Empowerment

Do you remember falling off your bike and skinning your knee as a child? Boy, did that hurt. I would run home crying, expecting that my mom would fix me up with peroxide and a bandaid. With the mom-love-laced patch up job, I'd run right back out the door for some backyard frolicking.

Your cruising along on the highway; suddenly, you realize that you left your laptop on the kitchen table. "You, dumb ass!" slips from your lips and you veer off at the next exit to retrieve the Power Point presentation that would surely land you favor (even a promotion) at work.

There is a secret I want to share with you. I learned this exercise about 2 years ago when I was working on healing from terrible chronic headaches.

Remember when you were waiting on that special guy to pop the question or expecting your first child? Can you recall dreaming or even visualizing these important events when you were a teen or even a young girl? Through hope we actually begin to form our lives from the beginning.

I don't know if you've noticed, but women are shifting into higher gears and focusing more on life goals and dreams. This may be a worldwide trend amongst humans in general; however, I feel a distinct feminine energy surrounding this front of powerful changes.

As women we inevitably face choices. Ones that are hard and ones that require little thought, if any at all - life's opportunities. We either have the opportunity to change something or allow it to remain the same.

The stark reality of life can sometimes bring us to the point of confusion, desperation, and even self-destruction. Not to dwell on the negative, on the contrary, I want to share about the place that is on the other side of difficulties and tragedy - the place where you can look back and see that you were strong and brave.

Introspective Sunday: Am I selfish? There is one problem with this question...that is if you actually are selfish. Most people who are self-centered won't even entertain the thought that they have "it's all about me" syndrome, at least until they have a revelation.

Liberation: Posing Nude, Shaving Your Head, and Skinny Dipping What makes a woman feel free? Is it dancing to her favorite tunes while no one is looking or driving down a country road at 75 MPH (that one might be more of a man thing)? Regardless of "what" makes us feel free, we need to at least try to break out of stale routines and inhibitions occasionally.

I have found that when stuck in a rut (a muddy ditch with monsters that grab you and don't let go) if I do anything different than I have the past fifty times, I get a new result.

Considering all that you can learn about yourself, the act of "looking within" should become second nature. I find it exciting, difficult, and even scary (sounds like a good thriller) to approach the part of your mind and emotions that often get the brunt of your choices.

Have you ever been in a place that just felt creepy; did you get goose bumps and swear that someone was watching you? Sometimes those feelings might have a valid source or they might just be your imagination. It's in this same way that we can concoct the most terrifying scenes in our minds concerning other life situations - again, our imagination. Fear actually brings in a serious influx of creativity - the scary kind.

Today's topic is one with which many have trouble - on a daily basis. It is making decisions and acting upon them. I, for one, am one of those who don't find making some decisions to be pleasant; therefore, I avoid them. When I say this, I don't mean your every day ones like which breakfast cereal to buy or what shoes should I wear today; no, the ones I speak of are much more life-changing and some can even be hazardous or painful.

Women, especially, experience these troubling emotions when they see the ones they love hurting or in trouble. Our natural instinct to nurture and protect can be overwhelming; we are left wondering why no one sees our undying effort to make things better - can't they just stop screwing up already? And, when we can't change things quickly enough, it puts us into a heightened sense of frustration; I believe this is called motherhood or PMS.

Have you ever wondered why you feel more alive when you are looking forward to something. It could be the family vacation, a long awaited reunion with an old friend, or something as simple as getting a facial. I've often found that a heightened level of anticipation brings a happiness that isn't found through any other source.