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
Empowering Discussions

Favor Your Strengths

Impower You

I see a lot of people self hating and putting themselves down. This isn’t something new, but since until last year that was MY favorite activity it seems especially poignant now that I am aware of how often I participated in this useless action. I constantly stop myself from thinking or saying anything negative about myself or my situation. I just cannot do it anymore. There is nothing THAT bad or THAT wrong with me. Sure I have flaws, so what?  I have a lot more strengths.  All around me are victims who focus on their flaws.  Here’s a wild and crazy idea, let’s remember what is good instead of all this focus on what we perceive as wrong. Because it is a perception. Whether we feel too fat, or too dumb, or too (insert your flaws here) is relevant to what we choose to think.

I have met a few incredibly ignorant people and dangerously overweight people.  The key here is  “A FEW”. Very few. Most people I meet are so intelligent  or at least average. The majority of people I know are not even close to fat. So where is all this self hate coming from? Why the alarm over misguided beliefs?

Favor your strengths. Do it because you can and because you deserve to feel good about yourself. Do it to show the next generation how much life improves after we stop trying to be perfect.  The best way to get rid of self hate is to stop cold turkey. Just stop saying or thinking anything bad about yourself.

I heard my friends 11 year old yesterday say she wished she was skinny like the girls in her tween clothing catalog. I asked her not to be one of those people because  she was more than how she looked.  I really did not know what else to say. She is only 11 after all. I have already told her about airbrushed models in magazines.  I hope she understands and I hope she can remember to always favor her strengths.

WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS?

WHAT ABOUT YOU IS GOOD, GREAT, AMAZING?

HOW CAN YOU FOCUS ON THOSE AND GROW IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION?

Art

Art Wednesday: Hodgepodge

Impower You
Days Like This
Summer Updo
Magnificent
If you would like to have your art featured on my blog leave a comment on my profile page.
Book Reviews

Book Review: King Peggy

Impower You

I admit when I first picked this up, I thought it would end up being a boring story. Royalty holds no interest for me. I was never that girl that played pretend princess and while I did enjoy Snow White and Cinderella, the stories weren’t that great since the girls hardly had any real adventure.  So once again my idea of what a book would be like was shattered and I am happy for that. King Peggy, is now one of my favorite books.

Peggy  is a secretary at the Ghana Embassy in D.C. who finds out she has been chosen as the new king of her village in Otuam, Ghana(Africa).  While this may sound like Cinderella, it is far from it. She is not some poor girl with low self esteem scrubbing floors and holding her tongue.  She is a hardworking woman who has loved, lost, moved to a new country, fights her own battles, clearly speaks her mind, and is independent. The title she inherits from her Uncle Joseph, the previous king includes a royal “palace” falling apart in disrepair, no money or jewels, and a large village with just one water station or “borehole”.  She has to deal with a council of liars and thieves who have no respect for women or sobriety and for a short time goes into debt herself to revitalize the village and honor for her seven thousand citizens. She uses her wits, bravery and education to create positive changes. She is truly a empowered women, a role model and an example of how anyone despite gender or skin color can make a difference in the live of so many people. It starts a bit slow, but by page 55 I could not put the book down. I didn’t want the book to end.

“King Peggy” by Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman

You can learn more on her website: http://www.kingpeggy.com/

and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/King-Peggy/169676286446629

Social Action

The Root of the Problem

Impower You

After going back and forth in a conversation about the death penalty I though about the root problem. Prevention is a key component in eradicating violence (and unhappiness).

How about if our world was less focused on war or justice and more on peace and prevention. For example after working in a domestic violence/ sexual assault center I saw just how much pain and death could be avoided if women were taught to be strong, be aware of warning signs, and to know better than to return to their abuser. It’s harder to kill your wife or girlfriend if she knows enough to leave your sorry ass and or can fight back.

Another example are programs that pull kids off the streets and teach meditation, anger and stress management, and mediation techniques. They are less likely to use violence to solve their problems, but only if they KNOW they have a choice. That is prevention.

If we can eradicate violence as a solution, we can end crappy ideas like the death penalty and reduce our need for prisons.  Then we would have even more tax dollars to spend on education, health care and building sustainable energy. That’s what I have learned in all my different community work.

I Am More Than Just a Girl Book

Prose and Poetry Empowers

Impower You

I am so honored to be a part of this post on the Somkritya blog.

Why are we teaching children to be so awful to one another and to judge so harshly based on appearances or economic status? I think it is mostly laziness and fear of anything different. I suppose that since I grew up in a multicultural and racially diverse family that is something I cannot understand. Doesn’t everybody realize how awesome it is to have family and friends who are different, but still love you?

I was that girl and young woman that was scared, picked on and assaulted at such a young age that my self esteem was dropped on the floor of my room every time I left the house. Not until I was about 28 did I start realizing that all this negativity I was living in and telling myself was not my only choice.

Even though I grew up with a very independent, feminist, loving supportive mom and family, the outside influences of my peers and assorted adults had as much impact. At home I was told how beautiful, smart, and funny I was and I could feel the love. Despite this, I had no confidence when I met obstacles like bullies, oppression, and hatred for just being me. I just hope that the young women who read his book feel empowered and informed. I want young women to feel confident at any age and not wait so long like I did. My book is not the only answer, but it is a start and a ripple that I believe can really create a positive difference.

Read the blog here: http://somkritya.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/just-a-woman/

Writing

Simple Definitions

Impower You

I see a lot of people making life more complicated and thus more stressful for themselves and others. So I am sharing some simplicity for you to consider. This is what I know and you are welcome to share your own definition of these or other words as long as they are civil. For instance the silly people that leave comments calling me a twat never get published. (though I do get quite a laugh at those)

Love is just wonderful. It is given and received out of compassion, respect, attraction and gratitude.  That doesn’t mean you can’t hurt someone you love or be hurt by someone who loves you.  Accidentally hurting someone is okay and shouldn’t make you completely doubt your ability to love or be loved. Hurting someone on purpose is not love. Someone who hurts you on purpose is controlling you or abusing you, but NOT loving you. Don’t let this confuse you. People who love you will treat you well, but at some point piss you off or make you upset. The difference is those who love you do not hurt on purpose.

Feminism is just a term that expresses an interest for women to be treated equally in society on a similar level as men. You can be a feminist and be anti abortion or pro abortion. Abortion is a reproductive right and there are various reasons for being for or against it. Being a feminist has nothing to do with makeup, shaving your legs, hating men, being a lesbian or not knowing your place. Feminism is simply a stance on women’s rights and in the end just a word, our actions are much more powerful. *Men and boys can be feminists too.

Normal gets tossed around a lot. It can be used as a term for endearment or condemnation. It is overused. What is normal depends on your life experiences. It is not a bad or good thing. It is just a descriptive word, mostly used by governments to keep people in line and by advertisers who want to sell a lot of  product.

Tolerance means you are not judgmental or controlling of others.  This is a wonderful and necessary quality to nurture because we live on a planet with seven billion plus people who are all unique. You can either teach yourself to be tolerant and enjoy learning new things, meeting amazing people and seeing the world through different eyes or you can live your life in a negative, non accepting, homogeneous manner. “Live and let live” is a message of tolerance.

Heaven is in your heart, not someplace good people good when they die.   We create heaven or hell in our lives through our own beliefs and actions.  So give yourself a break and create heaven now instead of waiting to be saved by someone else. You are capable and gifted.

Peace is awesome!  There is peace with others, peace with yourself, peace with unexpected events and world peace.  You cannot make peace without first being at peace. Peace starts with you.

Wealth means you have a lot of something. It is not necessarily money, gold or material objects. You can be wealthy with love, family, friends, experiences, memories and whatever you choose to grow in your life.

WHAT ELSE DO WE MAKE COMPLICATED THAT IS REALLY QUITE SIMPLE?

LEAVE YOUR OWN DEFINITION IN A COMMENT BELOW.

Art

Wednesday Art

Impower You
Flying High
Imagine II
Mouth Pollution

I really love drawing faces and people daydreaming or with odd things coming out of them.

See more at www.Zazzle.com/OviedoStyle and www.Facebook.com/Oviedostyle

I Am More Than Just a Girl Book

Four Books

Impower You

This week I mailed out four copies of my book, I Am More Than Just a Girl. One is going to a friend who has lots of friends in high places and the other three are going to youth organizations. Yippeee!!

These books will go to the Fred Finch Youth Center in San Diego, Voices for Society in New York, and Butterflies and Wildflowers Empowerment Network for Girls in Missouri.

I also sold 2 books online to a mystery buyer. My book may not be on the best seller list, but I WILL complete my goal of getting one million copies made and out there so more young women can have more resources and more tools to create self confidence and success in all areas of their lives.

Creating and sharing this book is such a good feeling in my heart. I have waited so long for this feeling and I am not going to let it and I am going to treat me great! I finally feel like I own my life.  I am no longer waiting for something to happen. It is happening. I am king it happen and I have some wonderful people helping me succeed.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE RECENTLY THAT CREATED A FEELING OF ABSOLUTE JOY?

Self Defense

Not A Screamer

Impower You
   I spent years being depressed and unhappy because I thought I could not make a difference. From the ages of fifteen to thirty I soaked my brain in so much injustice, horror, pain, and drama that I wished I could die already because I thought life was hopeless. Over the past few years I have slowly pulled away from that negativity. Thankfully after pulling away from that, I had the idea for my book, I Am More Than Just a Girl. Publishing it, creating my curriculum around it, and connecting with new people that are in prevention has been a catalyst to learn that I can fight back in my own way. I even have hope for better. Prevention is where I belong. I no longer am in the mindset of  “If everyone was like me the world would be fine.” What’s worse than a right wing/conservative soul saver? A liberal/soul saving hippie.
  These days my focus is more on sharing my knowledge and my opinions with others and letting them take it as they want. Years of working with victims has shown me that people don’t always want to change or try anything different. Many people love to be angry, start drama, have pity parties, and be victims. At this point it makes me laugh. Not to say that I don’t have compassion or that I won’t keep fighting for equality and peace, but my strength is sharing a different point of view.  I am appreciative of those who are more than happy to do the yelling.  Once in a while I scream, but the mechanics of my brain and my emotions work best in a more calm “talk it out” manner.
   One of my mothers favorite quotes is always running through my head; “We are god’s comic strip”.  She is not religious, but it’s something she has said since I was a kid and it seems to be true most days. Unless I think about places like the Congo with it’s ongoing war, rape, and children forced into fighting or nearby where violent whack jobs kill abortion doctors, then it’s more like “We are god’s grade B horror movie”. How we look at the world varies based on our experiences and what we feed our thoughts. How we deal also varies. So my suggestion is to find your personal style of fighting.
 WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE?  HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH INEQUALITY AND INJUSTICE?
🙂
Art

Wednesday Art: Happiness Is An Inside Job

Impower You

Happiness, change and self-love are inside jobs.

My insides have brightly colored birds singing in funky trees which makes me very happy.

External forces can make happiness grow, but deep down I know the root of happy is in my own control.

What does your happiness manifest on the inside?

You can create an inner vision board to express your happiness. Is it a stroll on the beach, your favorite comedian making you laugh, or maybe it’s all those moments you felt like you were on top of the world? Make that vision your go-to spot when you’ve fallen down and are struggling to get back up.

There will always be moments of disappointment, anger and grief where feeling happy is out of reach, but I can tell you from my own depression and losses that happiness really is an inside job.

Buy this card at my Zazzle Gift Shop.

Or Check out my book Word Art and Affirmations for free at Bookemon.com

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word art book, affirmations book
Available to read and purchase at Bookemon.com