If you haven’t already seen and heard this video of Paul Potts, the Welsh singer who won the British version of America’s Got Talent this year, you’re in for a great example of the beauty and greatness that many of us have hidden inside us that is just waiting to come out.  What do think would happen if you allowed your beauty to burst forth?  Who’s lives would you bless?

Paul is a great metaphor of person who has been keeping himself back out of fear and finally took the leap.  If you leap, how will your life change?

Posted in: Self Improvement at 10:48 am | Comments (1)

As readers know by now, I love to post information about alternative methods of healing. Today, I’m sharing something wonderful, which costs nothing and is one of the safest and fastest growing healing techniques in the world today. It is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Click here for more detailed information and a link for downloading instructions.To quote from the website:

“…EFT is basically the process of “psychological acupressure” developed by Gary Craig. EFT is based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat emotional and physical ailments — but now, you don’t need the needles!

“Instead, tapping with the fingertips on specific meridians on the head and chest, along with voicing positive affirmations, helps to clear out emotional blockages from your system, thus restoring your mind and body’s balance. I’m sure you realize that emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing — the two are inseparably linked…”

The following video explains further. Please feel free to share far and wide.

Posted by Anne Bradshaw  www.annebradshaw.blogspot.com

Posted in: Self Improvement, Uncategorized at 7:05 pm | Comments (1)

Being a victim of domestic violence, and having suffered thirteen years of fear, violence and anguish, you can image I was skeptical the first time a man told me he had been a victim of domestic violence also. I thought it was a sick joke, a way of making fun of my pain. The more the fellow insisted that he understood how I felt, the more I suspected he was giving me a pickup line. It wasn’t until he showed me the scars on his bald head that I believed him.
 

He informed me that his ex-wife had thrown pots and pans at him, dug her fingernails in his scalp until he bled and screamed at him continuously. He didn’t know what to do. He was a big strong guy who did not believe in hitting a woman. He felt trapped by her episodes.

In Concord, New Hampshire, 35 percent of domestic assault arrests are of women (1). Some stats suggest that gay, bi, and trans men experience domestic violence close to the same rate as heterosexual women, one in four. The man I met had fallen prey to the black-widow syndrome. This is where a woman who has been abused by men decides she’s had enough of being treated poorly and all men must pay. Often these women will search for their target in the “nice” man who would never strike a woman back. At the start of the relationship she is very kind and sweet, thus luring the man in, but once there is security the nightmare begins.

For the rest of the article: www.thefatherlife.com/articles/2007/38/

Posted in: Domestic Violence, Uncategorized at 9:04 am | Comments (4)

One of the big things about this part of the year is STRESS.  Stress will contribute to more abusive behavior and all around poor quality of life.  Do you have a battle plan to make it successfully through the holidays?  Maybe it is not big issues you struggle with like violence but the battle against the sugar that you are suffering from?  Do you have a plan to not only survive but thrive? What is it? I know through Thanksgiving I kept focusing on how good I was going to feel the next day by eating right and not have the scale go up numbers.  That really helped me to avoid the pie.  What works for you or what didn’t work? 

Posted in: Self Improvement at 7:12 pm | Comments (0)

Happy Turkey Day!  I just finished having turkey with my family, kids, and ex.  The first few years I had my ex with us I received a lot of criticism from some and praise with from others.  What do you think about sharing holidays with ex’s?  Do you forgive the past for the children’s sake or do you keep your distance?

Posted in: Uncategorized at 2:03 pm | Comments (3)

6) A long history of attempts to achieve things that have failed for one reason or another.

7) A lack of close friends, which fosters the belief that something is wrong with them.

The feeling that God has rejected them.

9) A history of failed relationships.

10) A lack of ordinary societal talents (or visible accomplishments), such as a college degree or high-paying job.

 (Excerpt from Stop Marrying Mistakes: Using Principles to Claim a Healthy Relationship, www.redemptivecommunity.com/store) Did I miss any?

Posted in: Divorce Recovery at 5:09 pm | Comments (0)

#6. Self-worth comes when a person is able to identify people who are healthy and people who are not.                                                                   

#7. Self-worth comes when a person is able to detach and let go of the pain from their past. It requires them to learn more about their emotions. They learn they can heal even if the other person never says, “I’m sorry.”                  #8. Self-worth comes from doing things people enjoy. It is necessary to fill the bucket. If a person is always giving, they will eventually get burned out. It is important to do something for self.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               #9. Self-worth comes when a person learns that others cannot give them their worth. They have it within themselves. As children, people learn to place value upon themselves when others (parents) give it to them. If that didn’t occur, they seek it from friends or others. If people don’t get it there, they either give up or keep their relationships at a distance. Only when they learn that they are of worth and that others cannot give it to them do they realize that they have had the feeling of worth within themselves the whole time.                                                                                              

 #10. Self-worth increases when a person gets rid of their demons from the past. They can try and ignore them and hide them, but until they deal with the hurts and pains of the past, they are likely to have chinks in their self-worth armor. They need to deal with beliefs from their past. (Excerpt from Stop Marrying Mistakes: Using Principles to Claim A Healthy Relationship)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Are there anything else that you have considered helpful?

Posted in: Divorce Recovery, Uncategorized at 6:08 am | Comments (0)

1) A lack of attachment to parental figures. People with these feelings will say something like: “My parents didn’t support or encourage me. In fact, they made me feel like I wasn’t good enough.”

2) Bad experiences with authority figures like teachers, priests, etc. Usually the person was told, or the impression was given, that the person wouldn’t amount to much.

3) Abuse, both in childhood and/or as adults.

4) An overwhelming feeling that they’re not important. Many people describe a sense of loneliness by saying that nobody cares. They often follow that statement with, “So why should I care about myself?”

5) These people made mistakes in their past and are afraid of being rejected in the present. They believe they have done so many things wrong that no one could ever possibly want to be with them.

 (Excerpt from Stop Marrying Mistakes: Using Principles to Claim a Healthy Relationship www.stopmarryingmistakes.com.)

Posted in: Uncategorized at 6:37 am | Comments (0)

 #1. Self-worth comes from being productive. People’s energy increases when they are doing positive things.                                                                 

 #2. Self-worth increases when a person is helping others.                                                                                                                                          

  #3. Self-worth comes when a person learns to be emotionally true and honest. They stop allowing others to hurt them. In other words, they take control of their life. It is valuing of self to not rely on others to feel valued.                                                                                                                              #4. Self-worth increases when a person is in an environment that doesn’t bring them down. No matter how good a person is they need positive feedback. If they cannot find that in their current environment, they need to seek places of refuge. They need to find someone who values them and who they can value.  

#5. Self-worth comes from creating relationships, being pro-active and involved with others. This increases people’s ability to realize that they are of worth.   (Excerpt from Stop Marrying Mistakes: Using Principles to Claim  A Healthy Relationship)

There are more to the list which I will post later, but I would love to hear what others think is important to add to the list.  I am sure that I missed some.

Posted in: Uncategorized at 1:54 pm | Comments (0)

Despite myself I find the O.J. Simpson court hearing fascinating. It’s amazing to watch O.J. try to act so cool and relaxed.  Even when things are looking bleak, he’s resorting to his old charm that has worked so well in the past.  It will be interesting to see if it will work for him this time.  I’d love to hear what you think.  Do you have the same fascination watching a man that seems almost to be in the land of the living dead?  Are you annoyed that it is on TV?  Do you want to see justice served as a message to all those who act above the law?  Or do you want to give him a break?

Posted in: Domestic Violence at 3:28 pm | Comments (0)