Own Your Voice, Own Your Power

Got Excessive Guilt?
There was a time when I lived by should have known, I would have done, I am sorry, and I could have. It was a life of the should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve. It was so exhausting. I felt so judged by others, not recognizing that I was my biggest judger. I blame myself for so many things and felt terrible most times. It was not an easy road to realize the excessive guilt known as “False Guilt.”

See Me!
When You are Invisible to Yourself
There is a commercial that comes on television by Cosentyx showing actual patients who have psoriasis. Each patient says in the camera, “See Me.” It depicts the emotional pain that each one felt minimized to their disease. They don’t feel seen by others.

Black People Gathering Still Poses a Threat
Brandt Williams @BrandtMPR is a Minneapolis reporter who is covering Chauvin’s trial. He posted a statement on his tweeter feed as noted:
“Defense Atty Eric Nelson has consistently asked police witnesses about the possible threats posed by observers. It is part of his narrative that the crowd gathered at 38th and Chicago posed a threat and that Chauvin’s actions were consistent with training.”

Three Ways to Embrace Courage
Have you ever seen the Wizard of Oz? There was not a year that I did not enjoy watching and anticipating Dorothy getting back home. Dorothy helped her aunt and uncle care for the farm. One day she and her dog Toto were caught up in a Tornado and landed in Emerald City, where the road had yellow bricks. She had to have the courage to walk down the yellow brick road to get to the Wizard, who allegedly had the power to get her back to Kansas.

The Key Elements to Knowing Your Worth
When I was in the eleventh grade, one of my schoolmates asked me to his prom. It was my first prom. He was a handsome young man, on the silly side, but nice. I can still see the dress that I chose to wear.

When Darkness Leads to Suicide
(Thoughts from Oprah’s Interview with Meghan Markle)
Watching Oprah Interview Meghan, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex, sharing her painful story of isolation, rejection, and lack of support from the Royal Institution because of her skin color was somewhat shocking to hear…

How to Stop Listening to Your Inner Critic!
It is fascinating to learn about the brain, particularly our thoughts. One enlightenment is how easy it is to dwell on the negative. “The research found that the average person has between 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, and out of the thousands of thoughts, 80% are negative, and 95% are repetitive, which means that the thoughts we had today we had yesterday.”

Three Ways to Celebrate Yourself This Valentine’s Day
On February 14, on Valentine’s Day, there will be quite a bit of celebration. Why February 14? Have you ever wondered? “Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[1] is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a minor Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world through later folk traditions: the bow and arrow cupid.”

Five Ways to Grow a Community of Like-Minded People
My first exposure to the word like-minded was listening to a preacher describe how Christians are supposed to be like-minded. We are called to have the same mind that is in Christ Jesus. So, how does that look? We conformed not to the thinking of the world; we are set apart. When people hear that, and even some Christians might think it sounds robotic, everyone thinking the same!