There's More Than One Way to Grow

As challenges appear in our lives, we do not always have the time or money to seek professional help, or maybe we're not ready to share ourselves with another person, i.e. a therapist. There are many self help books, and I have read a few, that made a profound difference in my life. I remember reading, "My Mother Myself" by Nancy Friday, and having a light bulb moment. That realization helped my relationship with my mother changed for the better.

Powerful forces of change are always working in our lives. Yet there are times when what is achieved is not easily or readily shared. After all, the process of becoming a whole person is a profound secret. Meaning only you know who you are, and how you want live your life.

When something within us is disowned, (e.g. an aspect of your personality that you refuse to acknowledge as your own) that which is disowned wreaks havoc. A motivation for working with self help material can assist us in bringing those disowned areas to the surface, where they can be looked at, experienced and released. We all walk around with so much emotional baggage, and, with a little undertaking, this material can be worked on and let go of, thus allowing us to be lighter and happier living a more fulfilled life. As opposed to those disowned parts of ourself that are running us.

There are periods in our lives which calls us to open ourselves up, and let the light into a part that has been shut away. Examples could be a divorce, death, job change, accident or injury. Instead of taking a negative point of view, these changes can be looked at as a growing experience. Every Life event reaps good and bad, so why not focus on a positive outcome.

The workbook begins on Day 1: List 10 things I need to work on to improve myself (my self esteem, marriage, or diet, etc.). At the bottom of each page is there is a pearl of wisdom for that day, e.g. on Day 7 "sometimes solitude is all it takes to discover answers to our questions". Day 4: Acknowledge your fears: look at them; feel them, (write down everything you are afraid of). At the bottom "I've experienced some pretty horrible things in my life and most of them I've imagined. The process of bringing up material inside you is opened up and written down. There is power in writing down thoughts and feelings. These unacknowledged emotions are rummaging around in ourselves, causing trouble by coming up and out at inappropriate times. On Day 13: Do a review of the past 12 days and ask "what am I feeling? Have you discovered unresolved emotions? Next on Day 14: Today, take the day off!! Do something fun--go out in nature, call a friend or look at a sunset - and by all means, laugh! Day 20: What makes you feel loved? The pearl of wisdom for that day, "If it is not where you are standing, where do you think it is"?

And if one has been honest and open in answering and writing down answers to the questions for 30 days, you are then asked to take all that you have learned, or that has come up in the process, and you will make a list with three columns. What do I what to work on, what do I want to accomplish and finally what time frame you want this to happen. For example, I want to lose weight. I am going to begin walking everyday and I will do this for one month. This information that come up in the process is then used in a positive way to bring positive change.

Have fun making your list. It is amazing that when you write down your "want list", how soon each item gets done! Raising your self awareness is not an easy task, but the benefits can far outweigh the difficulties.

It was during a difficult time in my life when I was recovering from neck surgery, that within nine months, I lost a sister to cancer, and a brother, a Sheriff Sergeant, who was killed in the line of duty, within that same month. I used this recovery time to began to work on myself. I began to ask myself questions and out of that questioning I wrote my book "Discovering the Miracles and Mysteries Within You, A 30 Day Workbook". I wanted to create a self help tool to assist others let go of their emotional baggage and discover who they were and be happier and enjoy their life.