JENNIFER HALL

The Oprah Winfrey show may have ended, but Oprah continues to share positive messages with the world.

In the words of Oprah:

  There are no mistakes.

  Your life is bigger than any one experience. 

  Relax.

  It's going to be okay.

  When you are on a detour, and feel uncertain, that is your cue to change course.

  Failure is just there to point you in a different direction.

So... What is the next right move?

Some food for thought:

In school we only get good grades so our parents will be proud (hopefully!).

At work we adapt to our environment – loved or not – so that our bosses will be impressed.

With friends we often make choices so that they will keep being our friends.

At home we work to improve ourselves – so that our wife, husband, kids, and family will be happy. Not because WE want to be.

Some of you may have never experienced this before: you’ve always made the right choice for yourself and never worried what others will think. Many would envy you.

But those of you who have struggled to get beyond the reach of what others will think. Those of us who don’t know how to stick to something unless we are doing it for someone else.... I have to ask:

WHY?

Why do we change who we are so that the guy or girl we like will think we are awesome? 

Why do we make changes in ourselves so easily when they are for someone else? 

Why can't we just change ourselves to who we want to be for OURSELVES?

And why...

There is something to be said about knowing who you are.

Were you the class clown in high school? The academic?

​​Do you strive for excellence? Is life just one giant adventure?

What are your strength's? And weaknesses?

Do you follow your head and logic?

Or are you someone who follows your heart?

Maybe you do both!

When you're in a group of people, do they drain you? Or energize you?

If they drain you, what DOES energize you? Reading? Going for a walk? 

...In truth, sometimes we really do know our true selves, and yet sometimes we only think we do.

The link below is to a free - no account or sign-up needed! - website for the Myers-Briggs Personality test. I've done this test numerous times, in many different formats, and in different places and times. The results can sometimes vary based on how your day was, what mood you're in, or how you are feeling and such. So it can be worthwhile to take it again even if you've done it before.

This is simply for fun! Rather than going through the same posts...

See that dark spot down there? The one that keeps getting bigger? Well... There's a mystery in here. A problem waiting to be solved.

It's not a riddle. It is in fact a representation of whatever problem you are facing right now. 

In life, love, work, we all face problems. Sometimes they are small - like forgetting to pick up eggs from the store, or running late for a meeting. Those aren't really problems though, are they? They're minor road blocks on your path and have only short term repercussions.

At other times though your problems seem bigger, and their solutions may even be life changing. Maybe it's an argument with a loved one, or a mistake on your big presentation at work. For someone struggling with depression it could be seemingly simple tasks like getting out of bed. And then there's anxiety which can be paralyzing in and of itself. These problems, the big ones, can seem insurmountable.

So.....how does this picture help?

Take 30 seconds, and without blinking stare i...

For years I sought the right person to help me with my worries. Friends, family, coworkers, and doctors were all there encouraging me to feel good about myself, my life and my struggles. I owe them all an enormous amount of gratitude for all they did for me.

Yet despite their support I continued to struggle - for me, it was diagnosed as "depression".

Mental illness is far too prevalent in today's society. And yet even with increasing awareness of the many invisible illnesses surrounding us there is still no set cure... It took years for me to accept that the "cure" I had been seeking needed to come from within me; it felt impossible to overcome on my own. It was only through Time Line Therapy®, NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming), and a touch of hypnotherapy that I found the tools I needed to bring down my own walls. And that was just the beginning.

Some might call it Life Coaching, but for my purposes right now, lets broaden things. Everyone has some type of struggle, and "life"...