BLOG.STROKESSUCK.COM

Are You Protected?

2012-05-21T21:48:28Z

Please tell your loved ones to protect themselves

I realize that most of us can not qualify for the new type of "living benefits life insurance"

I do not want to appear insensitive or make it appear like I am trying to sell something.

I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart only wish that people have the right coverage when something bad happens. 7 out of ten people that live to age 65 will suffer a stroke, heart attack or cancer and live.

This weekend my 34 year old niece who just gave birth two weeks ago, suffered several small strokes, most likely due to a difficult delivery. She lives in a state where I am not currently licensed to offer The New Life Insurance. Please tell your family and friends to make sure that they have a modern day life insurance policy with "living benefits"

The cost is about the same as an old fashion "death insurance" policy, which only pays when you die.

Why not receive up to 1.365 million dollars when you are still alive if you do have something bad like a stroke, cancer, heart attack or terrible accident?

Money will not solve all your problems and it can't make your illness go away, but it can reducs stress and anxiety as well as to expand your options for recovery and to help one live a more comfortable lifestyle.

Bob Miller

Bob on facebook

Strokes Suck

The New Life Insurance.com

ABCD of Success

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Ask Empowering Questions

2012-05-20T23:32:51Z

Ask Empowering Questions

What words or thoughts do you listen to from your mind? Are the statements that you hear empowering or do they often hold you back? Do you ever have thoughts like "I can't, or I'm not good enough?"

Do these thoughts also give you reasons why "you can't?" You're too young, too old, too heavy, too thin, too damaged from the stroke, too poor, too ugly? I could go on and on because I know these same voices, most of us do. These voices are not yours. They came from your early conditioning. You learned these thoughts and you can unlearn them. When they come and they will, be aware that it is just your subconscious that is trying to protect you and to keep you safe.

Ask questions questions like Is it possible?,

Is it possible for me?

Am I willing to put forth the effort?

How can I accomplish this_?

What steps do I need to take?

Then be realistic. Chances are that at 60 years old I won't make it into the NBA, in fact there is zero chance of that happening for me, so that goal would not be realistic.

But what if you were on disability and you wanted to earn a living but no one will hire you?

Perhaps you could think of something that you could do at home, to become an entrepreneur.

Is it possible? yes. Is it possible for you? Most likely, as long as you want it bad enough and believe it. As long as you are willing to do whatever it takes, there are unlimited opportunities.You can learn the skills necessary to make it happen as long as you don't listen to those self defeating thoughts.

ABCD of Success
Bob Miller
Bob Miller Success

Changing Your Mindset Is Actually Pretty Simple.

2012-05-20T22:16:58Z

Changing Your Mindset Is Actually Pretty Simple.

I am not saying that changing your old ways of thinking is easy. It takes lots of practice just like any other skill that we master. Self mastery is a learnable skill, though we may all find different coping strategies. The strategies that I employ may not necessarily resonate with you however I believe we can all benefit simply by immersing ourself in the areas that we want to improve. Like Toastmaster's for learning how to be a better communicator.

Yesterday in my club meeting I was attempting to explain the duty of the "timer" position which I was doing because our scheduled Timer didn't show up. I know the directions by heart but I was explaining the duties to the group and simultaneously reading the directions. My brain got all crossed up and I began speaking something incoherent. It was actually pretty funny because I knew that it was stroke related. Two years ago, I would have been horrified and embarrassed. I would have beat myself up for days, telling myself what an idiot I was.

Now I just laugh because I realize that we are going to mess up, we are going to make mistakes. Making mistakes and taking action are the only way to learn. If we listen to those self defeating thoughts, we will never learn and grow.

The time will never be "just right."Be like Nike and "just do it."

Bob Miller

It's Not Your fault

2012-04-28T21:52:49Z

It's Not Your Fault

Don't you wish you could stop all of those negative thoughts that run through your hear all day long?

Well I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is that it's not your fault so stop blaming yourself.

The bad news is that you can't stop these thoughts from happening.

Have you ever tried to not think? (there have been times where it felt like I didn't think, but that's another story)

I like Wayne Dyer's analogy of our thoughts where he compares them to the stock ticker at the bottom of a news program. They are continuous. We have good thoughts and bad thoughts, many in conflict with each other.

So what do we do with these estimated 40 some thousand thoughts we have each day if we can't turn them off?

We simply practice choosing the thoughts that we care to nurture. The rest we do what we do to unwanted posts or troublesome people on facebook, we simply delete or block them.

It really is that simple, just do not cultivate these thoughts. Don't let these thoughts grow roots in your fertile garden known as your mind.

Surround yourself with positive empowering people, books, seminars, music and the people and things that you love.

Limit the negative influences like the newspaper, nightly news and tv with the incessant commercial programming.

We can't stop the thoughts but we can influence the quality of our thinking and we have absolute control which ones we choose to feed.
Bob Miller

ABCD of Success

My Personal Paradox

2012-04-28T21:48:13Z

Bob Miller's Blog

My Personal Paradox (I hate talking about sickness and death)

It was about a year ago when I first learned about a new type of life insurance with "living benefits."

What this means is that the insured has more options than they once had with the "old fashion death insurance"

You see with The New Life Insurance, a person can collect up to 91% of their death benefit if they have a stroke, heart attack, invasive cancer and a whole slew of other bad conditions.

Sounds like a great program? It is, and this is where my personal paradox lies.

I hate talking about sickness and death. I like to focus on health and healing.

But there is one thing that I hate more than talking about sickness and dying and that is talking to people whose greatest asset has been snatched away because of illness.

I know money is not the most important thing in life but try living your life and paying your bills when your income stops.

Do you know that there is a 70% chance that a person will have a heart attack, cancer or stroke before age 65 and live. That's right, because of modern science, people are now living much longer after suffering a critical illness.

But what happens when your income stops? Who picks up the slack? Who pays the bills?

In most cases it's the husband or wife who end up working extra to pay the bills.

That is of course, if they stick around. Some do and some don't.

The point is why pay for some old fashion form of "death insurance" that only pays when you are in a box?

My other paradox is that I am preaching to the choir because most of my contacts have already suffered some type of major illness like a stroke. It's too late for you.

But it's not too late for the one's you love.

Ask yourself this,"Is there anyone that you love and care about that you would like to save from the stress of financial disaster if they become one of the 70%"?

If the answer is yes, have them visit The New Life Insurance and contact me personally before it's too late.

Bob Miller

www,TheNewLifeInsurance.com

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It's Not Your Fault

Don't you wish you could stop all of those negative thoughts that run through your hear all day long?

Well I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is that it's not your fault so stop blaming yourself.

The bad news is that you can't stop these thoughts from happening.

Have you ever tried to not think? (there have been times where it felt like I didn't think, but that's another story)

I like Wayne Dyer's analogy of our thoughts where he compares them to the stock ticker at the bottom of a news program. They are continuous. We have good thoughts and bad thoughts, many in conflict with each other.

So what do we do with these estimated 40 some thousand thoughts we have each day if we can't turn them off?

We simply practice choosing the thoughts that we care to nurture. The rest we do what we do to unwanted posts or troublesome people on facebook, we simply delete or block them.

It really is that simple, just do not cultivate these thoughts. Don't let these thoughts grow roots in your fertile garden known as your mind.

Surround yourself with positive empowering people, books, seminars, music and the people and things that you love.

Limit the negative influences like the newspaper, nightly news and tv with the incessant commercial programming.

We can't stop the thoughts but we can influence the quality of our thinking and we have absolute control which ones we choose to feed.

ABCD of Success

Stomp Out Stroke

2012-04-15T18:13:09Z

Imagine a cure or reversal of all neurological disease and disorder including stroke, Alzeimer's, Parkinson's MS, and spinal cord injury. I don't know if we will see this in our lifetime but I like to believe that this dream is possible. My optimism was strengthened recently after reading an amazing book titled Abundance, The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter Diamandis

The book focuses on the possibility of global abundance through the exponetial growth in technology, education, science and even our population.

Keeping alive the concept that our lives and life itself can improve will not guarantee our success but it will certainly raise our consciousness of possibilities.

Bob Miller

Stomp Out Stroke

Bob Miller Success

Create a unique username and password

2012-04-15T18:07:41Z

What do I mean by creating a unique username and password? Think of your username is how you choose to identify yourself. How do you think of yourself? Who are you?

I'm not asking what you do or did for a living. What you need to ask yourself is who are you deep inside?

What is your spirit like? Are you good? Do you picture yourself as someone who helps others, someone who looks for an opportunity to take advantage to step on others in order to succeed or are you somewhere in between?

As complicated as life can be, these pretty much sum up our choices.

Do you see yourself as good, bad, neutral or somewhere in between?

Personally, I look at myself as a good person looking to serve God, my fellow man and our world and it's inhabitants to the best of my abilities. This is my username.

Do I always accomplish this goal? Unfortunately no, and it hurts knowing that I often fall dreadfully short in many areas of my life.

By being your best and focusing on being good while not purposly harming others you will do mostly good however we will all disappoint ours self and others from time to time.

This is where the password comes in as illustrated in the picture above.

Regardless of how things turn out in our life if our inner password is something empowering like choosing to love, to learn, to grow and forgive, especially by forgiving our selves how can we go wrong?

If I did this poster over and I think I will, I will add the words and trust in the love of God. What else is there really?

The good news is that as long as we are here, it's not too late to change your username or password.

The Newborn Syndrome

2012-04-07T21:33:37Z

The Newborn Syndrome

On April 2nd, this past week I was blessed with my second grandchild, Kody Hunter Maginnis. Kody is the brother of my first precious granddaughter Kayleigh Grace Maginnis who is now 1 1/2 years old.

Kayleigh will no longer be "the baby". She will be forced to "grow up quicker" and that's a good thing. Life is all about growing and learning.

In our stroke support community, we are fond of referring to the date the stroke happened to us as our Re-Birthday. It's our renewal. It's not unlike being re-born.

In our case we are very fortunate to survive because the mortality rate is about 33%.

We are like newborns because in most cases we need to relearn how to walk, talk, dress and feed ourselves.

It's not just because a part of our body is no longer working properly, in many cases we literally don't know how to do those simple tasks that we once took for granted.

Parents, in particular the new mothers are enthralled with their new bundle of joy. It doesn't matter how long it takes for our child to walk. It could be 10 months to over a year, mom won't give up on them.

But what happens when your spouse now finds them self playing the role as parent once again, only this time to their partner?

We think of how sad it is for the survivor, and it is. But what about the husband or wife now forced to feed a 70, 60, 50, 40, 30 20 year old newborn?

We have a Caregiver Community Group comprised mainly of the spouses and other caregivers, usually family members of the survivors. There are some survivors like myself in there, who do their best to offer support and insight.

This group is WAY different than any of the other support groups that I belong. We hear stories from the perspective of the spouse. Over this past year I have had my eyes opened widely and I have learned so much about what it's like from the other side.

If there was one bit of advice that I could share with survivors who are blessed with a spouse or partner, it would be to instill the message that as bad as you might think your life is presently, please do what you can to not keep your spouse feeling like that are caring for a newborn again.

If you are a survivor reading this, it probably does not pertain to you because you are obviously pro-active.

The needs, wants and desires of your spouses and partners did not disappear just because you are being re-born.

They still need to be taken care of and loved. They still have their emotions, fears and goals except now the fears may have grown while their aspirations may have subsided.

Love them. Don't push them away. Push yourself. Pull yourself up. We're all here to help you but they don't have the same options of support that we do. Thank God for them. Thank God for our Caregiver community.

Sexuality-Intimacy-Passion

2012-03-31T12:27:32Z

Sexuality-Intimacy-Passion

Knowing that this topic was going to be our feature in our weekly newsletter, I posted a few different questions in some of the groups. The topic got everyone buzzin. Some responses numbered over 200.

I am far from being an expert on the subject but because I was married for the same woman for 33 years only to see the marriage end after the onslaught of stroke, coupled with my experiences with Strokes Suck and our Caregiver community, I believe I have gained some valuable insight into the workings of relationships.

I still view it from a male perspective however, hopefully I am able to offer some lessons that might help the survivors realize sooner that their spouse/caregiver did not automatically lose their own needs and desires just because their partner suffered a stroke.

There are so many emotions connected to this topic like Guilt, Shame, Worry, Fear, Blame and Anger

But there are also emotions on the positive side, the biggest and strongest of all is Love.

The question that got the subject off the ground was:

What would you do if your spouse had a stroke and you were no longer attracted to him/her but your spouse still wanted/desired intimacy from you?

The answers were varied but the most prevalent sentiment seemed to indicate that love and respect go hand in hand. It's not always about the actual act of making love that show one's love for another, rather it is our caring, our touch, our words and our actions.

People's views and level of intimacy differ greatly depending on a myriad of situations.

If the relationship was not a loving giving one before the incident, chances are that patience will wane much sooner and the relationship is held together by one or more of the negative emotions and not one of Love.

Sadly, some spouses simply lose the attraction and ultimately the respect that was once there because their partner is "no longer the man/woman who they married."

But this is true to everyone, not just people with illnesses.

It is extremely difficult on a spouse to maintain a sense of attraction when all of a sudden they basically become a parent figure to their partner

People who measure what they receive in relation to what they give are involved in a transaction, not a relationship.

Others said they were worried for the health of their partner.

In very few cases is this true. If you truly cared and loved your partner, you would find a solution.

Some very dedicated loving spouses said that it would never matter and they would never deny intimacy from their spouse. These is obviously a relationship built on love.

I believe that it all breaks down to love and respect. If someone truly loved their partner, they would find a way together to make sure both partners needs were met, even if it was just through hugs.

If intimacy is used as a weapon or it is withheld while the other is willing and desirous, the person being hurt needs to make a decision whether or not to continue the relationship. The act of denial from a partner is a "deal breaker"

Two of our basic human needs are for significance and love.

Can we truly love another if we don't first love our self?

We need to remember that we need to love and respect our self first before we can give love to another.

We have to have something to give in order to give something away.

In short there is no easy answer other than love and respect. It needs to come from both sides and if it was truly present before the illness, this love can and does grow and even prosper.

A complete collection of Bob's blogs can be found at www.Strokes Suck.com

It's Not My (Stroke, depression, disability, or whatever)

2012-03-17T18:16:30Z

It's Not My (Stroke, depression, disability, or whatever)

A while back, I don't even remember exactly when, I made the conscious decision to drop the term "my stroke" from my vocabulary.

Now I refer to the stroke that I had in 2006 or the stroke I experienced in 2009.

But they are not mine. I had them. I experienced the wrath of what a stroke brings and they do not belong to me.

Strokes are certainly life changing and I am in no way saying this as a form of denial, but I think that it really helps to separate the event from the person who lived through the trauma.

This strategy works just as well for one of strokes constant companions, depression.

Strokes are depressing, particuraly initially. Everything you once knew or thought you knew about your thoughts, your body, your relationships, occupation, vocation and your finances has literally been changed 180 degrees.

That scenario is most certainly depressing. There really isn't any wonder why so many people are diagnosed with depression.

But it does not have to remain as "your depression." You do not have to take ownership here either.

Let's use an example of a sprained ankle that you may have had 10 years ago.

You no longer refer to it as "my sprained ankle" You say, "when I sprained my ankle or when my ankle was sprained."

But then the ankle got better and you improved.

These examples are simple strategies that you can use to move on with your life that I have found helpful.

I hope that by sharing this it brings if nothing else, a little perspective on what it takes to move on with our life.

Bob Miller

Strokes Suck

ABCD of Success

The NewLife Insurance

Would you like a happier more fulfilled life?

2012-03-17T16:30:22Z

Do this..it really works and it has practically no cost to you.

Every morning write on an index card 5 things that you are grateful for in your life. Carry that card with you in your pocket all day. During the day when the negative stuff tries to enter your mind, simply pull out your card and focus on those areas for which you are grateful.

Then at night right before bed, review your card and jot down at least 3 good things that happened to you today. It could be your success or the success of another, it doesn't matter. Do not allow any negative thoughts, worries or anxieties to go to sleep with you. Something magical will begin happening in your life. We get bombarded all day long on TV, radio, newspapers, other people and even well intentioned support groups, about the horrible things in this world. I am just as guilty as anyone in this but I am changing.

What this will do for you is to train your subconscious mind on only the positive things in your life. Our subconscious mind does not know the difference. It is designed to protect us, not to empower us. Your mind is always looking out for danger, thinking that it is protecting you. Picture your mind like an empty glass. It can contain anything that goes into it. It could be clear water or it could be poison, it doesn't care because it's neutral.

The crap we pick up all day from all those external sources fills our glass with muddy water. We can make it clear by constant flushing. Try that with a dirty glass in your sink. Just let clean water flush it and eventually the glass becomes crystal clear once again.

This is the reason why we need to do this every day and every night if we truly want to begin living a happier more fulfilled life.

At the end of the week we will have thought of at least 35 reasons why we are grateful and we will have expressed at least 21 successes into our mind.

Bob Miller

Strokes Suck

The NewLife Insurance

How Do You Get Back Up On The Mountain?

2012-03-03T22:03:18Z

You've fallen off the mountain and ended up in the abyss.
It is cold dark and dank
You are surrounded by steep cliffs on either side.

It doesn't matter so much as to how you got here, only that you want out.
Well it does matter because if or when you get out, you certainly do not wish to end back down here again.

You remember:
The warmth of the sunshine,
The feeling of the gentle breeze on your skin,
The sights you would see,
The smell of the changing seasons, the foods you loved,
The laughter of children, the fun that you would enjoy.

It all seems so distant now in this darkness.
The walls are steep and slippery,but you long to climb once more.
You want to be on the mountain again more than anything.
But it is so high from where you are now, it's so hard.

You are not sure if you are able.
You were told that you can't and probably won't.
You wonder if it's even possible.
Is it possible for you?

If you are able to climb again will you be able to carry all the gear you need to make your way back to the top?
Let me suggest that you leave your gear behind, and that you travel lightly.
Heck, you alreadylost most everything when you fell the first time.
Perhaps you were travelling too heavy before.

This is your opportunity to begin again, only this time more intelligently.
You do not need to climb to the top right away, nor do you ned to take any gear with you.
You don't even need to go to the top at all.

I happen to have a map.
I've been shown the way by those who have travelled here before.
This path has been taken by many others and they've left markers for us to follow.

On the way out and up, you will have many of us who will hold your hand and show you the way.
You only need to go a short distance in the beginning.
Then you can rest and get everything you need.
You can relax,eat,stay warm and re-energize yourself.

The main goal is to get out of the abyss.
Now you can see once again.
The sun is shining here and there is more warmth and light.

How high you decide to climb is totally up to you.
But now you know that the path is here and it is not as steep or as slippery as before.
You now realize that you are not alone.
You have more support now than ever before

Success leaves clues.
I am also climbing and I am following the path shown to me by others.
On the way up at each resting station there is a map.
I'll leave my instructions there as well.
Go slow, go easy. Take one step at a time.
Just be confident that I, and thousands who have come before, as well as those on the same path are here to help you.

Bob Miller
Strokes Suck
ABCD of Success

Simplify Your Life

2012-02-19T19:07:00Z

Wouldn't we all want to make life simpler?

It's so confusing and there is so much noise out there.

Do this, do that. This is better, Try this, buy this one.

Arrghhh! Enough already. Isn't there a simple way?

I am not claiming to have the answers because there is never one answer that will satisfy everyone.

I do have a system though that I have been using and perfecting that I will make available real soon.

It is based on The ABCD of Success that is geared specifically for stroke recovery.

As with everything else that we have been doing since Strokes Suck began in 2007, I am looking how to make this simple recovery version available at very little, or no cost.

Coming soon at a digital download near you.

http://strokessuck.com

http://facebook.com/abcdofsuccess

Looking For Trail Guides

2012-02-19T01:59:26Z

Fun.

Thrills.

Adventure.

Comradarie

Experience of a life time.

And much much much more.

No experience required.

On the job training provided.

Low pay but unparelled compensation.

Apply Within:

One of my recent blogs was titled, "Who Are You?".

I ask myself that question several times every morning and often throughout the day.

I ask myself what role am I playing here in life.

Who am I?

Who am I, really?

Who the heck am I?

Who do I serve?

What good do I bring into this life?

Who do I help?

Do I help or hurt?

How do I serve?

How can I add more value to our world?

How can I serve in a greater way?

How can I: Give and show more love, support, encouragement, appreciation and thanks?

How can I: Help others believe what's possible, and along with myself, to reach our full potential?

How can I: Inspire people to do the same for others? (Pay It Forward)

I think the best way is to share how wonderfullly effective it is for our own self development.

The people we meet are fantastic.

Amazing masters with lessons to share become our teachers.

Where do we find these masters?

They are residing on or walking in either direction on the same road as us.

The discoveries are many on this journey.

The teachers and masters are readily available.

Amending the Old Buddist Saying,"When the student is ready, the teacher(s) will appear.

One of life's greatest lessons is that we are all student teachers.

Using a label or description, how would I describe my role in life?

I imagine myself as sort of a volunteer mountain trail guide.

I love the challenge of climbing;

the beating of my heart, the physical strain.

Traversing while learning the treacherous yet exhilerating trails.

After explaining that to someone recently, they asked why I don't aspire to reach the summit.

I explained that I am in fact, on my way up my own personal mountain.

Aren't we all?

I've been climbing ever since I found myself in a deep cavernous abyss back in October of 2006.

Many of us our on a similar journey.

It's been a long tough battle for us all crawling and clawing our way out and up.

How high do I want to climb?

Will I reach the top they asked?

They mentioned that once up there, I may most likely discover yet another peak even higher and better.

It sounds great and yes, I am on the way up my personal mountain, I answered.

In life we all seem to aspire to reach the top don't we?

I was no different, always scurrying, striving to achieve.

But achieve what?

And at what costs?

But now I look at life with a different lense.

I continue to climb, however I have discovered that my muscles work better going both ways..

Walking up only trains my muscles, energy and even my eyes to focus only on one direction.

Travelling down into the abyss works a different set of muscles including my hands to grasp that of another.

My shoulders and back get a workout when others need to be carried.

I've been carried.

I've had hands extended to pull me up when the climb seemed too difficult.

For this reason, I recommend that you consider becoming a trail guide.

You very well may be one already.

How can you become one if you feel unable to climb?

Point the way for others.

They will come back for you.

That's why we need more trail guides.

You will fall, get hurt and bruised.

We all do because the path is full of obstacles.

But other guides will help you when slip.

Do what you can even if it is just pointing the way.

You will be blessed and protected.

Bob Miller

Strokes Suck

ABCD of Success

Who Are You?

2012-02-19T00:30:07Z

Who Are You?

Who are you really? Not what you do or did for a living?

Who are you deep in your core, your inner essence?

Have you thought about that lately? Ever?

Most of us don't allow ourselves the time of deep self reflection.

We're too busy doing things.

And when we do devote the time to ourself are we using this time for self discovery or self flagulation?

Do you spend your time in self judgment and self criticism?

You are not alone if you do. Most of us are not our own best friends.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

So before it's too late and life completely passes you by, why don't you begin your journey to self discovery?

Get small. Go to your roots. Discover the love from where you were created.

Discover your self, your essence.

Discover your connection with God. God is there. Always was and always will be.

This is where pure love originates.

Allow yourself to bask in this warm abundant love, like a power tool recharging it's battery.

And go to this place often, at least once a day.

You don't have to become a monk or a Reiki master, just listen to the quiet of your soul. Listen to God.

Feel God's love. This is from where you were created.

Once you begin to operate from this abundant source of pure love, little annoinces disappear.

Negative emotions like fear, anger, jealousy, resentment, hate, worry and guilt can not coexist with pure love.

Life has more meaning. You gain the knowing of God's abundance.

You understand that to share is to receive more.

Once you rediscover this is who You are (Love), you're life will never be the same.
http://Strokessuck.com
http://facebook.com/abcdofsuccess

It's Called a Paradigm Shift

2012-02-19T00:26:04Z

It's Called a Paradigm Shift

Stephen Covey talks about making a Paradigm Shift in his classic book, The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People. A Paradigm Shift occurs when old beliefs or perceptions dissolve or evolve into something new.

This could be either good or bad.

Many of us have experienced a Paradign Shift in dramatic fashion the moment we had a stroke.

Life became totally different in a split second.

We became consumed with this uninvited lifestyle.

Questions such as How? Why me? What now? become our venacular.

It takes a long time to get back to anything resembling a sense of normalcy.

The normal you once knew may never exist again for you.

There is no way to predict because we are all as different as is the amount of damage done.

During this recovery process another Paradigm Shift often arrives.

We shift away from our trials and misery towards a focus of new horizons and possibilities.

I have witnessed this Paradigm Shift occur in countless individuals.

It is their personal "Ah ha moment".

This is the moment when that their life holds more meaning than ever before.

We realize that everything really does happen for a reason.

We begin to understand that we are all part of a bigger picture greater than ourselves.

This shift is a blessing as we begin to care more for a deeper meaning of life and love of others.

No one can predict when this Paradigm Shift will happen.

Much will depend on our inner values, our character, who we really are deep inside.

I believe that we all originate from love and this shift as strange as it sounds, allows us to return to our true self and our connection with God.

http://StrokesSuck.com
http://facebook.com/abcdofsuccess

Love Letters

2012-02-19T00:20:44Z

Love Letters

I love letters to simplify things, acronyms to be exact. Much like the letters in The ABCD's

As our new year has begun many of us have been reflecting on our goals and new habits we are hopeful of creating. For me personally, I intend to improve in my mental/emotional, physical, social areas of my life with a more than usual focus on my D-financial as that has been the weakest spoke in my wheel, so to speak.

All of these lettered areas are simply an extension of our life. They are the branches and leaves our true self, our root. Our roots have to be our starting point. We could hack at the leaves and cut the branches but it's the roots that will determine the type of fruit we will produce.

So how do we determine our roots, who we really are?

I propose we ask and listen.

Getting back to our anronyms, I have developed some simple (I like simple) ones for myself

Here it is : WAY, W ho- A re- You?

Seriously Who Are You? Have you really asked yourself that lately?

Ask yourself this question in your quiet moments without distractions. Ask it ten times in a row.

Then be quiet and listen. Who are you? Not what you do or did.

Who are you?

Who are you really?

Do you even know?

I have found that if we truly desire to improve in an area of our life or in anything, we must immerse our self in new habits. Asking myself the question Who Are You? every day has helped me to develop some new insight on who I really am and who I intend to become. It is also giving me insight on what steps I need to take to become the person I intend to be.

And the great news is that it's not too late.

How and where do we start?

It all goes back to our inner self, our Essence, our spiritual connection to God.(The E)

Before we can achieve the outer trappings we need to define our true self.

My main acronym after WAY is VIP. Yep, I'm a VIP, at least that what I tell myself every day.

I do it during my daily meditations as well as my daily walks.

For me VIP stands for I am a man of Values, Integrity and Principle.

Have I always been a VIP? Not even close. Perhaps if asked I would have said yes but it wasn't always true. Why am I sharing this now? I'm sharing this because this is the person I intend to be for the rest of my life.

I have many other "Love Letters" but VIP shall be my roots forever.

http://StrokesSuck.com
http://abcdofSuccess.com

The Four/Five Things

2012-02-19T00:14:00Z

Have you ever felt overwhelmed?

Does it ever seem like you have lost control of your life?

Life itself is challenging at it's best even when all the pieces are seemingly tied together.

Now mix something as major as a stroke into the mix.

Many survivors even have other underlying issues that led to and compound the problems that caused the stroke in the first place.

Heart, and blood disorders are two biggies but certainly are not the only hurdles that need clearing.

Things you once took for granted like thinking clearly, walking, talking, our relationships, our jobs and careers have all been affected, even shattered.

I know the feeling, I've been there.

I've been searching for solutions ever since I experienced a major bleed in my right hemisphere in 2006.

The second stroke I experienced in 2010 in the other hemisphere brought along some new challenges and lessons learned.

As confusing and overwhelming as it can be at times, I have found that there really are only four areas that we need to work on for recovery and improvement.

Using the chart above, I have designed a framework for myself that actually keeps score of my progress in the four areas above the A- Our mental/emotional state> B-Our physical health, C- Our relationships/social conditions, D-Our finances or resources.

The E is the fifth and most important component of the circle. This is our spiritual connection. I do not have a place in my workwook that keeps score in this area. I will explain that connection along with a detailed explanation of the ABCD's in greater detail in my new book that I am working to complete.

The ABCD's are a basic blueprint designed to help us to move from where we find ourselves now, to where we want to be in life.

I will be producing and posting videos on this program that has helped me, a once scattered and totally overwhelmed person to get back on track. Based on simple easy to follow guidelines, I truly believe this simple ABCD framework will help to transform others as much as it is helping me.

ABCD of Success

StrokesSuck.com

Why Be A Glass Half Full Person?

2012-01-08T17:27:12Z

You're familiar with the question, "Are you a glass half empty or half full type of person?"

You undoubtedly understand the question is meant to determine whether you are a pessimist or an optimist.

So which are you?

Do you look for the sunny side of things? The silver lining?

Or are you the type always waiting for the other shoe to drop?

Are you a follower of Murphy and his law?

Why be half empty or half full?

Why not choose a glass totally full?

This way you can forget Murphy's law and follow the law of Attraction instead.

My favorite saying is, "What we focus on and believe in is true to us and it expands to attract even more of the same into our life".

So why not attract more of the good and lose some of the bad?

When your glass is full and you have the law of attraction working in your favor,

you will continue to attract and receive even more blessings and your glass will begin to overflow.

This is perfect. This is the way the universe or God had intended for us.

In this way we are forced to continue giving.

It's the ultimate Win Win. The more we receive the more we give and vice versa.

It sounds good but you don't know how to begin?

Start with a very small glass.

A shot glass or even a thimble to get started.

Have positive expectations but keep your needs small.

Live within your means and when your tiny glass is totally full, immediately and graciously begin to give away your excess.

This way you will always be content. You can always get a bigger glass, just make sure that

regardless of it's size, that it always remains overflowing.

www.StrokesSuck.com

ABCD of Success

ABCD OF SUCCESS

2011-12-10T17:46:03Z

ABCD OF SUCCESS is a dynamic system of personal self development that I have created and have been practicing for several years. It is also the title of the book that I am presently writing.

So what is it? The ABCD OF SUCCESS is a basic and balanced blueprint designed to help people develop their true best self. Discovering your true self helps to lead you to self fulfillment and your life's purpose.

As the image shows, the process helps us to discover a balance in the important areas of our life.

Life can be so complicated but there really are only four major areas of our life that we need concern our self. Five if we count our spiritual self:

A-Mental/Emotional

B-Physical/our health and body

C-Our relationships with others

D-Finances

E-Spiritual

This process will help you simplify and prioritize your life in an easy to understand format.

The book is not finished and neither is the website but I am confident it will shortly with a little more discernment and evolution.

You will be included in mailing list however you will have the option to be removed while not affecting your subscription here on Strokes Suck.

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