Sharing Appreciation With Those You Love

Today's topic is one that I struggle with in a big way.  So, as you read this, just realize that I'm writing it to myself.  If you connect with it, you most likely struggle at sharing appreciation with those you love.

Sharing appreciation is something that should be normal, but it isn't.  At least for me, it doesn't come easy.  I want to be able to do this more, but for some reason, it slips my mind.

Growing up, I didn't get many words of encouragement.  My dad was highly critical.  My siblings were often jealous and so they didn't give any words of encouragement.

Teachers were highly critical...

Teachers were often highly critical of everything I did.  I still remember those book reports in second grade where the teacher belittled me in front of everyone.  I struggled writing them and instead of working to encourage me, she did just the opposite.  In first grade, it was math.  In college it was that I was too shy. 

There were many bosses that were critical of everything I did, but very seldom ever said a nice word that you're doing a great job.  They just figured I knew that I guess.  They were more generous with the negative criticism then praise or appreciation.  The bosses I've worked for who understood how a little appreciation could go a long ways were the ones that got 1000 times more out of me.

Relationships can end up sometimes taking everything for granted.  Its easy to do.  You see each other day in and day out.  You get to the point where you just know what the other person will do and what they are thinking.  It seems that way.  However, taking the other person for granted is really degrading to them and the relationship.

A spark that ignites something new...

We all have had our trials and tribulations, but sometimes when another person shares appreciation with us for something we did, it can be a spark that ignites something new.  It can turn a day from a horrible nightmare to one of hope and possibility.

Sharing appreciation with those you love can be the difference between going to bed after a day gone bad, to one of more restful sleep.  It can be a moment where it helps propel tomorrow to new heights with just one little small act of appreciation.

Simple but powerful...

It does not have to be elaborate.  It does not need to be grandiose and for all the world to see.  It can be very powerful even if a very small thing that hardly is noticed.

Sharing appreciation does not have to stop with only those that we love.  We can extend it to strangers that cross our paths, fellow employees at work, or someone random we interact with in a day.

(click image to read)

We can spread the appreciation and it will multiply around the world.  One little act that we do can have such an enormous impact upon that person, the world they interact with and the world that all those people interact with in a day.

Sharing appreciation can be far reaching, but the act begins when we share it with another.  Until that point, it doesn't exist.  Go ahead, share your appreciation with someone today and see just how it changes their life and how far it ripples out.

Question Of The Day

Did you share appreciation with someone you love and if you did, what did you observe?

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Sharing Personal Insights With The World

I'm often taken by surprise at some things in life.  When someone or several people start sharing with me just how my words impact them, my heart feels so alive and warm.  Lately, I've had several unrelated comments sent to me about things I have written and my book.

One reader told me in a review that my book was like I was just writing to them.  This is not the first time I have heard this but it always warms my heart to hear these things.

When I started writing, I just wrote.  At first, no one hardly saw my blog or the words I wrote.  I was getting discouraged when my good friend told me to not give up.  It would take some time.  So, I continued to write and share my heart and my thoughts.

Look for lessons that I can learn...

In all that I write, I try to write about the things that impact me or bring out various emotions.  The things that hit me the hardest are the ones I try to write about on my blog or in my book.  Instead of just writing about the negative, I look for lessons that I can learn and pass on to others.

Sharing the raw thoughts and sometimes the very personal things is not always easy.  It makes a person vulnerable.  There are times that I question myself why I am sharing such an intimate part of my life.  Yet, when I read the wonderful comments I get on how something I wrote has touched someone, I know it was worth me stepping out of my comfort zone.

Make it authentic...

Regardless of what you or I do in life, make it authentic.  Make it real!  Make it who you are and part of your own journey.  If you try to create something for people because you think that is what they want, you will most likely miss so much.  If you write or create that which inspires you, hurts you, and helps you, then most likely others will connect.

We've got plenty of fake people and fake things in this world.  The world needs more authentic people that are willing to create from their heart.  For the ones that create from the heart are the ones that truly help others and the world in ways they most likely don't even fully know.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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We Help Through Our Own Vulnerability

In my many years of healing, I have found that we often hold back far too much.  We are afraid what others might think or scared of how we will impact them.  We walk on eggshells around them.  We hold back.

Yet, it is through our own vulnerability that we meet others where they are and we help them.  By sharing our pains and struggles, they find that they are not alone.  Together we accomplish much more healing than if we would have hidden inside our own cave, keeping vulnerability out of sight.

I do realize that it isn't easy being vulnerable and sharing, but I know from firsthand experience that it is crucial to helping others.  No one wants a scientific emotionless person there to be a sounding board.

You want someone that has walked through the fire.  You want someone to grab your hand and say, I'm here for you and I'll walk through the fire with you.  Together, we will make it.

They say it not as mere words, but as someone that has been there and fought every inch of the way to find their footing and existence in life.  They say it as an extension of their heart that they give without judgment, in pure love and compassion to say - I'm here for you.

I had many that were there for me, some in deeper ways than others.  Since others have been there for me, I try to be there for people who are needing help, support, or just someone that understands.

In this day and age, we've got too many people hurling insults at one another, but not enough that will say "I understand your pain.  I understand your struggle.  I've been there." We need more people to be there for one another, not stand opposed as is seen on every street corner of this world.

I share my struggle in this blog.  I share my struggle with those who know me personally.  I am often criticized for not "moving beyond" or "not being positive".  Yet, I know that many have shared with me how something has touched their lives.  They were impacted positively because they knew that someone understood and cared.

Sharing my struggle is my truth.  Quoting other people is their truth.  Coming up with my own set of beliefs to explain every mystery is not necessarily a valuable thing.  It can help, but more often than not, the beliefs hinder and blind us.

I don't plan on changing how I do things because I know that we help others through our own vulnerability.  When others are able to connect with us in those deep ways, their lives are transformed.  Often times, my own life is transformed as well.

Let's not hold back being human.  Let's not numb and disconnect into a positive and happy thought only reality.  Let's be real and authentic and through our vulnerability, let's show that to those who need a helping hand, a moment of support and understanding, or an extra ounce of love to know that they matter.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Writing From My Experience

I try.  Some days I think I make it more than others.  I try to write from my experience and from what I've learned.  I try to not share things that I have not been able to prove in my own life.

In what I write, I try to share the struggles I face and pull out the vulnerability stops so you get to see my struggle exposed.  My goal is to share where I've come from but also focus on how I healed or how I found ways to take the steps forward.

My experience is all I can prove.  I can't tell you with 100% certainty that x, y and z are absolute facts.  Yes, we have learned that they are the last three letters of the alphabet, but I have very little to scientifically prove that they are.  I can use examples of the alphabet charts and probably look at history, but again, I know what I've been taught.

One of the things I see the world do and it makes me shudder, is we rely to much on what we've been taught without questioning it.  We fail to realize that our experience is a much better teacher.

When we are vulnerable...

For it is when we are vulnerable that we become more connected to others.  It is at that moment that others can connect to us through our own vulnerability.

The connected part is the support we crave from one another.  It is where we feel that humanness between us and others.  It is the point where we open up and through sharing our path of healing from our own pain, that we find others see their pain in a different way.

They become truth...

I've seen things happen on a treatment table not only in myself, but in others.  Some of them have been things that blew my mind because I did not think that was possible.  In those moments, they become truth in myself because I am able to see them repeated over and over.  For if they only happen once, we have to be leery of what caused them, but if we see them happen again, then we know we are on to something.

I've learned too that just because I have found truth in my own healing, others may not see it that way.  They have not had the same healing experiences I have had.  I try to be patient and understanding.  I try to hold judgment at the door.  For each one of us has our own path we must travel and we're not all at the same point at the same time.

Writing from my experience allows me to be at one with myself and look at things in ways that I may never have seen.  It allows me the option of going deeper and further into it so I can look at all sides, not just the ones I want to allow myself to see.

Writing from my experience is what helps give me hope and sustenance.  Knowing that I am not only finding a way through my own trauma and healing, but that I'm being there for others.  Through my own pain, I'm allowing myself to be there hoping that my flashlight burns bright enough on the path behind me so someone finds their own footing.

#Sharing

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Illusion Of Emotions

I remember growing up and getting letters from my mom where she talked about "HOW" my Dad felt. It was like she was sharing his feelings with me instead of him sitting down and writing it in a letter or calling me.

While I do understand my father wrote extremely poorly and the couple of times he did write a letter to me, the words were blasting me with every baseless and false accusation under the sun. Regardless though, my father never shared his feelings with me or how he felt. Unfortunately, I longed for this connection with him instead of the illusion I received.

These days, our society seem to be fixated on the latest news story of the day. The more tragic, the more horror filled or scandalous, the more fixated we become. It consumes our every moment, conversation and the events that we choose to be a part of in our day. Of course, there is great money to be made in these things so those who follow the media day in and day out, willingly participate in the money grab.

We as a culture and society take these things one step further. We emote and release our feelings through these tragic events by sharing them on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. We comment as if we have a personal connection to the event unfolding. We align ourselves with a political persona to give a voice to what it is we feel inside. Last but not least, we comment on these news stories and we argue with others to prove our points. We press the like buttons, the thumbs up or thumbs down thinking the illusion really does matter.

Our comments, our alignment with politics and the things we constantly share in social networking are how we let our feelings out. These things have become our feelings in life. The awaiting disaster in all of this is that we still have these emotions locked within our mind and body, yet we give our self the illusion that by participating in the media culture of life, we are doing something positive.

Just like my mom in days past, by her speaking for what my Dad felt, it really had little connection to me. I longed to hear his words and connect with him. It was a false illusion that was reality to me just as our current day fixation on what the media or social networking sites feed us as truth. We have yet to figure out the illusion we are living but I hope that one day, it will be replaced with the reality of sharing real connections and feelings, not suppressing them.


Further Reading:
1) Commenting Online Without Thinking (Blog Post 06/07/11)
2) Anger In Our World (Blog Post 1/5/11)



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Blog Post & Images (c) 7/6/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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Mike Lew Upcoming Events 2011 to 2012

I'm very particular in who I publicize events for on this blog and usually they never ask me to do this.  However, there are some people who have had such a significant impact on me, that I publish the information in hopes that it will help others.  Please don't think that by doing this, I do this for everyone.  The criteria for doing so are quite involved and very personal.

So here is Mike Lew's upcoming events in 2011 and 2012.  Please feel free to share this especially with people who are male survivors of child sexual abuse.  Mike is the author of Victims No Longer and Leaping Upon The Mountains.  You may also want to check this video out (blog post November 26, 2010 - Don't Give Up)

List Of Events:

Our Actions Impact All Mankind

Some days my mind never stops thinking or reaching or striving for more.  I continue to see things that make me sometimes weep and cause pain as I look at them taking place.  We all are part of a continuum in life where what we do unto others is connected to all of mankind.  I'm more convinced of this now then I ever was.

It is the little things that we do in our day that have much impact upon the world, even if we don't see it.  How we speak to others and how we come across to them is more than just a momentary string of words or actions.  It impacts not only their day, but it strongly impacts our day.

As we read the news stories online or share social networking posts, do we ever truly stop and question ourselves about the comments we leave or things we share?  Are we just another sprocket in the sharing of news that may or may not be the best to disseminate to the world?  This goes for the constant barrage of "feel good" posts to the angry critical displays of madness we all see and often partake in.

Before You Judge Me

So I see stuff posted to social media that really makes my head spin.  Often the people posting the stuff should heed the words rather than preaching to the world.  No, I'm not doing the same thing here.  I'm just trying to point out the hypocrisy. 

Today I saw the following one, "before you judge me, you better make sure you're perfect". 

It is a nice sentiment and maybe it would be best if we don't judge one another.

However, the individual that posted this is one of the most judgmental people I know.  If you don't follow his way of thinking and his beliefs about everything, you are wrong and bad stuff will happen to you.

In other words, it is far easier to post memes on social media than it is to live by what we preach.  I remember my Dad always telling me, "Don't do as I do, do as I tell you to do!"  Unfortunately, this is the way far too many act these days.

It really would be best if we stopped judging one another because when we do that, it makes us less than human.  It makes us less than the person we are judging because whatever issue we see, it is all that we see in them.

Maybe before posting memes on social media, it would be wise to look within and see that while you don't think you're judging, there is a good chance you are.  Please heed your own words.

No one is perfect of course, but judging others is a pretty low trait of being human.

By the way, the image on this blog post is cropped from the social media pages.  I'm assuming since everyone shares these like wildflowers, that it is okay to use this image.  If there is a copyright that prevents this, please let me know.  If you do prohibit me from sharing this, then I assume that whoever would stop all sharing on social media.





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Blog Post And Images (c) 2/8/16 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Improve Your Life Through Concsious Engineering

I first became acquainted with Mind Valley, founded by Vishen Lakhiani, a couple of years ago when I saw the advertisements for Unlimited Abundance.  At the time, my opinion and view of the program and the company was not great as you can read on my blog.  However, over time I have come to like different products available through Mind Valley.  The Unlimited Abundance program in particular has been quite helpful to me.

The one thing I do know is that Vishen took a company with very little money and made it into a very successful online company with products that help people to improve their lives.  He did this partly through affiliate marketing, which I have participated in on this blog.

I do want to be upfront as always that I am an affiliate marketer with Mind Valley.  However, I don't just promote stuff to promote it, like many do on the internet.  If I have not tried the product and been successful with it, I generally don't promote it.  After all, how can I share what it will do for anyone, if I have not tried it myself.

I generally don't take requests to promote stuff on this blog because I don't really want it to only be one sales pitch after another.  This particular case is a little different, because to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time that this product is being introduced to the general public.

Why Make Fun Of People

Everyday on Facebook and Twitter and I'm sure a hundred other social media sites, there is just so much shared that is disrespectful.  It is not human.  I just don't understand why people think it is okay and fun and correct to make fun of people.

So what if the person is different?  So what if they have a different color skin?  It doesn't matter if they are gay or small or overweight or have pointed noses and ears.

It is disgusting how people do this and then they propagate it on by sharing and liking it and forwarding it.  Despicable! I have even seen upstanding people who think they are on the right side of politics forward some pretty disgusting stuff.  At the same time, they claim how bad the other side is?

Quit sharing and liking and forwarding the stuff on.  That will help a the entire world a tremendous amount.  Quit seeing everyone different from you as someone you should fear and hate and loathe.  Quit listening to the every day news stories that claims you should hate or dislike certain groups.

If we did this in school when we were younger, we would have gotten in trouble for it.  We expect more from our children then we do for ourselves.  It is like we are telling our children to do what we say, but don't do what you see us do.  Actions speak louder than words.

Why anyone makes fun of people, I don't understand.  We are all cells, tissues, organs and bones.  We all have a heart and a brain, toes and feet, arms and hands.  We are all human and we speak different languages.  We see things differently and we believe differently.  We are all essentially the same makeup biologically.

Instead of making fun of other people, why don't we try see just how much we are alike.  Let's see the similarities with others and try to ignore the differences.  We're not going to survive as a human civilization if all we do is make fun of people each hour of every day.

When we make fun of people, it is the same as when we make fun of ourselves.  We don't value our self enough to see the good in others.  We don't respect our self enough to respect others.

It is time we stop and reverse the course that we are now on.  We have lowered ourselves to such a low level that the mud pit of life is getting pretty crowded.  We're trampling upon each other just to entertain ourselves, but one of these days we will need each other.  Hopefully Facebook and Twitter isn't around to stop that!

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Blog Post And Images (c) 12/31/15 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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The Jail We Live In

So on a conference call with Christie Marie Sheldon today, a topic that came up was one that kind of made me sit up and think.  The call was about unlimited abundance.  She was sharing how we build the jail that we live in and that keeps us living in a world that really is not meant for us.  So, why don't we let ourselves out of the jail we have built for our life?

I don't know about other people, but if I stop and think about that in my own life, I can see how I have many jails that I live in.  I have built them up through all the hurts, pains, stresses, and abuse I've endured.  Some of the parts of the jail I have really fortified more than others.

Maybe its not always easy for us to take a look at and clearly see just how much of a jail we have built for our life.  Yet, its all too easy to go through life thinking that this person or that one, this situation or another, this group or government is holding us back.  They are the ones that are responsible for our lot in life we exclaim.

Yet, it isn't those other people or groups or places or things that are responsible.  It is our own doing.  We create our life one step at a time, one steel bar at a time, one cement block at a time and one day at a time.  We create our life through our actions and thoughts and our shortcomings we focus on.  We create our life and the jail we live in by how we deal with all that has taken place.

Maybe we aren't one that complains and blames others, but yet we don't live our life because we feel we "HAVE TO" have the job we have, the house we have or the life we have.  We feel that we are locked into a life that we have little choice, because what would happen if we gave all of that up and let it go?  We too have built our own jail, even if it is a different jail.

Maybe we are a person that just doesn't see our life as enough or our self as enough.  We see through the cloudy dirty lenses of being less than and everyone else having it much easier or they are more talented or more gifted.  We see our shortcomings as if they are monstrous mountains before us, when they are just from the microscopes we peer through.  We have built our own jail that we live in by not seeing ourselves as all that we are.

I know, its not easy finding our way through life and we often carry so much baggage with us from days and years gone by.  The unfortunate thing though is that we are creating the jail we live in.  We are and have created the life that we currently know.

It isn't too late, because as Christie Marie Sheldon explained today, we can choose to let that go and unlock the door of our jail in our life.  We can make the choice to step out of the jail and into the life that is ours.  It is the life that we are meant to live, not the one that we have confined ourselves to for all the days of our life.

The more we lock ourselves up in the jail we have built for our life, the more we block the flow of all that is good coming into our life.  This includes unlimited abundance which is what Christie Marie Sheldon was sharing.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
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Finding Happiness In 2012 With A Smile

Finding Happiness
Give A Smiley Project

By the time you see this post, several days will have already went by in 2012.  We will be past the New Year celebrations and after the stress of the holiday season, many will be settling back into the routine of life.  Hopefully you haven't already forgotten about your New Year's resolutions or whatever it is that you focused on as the calendar ticked forward.

As we inch forward in our lives, I hope that each day is a new year of celebrating in our life of what possibilities lie ahead.  It should not just be about one moment in time that we hoop, holler and jump up and down.  It should be something we carry through each and every day.

I wrote an article that was published right before 2012 started.  The title was "Finding Happiness In 2012 With A Smile".  You see, I'm a believer that as we find happiness in our own life, that it will radiate forward and we'll end up sharing it with others.  Most likely we will share it before we even think about it.

One such way of sharing that happiness from our life in the year of 2012 is by offering a smile to others we meet.  There is a movement that is off to a wonderful start called the Give A Smiley Project.  The hope of this movement is that by one smile at a time, we can change the world.

Heavy Handed Intereaction

What if we met the person where they were instead of where we thought they needed to be. Yes, i know many give lip service to this being at the forefront of their interactions. Yet, if we were truly honest with ourselves, we would see that more often than not, this is not the case.

Often through our words, actions and projections on to others, we tell people what we think they should hear! We project our feelings, emotions, fears and body language on to them as if it were their greatest moment in life.

Often, our fears which we may or may not realize that we hold within our bodies get in the way of how we interact with people. These fears impact others in profound ways. We tend to put on the cloak of being knowledgeable or the face of acting like we are so happy and nothing is bothering us. Sometimes we are loud and forceful in our views either online or face to face.

Stop for a moment and think about this. If you are sharing yourself in an open way or struggling through a moment in life, do you want people coming down hard on you and making you feel as if you have no clue in life? More likely than not, you don't! I'm not talking about sharing something with someone that maybe needs to be said. Heavy handed interactions should occur with a lot less frequency than they do in life.

Contrast the heavy handed interaction with an ear that listens, a heart that accepts and eyes that see the best in the people around you. How would that make you feel if you received this versus the heavy handed interaction? It has been stated that listening is critical to how good a therapist can be in counseling. Many people just want to be heard and in our busy and hectic world of noise, no one is there to listen.

May we rise above ourselves and meet people where they are at, not where we think they should be. May we learn to listen more and talk less. May we truly appreciate and respect others as we learn to appreciate, love and respect ourselves while owning up to the fears present in our life. Once we understand this, than we will become more human than we have ever been.


Further Reading:
1) If You're Talking, You're Not Listening (Blog Post 6/16/11)
2) Quiet Please, Just Listen (Blog Post 5/12/11)


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Blog Post & Images (c) 6/21/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

If any part of this post is used or shared, a link back to this site is required.
http://mindbodythoughts.blogspot.com/
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My Way Or The Highway Says Ego

Recently I saw this statement on Facebook that brought me to write a blog post about it.  Don't worry, out of respect for the individual, the name is being withheld.  If they wish to disclose it, they are more than welcome to do this.

The reason I am using it in this blog post is because it needs to be a teaching tool.  Right now in our world, we encounter this my way or the highway type of attitude that comes from none other than the ego. I am not sharing it to make light of an individual or embarrass them in any way.  It is an observation that is reflected throughout our world and should be seen in this way.

Without further delay, here is the quote.  Please excuse the language in it, but I'm copying it in here just as it was stated. 

Male Survivor, Ray Dotch on Gayle King

Ray Dotch, was the producer from the Oprah show that called and initially interviewed me for the Male Survivor show that Oprah did. I was so impressed with Ray because he was so sensitive, caring and compassionate. It wasn't easy talking to a total stranger and sharing some of the most intimate details of my abuse.

Ray seemed to understand as I was describing some of these events. Little did I fully know at the time just how much he understood. When we got to the taping of the show, Oprah explained how he had come out to her the night before about his own abuse. Seeing him sitting in the audience and sharing some of his story was a moment I will never forget.


In fact, the entire experience of being part of the 200 men who spoke out against child abuse was something that still has a profound effect upon me today. Seeing men who are male survivors come forward and begin to heal brings joy to my heart that this experience was worth every moment of the emotional roller coaster that I went through.

I'm proud that Ray and many others, including myself, had the courage to come out in such a public way and let the world know that child abuse was not okay and that those who have been through this are not alone. I'm proud of Oprah for doing this show and giving it the much needed attention it deserves. There are other TV shows out there that make a mockery out of male survivors to get ratings but Oprah and Ray Dotch along with their entire staff did an excellent job of respecting those of us who have experienced child abuse.

Listen to the clip from the Gayle King show

Ray Dotch Takes A Stand Against Male Sexual Abuse




For Further Reading:
Oprah Tyler Perry and 200 Male Survivors Stand Together




Blog Post & Images (c) 1/24/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

I Write To Make Sense Of Life

One of the things that I do to help make sense of life is I write. When I hurt, I usually try to write what is going on and put it into words. Often this helps me put things in more perspective and allows me to learn from what is going on.

I remember in an early episode of the Waltons when John Boy told his father that if he didn't get the words down on paper, his head was going to explode. I feel the same way at times.

Out of my hurts, pains, and realizations is where my words come from. They are often filled with the emotions and questions as I write them. To those that aren't familiar with how I write, I'm sure it looks like I am just questioning and dealing with these things. However, when I share these words, it is usually my way of sharing my process, not necessarily the end point.

I really don't know why I write everything down and why I share it in this blog for the most part. Some things do not make it to these pages but many do. I am drawn to sharing what I learn and until the day I run out of words, I will continue.

When I was in the hospital in 1991 because of paralysis, the words were difficult to find, let alone speak or write. It took me some time before I could speak normally again. At times, I still struggle to hand write things but fortunately the computer has made that much easier. So now that I can share words with others, I enjoy doing it and it is one of my purest forms of love and enjoyment in the world.

My only hope is that someone will benefit from what I share on this blog or in my book. I hope that someone will be further enlightened or at least stop to pause and think differently about a situation in their own life. While I don't profess to have all the answers, I just share those moments along my own journey, full of emotion, pain and realizations. These are the things that I have to offer to the world.


Further Reading
Hope And Possibility Through Trauma (by Don Shetterly)



Blog Post & Images (c) 5/2/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Truly Connecting With People

There is a way to interact with other people.  All too often, we just go through our day sharing our likes and happy slogans online and in everyday life.  Unfortunately in those moments, we are not truly connecting with people.  We are just talking at or to people.

A long time ago, I learned that in order to truly connect with people who needed help and were hurting, preaching to them or telling them what they should do added very little to their life.

In fact, it often turned them away and hurt them to the core.  I see this happening so much in the world.  We are all too quick to tell others what they should do instead of really offering them a hand to hold and a ear to listen.

Do you really want to know how to truly connect with other people?  Begin by sharing yourself and your journey.  Share your pains and struggles.  Share your ah ha moments that changed your life in ways you could never imagine.  Share the rocks you stumbled over in your path and how you managed to crawl up out of the hole after being weary and bruised to the bone.

H1N1 Vaccine - Educate Before You Vaccinate

Just so everyone here doesn't think I am being to one sided, here's a medical doctor (Dr. Kent Holtorf) that was on FoxNews and he was basically saying, I would not give this H1N1 Vaccine (Swine Flu Vaccine) to his own children. That is a very powerful statement coming from a medical doctor especially on FoxNews.

On the following site, there were some tidbits of information about the H1N1 vaccine that are very informative and people need to be fully informed before taking this vaccine. The source for this information is http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1101240076659/archive/1102743507000.html

Since I do not know if this information will remain up there or how hard it will be to find, I am sharing some of it on this blog as it is too important to let it go unseen. Please read my previous blog post Swine Flu Paranoia if you want to know where I stand on these things.

Here is the YouTube video of the Fox News Program with Dr. Kent Holtorf (Please note, I am not endorsing Fox News or these medical doctors, only sharing with you what I found online. Please evaluate all facts necessary and seek appropriate advice before making any medical decisions about your own life). I am not familiar with these medical professionals that are being intereviewed and quoted in this blog post so please do your own research to determine who they are and any conflicts of interest they may have. See the video below:

Dr. Mayer Eisenstein's Comments (from the website referenced above)

Here Is the Core of My Concern:

There is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculations can be credited with eliminating any childhood disease. . . .

It is commonly believed that the Salk vaccine was responsible for halting the polio epidemics that plagued American children in the 1940's and 1950's. If so, why did the epidemics also end in Europe, where polio vaccine was not so extensively used? . . . .

1. There are significant risks associated with every vaccination and numerous contraindications that may make it dangerous for the shots to be given to your child. . . .

2. While the myriad short-term hazards of most vaccinations are known (but rarely explained), no one knows the long-term consequences of injecting foreign proteins into the body of your child. Even more shocking is the fact that no one is making any structured effort to find out.

3. There is a growing suspicion that vaccination against relatively harmless childhood diseases may be responsible for the dramatic increase in autoimmune diseases since the introduction of mass inoculations. These are life altering diseases such as cancer, leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, autism.

4. Vaccines contain many ingredients of which the public is not aware. These are just some of the ingredients used in production of vaccines:
* Ethylene glycol - antifreeze
* Phenol - also known as carbolic acid. This is used as a disinfectant, dye.
* Formaldehyde - a known cancer causing agent
*Aluminum - is associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures, also cancer producing in laboratory mice. It is used as an additive to promote antibody response.
* Thimerosal - a mercury disinfectant/ preservative. It can result in brain injury and autoimmune disease.
* Neomycin, Streptomycin - antibiotics which have caused allergic reactions in some people.

5. These vaccines are also grown on and strained thru animal or human tissue such as monkey kidney tissue, chicken embryo, embryonic guinea pig cells, calf serum, human diploid cells (the dissected organs of aborted fetuses as in the case of rubella, hepatitis A, and chicken pox vaccines).

6. The problem with using animal cells is that during serial passage of the virus thru the animal cells, animal RNA and DNA can be transferred from one host to another. Undetected animal viruses may slip past quality control testing procedures, as happened during the years 1955 thru 1961. The polio vaccine, which was grown on the kidney of the African Green monkey (simian), was contaminated with SV40 (simian virus #40 - the 40th discovered) which differs from the prior 39 because it has oncogenic (cancer causing) properties. What other viruses could be slipping by from animal tissue, administered through vaccinations, that we don't know of?

You Should Do This

You Should Do This

One thing I find very peculiar about humans is how we think we know what is best for others and we determine it is our life's purpose to strongly let them know.  It is as if we have determined that the only thing which matters in life is to make sure they know what we think is right for their life.  Perhaps, no one even realizes just how prevalent this is and how willing of a participant we are in this scheme.  Please understand that I am not lightly suggesting an alternative to someone.

The other day I was taking a class and we were sharing as a group a little about our self.  Each person was asked to share something personal that we would not normally share.  It was designed to give of our self in a trusting manner.  The goal was for us to be real, and help others to see an authentic side of our life that maybe they could identify and learn from.  Needless to say, it was not all that easy to do and with the group being strangers, there were much needed boundaries in place.  Yet, through the exercise, we all grew pretty close together in a very short time.

Unfortunately, in this exercise, there were people that felt it was necessary to make sure those that were sharing, knew what it was that they needed to do in order to better their life.  Some of the participants were not timid in telling them what they should do and what they should not do regarding various situations.  Some were forcefully telling other participants, don't do this or don't do that.  To be very honest, it really began taking away from the moment.

Sharing Our Story

Written By Don Shetterly

Sharing our story helps heal us and empower others.  While our knees may shake and our voice may tremble, the act of vulnerability we offer to others does so much for us.  In our moment of being vulnerable, others will feel empowered because they identify with us, knowing that they are not alone.