Empower Connect Conversations

· Each morning Carolyn struggles to find the energy to get out of bed. She feels listless and down. Her kids need her but she cannot summon up enough energy to interact with them.

· Annette is having a hard time thinking clearly. She lost her job and just cannot seem to crawl out of the hole she feels that she fallen into. She will not go on interview because she feels so down so all she does is sit around the house and play on her phone. She is keep doing downward.

· Every fall in October Nakia, goes in through a time of depression as the leaves fall, she struggles with loneness, moments of outpouring crying, and low moments but once October is over, she is back to norm.

· Shalom pushes herself daily to trying to move forward when ask how she is doing she say she is okay. But internally she is miserable and is hard on herself, everyday she is thinking the world would be better off with out her. The mask she is wear say she is okay with her mouth but not in her heart.

These are examples of people experiencing depression. What is depression? Depression is a mood disorder that can cause mild to severe symptoms, can affect how you feel, think, and manage daily activities.

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“This is not the end of your story. Just empower connect to who you are in Christ by forgiving and growing daily in Him. You may get knocked, down, but you are not out. Just get up and turn the page to start a new chapter.”

Website: www.carolyncarolyn.com

2 Corinthians 4:8-9: We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

Many of us struggle with the lack of purpose and direction in our lives, we lack the confidence to face the battles we are facing.

With life storms we can get knocked down but that does not mean that we are out.

I know how hard it is to pull yourself out of the rubbles when the storm of life knocks you down. My life storm knocked down moment put me in the ring of unforgiveness.

The unforgiveness emotional rollercoaster ride left me wobblily and going through life with bitterness, hatred, low self-esteem, and prison on the mind.

Mahammad Ali, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses -- behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

So, I would like to all of you who are experiencing an agonizing defeat, because of whatever reason, listen to these words: You may be at the end of your ROPE, but you are not at the end of your HOPE. We may get knocked down, but we’re not out.

By faith we get up and move forward even when our OUTWARD CIRCUMSTANCES do not describe our INWARD COMFORT of our faith in God.

“This is not the end of your story. Just empower connect to who you are in Christ by forgiving and growing daily in Him. You may get knocked down but you are not out. Just get up and turn the page to start a new chapter.”

Visit my website www.carolyncoaching.com.

If you were to tell your life story using a description of a sitcom, a movie, a book, or a song, what would it be?

Would you describe your life as, Good Times because you are living your best life even with some storms?

Or would you describe your life as “A Different World” because you moved to a new state, going to college, or doing something new?

Or would you describe your life as an “Overcomer,” because no matter what storms you have faced you were able to come through.

Or would you describe your life as a “Cast Away” because you feel like you are alone in your storm, and no one cares?

Or would you describe your life as “Triumph Through Tragedy,” that even though the storm was meant to destroy you, you came out of as a winner.

Or would you describe your life as “No More Suffering in Silence,” because you have decided that it is time for healing, deliverance, and restoration.

Or maybe because of some storms you been through you may call your life story, “I Never Would Have Made It” because you did through the grace of God.

Or would you describe your life story as “Believe For It” because you have seen how many times God has showed up for you and you are standing on His promises.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (AMP)

9 but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].

Our limitations and weaknesses not only help develop our character as followers of Christ, but it also deepens our worship because in admitting them, we affirm God’s strength.

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You can connect with me by visiting my website www.carolyncoaching.com.

“This is not the end of your story. Just empower connect to who you are in Christ by forgiving and growing daily in Him. You may get knocked down but you are not out. Just get up and turn the page to start a new chapter.”

Connection in all our relationship is something we are made for deep down inside. To the core of our soul, we all have a longing for wholeness. The experience we want to feel in each relationship various per person. It can range from a sense of belonging to a feeling of being accepted. Maybe it’s a hollow feeling of disconnection or loneliness, or perhaps it’s a compulsion to soothe pain in an unhealthy way. Whatever the case, the desire for wholeness is the basic to connect with others.

In Colossians 1:17, it tells us, He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Some of the benefits from feeling connected to others are lower levels of anxiety and depression. There are studies that people who feel connect also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting and supportive and, at the same time, others are more open to trusting and banding with them.

There are three types of connection style that we seek after:

1. Feeling Secure: We want to our relationships to be secure where you can trust what we talk about with be safe.

2. Feeling valued: We want to feel like we are valued in the relationship instead of feeling useless.

Feeling included: We also want to feel included and not an outcast or ignored in our relationships.

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www.carolyncoaching.com

Steps to take to start loving yourself unconditionally.

1 Journaling - Journaling is a good way to write down your feelings.

2. Forgive yourself. You must forgive yourself. Forgive yourself to move forward.

3. Respect your uniqueness and drop the comparison. You were not created be someone else, you were created to be you.

4. Practice gratitude for yourself. Instead of focusing on what you perceive to be ‘wrong’ with you, focus on all the amazing things you do have to offer.

5. It is okay not to be perfect. Nobody is perfect and nobody is supposed to.

6. Be your best friend. Stop bullying yourself.

7. Setting boundaries. We all have obligations and responsibilities that we need to take care of, but still, we can set healthy boundaries for ourselves.

8. You are not alone, you are not the only one who feels vulnerable, insecure, and self-critical at times.

It is being connected to your truth that frees you from your own limitations and allows you love yourself unconditionally.

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“You may get knocked down, but you are not out, get up this is not the end of your story. Just get up and turned the page to start a new chapter because your story is not over.” 

www.carolyncoaching.com 

The inner self:

· the one that is angry, you are easily to get mad at yourself about anything or any mistakes that you make

· the one that is unforgiving, it is hard to forgive yourself and others who had wronged you, you keep replay the incident over and over in your head

· the one that is jealous, you are jealous of other people success, at your siblings, at your coworker, anybody that seem in your mind is moving better than you.

· the one that is bitter, you are bitterness toward yourself or toward others.

· the one that overly drinks in secret because you just cannot handle the feelings that you feel

· the one that is addicted and do want to admit they need help; the addiction is controlling your life

· the one that wants to give up because you do not see any hope in the future

· the one who can only say negative things about themselves you cannot stand to make mistakes

· the one who sits in the dark because they do not know how to move forward because the present is so dark

· the one who is depressed and feel dejected, it take everything for you to even get out of bed

· the one who pray harms on others because you think this will make you feel better if harm comes to them

· the one who lies because they do not like their life or nothing about themselves

· the one who feels like a failure because no matter how hard you try it seems like nothing works it is like you take one step forward and get knocked back two steps backwards

· the one that keep make excuses not to change because in your mind it is easy to make excuses because you are not motivated to change.

· the one that that contemplate suicide because you feel like the world would be a better place without you, or you feel that death is better than dealing with the storm you are in or facing.

If you are having any of these thoughts, please talk with someone, a family member, a friend, a pastor, a therapist or suicide hotline.

It is hard enough when you go through life, and you are constantly having these feelings and trying to put on an appearance for others but deep down you cannot love yourself.

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www.carolyncoaching.com

As you walk pass the mirror what do see. Do you like what you see or do you not like what you see? Do you wonder how others see you?

The inner self that you cannot stand when you look in the inner self mirror is:

· the one that is angry

· the one that is unforgiving

· the one that is jealous

· the one that is bitter

· the one that overly drinks in secret

· the one that that contemplate suicide

· the one that is addicted to drug, alcohol, or sex

· the one that wants to give up

· the one who can only say negative things about themselves

· the one who just do not know how to move always forward

· the one who sits in the dark because of shame

· the one who is depressed

· the one who pray harms on others

· the one who lies because they do not like their life

· the one who do not like nothing about themselves

· the one who feels like a failure

· the one that keep make excuses not to change

These are feelings that make us not like ourselves. It is hard enough when you go through life and you are constantly looking at your appearance and you cannot love yourself, you point out all the negative things about you and never focus on the positive. This is so heartbreaking when you just cannot love yourself no matter how hard you try.

You owe it to yourself to love yourself unconditionally.

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Carolyn McClain

www.carolyncoaching.com

A written vision with images is powerful. Our mind works in pictures through images.

A vision board is a visual representation of your hopes and dreams. Vision board is a “snapshot” of your dream’s future and your visual “end result”. Vision board is a blueprint for inspiration and action. It is about you; it is collection of your life story through images.

In Habakkuk 2:2: And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.