Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!

Today is a special day for me. I actually overcame my fear of being on video. Because I've spent most of the day working on this inaugural video, I did not get much time to write a post today. So, instead of trying to start from scratch with a different topic, I am posting the best articles about overcoming fear. Hopefully, my video will be finished tomorrow and, for the very first time, I will present my readers with a video blog. I hope you are all still working on yourselves and focusing on your goals for the week or month. Remember to share your goals, dreams, progress in the comments so we can connect and be accountable to each other. Here's the best of overcoming fear! Love you all!

Welcome to Women's Life Link and our New You in 31 Days Challenge. We have a new contributor! Christina Taylor is another dear one from down under. She has a special story to share with us about her challenges and victories within her experience with Depression. She will be sharing some of her poetry that is featured in her book, A Woman's Courage. You can check out her bio and more about her book on the Contributor Page! Please welcome her with some comment love. I'm sure she would love to hear if any of you have experienced depression and, if so, how you handle challenges, what has worked for you, and what hasn't. Be YOU!

I know you've seen videos of protesters picketing or even physically blocking an entrance to a building or piece of land.Those who protest for a cause either want or need to stop something from changing or make it change. The result can go one of three ways depending on how peaceful the protest is: the protesters win and get their way, they don't and slip back into the crowd, or they get hauled away in paddy wagon. I picture these protesters gathering inside our minds when confronted with significant acts of change. Have you felt this crowd of free-thinkers protesting your dreams and goals? Are your efforts to do things differently frequently sabotaged by unseen troublemakers?

I recently deactivated my Facebook® account for a couple months and, after the initial shock of not having a news feed to scroll through passed, I realized I was experiencing some crazy emotions. I was sad, missing all my daily interactions. I was lonely, lonelier than I had ever been in the past. My phone was extra quiet and the ones I reached out to, gave me a hard time about deactivating. I was frustrated!

How do you view your everyday life? Is it a battle you fight daily, or is it an adventure? It's all in the way you look at things! Instead of focusing on setbacks and the next frustration, plan for the next adventure.

The most profound changes I've ever made in my life have been the result of doing small things differently. And I'm positive you will have the same motivating results if you just give it a try. As a part of our 31-Days To a New You challenge, I would like for you to consider doing at least five of the thirteen acts listed below. I've even given you a little incentive by giving facts or potential benefits to changing it up. Enjoy your day and set a standard of consistency for the month!

Madeline McQueen, UK actor, model, dancer, film & stage crew and photographer, is another picture of true inspiration in that she has overcome adversity (bullying) to reach the lofty heights for which she, too, seems destined. Madeline felt she had a normal, happy childhood, friends with everyone in school along with other children, until the day she changed her mind about something.

So, I committed to a 31 day blogging challenge for the month of March. If you have a blog or website, you know how difficult it can be to post every single day. After all, life does go on in the brick & mortar world. Yesterday I posted an important article and review on The Emotion Code book and healing technique as the kick off to my challenge. If you haven't already, please read this poignant post Deep Healing You Can Do Today. More importantly, I want this month to be one of change for us all. It is a spring of sort, a new beginning and opportunity to blossom.

Several friends recently introduced me to a phenomenal healing technique that, frankly, has blown me away. The method is called The Emotion Code. The creator of the healing therapy and author of The Emotion Code book has laid out instructions to breach the ceiling that many hit on a quest to heal persistent pain and emotional turmoil. This breakthrough method is something you can do today in the privacy of your home. You can do it with an Emotion Code practitioner live, over the phone, Skype or even by yourself. It really is that simple.

April Gammon. Remember that name. She is another past bullying victim who is rising above her nightmare to reach for the stars and achieve her dreams. This lovely young Canadian actor and musician has always aspired to be an entertainer and has now begun to realise that aspiration. She is extremely fortunate in that her "very supportive husband" is always pushing her towards her goals – encouraging her to always try and never give up. And, above all, to always have fun with whatever she is doing . April loves writing, singing and acting.

I mentioned in my last article, The Gift of You, that you are more precious than silver and gold. At the end of that article, I left you with the question: "How do you measure your worth?". So, here that question is again. How do you measure YOUR worth? How do you measure anyone's worth? We hear and read love quotes about how someone is priceless or what he or she does cannot be measured on an earthly scale. The Jerry McGuire quote is a great one: "You complete me." Magazines and other media sources give unrealistic guidelines, nearly impossible to follow, let alone keep a ritualistic account of our everyday lives. Too many try to follow those media ideals of the "IN" way to do things and who we should "BE" and end up portraying someone other than themselves.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." This is not to say that following in the footsteps of others will not lead you to understand your true purpose and set you up for success there but to also consider choosing new and unexplored paths, to take risks and make mistakes. This process can be terrifying, though, as venturing out on your own into new things may cause anxiety and hesitation. You may even consider these feelings as signs that you aren't on the right path. I've experienced this fork in the road many times and assure you that it's not the end but only the beginning of something magical and fulfilling.

When most people think of bullying, the first thing that usually comes to mind is bullying in the school – as in students picking on other students. But, sadly, bullying happens everywhere, and no-one is immune. thor Karen Tyrrell is the perfect example of this. Her first book Me & Her: a Memoir of Madness is based on her own experience as a teacher who suffered at the hands of some parents in her school at the time. Born in Sydney of poorly educated parents, Karen decided at the age of eight that she wanted to be a teacher, and she achieved this prior to becoming an author. She mentions that writing and speaking about mental health for both adults and kids became her driving force.

One thing we can likely all relate to is that our beliefs about what is possible (our dreams) get stuck sometimes. What do they get stuck in or on? Well, my beliefs about myself and my potential have been, at times, stuck in the worst quicksand-ish, mucky mud, stench-filled mind traps you could ever imagine. These prison-like places have kept me from dreaming big at times. How about you? This place I've described, though only a fictional scene to paint a picture, can be just as dangerous to your future as if you were actually waist deep in a bog. Our minds have the capacity to make things real...all things, serving and non-serving. That said, Don't you think if you expanded your mind a little where your dreams are concerned, you just might see some amazing things happen for real? I challenge you. I challenge me.

The beginning of this year, for me, brought both a wedding anniversary and the unexpected death of one of my beloved cats, little True Heart. I share this because out of both comes a plan for the new year on so many levels. As I experienced the shock and grief, in a conversation with my angels and guides, I was shown that my options were to stay in the pain and allow it to wash over and through me. I could allow it to become a dominant force defining my 2014, or I could honor the loss and pain by choosing different thoughts and paths created by the loss.