he asked in a caring but disturbed manner.

"You seem very distracted and not focused on work today", he continued.

"Nothing that I care to share" I replied to both his and my dismay.

He stopped me in my tracks, firmly grabbed my arm and insisted: "sit down here with me and we'll worry together". I was dumbfounded. I couldn't or wouldn't dare act insubordinately towards my mentor, especially in the presence of the other employees. So, sit down I did and it seemed like hours before either of us spoke. He was waiting for me to break the ice, which I finally did.

"How long are we going to sit here" I asked.

"Until it's resolved and you decide you're over whatever is worrying you or you get past feeling sorry for yourself and get back to work" he demanded.

"Wow, it's like that?" I asked.

"You better believe it. I can't have our lead man endangering his colleagues by being distracted with self pity and doubt!" he exclaimed.

"OK, so how do you deal with all the BS in life?" I asked.

"Come to my office and I'll share a secret with you" he answered.

His office was off limits to everyone except himself and on rare occasions, a special guest for whom he had respect and trust. All the folks in town always wondered what he had in there and why he kept it so private. As manager of the station, I had been invited in to help with accounting and managerial duties on one or two occasions when he made an exception and took a day off. I had never before noticed the dusty old book that laid hiding behind a pile of old papers on top of the filing cabinet in the corner. It was dark and spooky in there and I never liked staying longer than absolutely necessary. It was an honor to be invited in and I always felt special for having the privilege however; it was always an experience best spent in an expeditious manner. It was here that he presented me with his secret answer to most all issues he encountered. It was here that he loaned me "the Book".

I wasn't real fond of reading at that time in my life. Girls, skiing, sailing and just having fun seemed to be all I needed when I didn't have to work to pay for everything. Life had seemed so simple up until now once I had moved on from the trauma of losing my dad and becoming estranged from my mother and siblings (not to mention the recent estrangement from my perceived soul mate). I was sincere about my desire to get past this temporary bump in the road that had caused my distraction at work and the "Old Man's" anxiety. I was intrigued by the mystic appearance of what seemed to be an ancient book with weird symbols on it:

Δ Φ

I wasn't sure of what he had actually loaned me. I had never seen these symbols or at least I couldn't remember seeing them before. I decided that if I were to move on with life, I had better take the time to explore this opportunity to expand my mind. I don't subscribe to lending or borrowing however; this would be cause for exception. I took the book as well as a day off and this is what I found:

The cover was worn and I was barely able to discern the two symbols. The writing, if once present was no longer legible. The symbols turned out to be (Delta) the forth and (Phi) the twenty-first letters of the Greek Alphabet. Delta represents "Change" and Phi represents the "Work" function in physics. I did manage to get through the entire book on my day off and I also managed to get a wee bit toasted that night at the bar celebrating and boasting of my renewed talent at comprehending mysterious documentation (anything to exacerbate my ego further).

The next day, as I endeavored to clear my head from the substances that I had imbibed the night before, I quickly realized that "the Book" was nowhere to be found! I began to panic. What would I tell the "Old Man"? I felt like I was in deep stuff and instead of improving my circumstances, I had only made them worse. With my pride and ego in my proverbial hands, I marched off to work expecting to be chastised for my incompetence.

"Sir, I must apologize for misplacing the book you lent me the day before yesterday" I exclaimed.

"What book?" he asked. "Get to work and quit whining!"

That was all that was ever said about "the Book" between us again. I did move on and I actually forgot the entire experience until 40 years later when it bounced back into my conscious mind while I was mentally preparing to address my own daughter in a similar fashion. So, back to the future ...

In the following pages, I will do my best to relay what I remember from my experience with what was inside "the Book". As I reflect on the experience, it becomes painfully clear to me that even though I had not retained the information from "the Book" in my conscious mind all those years, I had retained it in my sub-conscious mind. I had also called upon and utilized the principles many times during my journey to maturity without even realizing it. Perhaps the most empowering thing that I have learned by all this is that as we embark and travel through life on our personal journeys, we tend to get tunnel vision and withdraw into our own little world. We find ourselves searching frantically for the answers that will set us free. Free from the proverbial prison we unconsciously create for ourselves. If we could just zoom out and perceive a larger picture, the answers would be evident to us.

That's where I see the principles, laid out in the forthcoming chapters, providing the foundation upon which to build a bridge to cross over doubt and fear and courageously move forward with the confidence that we have the resources to succeed in whatever opportunities come our way.

Chapter Two

Help Me Understand

Before we can completely understand exactly what "Delta Phi' represents in terms of this book, we must first comprehend why it's important at all. As humans, we live our lives moving from task to task perhaps never fully understanding why. However; we do always have that question looming in our sub-conscious, if not conscious mind: "Why?" Many Religions have evolved over the centuries trying to help people deal with exactly that question. I believe it all boils down to the need for purpose in our lives. Without purpose, it all seems meaningless. Science has arguably not been able to provide all the answers. "Delta Phi", in this book has been used as an acronym representing a set of principles or pillars as I prefer to call them, that help to provide support for our purpose. I firmly believe that once we comprehend and believe in our purpose, we can expect to achieve our desired outcomes in life.

My recollection of the original document, "the Book", provides me with a concept: One which uses the words "Delta Phi" as a tool, an acronym, as well as a sound which expresses a peculiar rhythm. As you speak the words "Delta Phi" you can sense the rhythm and experience the feeling that I associate with the term. It has a ring to it and a sense of power attached to it if you allow yourself to fully participate in the spiritual essence.

I am compelled to believe that somehow this phrase holds the answers to many questions that go unasked as we struggle with all the changes coming at us each day. It is said that one of the things that separates man from ape is his ability to develop tools and utilize them. This would be a perfect example of that skill if we actually did use it to improve the quality of our lives. The fact is that we actually do have the ability and the tools available to take control of our destiny and condition ourselves to resist the pressures and stress associated with change. We just need a guide to show the path to the bridge that transgresses our fears and leads us to what we perceive as a better place. Once we're on the path, I believe we would all muster the courage to continue and be happy to gain some control of our destiny.

By internalizing the pillars and practicing the principles in this book, I truly believe that anyone can learn to "harness change to work for them" which is, in fact, the whole reason for my sharing this work. My hope for anyone who takes the time to share this experience is; that they will be as empowered as I have been by the "Power of Delta Phi".

In order to succeed in Life, We must do more than try. We can if we follow principles, Those known as Delta Phi.

Chapter Three

"D" Stands for Determination

Determination is where we start, To learn what we must know. Determined is how we stay on track, To get where we must go.

Determination, as the first pillar of Delta Phi, works in two ways. First we must determine our goals and objectives, then, we must become determined to achieve the desired outcomes. Determining goals and objectives is an age-old process which has been the object of many articles, books, seminars, courses, etc. Millions of people around the world begin each New Year utilizing some version of this process (most without any hope of success). However; done properly, determining who, what, where, when and how to achieve desired outcomes, helps provide purpose to our lives. Once we have purpose, we then may perceive a value for that purpose and be well on our way to success. That's the good news. The not so good news is that it takes dedicated effort and commitment to stay on track and actually achieve results.

A first step is to understand that this process is a journey, not a destination. There are many ways to begin the journey and many find it helpful to start with a list. I prefer the "Top Ten Reasons Why" version which provides a means for listing ten reasons why I get out of bed each day and what I perceive are best ways to spend my time each day.

Getting started takes an investment of time. The first attempt may be difficult and I suggest using an old college trick. Sit down in a comfortable, quiet, peaceful, setting, with pen and paper and begin writing about anything and everything that comes to mind (rush writing). Continue for at least five minutes without stopping if you can. If you are compelled to write for a longer amount of time, great! Continue until you feel you have accomplished getting your ideas on paper. This may not be achievable the very first time you try so, keep on trying until you are successful. After you have completed this task once, it will be easier to repeat in the future.

The next step becomes extracting from your rush writing, a list of your ten most important reasons for becoming determined and called to action. It may not seem obvious at first however; within your rush writing there should be information that leads you to your list. Perhaps you may need to perform this exercise more than once or even several times to provide enough ideas to form your list. Stay with it until you have a list even if it's not ten. Perhaps five is your number the first time around.

Having a list of reasons why will not provide success by itself. I believe that taking time to compose a personal mission statement and using the list as a foundation will provide the internalization necessary to really be compelling and help drive success towards desired outcomes. Here again, a personal mission statement is not likely to be a finished work. It will very likely evolve over time and eventually become your own personal mantra.

Having performed these steps provides the strategies that provide the basis for tactical action plans to achieve goals and objectives. You can make this as complicated or as simple as you desire. However; steps one and two are critical for having a strong foundation from which to build your plans.

Now that we have determined what it is we wish to accomplish, we now need to ensure that we are determined enough to actually stay on track and get there. The remaining pillars will help provide the resources necessary to be successful if and when we fully comprehend and fully internalize them. The ball is now in our own proverbial court. We must take action to achieve any success. You can't aim a threat to death; you have to pull the proverbial trigger as it were. I'm confident that anyone who takes the time to learn and internalize the principles will surely utilize them and be grateful for the knowledge and empowerment. The trick is to really internalize new information once we consider it worthwhile.

Another college trick for internalizing information is to review it several times and then to teach it to someone. This is not always an easy task since not everyone will be ready to listen or learn. So, what if we take our coffee cup, paint a face on it and teach it to Mr. Smile? This is a tactic I have used many times in life preparing for an exam or preparing to speak or lecture. It may sound foolish but it really works.

A great example of determination is the story about a young surfer girl living in Hawaii. As a teenager, she was well on her way to becoming a world class surfer and scheduled to compete in an upcoming surfing championship in Hawaii. One day while surfing with her best friend and fellow surfing competitor, she was attacked by a shark and subsequently lost one of her arms. Obviously this would be the end of the road for most people expecting to compete in any world class sporting event, much less surfing. For a short time, it appeared that it was the end for this young girl as well however; her dream was to compete and she somehow mustered the determination needed to get back in the ocean, on a surf board and start surfing again.

She worked with her father who was also her surfing coach to customize her surfboard with a handle to allow her to hold on with her remaining arm when she dove under the waves while paddling out to get set up. She also gladly embraced his constant encouragement as he helped to coach her back into the ocean, onto her surfboard and into a routine that would promote the necessary mental and physical conditioning which would allow her to return to a competitive state. She was determined to succeed and even though it hurt terribly and she was tempted to give in to her handicap, she held on to her determination and continued to spend the long arduous hours each day paddling out to catch a wave and re-learning how to stand up and balance as she rode the wave towards the beach. This is the regimen she continued repeatedly each day in hopes of one day getting back to a feeling of belonging to her beloved surfing world.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Power of Delta Phiby W. Donald Fraser Copyright © 2012 by W. Donald Fraser. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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