‘I’ve travelled a lot for both business and pleasure over the years, and have encountered my share of airplane delays, lost luggage, and even sports injuries on these trips. Besides my normal reading of my industry “trades”, I like to read a lot of spiritual literature. About 12 years ago, I kept noticing the word “benevolent” used in stories about Angels. As this is not a commonly used word in the English language, it was quite noticeable to me,’ says Tom Moore.

One day I read the suggestion to request benevolent outcomes for events in your life. I decided to try it out, and was amazed how perfectly it worked for everything, from small requests such as a parking spot next to a busy restaurant or a seat on the subway in Paris to the really important negotiations in my business. After having made these requests between 10 000 and 15 000 times over the years, I am firmly convinced that our guardian angels are there to assist us in living more gentle lives. We just have to ask.

So when do you make these requests? I request most benevolent outcomes (MBOs as I call them) for everything. While packing for a trip, I’ll say, ‘I request a most benevolent outcome for remembering everything I need to take on my trip. Thank you.’ When it comes time to go to the airport, I request a benevolent outcome for the drive to the airport in safety and with no delays. How many people have you heard about that have missed a flight because of a traffic jam or wreck on the freeway?

At the airport, I’ll say, ‘I request a most benevolent outcome that my bags arrive safely and on time. Thank you.’ I always say ‘thank you’ to my Guardian Angel. David in St Louis emailed to tell me he requested a benevolent outcome for making it through the security check line with no problems (nothing can slow you down more than being ‘randomly’ chosen for a full search). There were two lines, one that traversed back and forth and the other for flight personnel. Just as the person ahead of him was directed into the maze, the gatekeeper closed off that path and let David be the first person to pass through the fast-path route through security. As he said, ‘that was cool’.

David also mentioned that he likes to request MBOs for meeting interesting people on the plane. I tried that out recently on a business trip back from Washington DC, and after a gentleman offered to trade seats with a young lady sitting next to me so she could sit with her friend, he turned out to be a buyer that I had not seen at the market. I was able to give him some information, which will result in a sale. That’s how benevolent outcomes work. It is so much fun to see how your guardian angel makes these things happen.

Last summer my wife and I went to a conference in Mt Shasta, California - a really beautiful place. On our way back to the Sacramento Airport, I requested a MBO for a safe and problem free drive. On the car radio, there was a news bulletin that the California Highway Patrol was getting tough on Interstate 5 and would be ticketing anyone barely over the speed limit. As we were driving along, I had passed several slower moving cars when an oversized pickup came up behind me. I decided to let him pass, although there was still another car to pass ahead of me. As he passed, I started to move out again to pass the car when suddenly out of the bushes in the median roared a CHIP’s patrol car with lights blinking. I jumped back in line and watched as the pulled over the pickup. That could have been me. I have found over time that after requesting a MBO for a drive, the highway patrol cars are either turning off, going the other direction, or have just pulled someone over as I pass by.

One time I rented a car in Nice, France for the 20-minute drive to Cannes on a freeway. Naturally I requested a MBO for the drive. A few minutes into the drive a small car passed by me at a speed of approximately 90 miles an hour. About 100 yards up the road, he tried to weave in and out of traffic, lost control, spun out and bounced off the guardrail ending up straddled across two of the three lanes of traffic. Had I been five seconds earlier, I would have been in danger of being involved. I was able to slow down and creep by the car on the far right lane.

In Milan one night, I had eaten dinner on one of the downtown ‘walking streets.’ After dinner, I walked out of that area to a busy boulevard, thinking I would easily find a taxi back to my hotel. All the taxis that passed were full, so after five minutes, I requested a benevolent outcome for a taxi. Before the words were completely out of my mouth, a taxi turned right in front of me, I signalled to him, and off we went to the hotel.

The Milan airport is a long drive outside the city, so I checked with the hotel concierge to see if I could share a taxi for the very early drive to the airport. He had no one scheduled at 5:00am in the morning, so I requested a MBO for someone to share my taxi. The next morning when I checked out of the hotel there were no people in sight, so I was resigned to paying for an expensive taxi, when in walked five or six doctors from the Mayo Clinic that had been in Milan for a cancer conference. They had hired a mini-bus to take them to the airport and invited me to join them, at no charge.

Jean from Ontario, Canada emailed to tell me she was in Seattle on vacation. She was exploring the city via their ‘excellent’ bus service. She asked for a benevolent outcome for her ride downtown. As the driver approached his stop in front of the Seattle Centre, home of the Space Needle, a parcel delivery truck suddenly stopped in front of him. The bus driver had been looking at the bus stop to see if any passengers were waiting. ‘Something’ told him to look ahead, and he did, bringing the bus safely to a stop within inches of the truck. No one was injured, and Jean was able to joke with the driver about all the paper work he had just avoided.

What are some other most benevolent outcomes you can request while travelling?

• Request a MBO for your passport to be delivered on time;
• Request a MBO for getting the best room in a hotel for your preferences;
• Request a MBO for getting through security without any problems;
• Request a MBO for sitting next to someone interesting, or if you wish to sleep, someone who is quiet and will not disturb you;
• Request a MBO if you are having to ‘standby’ for a flight that’s quite full;
• Request a MBO for seats on busy subways, buses, or trains;
• Request a MBO when you are in dangerous places for your safety;
• Request a MBO each time you take part in a sport, such as skiing, on a trip;
• Request a MBO for being seated at the perfect table on a cruise to meet interesting people;
• Request a MBO for pleasant weather conditions for your excursions (yes, this works).

There are few rules for requesting benevolent outcomes. You must say your request out loud, or you must write it, as we are in a physical world. Just thinking it doesn’t work nearly as well. Request a MBO with emotion. They work better that way. A benevolent request must be benevolent for everyone affected by the request. Say ‘thank you’ when you make the request to your guardian angel, and a couple of ‘thank you’s’ when your request is answered. Request benevolent outcomes often, so they become a habit. Otherwise you’ll forget to request them on your trip.

I wish you many ‘happy trails’.

Visit www.TheGentleWayBook.com for more.

Tom T Moore is in the entertainment business, where for the last 24 years he has been president and CEO of his own international motion picture and TV program distribution business, based in Dallas, Texas. He brings a keen knowledge of how requesting Benevolent Outcomes can be used in both business affairs and in one’s personal life, and relates many personal stories regarding these requests. He says that in requesting Benevolent Outcomes for over the past ten years, it has resulted in leading a gentler, less stressful, and less fearful life—The Gentle Way.