If you help yourself, God and humans will help you too. Start helping yourself to achieve your goals with commitment and perseverance and others, including God or the Universe, will be attracted into your life to assist you.

People first come to watch and then to help the person who has a clear goal and is working flat out to achieve it. The right people and the appropriate resources seem to appear as if the universe too is lending a hand.

In Zefirelli's film about St Francis, 'Brother Sun and Sister Moon', St Francis starts rebuilding a church.It is winter and his feet are bare. Before long, he is joined by others who are willing to help and wander about barefoot as well.

Mother Teresa starts to help the dying in the streets of Calcutta. Helpers gradually join her,inspired by her example, and her organisation is still going strong after her death.

In my own far less important experience I also found that, if you start something with determination, others will join you. When I started my current martial arts school in 1990 I was on my own. My first lesson was attended by me and one student who looked a lot tougher than me!

But soon others started to help me. They would join up themselves and before long would start bringing in other students to help pay the rent and keep the school going.

The school is still going in 2005 after fifteen years thanks again to the help of students and instructors who work like a team to improve and maintain the school.

The importance of both visualisation and taking action to help yourself has been recognised for thousands of years. The New Testament speaks of praying with thanksgiving i.e. asking for what you want but also visualising the fact that you have already received what you asked for and giving thanks in advance for the answers.

The New Testament also speaks about the importance of faith. Faith involves visualisation that what you believe will come about. Jesus promised his disciples: "If you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed you can move mountains." Even a little belief can achieve a lot.

But action of all kinds is also necessary. Speaking is a form of action. We need to pray for what we want i.e. speak to God or the Universe. We use words to command the mountain to move.We speak to ask for support.

Writing is also an important form of action. You need to write the copy if you want to sell anything. It helps to write down your goals before you achieve them. More energetic physical action can be necessary.

Jesus told a paralysed man to take up his bed and walk. His faith that he had been cured had to be expressed in physical action. If you ask God to help you become fit and start believing that you will become fit, you also need to walk or even run or do some other form of training to help God or the universe to help you.

As you begin to take action and start your training regime, the laws of the universe will step in and help you. Other humans will also be moved to help out even if they only offer advice from the sidelines!

The New Testament speaks of both faith and works. Faith only is necessary for salvation but works should follow faith. True belief will be followed by action. Believers should show their belief by helping their neighbours.

As people step out and take action, God will help them. The actions are a sign that they have belief. The belief does not have to be great but some belief is needed to encourage action.

Occasionally the belief or vision may grow dim but it is advisable to keep taking those action steps. As you take action steps, the great power of God or the Universe will step in to assist you. God helps those who help themselves

You will also find that some humans at least will step in to help you out. As you become successful more humans will join up with you.

So start believing that you will achieve what you ask for today and start taking the necessary steps to answer your own requests. The universe and your fellow human beings will move to help you.

You can also help yourself by helping others to achieve their goals. As you help them achieve what they want in life, they will feel a powerful urge to help you back. Again Jesus had words for this. "Give and it shall be given to you."

John Watson

John Watson was born in Shanghai at the start of World War II on Dec 31st 1939

His father, a British civil engineer, was given the choice of working in the mines of Northern China for the occupying forces or going to a concentration camp. He refused to work for the invading forces.

As a result the whole family were imprisoned in a concentration camp in the middle of China in 1942. Eric Liddell (featured in the Chariots of Fire) the Scottish runner and missionary was imprisoned in the same camp.

In 1945 the family was rescued by American troops who were parachuted in. John's most treasured possession from this time is a plane made of bullets given him by one of the US soldiers. The tail parts have been lost but most of it remains. He also remembers being given a bottle of coca cola by one of the US troops and has been an addict ever since!

They moved to England and then, when John's father died, to the Isle of Man.

John went to school in the Isle of Man and then taught Physical Education at a prep school in Hertfordshire. Around this time he had three mystical experiences of contact with God.

He then studied English Literature at Cambridge University and later became an English teacher in South East London but, after 5 years, he did a diploma in Religious Studies and began teaching about religion full time.

After 33 years teaching in three London Comprehensive schools, John retired from teaching. He received several awards and commendations for teaching both religious studies and the martial arts. He still teaches martial arts after beginning training in karate at the age of 37. The style he now teaches is Choikwangdo, a brilliant self-defence and health oriented style founded by Grandmaster Kwang Jo Choi in 1987.

In his retirement he began studying internet marketing and continued his study of the psychology of achievement and self development. This has always been a key interest.

John plans on writing reports and books on both teaching and on achievement in general. He feels that many schools let their students down by not teaching enough about how to study (by using mind maps for example) and about how to set goals and how to start saving money for their early retirement!

John's main aim is to make the most of his own potential and to help others make the most of their's. He also wishes to pass on whatever he knows of the meaning of life and to discover more and share more about the truths behind the universe.