Do you find yourself doing the following?

-       Avoiding

-       Blaming

-       Comparing

-       Compartmentalizing 

-       Complying

-       Creating Distractions

-       Helpless/Hopeless

-       ...

All of us experience pain. It's a human emotion and most certainly an event you will experience. And. . .it stinks to experience it. Pain is experienced from certain circumstances and events that you CANNOT CONTROL. 

 Just this weekend I experienced a lot of pain. I cried much of the weekend because someone I love made choices that directly affected me because they are disconnected/numb. When people are disconnected/numb, they usually invite pain into...

AMERICAN FORK — Michelle Bradley started experiencing depression sixteen years ago after the birth of her first child. The illness worsened after the births of her next two children. She tried every treatment she could think of, but after brief periods of respite, it would return to darken her life.

Her husband had a coworker whose wife had experienced similar issues with mental illness, but she had found a program that gave her the tools to improve. It was called ConneXions....

Can anger/enmity really be your ally and friend? Most would say. . .NO! 

The fear of being misunderstood.
The agony of your loved one choosing sin.
The heartbreak of others choices.
Being disappointed.
Not getting what you want.
Attempting to control your children and realizing you can’t.
A lack of confidence, losing a competition.
Feeling anger and sadness.
Believing a lie, a distortion.
Losing a friend, loved one, spouse.
Missed a fly ball/someone tells an off colored joke.
Someone comparing you.
 
All of these are opportunities to enter into inevitable pain which...

The fear of being misunderstood. The agony of your loved one choosing sin. The heartbreak of others choices. Being disappointed. Not getting what you want. Attempting to control your children and realizing you can’t. A lack of confidence, losing a competition. Feeling anger and sadness. Believing a lie, a distortion. Losing a friend, loved one, spouse. Missed a fly ball/someone tells an off colored joke. Someone comparing you. All of these are opportunities to enter into inevitable pain...

How do you identify the distorted thoughts that hold you captive?
You use a slick little phrase/question that goes like this…
…And if that (distorted thought) were true what would that mean about you?
 
For example: I could never do that…
And if you could “never do that” what would that mean about you?
Well that would mean I was inept…
…And if you were “inept”, what would that mean about you?
That would mean I was...

Have you ever thought, “What in the world am I responsible for?”
 
You probably would come up with a list of tangible items such as:

1. Feeding the dog.
2. Cleaning the kitchen.
3. Going to school.
4. Paying the mortgage.
5. Washing my clothes etc…

AND have you ever thought of being responsible for:

1. Perceptions
2. Feelings
3. Actions/behaviors and their outcomes.

Guess what? Those three areas you ARE responsible for and if you choose to ignore them it doesn’t mean you’re not...

Connection is human need - and because most of us don’t know we need it we accept it’s deceptive counterfeit disconnection, to fulfill its space. The problem is disconnection feels connecting yet its whole goal/outcome is to drive a wedge between people to separate them. Or invite both parties to participate and create an outcome of disconnect / numb / enabling / distraction / denial / self-denigration / self-adulation / entitlement / blame / control / isolation / resentment...

Safety & Trust

To the left you can see the connections building blocks. The foundation of connection is living life in honesty, responsibility, and humility. This is why ConneXions focuses on the importance of...