Tag Archives: Adversity

If you’ve been told that you need major surgery, you most likely have a thousand questions about how you will feel after and how you will recover. Whether it’s surgery to treat a disease or to mend a broken bone, your recovery will take time, focus, and wisdom. Recovering from major surgery can take weeks, or sometimes months. It’s essential that you know what to expect from your surgery, as well as how long it will take you to recover fully. You need to have an extensive consult with your primary doctor, surgeon, and the anesthesiologist. Do not do anything until you are thoroughly satisfied with the answers you receive.

So, I invited the “paper tiger” into my life this past weekend while driving home from Indianapolis. I’ve always had an extreme fear of being …

Many people choose a word to meditate on instead of a new year's resolution. Yes, I got on the band wagon, except I could not choose just one! I am all over the place! I thought I needed one word and then a different one came to mind. I kept thinking of really positive words! So here I am owning three words for the year 2015. Do you have a word to use in your life? Here are mine: Balance - Awareness - Transformation

It gives me very great pleasure, to say nothing of pride, to introduce a woman who is all the above and more and also my friend of some years’ standing. Please meet aged care worker, Monica Perrett, mum to six and grandmum to one. A real battler. Monica says, she has always supported the underdog and fights for what she believes is right. And, believe me, I have watched her, albeit from afar, and she is all that she says she is.

Here on the wet coast, it's, well, it is very wet. As I look out my window I see a whole lot of mud and three rather soggy horses. The west coast is not particularly perfect country for horses, whose roots are in high, arid, dry places. But, these mares, despite their somewhat low spirits and muddy legs, seem to keep on keeping on just fine. In fact, that's a bit of what I wanted to touch on this week. For many, these last few weeks have been a roller coaster...and I started to get really curious about what the first powerful step is when it comes to things falling apart.

Back in December my family and I sold our home and we rented a big, beautiful house in upstate New York. But rather than being overjoyed and grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a fresh start, I went into one of the deepest depressions ever.

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?

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.

You know how you feel when someone rudely interrupts you? Awkward. Frustrated. Inferior. Angry. Maybe all of these emotions and more. I've been on both the interrupted and the interrupter sides of many conversations, and, honestly, I don't feel good about either position. Though I try not to ever cut anyone off, it happens...and I usually feel bad about it afterwards. I hate getting interrupted. It makes me feel disrespected and unimportant. I stand there wondering whether I should try to restate my point or just let go. Sometimes I forget what I was saying altogether.

Many of the thought leaders today talk about the story(s) we tell ourselves to get along, to survive, to feel better. As a writer, this resonates because I have always told stories and written scripts. I would like to invite you today to consider looking at the idea of what stories you tell yourself and why/what role these stories occupy in your life. Do they complement or contaminate your life – given the path you are on spiritually, is it possible that these stories are no longer necessary?

Have things in your life been a struggle? Maybe things have just been constrictive or you feel stuck. Maybe you are frustrated with a situation you just cannot seem to get past. Lately I have had butterflies on my mind. No, not the nervous butterflies in the tummy but the beautiful, flighty, colorful creatures that take to the sky and land on the wild flowers. They do not stay in one place long, but before those beautiful moments of flight, it was a caterpillar snug tight in it's cocoon. That is where it goes through metamorphosis. Changes. There are stages to it's growth. And then, when the time is right, the cocoon tears away to reveal the colorful wings that take flight.

This month has been interesting for my family as we're coming up on some major life shifts. The company for which my husband had worked for 7 years closed recently. Though he has not gone a day without a job due to the favor he's received over the past few months from the company who purchased the building and land, he is now facing a major job or even industry change. For our family this could mean relocating out of state. Additionally, we are faced with moving out of our home very quickly due to circumstances out of our control. Without knowing where my husband will obtain a new position, we are unable to decide where to move or to begin even looking. The strange thing is I don't feel upset or stressed about the unknown, and the reason for my peace is that I invited change to come into my life.