Staying faithful a task for some: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

Maria, Arnold, Your Three Brains and Time for ChangeUp

My friends at Fox and I chatted a bit about Maria and Arnold a while back…but we really got into some deeper issues and dynamics…unfortunately we ran out of time.

Affairs, infidelity and betrayal are always big tough issues to work through.

Getting beyond betrayal, healing infidelity and moving past the hurt, pain and trauma of an affair is very challenging and can be overwhelming.

In other words, making a change of that magnitude is very difficult AND very uncommon.

The last question raised was on the show was: “Getting back to the whole trust thing; would somebody in that situation, let’s say Maria,  ever trust anybody to that same level?”

My response was that Maria could actually trust more.

What?!! How could that possibly be true?

For a moment, forget about this being specifically about Maria.

After all, she does deserve some privacy, right?

AND this is a much bigger issue with HUGE underlying dynamics.

As odd as it sounds, you would think somebody that’s been wounded at this level would never allow herself to be hurt again.

Which would be a great choice…but HOW she does it is really the key.

The big question is more about working through the “woundedness.”

Quick fix?

No…not at all. In fact, it will most likely take a lot of time, effort and energy. Most likely some intense therapy, a tremendous amount of honest self-reflection and some major reworking of the inner values and outer boundaries.

Change at this level requires a mammoth commitment.

And most people, unfortunately, will NOT put the necessary time and energy into the healing and growth process. Actually most people probably don’t even know that they can heal and grow past the pain.

Instead, they walk around hurt, wounded and unhealed and, as a result, make even poorer decisions in their future.

Do you think you can really make a good decision if your mind is clouded and influenced by the hurt, anger and resentment of past wounds?

The real question for anyone in this situation is: Do you WANT to heal, grow and expand?

Most everyone responds with a resounding “Yes!”

But why, then, do most people not follow through?

The same reason people overeat when they know it’s unhealthy, overspend when they know they don’t have the money and get into relationships they know are not good for them.

Why do people do all this!!?

Brain confusion…yes, their brain gets confused with too many different messages and usually does not pick the most logical (and usually healthiest) path.

Why does the brain get confused? Because you actually have three brains all trying to deliver varying messages to you.

Which message do most people listen to?

Usually the one with the biggest emotional charge.

Are emotions rational and logical (or healthy)?

NO!…Not usually.

The three brains:

• The Inner Brain: The most primitive and activates your fight or flight mechanism. Also, the basic survival drives for food, water and procreation. Basic emotions of fight or flight, freeze or hide and live or die.
• The Middle Brain: More advanced but still without reason… the basic “love and loyalty” drives originate here.
• The Outer Brain: The most advanced (only humans and apes have this) and where logic, conscious thinking and reasoning come from. Also, this where our “ethical thinking” comes from, meaning unique values, rules and guidelines for living.

SO…for example: The Inner Brain is obsessed with pure lust. The Middle Brain is driven by love and devotion. The Outer Brain is infatuated with an amazing romantic experience.

A pretty woman or handsome guy comes along and the Inner Brain screams out for sex, the Middle Brain falls in love and the Outer Brain tries to figure out how to make it all happen ethically.

See the conflicts? And ALL the different and even contradictory messages?

And too often the Inner Brain wins….the primal survival instincts.

Another example: You are offered the Super Duper Size order of French fries. Your Outer Brain says, “No, those are bad for you.” Your Middle Brain doesn’t really care one way or the other although it does recall a time when you shared French fries with a past romantic interest. And your Inner Brain screams, “Get all you can as this could be the last meal you ever have and more fat with help protect you!”

The Inner Brain often wins again.

See and hear the problem?

Add to that the many complexities of memory, conditioning and all the other known and unknown variables of the brain and you can quickly surmise why people have some of the issues that they do.

AND why people don’t change for their own good.

When you bring this all back to Maria (and all those others who have had similar experiences) you can see that she could work through all this and actually be even more conscious, more aware and more loving….AND even more trusting.

Will she? Who knows? That’s totally up to her.

And bringing it back to you: Is there anything you’re still reacting to from your past that is getting in the way of your future?

Perhaps now is the time to clear it.

Is it easy? No. It probably will require a great deal of effort, energy and commitment…and a lot of going out of your comfort zone…a whole lot!

Are you worth it?

Yes….

Time to ChangeUp…it works when you work it.

More from Ken Donaldson…

Today: Marry YourSelf First!

Here are some common questions people ask:

• Why do people set themselves up for bad relationships when they know the other person doesn’t share their necessary values?
• Why would someone who knows they have a drug or alcohol problem continue to drink or use drugs?
• Why do people get involved with someone if they know there’s a deal-breaker already there (i.e. drugs, alcohol, children, religion, etc.)?
• If someone knew they could do something very simple to feel better, why would they choose to continue to feel bad?
• Don’t people understand that if they settle for less in the beginning, they always get even less in the end?

There’s actually one word that ties these questions together…

Change.

People don’t like to change.

Most people don’t change.

Most people don’t think they need to change.

Some research suggests that 95% of the population tries NOT to change.

Yes…they resist change.

The irony is that you really can’t resist change as it’s happening all the time, all around you, whether you like it, or want it, or not.

But can you convince someone who doesn’t want to change that change would do them good?

Yes…no…maybe…it depends.

But the problem is the human brain.

And while it would appear that some people making really bad and self-destructive choices are more suffering from brain damage, it’s actually not that.

It’s the “reptile brain.”

The reptile brain, also referred to as the reptilian brain or lizard brain, is the oldest part of our brain and connected directly to our spinal cord.

The primary purpose of the reptile brain is survival and protection.

If you literally watch lizards you’ll see them automatically defend their turf through behaviors like head-bobbing which demonstrates assertive and aggressive posturing.

They automatically go into protective and survival mode whenever they feel threatened.

Sometimes they run and sometimes they attack.

They never sit still for very long.

They don’t like change…at all.

People who tend to engage in obsessive-compulsive behavior, rituals or superstitious thinking are all being governed by the reptile brain.

Likewise, people who continue to do the same thing over and over (behavior slaves), are also being dominated by the reptile brain.

The bottom-line is that people are programmed to resist change because this reptile part of the brain interprets change as potentially dangerous.

So is there no hope then for these people?

Actually, yes, there is…in fact, more hope today than ever.

The one dynamic every self-help book has in common is that they all support change.

Every personal growth and development program does the same.

So do all the 12-step programs and other related recovery programs.

The question, then, and really the ONLY question, is:
Are you open to change?

Many people will stay in their familiar and predictable patterns only because the patterns are familiar and predicable.

You can invite, challenge or dare someone else to change.

You can even threaten them with losing something if they don’t.

But in the end, the other person has to want it more than you.

Then you may be left asking yourself, “What do I need to do to change in myself to make this all more accepting?”

This is a hard pill to swallow especially if you really care about the other person.

This is, in fact, where most codependency is born.

It’s about caring so much that you actually begin to overstep what you’re responsible for and try to do for the other person what they in fact need to do for themselves.

Good thing you can turn to counselors who specialize in facilitating change for help.

And the Serenity Prayer is a good reminder as well:

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (other people);
The courage to change the things I can (yourself);
And the wisdom to know the difference (boundaries and letting go).

Yes, people can manage the reptile brain.

They have to want to first.

Then, they must have the awareness and deliberately step over, around, or just ignore the unnecessary warning signals altogether.

In the end, change is always good.

It’s happening anyway so you might as well learn to go with it rather than against it.

Read more from Ken Donaldson…

Marry YourSelf First!

Five words that can change your life: Hope, Cope, Survive, Thrive, Soar.

These five words can, do and will continue to change and save lives.

Hope: Not the wishful thinking (“I hope I win the lotto”) type, but “the true inner feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.” (Dictionary.com)

Imagine if you knew how to instantaneously tap into hope whenever you needed it, for whatever reason.

Hope keeps you going in the face of doubt, fear and the great unknown.

Hope keeps you from giving up and, instead, develops your perseverance and persistence muscles.

Hope is the inner seed that is necessary to continue to go forward into action.

Cope: Once you have hope as your foundation, you can now go into action. Cope is “to struggle or deal, especially on fairly even terms or with some degree of success.” (Dictionary.com)

When you cope you get by. No matter how small it might be, progress is made.

Coping is the beginning of creating positive momentum for your life.

You begin to see how your efforts are moving you forward.

You also know how to deal with challenges, struggles and even failure, and keep moving.

Hope + Cope = Survive

Survive means “to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence.” (Dictionary.com)

As you build on hope and cope, you develop survival skills. These skills begin to occur automatically because you have practiced them and have developed some confidence around them.

Surviving means you have gotten yourself to a place of stability…ground level zero.

You have recovered successfully.

Many people survive, but never grow past this point.

Many people get comfortable with surviving.

Remember, life is a progression:
Hope > Cope > Survive > Thrive

Thrive means “to prosper; be fortunate or successful, to grow or develop vigorously; flourish.” (Dictionary.com)

When you thrive you are building on the foundation of hope, well developed coping skills and having established yourself as a survivor.

Thriving is a willingness to go beyond the norm.

Beyond average.

Beyond mediocre.

Beyond what you already know and into the great unknown.

Thriving means to take significant risks, because you are going past where you’ve ever been and perhaps, as well, beyond where anyone else has been before.

Thriving means you are willing to stand up, stand out and make a stand for what you believe.

It means letting go of ego, fear and the need to impress others.

Thriving means to be not just outside the box, but to destroy the box and create your own new paradigm.

Perhaps this is the master success formula for life:
Hope + Cope + Survive + Thrive = Soar

Soar means “to rise or aspire to a higher or more exalted level.” (Dictionary.com)

Thriving sets the tone for soaring. Whereas thriving takes tremendous effort, soaring is the outcome from all that hard work, effort and risk

Just like an eagle soars in the thermals, you too will enjoy soaring through your life as you follow this progression.

Soaring is the positive consequence for hard work, many risks and always keeping the ego (and fear) in check.

Soaring does require a huge commitment to be extremely responsible and accountable due to your high level of visibility.

Many people choose not to soar because they don’t want to be seen as the “center of attention.”

Soaring is not accomplished to be in the limelight, although it often results in such.

To soar, you must shed your ego and have no worries what others will think, say or do in response to your soaring.

To soar is to have reached the pinnacle of life.

It is also from where you must be willing to be a role model at the highest level and a mentor to others who seek to accomplish the same.

Hope.
Cope.
Survive.
Thrive.
Soar.

These five words describe what we all need to stay on the positive side of life.

Addiction, depression and divorce, for example, scarcely exist when you live in the progression of hope, cope, survive, thrive and soar.

These are the stepping stones of greatness.

Will you step up, step out and step into your greatness?

More from Ken Donaldson…

Marry YourSelf First!

Meet Joe Monks.
(http://www.joemonks.com/)

A blind film director.

Read it again: A blind film director.

Are you trying to figure out how that works?

Joe lost his eyesight in 2002 as the result of his long-time battle with diabetes, but he didn’t let that hold him back, as he wrote and directed The Bunker.

Joe recently received the Achievement in Cinema award at the 2011 Gasparilla International Film Festival.

(And The Bunker is being submitted to the Cannes Film Festival this year.)

Joe didn’t know he was going to have to give a speech at Gasparilla until about 10 minutes before he went on stage.

His impromptu speech was beyond “touching” as he challenged every participant present with his powerful oration.

He began by sharing with the audience the old cliché of “when one door closes…” but he put a brand new spin on it.

He suggested that we not look for another open door when the door closes, but rather, we need to remind ourselves that just because a door is closed, it doesn’t mean it’s locked.

So it’s our job to pick the lock, take off the hinges or break the damn door down (that’s what Joe said!)

Joe went on to use another cliché about dropping the infamous pebble into a pond and how the pebble creates ripples.

But he added his ever so pithy Joeism to it: Because of the award he won the pebble (his movie, The Bunker) is now a bigger pebble and his hopes are that one of the now bigger ripples will get someone’s attention and they’ll say “Joe Monks won an award?!! He sucks!!” (Again, Joe’s words here!)

And for those people, Joe simply says, “Come get some…the door is open.”

Joe Monks is quite an inspirational story, to say the least.

And he’s a guy who could very easily have fallen into depression because of what he “lost” or even gotten into some addictive behavior as a way to cope.

But instead, he has gone forward and done what no one has ever done before.

No one!

And his wife stands by his side.

Segue…

This month’s empowerment topic is: The “Other” A.D.D.: Addiction, Depression and Divorce…What to Know, What to Do and How to Make it All Stick

If you or your loved ones have been challenged by addiction, depression or divorce, keep your eyes and ears open as you’ll be receiving some useful information.

(Click here for a resource for you right now.)

And if you have challenges you’d like to get answers to, feel free to stop by www.AskKenDonaldson.com .

Bring ‘em on and let’s create some break-throughs like Joe’s.

And Marry YourSelf First!

After thousands of single people in my 25 years of experience, my core message is always the same: Get clear with yourself first…know yourself, trust yourself, believe in yourself and love yourself. Do this and you’ll be much happier and healthier, whether you’re in a relationship or not.

Not exactly what everyone wants to hear as we live in what’s commonly called “the microwave relationship era.”

Everyone seems to want the immediate life partnership without doing the inside work on themselves first. They think if they get ‘The’ relationship, then everything else will fall into place.

That’s usually the beginning of the end.

Then, to make things maybe even more confusing, add into the mix some interesting reports from the highly esteemed Forbes and Kiplinger.

What do Forbes and Kiplinger know about singlehood and relationships? According to them, apparently, quite a bit.

New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C. are the top 5 kingpins of the best cities to be single, according to Forbes.com. And if you happen to live in Tampa-St. Petersburg, it doesn’t look so good as you’re near the rear of the pack at #33 out of 40 cities evaluated.

But wait a minute; Kiplinger.com says that Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, The Twin Cities of St. Paul-Minneapolis and Nashville are the top five “Smart” cities for singles!

Confused? You should be!

And how did Forbes and Kiplinger come up with these results?

Forbes apparently actually did some research: “To determine the best city for singles, we ranked 40 of the largest continental U.S. metropolitan statistical areas in seven different categories: coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles.”

Impressive, but what about Kiplinger? Not sure. Seems like maybe it was much more subjective (“Hey guys, what cities do you think are the ‘smartest’ for single people?”).

And going back to Forbes, what is this “coolness” factor. Sounds cool enough but how do they measure the cool factor of a city?

Here’s what they said: “To determine coolness, market research company Harris Interactive conducted a poll in July 2009 of adults from across the U.S., each of whom was asked, ‘Among the following U.S. cities, which one do you think is the coolest?’ Data were provided by Harris Interactive.”

Hmmmm…does one person’s coolness differ from another? Most likely.

But if you’re single, before you quit your job, sell your house and move north or west, you might want to consider some other much more important factors.

Let’s start by asking a simple question: “What’s your biggest dating challenge?”

Here are a few of the more common responses:

• “I’m uncomfortable approaching someone…what if they say ‘No’?”
  
• “I don’t know how to tell someone that I’m not interested…I have difficulty saying ‘No’ and I’m afraid I’ll hurt their feelings.”
  
• “I feel like my expectations are too high and unrealistic, but then I always end up with people who are well below the standards I set.”

Using the Forbes formula of “coolness, cost of living alone, culture, job growth, online dating, nightlife and number of singles” will not make singles who are struggling with these issues any more successful in their relationships.

It is truly what is in your heart, what you know and how you feel about yourself, and a few basic skill sets that will really make your relationships work.

Here’s the “not so secret” formula: Being a ‘successful single’ is, first and foremost, an inside job. First, you must know and live according to your values. Then, you must understand and adhere to your relationship ‘deal-makers’, ‘deal-breakers’ and compatibility needs. And finally, it helps dramatically if you commit to a balanced and healthy lifestyle, which includes a powerful and active support network. Do all this and you have a far higher likelihood of being relationally successful…regardless of where you live!

Because it is the inside of a person that makes the relationship, NOT the outer influences.

The month of February has been proclaimed as International Relationship Month and Valentine’s Day has been declared as International Singles Day.

If you take your time, watch, listen and probe, you will see who people really are. You must FIRST, however, know who YOU are. Follow the parameters or boundaries you set AND keep them and you will dramatically increase the likelihood of finding a healthy relationship connection. Remember, as Shakespeare said, ‘Above all else, to Thine own self be true!’

Visit www.TheSingleValentine.com for more information about the Free “Single and Lovin’ It Valentine” Webinar on Monday, February 14th at 9 p.m. EST.

Read more about Ken Donaldson here…

We’re becoming relationship dummies.

It’s time to get smart and raise your Relational Intelligence (RQ)!

But how do you raise your RQ?

Let’s start by understanding three components of a highly intelligent relationship culture and what it takes to make healthy relationships:

First, let’s all learn how to effectively deal with conflict and differences.

Second, let’s practice commitment and apply commitment actions to make relationships last.

Third, let’s all be good relationship role models for our children and for future generations.

When we do that, we begin to break the dysfunctional cycle of divorce and domestic violence!

Additionally, it’s wise to know the healthy stages of the relationship continuum. Yes, relationships grow and develop through stages and if you don’t know the stages, then you’re bound to get lost and create relationship havoc for yourself and others.

It’s also worthwhile to know what the most common divorce predictors and indicators of relationship failure are. Always good to know what the early warning signs are!

Perhaps the biggest piece of relationship intelligence is knowing how to effectively communicate, especially with emotionally charged issues.

This is commonly referred to as the “intentional dialogue” and it has very specific techniques that help the people in the conversation stay in the conversation and manage the emotional state of the conversation.

As odd as it may sound, it’s also wise to create a proactive “Relationship Success Plan.” Actually, this only sounds odd because most people don’t do it. Always best to do this before you’re in a relationship, but is equally as valuable to create once you are in a relationship.

When you apply new methods of creating positive rituals in relationships, you also increase your RQ.

And when you understand how to increase positive energy in your relationships, your RQ is raised as well.

It’s time for us to realize that relationship education is no longer an option…it’s mandatory. Reading, writing and arithmetic are not going to prevent divorce, domestic violence or depression. We need life skills training that targets confidence building, self esteem enhancement and basic conflict resolution skills. This is the start to creating healthier individuals who can then create healthier relationships.

It’s time to create relationship education that will change our relationship priorities…that will make us relationally smarter….and raise our RQ!

I invite you to do something to help break these patterns and create a happy, healthy and more harmonious legacy for our future generations.

Go ahead…I dare you!

More from Ken Donaldson…

And Marry YourSelf First!

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with and/or interview thousands of people and ask them about their relationships.

I’ve noticed some trends in the happier, healthier and longer lasting relationships: The individuals in those relationships have some very clear traits and behaviors that separated them from the rest.

Want to know what they are?

Here you go:

The 12 Steps to Proactively Creating a Divorce-Proof Marriage

1.) Know yourself, trust yourself and like yourself first!

• Define your Life Purpose

• Discern and live by your Values and Priorities

• Create your Life Vision and Life Mission Statement

• Develop a Legacy that will live forever

2.) Create a Balanced Lifestyle

• Set Boundaries and eliminate energy drains

• Create a proactive Self Maintenance program

• Evaluate and Inventory your lifestyle weekly

3.) Surround yourself with Supportive Networks and Communities

• Seek out like-minded and like-valued people

• Create Accountability agreements with others

• Avoid negative situations and environments

4.) Know your Requirements and Needs

• Create and live by your “Deal Makers” and “Deal Breakers”

• Make direct requests to get your needs met

• Always be true to yourself

5.) Take your work in life seriously, but take life lightly

• Practice being flexible, fluid, and accepting

• Avoid trying to “push the river”

• Express your passion in life with the utmost of passion

6.) Understand the healthy romantic relationship developmental process

• Create the criteria for your Life Partner

• Develop “Screening” and “Testing” strategies

• Use your support system for feedback and input

7.) Define your personal Spirituality

• Discover and walk your Spiritual Path

• Practice daily acts to activate your “Highest Self”

• Accept life on life’s terms

8.) Be perfectly imperfect

• Know your character challenges and work to strengthen those areas

• Accept all your errors, mis-takes and failures

• Practice non-judgment of yourself and all others

9.) Live from Abundance

• Practice daily acts of ‘Random Kindness”

• Develop a “Pay it Forward” system in your life

• Create an affirming, fear-less inner dialogue

10.) Be an Excellent Communicator

 • Practice Active Listening as often as possible

• Commit to creating a “Win-Win” outcome with others

• Learn to process emotions, conflict and disagreements

 11.) Get out of your comfort zone

• Learn to accept all your uncomfortable feelings and emotions

• Practice deliberate daily acts of new behavior

• Celebrate discomfort as healthy growth and development

12.) Consciously Breathe and Smile

• Learn to be Silly (use a clown nose if you need too!!)

• Develop Breathing Exercises to enhance your Mind, Body, Heart and Soul

• Smile until you are happy

And if you like this, you’re going to love the workshop this Saturday:

Love YourSelf Before You Love Again

Saturday, November 13th, 9 A.M. – 5 P.M.

Cost: $27 if prepaid, $37 at the door (and includes lunch!!)

FAMILY RESOURCES
5180 62nd Avenue North
Pinellas Park, FL 33781.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER OR CALL 866.600.6064.

Read more from Ken Donaldson…

My friends at Fox News 13 Good Day Tampa Bay wanted to know my thoughts about this.

What do you think?

Leave a comment below.

Today is THE day: Marry YourSelf First!

Are You Prioritizing Your Love Life?

We’ll probably never know what has driven Al and Tipper Gore to separate, and out of respect and dignity, we never should. But it does invite a curiosity, and an interesting case study, regarding work life balance and its impact on your core relationships (marriage, life partnerships, etc.).

One of THE most significant parts of work life balance would be your primary, or core, relationships. These relationships are your primary support in life; THE person you can go to to discuss anything.

THE person you can go to in your most desperate times of need.

THE person you can go to to celebrate your wildest dreams.

THE person you can go to to share your most intense fears.

This is true intimacy and is often referred to as the “in-to-me-see” of the relationship!

But if you don’t take care of that relationship, cherish it, respect it, and put it at the top of your personal totem pole of life, then it becomes vulnerable to stagnation, mediocrity, strife and unnecessary breakdown.

It really comes down to priorities: We may never know Al and Tipper Gore’s priorities, but here are 7 core questions for you to ask yourself regarding your work life balance as it applies to your core relationship:

1.) Do you check in with each other regularly and share what’s REALLY going on? Not just the day-to-day superficial stuff, but the core needs, wants, desires and requests.

2.) Do you put time and energy into the relationship on a REGULAR basis? This means truly making the relationship a priority. No auto-pilot here. Conscious and proactive choices to put the relationship first whenever possible!

3.) Are you still dating regardless of how many years you’ve been together? Once a week, or more, is best.

4.) Are you able to discuss, using your best communciation skills, the toughest issues and dynamics with a level of respect, the goal of understanding and the ability to accept the differences of each other?

5.) Do you “speak your partner’s language” in that you know what it is that truly lights them up, gets into their heart and soul and enables them to feel truly extraordinary? Do you do that every day in every way?

6.) If you have children, do you and your partner work as a unified team with your children and also balance between being parents and being partners, remembering that your relationship if the foundation for the whole family unit?

7.) Whatever your passion is in your world of work, do you have a greater passion for your relationship? And if not, will you commit to find that passion because without that it’s like forgetting to put the intimacy logs on the bonfire of love and you’ll then find yourself with only smoldering ashes, or even less?

Again, we will never know what Al and Tipper Gore have gone through, but this is an ideal time for you to check in with your core relationship and honestly assess what your work life balance is and how it’s impacting your relationship.

If it’s not where you want it to be, it may be time for you to seek out a relationship counselor who can help you get back on track to have a great life, and fulfilling career and a most passionate relationship with your life partner!

“Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

And Marry YourSelf First Everyday!

Feel Free To Leave a Comment or Two…

Ha! I wish!

I shy away from sharing much of my personal story with my clients,
as that is all part of having, and demonstrating, healthy boundaries.

But I felt inclined to share the following with her…and now, with you…

I shared with her my early life challenges with addiction to drugs and alcohol,
the three drug-related arrests by age 18, my 18 months of treatment,
and the “mac-daddy”, the relapse with cocaine and methamphetamine.

Then my spiritual awakening at 29 after over 40 different jobs,
my marriage, my “calling” to go to college and become a therapist,
my being “THE” self-proclaimed relationship expert,
followed by the next breakdown: The divorce!

Then the fall into depression and the battle with it over the
next 15+ years.

I shared this all with her to convey one message: Yes…
I’m human too and I’m NOT beyond any set of circumstances
that occur with my clients…or anyone else, for that matter.

BUT…through all those trials and tribulations,
I have learned valuable lessons…many of them.

I’d like to share a few of them with you now…

Everything passes…Sunshine always follows the cloudiest of days.
I choose to focus on the future sunshine, not the past clouds.

I have a choice of my attitude regardless of outside circumstances.
I choose the positive, hopeful and optimistic path.

The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity.
I look for opportunities.

The more uncomfortable something is, the more I can grow from it.
I commit to growth.

I’m either living or I’m dying…there is no neutral.
I choose living every time.

And the biggest and more wonderful lesson is this:
No matter how far down or how hard I might fall, I can always
get back up and it doesn’t have to be pretty.

And with each fall or stumble or fumble, I learn something
that I’ll inevitability be able to pass on to someone else or,
better yet, because of my poor choices or bad experiences,
I now have an empathy with another who has a similar
challenge and that empathy, that connection,
has tremendous healing power.

Yes…I can turn every bad, negative, hurtful wound inside-out
and grow a garden…after all, manure is great fertilizer!

These are sacred wounds and I am the wounded healer…
and for that I have no shame.

Rather, I have gratitude that I am able today to have the ability
to connect, help and heal others because of all my varied
life experiences.

The good…the bad…the ugly…and the beautiful.

And the same goes for you….

Read more from Ken Donaldson here…