Facing Your Giants (1) By Dr. Michael Brooks

As I was walking out of the grocery store to put my grocery cart away, I turned and suddenly stood face to-face with the old town gossip just two feet away. I and many others have been talked about by this woman in our small community. My mind raced as I looked at her and as she stared at me. I froze, I wanted to tell her off, yet my mind prevented me from exposing the town gossip. I would have enjoyed doing this, but I couldn’t bring myself to be like this woman. Why? I had every reason to let loose on her, right? I mean, she had attacked me and lied and gossiped.

I know others have been hurt by her gossip; why not just expose her, and humiliate her at the only grocery store in town? The giant that I faced in this situation was (revenge) what would have happened if I had done such a thing? I would have stooped to her level and probably paid the price for it. I decided to keep the peace and not say a thing. When we face our giants, we must look at them logically and proceed. In this next series of articles, we will look at some of the giants we all face and how to deal with them.

What are the Giants you currently face, and which ones hold you back from enjoying everyday life? We all have those giants staring us in the face every day, and we most likely avoid dealing with them and wish they’d just go away. Many we’ve kept hidden for years only to find that they have robbed us of enjoying life and being happy.

Many of these Giants have been in our heads as far back as we can remember, for many of us, since we were children and some as adults. Think about this for a minute, what are these Giants that you are holding on to and want to let go of today? What are the names of these Giants that grip you and cause you to hide in your emotional closet? There are many Giants we have hidden and tucked away in our minds until we are forced to deal with them. Either we recoil and run away from them or face them and cower in silence and look the other way. Next week we will continue the article facing your giants and see if any of the giants you face are ones others face as well.

Do you need help in overcoming the giants of your past? Do you struggle with memories of broken relationships, illness, self-worth, and confidence? What are the giants that you currently face and need help defeating them? Giants can be debilitating and keep you from enjoying life and successful life. Call Dr. Mike, and he can help you through the process of taking your giants head-on and help you to move forward with your life. Why live in a defeated and hurtful past when you can enjoy a stress-free present and future?

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous, and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Zoom (if you want to Zoom with Dr. Mike, send him an email at mbrooks3353@gmail.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

Did you know that most attorneys are not trained to act as Counselors or Divorce Coaches and cannot provide the proper emotional support that their clients need? As a result, the attorney and client spend hours discussing the emotional aspects of divorce and the client ends up paying a large bill and receives little more than a shoulder to cry on. Attorneys want to help you with the legal aspects of your divorce, not to be your Divorce coach or counselor. That’s not their job!

Many of my clients come to me with little or no energy left to accomplish what they want out of life (life’s battles). They say that there always seems to be a mountain to climb (major problem), and for others, a wall (major disaster) to run into. Does this sound familiar?

Divorce Coaching offers structure and holds clients responsible for assuming a proactive role. A Coach may recommend material for clients to read, work on, or refer to for future use. Clients can benefit by working with a Coach in setting realistic expectations for the process and receiving education about the options available for divorce. Being informed and prepared helps clients make important decisions with confidence. Guiding clients in clarifying their thoughts, needs, and concerns, in order to communicate more effectively, is another important function of the Coach. Clear, purposeful, and rational communication helps to ease tension and foster understanding between spouses, as well as parents and children.

Much like any crisis or trauma, the early emotions of a pending divorce include shock, disbelief, denial, anger, and the pain associated with the loss. Once the early emotions have been experienced, there is a need for people going through a divorce to make sure they continue to take the necessary steps in moving toward recovery. As with any significant loss that involves a meaningful relationship, divorce can lead someone to a place of anger, bitterness, and lonely despair. Dr. Mike will walk you through the critical role of forgiveness in divorce recovery. Especially when it comes to wrestling with issues, like trying to prove who’s right or wanting to get even.

In addition, many divorcing couples wind up in the traditional litigation route because they are reacting to fear, anger, and a desire for getting even and are not thinking about what will happen once the divorce battle has ended.

After the grief process has run its course, divorced men and women must begin to consider their next steps in getting back to a healthy level of functioning. While this may not necessarily mean starting a new romance there is a need to take stock and evaluate relationships with family members and friends.

Part of building a new life is the acceptance of having been divorced. There are key issues in starting over, these include the need to avoid a victim mindset, having a balanced life and building self-esteem, and considering the future in terms of family, jobs, and finances.

After the grief process has run its course, divorced men and women must begin to consider their next steps in getting back to a healthy level of functioning. While this may not necessarily mean starting a new romance there is a need to take stock and evaluate relationships with family members and friends.

Did you know that…
Americans divorce more than any country in the history of the world.
The divorce rate has increased in the U.S. every decade since 1890.

Dynamics of Divorce Coaching:
Delayed and later-life marriages are the norm for society today.
Divorce is often a lengthy process that can last for years.
The person who often seeks divorce coaching is the one who did not initiate the divorce proceedings.
Divorce coaches help repair and rebuild a life.
How the biological parents dealt with divorce literally determined the future of their sons and daughters.

What Divorce Coaching will do for you:
Help you manage the early emotions.
Move you towards acceptance.
Process the grief and loss.
Understand the grief cycle.
Do’s and don’t’s in your divorce.
Forgiveness and letting go.
Building a new life.
The Five Keys to starting over.
Barriers to new relationships.
Finding new relationships.
Now what? Living in a blended family.

Are you in the process of Divorce? Do you have a relationship that isn’t working, or that you want to improve and work on? Is your marriage in trouble, and is there still hope of reconciliation? Or do you need to end an unhealthy relationship? If you answered yes to any of these, I can help you as a Divorce Coach. You can call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878 if you have any questions.

Start Your Impossibility Journey (4)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

Hopefully, this has been a good series on how to make your impossibilities a reality, and it takes hard work to succeed. People who face impossibilities face it with either I will make this happen and give it all they have, or some people will just give up!

I was finding obstacles in places that I didn’t expect; the county building inspectors needed all kinds of building permits. The local and state licenses that were required for my business. I would have to build showers in the men’s and women’s locker rooms. All this was overwhelming to me and, frankly, was very discouraging. I thought maybe those naysayers were right after all. I did have a plan B in place, I would ask an investor friend of mine who had the money to make this happen. I set up a meeting with him and shared all the details, business plans, membership goals, profit, and loss potential; it was a good meeting, so I thought. When we were done, he said that he liked my idea and it looked good to him. We met the following Friday and sat down and talked. He said that he wasn’t interested, honestly, that shot me down pretty hard. I was ready to quit pursuing my impossible dream. I decided to put my entire dream on the back burner.

Four years later I was contacted by a group of men that wanted me to be a partner in the new fitness center they were building from the ground up. I met with these men and shared my ideas. Once I signed on, my impossible dream came to life and became a reality. I say God works in mysterious ways, and this one certainly was of His doing!

The purpose of sharing my story was to let you know that impossible dreams and visions do come true. With a lot of hard work and being honest with yourself, take the necessary steps and work out a plan. Seek help from those who can help you with planning and your next steps. If you need to get an education or find a professional that can help organize your thoughts and ideas, then do it.

If people are telling you, your idea can’t be done because it’s impossible, stop sharing your ideas with negative people and show them after the fact. I know from experience from my aunt dashing my dreams and discouraging me didn’t work against me, it only made me work harder.

Here are some of the negative things people will tell you about your impossible dreams.

• You have no experience
• You don’t have the money
• You’re too young or too old
• You’re a woman
• You don’t have an education
• It’ll never work
• That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard
• Someone else has done this already

These are just a few of the things you may hear from those who don’t believe in you. I avoid sharing my ideas with negative people, they have nothing to offer you; find people who will support you and encourage you along your journey. Find people who will get you in to see the right people and ask questions. I looked for people who knew the ropes and how to maneuver around the right people. There are a lot of people who would love to help you on your impossible journey.

I’d love to hear what some of those obstacles are and what your plans are to make them happen, or if some of you have been victorious and made that impossibility a reality, please email me, always looking for successes in your life.

Do you feel like you’ve had people tell you that your dreams are impossible to achieve? Are you overcome by how big the impossibilities are that you face? Do you need help in making your impossibilities a reality? Do you want to know to overcome the fear of facing your impossibilities? Do you want help in managing your goals to make the impossibilities happen? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to contact Dr. Mike and set up an appointment. Please call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous, and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Zoom (if you want to have a Zoom meeting with Dr. Mike, send him an email at mike@applicablecoaching.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching and counseling for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

Beware of the Rattlesnakes in your life! (2)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, you’ll learn about different kinds of human venom people use against you and others, some of its subtle, and others right in your face. Learn to know the difference and how to deal with it.

The human rattlesnakes we encounter have different venom’s. Their venoms can be bitterness, anger, gossip, slander, hate speech, rage, greed, lust, ungratefulness, lies, vengefulness; indeed, this is a long list, and I’m sure you could add several of your own if you wanted. Rattlesnakes can have bad attitudes, lack self-discipline, be lazy, unmotivated, and uncaring.

It’s easy to spot the rattlesnakes in your life; they are the ones who sow the seed of discourse. They like causing fights, arguments and seem to enjoy watching people struggle with the poison they spread. I have shared about one of the rattlesnakes that I personally dealt with, the town gossip! I was dealing with one of the most wicked women in my small town. She was vengeful to the core and hated to be confronted. Many would simply allow her to attack them because they wanted nothing to do with her and her beehive companions. The rumors they spread about townsfolk would have the whole town in turmoil. People avoided her in the grocery store, department stores, parks even in the church. It was like a scene out of an old western movie.

Then for some reason, my privacy became her business and her group of friend’s business. Her poison began to work on me, slowly but effectively. I became angry, upset and wanted to get some revenge on this woman. Then I realized that’s what she wanted; she wanted to see me get angry and upset. It was like a drug to her, getting high on the hurts she caused her innocent victims.

I decided that I would confront this woman on my terms, and I would do it with my dignity intact. I didn’t want to stoop to her level and trust me, that thought crossed my mind several times. Remember, when handling rattlesnakes, you have to be extremely careful. I made a plan to confront her in a public setting; I picked the grocery store on a Friday evening. I knew many of the people who shopped there and would support me in my action to confront. This rattlesnake had to be stopped.

Tom, the grocery store manager, had been one of her victims in the past. She destroyed his marriage with untrue rumors. He called me that Friday evening and said she was there with a friend of hers, another town gossip. I drove over to the grocery store, parked my truck and said a quick prayer, and walked in. I waited for her to check out and walk to the entrance of the store. That’s when I called her out. I was nervous and said my peace; several people stopped and listened to what I had to say. I saw tom off in the distance with his arms folded and a big smile on his face. I detailed the lies she told and asked her why? The friend that was with her didn’t stick around and left quickly. After I was done, I heard some people clapping and others laughing at her. She left in a huff; I never had a problem with that woman again.

Next week, we will continue with the rattlesnakes in your life and relationships. Learn how to deal with these volatile people you encounter in your families, friendships, and work.

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Where to Draw the Line,” setting your boundaries by Anne Katherine, on Thursday’s. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. You’ll need to send Mike your email address to get a link for the Zoom class. Send your email address to mike@applicablecoaching.com. You can sit in and listen or be a participant. These classes are free.

Zoom classes in session: How to Set Boundaries for yourself, your kids, and marriage. There will be a class on the 5-Love Languages, how to have better relationships with your spouse, family, and friends. If you are interested in any of these classes or have questions, send an email to mike@applicablecoaching.com or call 303.880.9878.

Do you feel like you’re living in a rattlesnake relationship and want help in deciding your next steps? Do you need help trying to figure out who you are married to and why they treat you the way they do? Do you want to know more about the motivations of the rattlesnake individual? Do you want help in managing and understanding your ups and downs with an unhealthy partner? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to contact Dr. Mike and set up an appointment. Please call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous, and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Zoom (if you want to have a Zoom meeting with Dr. Mike, send him an email at mike@applicablecoaching.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

Unexplained Behaviors Explained? (17)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will discover how yellows operate and how much fun they can be to the rest of the colors in the colorcode. Yellows love fun, that’s their motto!

Yellows like to have a lot of fun and enjoy their life no matter what they are doing. Simply put yellows know how to have fun. They are always looking forward to what tomorrow brings. Yellows are notorious for their spontaneous ways. When I get the hankering to do something fun and at the spur of the moment, I’ll call a friend at 6:30 on a Saturday morning and ask if they want to moment and go with me to my favorite donut shop. I usually get the answer “Yes” and we will meet in a parking lot or I pick them up and we head down to the donut shop. I will share my day and ask about theirs and it ends up be a great time spent together. We laugh and enjoy the morning together. Let’s face it, yellows are good to have in your life.

Now yellows do have their weaknesses, and we need to look at those. Yellows have little regards to your boundaries and theirs as well. They can be messy and disorganized with their homes. Their personal appearance is neat and clean. Yellows are self-centered individuals. Many times, they look at the big issues facing them and will find some excuse not to address whatever the problem is, they are easily distracted and find something else to focus on.

Yellows are wanting to experience all that life has to offer, and trust me they will find it. Yellows have great attitudes towards new ideas, change, relationships, jobs, and their future. Yellows look for the good in people and look past the faults in others. When you get into a discussion with a yellow they can share what’s on their hearts with honesty and compassion. Yellows bring optimistic hope to those who are struggling with life, a yellow will make you laugh, giggle, and enjoy life. That’s in their nature!

 Here are some yellow strengths: highly optimistic, loves to volunteer, sees life as an experience, adventurous and daring, thinks quickly on their feet, easy to talk to, comfortable with people, able to express self, loves conversation, very flexible, people oriented, high energy, inspires people, highly entertaining, turns crisis into comedy. These are just a few of the positive traits for a yellow.

In closing, yellow personalities are much needed in todays world. People need yellows to encourage them to be optimistic, forward thinking, and to enjoy life to the fullest.

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Where to Draw the Line,” setting your boundaries by Anne Katherine, on Thursday’s. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. You’ll need to send Mike your email address to get a link for the Zoom class. Send your email address to mike@applicablecoaching.com. You can sit in and listen or be a participant. These classes are free.

Zoom classes in session: How to Set Boundaries for yourself, your kids, and marriage. There will be a class on the 5-Love Languages, how to have better relationships with your spouse, family, and friends. If you are interested in any of these classes or have questions, send an email to mike@applicablecoaching.com or call 303.880.9878.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous, and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Zoom (if you want to have a Zoom meeting with Dr. Mike, send him an email at mike@applicablecoaching.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

Unexplained Behaviors Explained? (16)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will discover how yellows operate and how much fun they can be to the rest of the colors in the colorcode. Yellows love fun, that’s their motto!

The one part of the yellows that I didn’t agree with, and this is me as a yellow saying this, I’m sure there are many yellows who would fit in this category, is they can be self-centered and don’t commit to very much. Yellows like to focus on their needs, wants, and desires. It’s all about them. For yellows, committing to something means being focused for a certain amount of time, and yellows find that hard to do. They can be thinking of other things to do, they can’t focus for long periods of time. They can lose interest rather quickly before committing to a project.

Yellows are naïve and trusting, I have to say as a yellow, I’ve been burned by people that I have trusted. We can be so naïve that we get taken advantage of, and trust people do that to yellows without the yellow realizing it. We make commitments without thinking of the consequences or without thinking it through. We are so happy to trust people that we get caught in our own naivety and get burned in the process. We can hide our hurt feelings by our joking around and our quick smiles and laughter. We don’t show our emotional hurts very easily.

I’ve never sought to be a popular person growing up, it never dawned or interested me. I just wanted to mind my own business and get on with life. When growing up, I could pretty much relate to all ages, and I still do. I had this uncanny knack for being able to express my feelings and see others who needed to be heard. Yellows like to engage with all kinds of people. People like being around yellows because they make people feel important, and they genuinely do. Yellows have many friends and don’t like controlling their friends. Many people want yellows as their friend, yellows are not demanding like the other colors in the colorcode. They are pretty much laid back.

Yellows are optimistic

The one thing I like about yellows is that their so optimistic. They wake up ready to start the day and enjoy those around them. They know that things will work out no matter had bad the situation is. I had a good friend of mine who was a yellow. His wife served him with divorce papers, his initial reaction was shock of course. He wanted to save the marriage, and he tried, but alas, it was over with and not to be. He said life goes on, and he worked on becoming a better person, he met a wonderful woman and married her, he is now as happy as I have ever seen him. He landed on his feet and made a good life for himself and his wife. I have to say throughout his divorce he remained in great spirits and laughed a lot.

Next week, we will continue to discover how yellows add spice to all the colorcode personalities. Are you learning anything about yellows and how to enjoy them as friends or a spouse?

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Where to Draw the Line,” setting your boundaries by Anne Katherine, on Thursday’s. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00 PM. You’ll need to send Mike your email address to get a link for the Zoom class. Send your email address to mike@applicablecoaching.com. You can sit in and listen or be a participant. These classes are free.

Zoom classes in session: How to Set Boundaries for yourself, your kids, and marriage. There will be a class on the 5-Love Languages, how to have better relationships with your spouse, family, and friends. If you are interested in any of these classes or have questions, send an email to mike@applicablecoaching.com or call 303.880.9878.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Counseling and life coaching Services. It is affordable, accessible, anonymous, and available by appointment from the privacy of your home. To avoid travel time and the comfort of home, many clients prefer to meet with Dr. Mike over the phone or via Zoom (if you want to have a Zoom meeting with Dr. Mike, send him an email at mike@applicablecoaching.com to set up an appointment). The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!

When Your Anger Controls You! (5) By Dr. Michael Brooks Have you ever given much thought to the reasons why you get angry? We all get upset at times when someone irritates us, or we don’t get our way for some reason or another. What is the core of our anger? Why do we let our anger get the best of us? I hope that we have uncovered ways that you can release the anger that builds inside you, and you have tools to deal with it.  What causes you to get angry? Think about the people who have made you angry in the past? What did they do, or didn’t do that got you upset? Was it words or actions that set you off? We all have to deal with anger; it’s just how we deal with it that people see. To continue reading this article go to the following link below:

When Your Anger Controls You! (5) By Dr. Michael Brooks