The Final Goodbye (3) By Dr. Michael Brooks

Hopefully, you’re seeing the difference you can make in others lives by simply listening to their story. As we continue on with this story, when meeting perfect strangers learn how they impact our everyday lives by being a good listener.

She seemed perfectly ok with leaving this world for a better place. I can imagine the pain she was in and how the family was hurting as well. I told her that I’m just a phone call away and will be there for her, told her that I loved her and was so thankful for her being my friend. We spoke for about two minutes, and then I asked her to put Joe on the phone.  I asked Joe if she needed someone to pray for her, then call me, and put the phone up to her ear, and I’d pray with her over the phone. He agreed, and we both wept as we said goodbye.

My Friend loved her family until the end

You never know who will be encouraged by a kind word you say, or a meeting with a stranger that has uplifting words for you. I have had many meetings with strangers and not accidental meetings, but Divine appointments with people in need. How this meeting with a woman flying from Fort Myers to Kansas City will forever change my life. She needed someone on this flight to help encourage her with a dreaded disease that was facing her. I know a lot of people who wouldn’t have struck up a conversation with this woman, they probably would have read their magazine, read a book or worked on their laptop missing a real opportunity of just listening to someone in need. I know some people we sit by on a plane are high maintenance and just talk to be heard. It takes someone with a heart for people to be a good listener.

On my final leg from Kansas City to Denver, I had an older gentleman probably in his mid-70’s sitting next to me. He was quiet at first. He looked at me and asked where my final journey was, and I told him Denver. He was flying on to Montana to see his daughter and grandkids. He hadn’t seen them since his divorce a few year earlier. He wanted to spend more time with them, but because his divorce was a bitter one and expensive one at that, he didn’t have the funds to make the trip very often.

He then went into great detail about his unwanted divorce and how painful it was for him, his adult children and grandkids. I can imagine I said, it must be hard. He said that he was retired and needed to see all his kids. I just listened to him share his personal story, that’s all he wanted is someone to hear what he had to say. Again, just listening is key to many hurting people, they don’t need advice, just your listening ear. He talked about his divorce and why he thought it happened and didn’t understand why his wife of 50 years just walked away. I know there are two sides to every story, I just heard his. I could tell he was feeling better just talking about it with a total stranger. Again, my suggestion is to be a good listener and make no judgments about their pain or story they share with you. You’ll soon realize how much better your life is after hearing their story and appreciate where you’re at in your life.

Next week we will conclude the story of “The Final Goodbye.” I talk about how you can make a difference in everyday people’s lives. I also will challenge you to make that happen for the lonely people you know in your family and community.

Do you feel it’s hard to reach out to someone who is lonely? Are you lonely and want someone to reach out to you and you’re not sure how to make that happen? Would you like to find a core group of friends to do things within a safe setting? Have you experienced loneliness and want to help others who struggle with being alone? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need contact Dr. Mike and set up an appointment. Don’t allow loneliness to control the new experiences that you can enjoy today.

Please call Dr. Mike at 303.880.9878. He can help you. He has helped several people going through tough times of loneliness.

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 Skype (if you want to Skype 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!

Avoid the Wrong Kind of People (5) By Dr. Michael Brooks

Growing up while in high school, I had a friend who always had the best clothes, watches, pens. He had a lot of nice stuff. One day he asked me if I wanted a new watch. I said sure. He brought it the next day and handed it to me. I looked at the watch still inside the box with a price tag of $49.00. I asked him where did he get it, and he responded with “a five finger discount.” I looked at him and said, “you stole it?” Yep, he responded. I handed it back to him and said, no thanks! I made my mind up, right then and there, he wasn’t going to be a friend of mine. My gut feeling told me to avoid this wrong kind of person. That’s the small little voice you often hear warning you about these kind of people. Avoid, avoid, avoid! That should be what you hear when someone is wrong for you.

How about bad relationships that people get themselves into and know that are wrong. This is a big problem for both men and women. I have a friend who is in a very unhealthy relationship. The woman he is dating will not commit to their relationship. When my friend asked her what concerns she had, she expressed all kinds. Her job was demanding, not enough time for herself, she liked to party alone, and the big one she brought up was his old girlfriends. He never talked about his old girlfriends with her. This was just out of the blue and took him by surprise. There wasn’t any commitment on her part, and he should have said to himself, time to move along and stop being with the wrong person. He still hangs on to see if they can have that relationship he wants with her. I think he will never get that relationship he wants with her.

You can see the pattern of a very unhealthy person and one that you should avoid. Relationships in themselves are great if you have a healthy person in your life. The relationships that are based on alcohol, drugs, and sex are doomed to fail and lead you down the road to destruction. If you’re in a relationship that is full of drama either by you or the person you’re in a relationship with, it’s time to end it. Be done with it, move on and plan ahead. Time and energy should be used to having a great relationship and not one that’s causing you to lose sleep over. Here are the things you need in a healthy committed relationship.

• Trustworthy
• Integrity
• Good listener
• Good communicator
• Understanding
• Slow to anger
• Spends time with you
• Affirms you
• Does things for you

If you’re dealing with an unhealthy relationship, then get some help in making a wise decision to either work on it or move on with your life. You can make any relationship work if both parties are willing to sit down and talk. If the other person isn’t willing to talk with you, then I think you know what you have to do. It’s not difficult my friends. It just takes the guts to make it happen.

Are you afraid to confront the wrong kind of people in your life? Are you involved in a wrong kind of relationship and need help getting out of it? Do you have friends who are involved with drugs, alcohol and want you to join them, and you can’t say NO? Would you like a plan that can help you eliminate the wrong kind of people in your life? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then contact Dr. Mike for personal help and planning your next steps at 303.880.9878.

Dr. Michael Brooks is the founder of Applicable Life Coaching and Counseling 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 Skype. The convenience of this type of Counseling/Coaching is the most effective means of Life Coaching for those who live outside of the Denver-metro area. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!