by currantdesignsllc | Sep 11, 2014 | Emotional Healing, Forgiveness, Growth, Healing, Parent-wounds, Recovery, Relationships, Self-Help
Think about the amount of money you spend each day. How much of it leads to a truly satisfying life? Do you want to exchange unhealthy patterns for healthy ones? Do you want to be more effective at what you do? Maybe you don’t know who you are or what you like. Do you want to start investing in yourself? I often hear from potential clients that coaching/counseling is expensive. I hear from clients who have moved forward in their lives that the cost to get there is worth every penny.
Think about the amount of money you invest in decorating your home or enriching your wardrobe. You like to have things look a certain way or be comfortable. Sometimes you might even get rid of everything and start over. Not an inexpensive endeavor. But what about yourself? What are you doing about the need for an over-haul within? I believe you get one chance at this life. Do you want to be on your death bed thinking about all the mistakes you made and how you wish you could have a do-over? Chances are some of those mistakes would have something to do with not taking a deep look at what’s going on inside your emotions and thoughts – your issues. Issues that could have been dealt with by going to therapy or coaching.
A new endeavor of mine, in addition to my private practice and the Smalley Marriage Intensive coaching, is the Townsend Leadership Program (TLP). I will be starting a TLP group in January 2015. Endorsed and founded by Dr. John Townsend, the TLP offers the support of a group format to learn life and business leadership skills as well as work through issues that are getting in the way of living your life to the full in work, relationships and free-time. Email me or call for more information: Karen.Thacker@TownsendLeadership.com 303-589-6274
Granted, I’m talking to people who have money. If you have very little, check out counseling centers associated with a local university, like the University of Colorado in Denver. Another option is an organization called Open Path. They have partnered with therapists across the US to take on at least one low cost client. No matter what economic bracket you are in, there is help out there if you want to invest both the time and the money.
by currantdesignsllc | Apr 9, 2013 | Boundaries, Relationships, Self-Help
Moving right along from the last post related to understanding what needs are, let’s shift into understanding your own needs. I introduced the idea of contemplating your needs in the last post but I am not going to assume you came up with any. Not because I don’t think you can come up with your own needs. It’s because I don’t want to assume the task was easy for you. I get frustrated sometimes when I am introduced to a new concept but not guided down the path slowly through each point so that I can fully understand and incorporate the concept into my life. If you are already aware of your needs then feel free to skip this post and wait for Part 4 🙂
So we begin the journey of figuring out our needs in relationships. It begins with knowing yourself. Some of us are so closed down to who we really are and what we really need that this task may seem like a chore or perhaps a “why bother?” Here’s my belief: we all have likes and dislikes. You may think you are so easy going that you don’t need anything in particular and take pride in going with the flow. I will challenge you to determine if you are a chameleon who is actually afraid of rejection if you show your true colors. Many of us are. I believe you were wired to be aware of your likes and dislikes. It’s part of understanding who you are, the aspects of your being that separate you from everyone else. We were not meant to be what we think others want us to be (oh what a hamster-wheel-life that is!). We were designed to walk through our lives allowing each circumstance to be an opportunity to find out who we are, what we think, and how we feel. No one else can answer those questions for you. That part of your journey must be forged on your own. You can seek the counsel of others in determining the answers, but those whom you seek cannot do the answering. This topic relates to our boundaries. I wrote a post on this, it might be worth reading if this is a new concept for you. May I also suggest the book, Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend.
To begin understanding your own needs, ask yourself about things you are doing, eating, saying, hearing…pretty much anything. Ask the question, “Do I like this?” You might not have an answer or you might answer quickly, “Yes!” If you say yes, ask yourself why. What do you like about it? If you say no, ask why. What is it about this thing that you don’t like it? If you don’t have an answer, explore that. Why don’t you have an answer? Are you too tired to think about it? Then get some rest and commit to asking yourself when you are in a better state to give it more time and effort. Maybe you’re not tired; you simply don’t like spending time thinking about these sorts of things. “It’s a waste of time,” you might say. Really? I suppose part of living your own life is deciding the things you want to spend time on, but how do you know what those things really are if you don’t take time to know who you are and the things that matter to you? I don’t believe we are shallow by nature. We get shallow when we shut ourselves off from knowing who we really are.
You may have shut yourself off from your needs to protect yourself somewhere along the way in your development. This is not unusual. Perhaps you had an alcoholic or abusive parent or caregiver and there was no space for your needs. Maybe your parents or caregivers were so preoccupied with something other than you that your needs were not heard or didn’t matter. These scenarios are quite common. Most of us put our needs aside in order to survive. You are an adult now and you get to decide if you and your needs have value. The fact that you are breathing tells me you have value. That part is a given, inherent in human life. It’s up to you to begin to believe that. Get around people who genuinely care about and support you in your growth. That is the ideal place to find healing. You may also enlist the help of a trained therapist/counselor/coach to guide you toward healing and wholeness.
Another reason I believe it’s important to know what we like and don’t like: it’s the one thing no one can take from us. It’s our essence, our choice to be who we are. Viktor Frankl survived a concentration camp during World War II. The thing that got him through the horrific experience of having all his rights taken away was that he never let the Nazi’s have his essence, who he is and his ability to choose how to respond to his circumstances. We live in relatively pleasant times, but you never know when that might change. The reality of today is often painful enough and you will face heartache. It is then that you will need to rely on your essence for survival. You’ll have a better time dealing with life’s challenges when you’ve figured out who you are.
Become a student of yourself. This quest will help you identify your needs. Play with this a bit. Practice asking yourself what you need in this moment. Do you need a break from reading? Step away from the computer for a bit. Are you looking out your window wishing you could feel the sun on your face? Step outside. What does that feel like? Are you hungry? Get something to eat. What do you notice about how you feel now that you have eaten? Are you lonely and want to hear a friendly voice? Call someone. Find out what you need then meet the need and notice what happens within you. Warning: needs in this context and in all posts from me must fall into a realm of legal and healthy. You may think you need Meth, but you really don’t. You may think you need to eat the entire chocolate cake or to scream at the annoying driver in front of you. You don’t need either. Check in with what you need, ask yourself if what you came up with is legal and healthy, then do what you can to meet your need.
Once you understand your needs, move on to the next step: communicating them, but you’ll have to wait until I post it 🙂
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