Author: Impower You

Healing through art & therapy! I used to be depressed and codependent with very low self worth and many unhealthy habits. But several years ago I started the healing process and am sharing what I learned with gratitude and hope for each of us. Peace & hugs, Leah
Social Action

What If Men…

Impower You

I love this photo.  Since men are the majority of politicians and for some insane reason get a say in women’s rights,  it makes sense to get them involved in the realities of reproductive rights.  What if there is not easy access to contraceptives? Than women will get pregnant a lot more often and men will have to pay child support, medical bills for children until they turn 18(at least), educational expenses and everything else that comes along with having a child.   What if you had to deal with daily childcare, custody battles, messy divorces, child support, or having some kid find you twenty years later and thus pissing off your current girlfriend or wife?  

 

If you block women’s human right to control her body than be prepared to pay BIG! 

Pass this on to your brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews and friends.

Empowering Discussions

My Voice

Impower You

I was featured on the blog Voice 4 Society. They promote youth and community advocacy. I am part of the summer showcase with lots of other amazing people that are working to get youth involved in creating stronger communities.

Check it out here: http://voice4society.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/investing-in-women-the-leah-o-story

Empowering Discussions

Think Past the Pop Politics

Impower You

I haven’t wrote a political post in some time and since election day will be here before we know it, now is a good time to start.  I often wonder why political candidates constantly pitch and we constantly argue on the same issues over and over again while there are so many more issues. From my view we should focus on issues that effect EVERYONE. We need to discuss problems that cross party lines and religious beliefs! Thankfully I am not the only one who feels this way.  On Care2 I read an article by Beth Buczynski, “Top Ten Science Questions to Ask Your Candidate”.

“Instead of obsessing about same-sex marriage or who deserves access to birth control, maybe we should be worried about what’s gonna happen when the drought lasts all year, or the Keystone XL pipeline spills into the Ogallala Aquifer, threatening 83 percent of Nebraska’s irrigation water. Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/top-10-science-questions-to-ask-your-candidate.html#ixzz21TdPYbcM”

Both points she brings up have already been proven to be important to the average citizen. Remember all the press after the gulf oil spill? I saw people riding the bus and walking with signs stating they were protesting our overuse of oil. I overheard conversations and saw all the posts on FB about the spill and the effects. I read about the businesses that were affected by the spill and saw the photos of animals drenched in oil.  So why isn’t the environment a more popular topic for candidates?

I know several people who live where there is a drought and it has impacted their life in a most negative way.  It’s hard to ignore neighbors dying from heat or increased prices at the grocery store. Water is scarce. It is polluted and there is much less freshwater than saltwater for us to drink and use.

To get you started and give you information Beth’s article gives you 10 questions regarding the following topics:

  1. Innovation and Economy
  2. Climate Change
  3. Education
  4. Energy
  5. Food
  6. Fresh Water
  7. Ocean Health
  8. Science in Public Policy
  9. Space
  10. Critical Natural Resources

Take action! Do what I did and send an email to your reps in congress and the senate. I sent out emails asking all ten of the questions. You can do that or focus on just one or two questions that you are most concerned about or have the greatest impact on your life.  To make it easy for you, here is a link to where you can find your political reps by area. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/

What issues are important to you that effect your community?

Empowering Discussions

Planting a Seed

Impower You

After reading a post by one of my favorite bloggers I was inspired to share it with you. it is based on a conversation she had with a date about rape. Can you imagine having that conversation with someone you just met?

This ridiculous notion of night time and strangers hurting us is dumb. According to what I learned, acquaintance rape is much more common than stranger rape. I can see this as true, unless you live a in war zone where rape is a weapon used everyday. I used to go jogging at 10 pm in a less than desirable neighborhood and never got harassed. I think it was because one I am huge, and two I was moving fast. However, for as long as I can remember, I can simply walk down the street in broad daylight and be harassed to NO END!

Even though the date ended awkwardly I am proud of her for having this conversation. Perhaps she planted a seed of knowledge about what rape really is in this man’s head.

Often in life, all you can do is plant a seed, a thought, or a new idea and let that person decide.

Empowering Discussions

Focus on The Solution or Dig Up The Past?

Impower You

I recently learned about Solution Focused Therapy.  Unlike traditional therapy where we look for problems from out past to figure out what is wrong, SFT instead looks for solutions. I think it is brilliant for two reasons. First, we seem to live in a society where nobody wants to take personal responsibility because it is easier to blame others.  Second, a lot of us are addicted to drama and what better way to bring up drama than to focus on everything bad in our past?  I am not saying that traditional therapy is wrong, in fact I think it is very important to learn what makes us tick and twitch. I just don’t think we need to do that our whole lives.

I know all the reasons I am the way I am, I don’t need to dig anymore into my past for some aha moment or for people to blame.  The past is there, it is a part of me, but I am done with letting it control me.

SFT was introduced in the 1970’s and “is directed toward developing and achieving the client’s vision of solutions.”  So instead of trying to figure out what went wrong, you try to figure out what went right before and what can go right now and in the future. My favorite part of the therapy is the “miracle questions”.   You are asked what would happen if you woke up and overnight the problem had been solved.  What would be the first sign that it was better and how would you react to that? This means that you have to use your imagination, something humans are not at all short on.  There is a great example of the MQ on this website: http://www.solutionfocused.net/solutionfocusedtherapy.html

 What is a problem right now you need to deal with?

Can you imagine waking up and having it miraculously solved?

What are the first signs it is no longer a problem?

How will you react since the problem no longer exists?

🙂

Social Action

Forget Foreign Aid

Impower You

It is time to stop just giving aid, except in immediate situations like trauma, famine and war. We need to teach people how to be self sustainable. Otherwise we just encourage people to wait for someone else to help them. We are all capable of being strong and bettering not only ourselves, but our communities. I have seen enough positive change in this world to know that is possible.

I am glad the world is waking up to this idea of investing in people and countries instead of just giving. It is a sign that we can make this world a better place. Not perfect, but better.

Thank you Helping Women Helps The World for this post:  http://hwhtw.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/forget-foreign-aid-focus-on-foreign-investment-in-women-entrepreneurs-by-startupbiztalk-in-forbeswoman-myawd

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AID VS. INVESTING?

…

Empowering Discussions

Lessons to Learn: Judgement

Impower You

Over the past year I have learned so much and grown so much that sometimes I feel so high and mighty. Than my ego gets the best of me and life serves me up a lesson or two.

I was one of those kids with pathetically low self-esteem that was bullied from Elementary school until my Junior year in High school when I finally stood up to a bully. I hated that people would judge me based on something stupid I said, how I dressed or the variety of my family and roots.  Yet looking back I can see that I am as guilty as anyone of judging. I see people walking down the street doing something I don’t like and I judge them. I hear people say ignorant things and I judge them. I get offended by an offhand comment and in my mind I ruthlessly judge that person.

Just because my judgments are not said doesn’t mean they don’t have an effect on me or anyone else. My body language, actions, and tone of voice speak my judgement loud and clear.  

This is one of those lessons that life continually sets down right in front of me and asks why are you being so darn judgmental?   Luckily the more I pay attention and listen to life the less judging goes through my mind.  It is NOT my place to tell others how to act. It is NOT my duty to set them straight.  It is NOT going to hurt me if someone is different from me.

It is my job to allow others to be as they are and to love myself. It is my duty to focus on my own actions and let what I do speak as loud as any words.

 HOW OFTEN DO YOU FIND YOURSELF JUDGING ANOTHER?

 HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL WHEN YOU JUDGE ANOTHER? 

HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED?

Empowering Discussions

Be a Pro

Impower You

Be Pro-peace, Pro-organic food, Pro-education, Pro-community involvement, Pro-knowledge, Pro-love,  Pro-acceptance, Pro-tolerance, Pro-individual choice, Pro-civil rights, Pro-gay rights, Pro-women’s rights, Pro-animal rights, Pro-equality, Pro-freedom. What is missing from this list? Add it in a comment below.

Be whatever you want to be. Stand FOR everything that will make the world a better place. Let go of being AGAINST hate and be FOR peace instead.  You don’t need to have any negativity in your life at all. If someone is destroying the environment where you live, be proactive and make a positive change in a cleaner direction. If someone is physically hurting you, be proactive and leave. If someone is threatening you, figure out how to turn the tables and stop them from making that threat a reality.

It won’t be easy, but I challenge you to find at least one thing that you are against and find a way to be pro the results you want.

WHAT KIND OF PRO WILL YOU BE?

…

Book Reviews

Supporting Other Authors Makes Me Smile

Impower You

Supporting other authors makes my day. I am proud to be a small dollar philanthropist.

Lachrista Greco is an author and recent grad student in Chicago and is publishing an anthology of Italian American Women writers.  I know how hard it is to self publish a book, so I donated $5 to her campaign. Please check it out and consider supporting her with $1 or donate services.

http://lachristagreco.com/2012/06/25/please-donate/

“My IndieGoGo campaign went live today! As you may know, I am trying to finish and publish an anthology of Italian American women writers on feminism, activism, body image, culture/ethnicity, sex and sexuality.

If this project speaks to you in any way (or if you think it will to someone else), please contribute what you can!

http://www.indiegogo.com/olivegrrrls?c=home&a=701934“

Empowering Discussions

What If It Costs The Same?

Impower You

If you can’t convince people to eat healthy, make junk food expensive. That is the idea behind soda tax.  Why not? If it is true as this article from Mother Jones states that 21% of medical expenses are from obesity than I say tax away the fat.

Would you be more likely to buy a healthy drink (with little or no sugar and no additives and no food coloring and no corn syrup) OR a soda if they cost the same?

For me it is an easy choice.  I had a root canal years ago and decided to stop drinking soda and to cut back on my sugar intake.  I can’t say for sure that my teeth are okay now because of that decision, but the rest of my body sure feels great.  It wasn’t easy, but I don’t miss all those sugary sweet drinks.  Actually, my cravings for sweets has diminished a lot since I cut back on sugar and went cold turkey on soda.