Start Your Impossibility Journey (2)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will continue with making your impossibilities a reality with hard work and planning!

I’ve shared with you a while back an incident that changed my life forever. We just moved from Ansbach, Germany, and went to a family reunion in Minneapolis, Minnesota shortly after moving back to the states. I was eleven years old and a shy kid. My aunt Dorthy was sitting in her lounge chair and called me over; several family members were seated around her. She asked me in front of that group, ” Mikey, what do you want to be when you grow up”? I looked at her and at those seated around her and, in a whisper, said that I wanted to be a professional football player and play for the Minnesota Vikings. She laughed out loud and said, that’s impossible, you’re too small to play football. That crushed me to the core. I walked away defeated as an eleven-year-old boy. At the time, Bud Grant, a family member, was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

The following summer being twelve, I saw a magazine ad with Joe Weider’s picture in it and him selling weight lifting equipment in the ad. The picture showed a man with lots of muscle lifting weights. I ordered the weight set and paid for it with the money I made from cutting grass. I was excited when the weight set was delivered. I opened the box in the garage and assembled the weights, and looked at the instruction booklet that came with the weights. I started lifting all summer. Then something came over me, a thought, then a motion picture in my mind playing my aunt’s statement that I was too small to play football and her laughing about what I said about playing professional football. Honestly, that drove me to work harder in the gym to prove to her that she was wrong. It’s amazing how someones negative remark can give you the incentive to go after an impossible dream.

So, think about what I have shared so far. Now, let’s move on to you, have you ever had someone tell you that something was impossible for you to do? I’m sure many of you have? Did you give up or become determined to prove them wrong and make it happen. It’s easy to give up on dreams because someone doesn’t believe in you and lets you know that your dreams are impossible. Remember this when someone tells you, “It can’t be done.” Just remember, those are their limits, not yours! I heard this many times growing up, you can’t do it. I’d like you to list those things that you were told that it’s either impossible or you can’t do it. What does that list look like and did you prove people wrong by your determination to make it happen?

I’d like to continue on with my story. By the time I was a freshman, I was pretty strong from lifting weights in my garage. By my sophomore year, I was the strongest kid in my High school. I had all kinds of lifting records for my school, and I went to a large High School in the Chicago area. I lived in the weightroom, I spent hours there. My aunt Dorthy was in the weight room as well, mentally that is. She said I was too small, and I am going to prove her wrong. I went on to play college ball, I coached college football, and went beyond that.

Next week, we will continue how to make your impossibilities become real with hard work and determination.

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Boundaries in Dating,” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, on Thursdays. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 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.

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’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!

Have you ever wondered if there is the right person for you to date? You keep dating unhealthy people and repeating the same old cycle. Do you have dating boundaries in place? Are you settling for the wrong person?

Applicable Counseling and Coaching Services will be having classes on dating. If you’re needing help in picking the right kind of person to date, this class might be one you want to look into.

On Monday’s, Dr. Mike and Rana Justice will have Zoom classes on “Boundaries in Dating” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 PM (MST). 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.

If you are interested in any of these classes or have questions, send an email to mike@applicablecoaching.com.

By Dr. Michael Brooks

I look back at my life and have seen many great opportunities I have missed because I was overcome with the term “it’s impossible.” The word impossible was a roadblock for me; it kept me from becoming an explorer in my own life. I missed several opportunities growing up. I can remember very well several people telling me you can’t do this or do that! My first experience being told that I was too small to play basketball was when I was six years old. The army base that we lived on was in Schweinfurt, Germany. The AYA was the (American Youth Association) sports program for military kids. They had football, baseball, and basketball leagues for all age groups. I remember my dad encouraging me to try basketball, so I went to the base gym with my older brother Bob.

I tried dribbling, and I wasn’t very good at it, I was afraid to shoot at the backboard because the backboard was made out of a clear plastic that looked like a window, and I was afraid that I would break it. Let’s just say, I wasn’t basketball material. Our first game was on a Saturday, and I had two practices under my belt. My mom made me a lunch to take on the bus, I showed up, and as I was getting on the bus, the coach said I was going, I was too small to play against the big boys. I was crushed. I walked home and was greeted by my mom when I walked through the door. She must have gotten a phone call from the coach that I wasn’t going to the game. I remember her saying that some things we want to do just don’t work out, and that’s OK!

The following spring, I was now seven years old; my dad said that I should try out for baseball. That was a fiasco, even for a kid who never played before. I got my uniform, went to a few practices, and then we had our first game. My mom and dad attended my first baseball game ever and were very supportive. Keep in mind my dad played football and baseball at the University of Minnesota. I stepped up to the plate and took a few practice swings, then the coach pitched the ball (we didn’t have Tee-ball back then), and I swung hard and sent that ball deep into the outfield over the head of the outfielder. I didn’t know which base to run to; I started to run to third base instead of first base; the umpire at home plate ran over and directed me to first base, the first base coach ran with me to second base, and told me to stay there. I heard parents laughing on the sidelines, and I wondered why? When my parents told me on the way home, I laughed too.

I’ve learned many life lessons from my time in sports as a kid and as an adult. What I was told was impossible; I made it possible with hard work and my faith in God.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the suburbs was a blessing in disguise. There were all kinds of trouble a kid could get into. Because of the sports I was involved in, I focused on playing sports with my friends that lived on my block. We played street football, went to the park to play baseball. Pick-up games were the norm back then. We played for hours on end and wouldn’t get home until after dark. I realized that finding good friends wasn’t impossible as long as you had the right ones in your life.

Next week, we will continue how to make your impossibilities become real with hard work and determination.

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Boundaries in Dating,” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, on Monday. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 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.

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’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!

Don’t Allow Fear to Control You! (4)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will continue on how to deal with your fears so you can understand on how to manage them. Fears don’t always have to be hidden and cause embarrassment. Dealing with them will give you freedom.

Learn what causes you to fear, think about this for a moment. I think that this is your first important step in figuring out and identifying what your triggers are.  This first step will be the hardest one for you, but it’s especially important for your healing and overcoming your fears. If it’s stuck in your brain, you can’t move forward and overcome your fears. You must face your fears. So, write down the fears that you deal with on a daily basis and why you are fearful. That will help you take action and put a game plan together!

Think on the positive things in your life, don’t dwell on the negative fearful thoughts that keep you living in fear. Imagine the good things in your Life, when fear creeps in, immediately start looking at the good things going for you. You can control your thoughts in good ways, meaning you can control good and bad thoughts. You can plan your future with good positive thoughts, and a well-thought-out plan will get you there. Good plans help weed out your fears and keep you on track. Fear of the unknown is a big fear, a well-thought-out plan will help keep you stay focused. From personal experience, I know it works.

My next suggestion always works for me, as many of you know that I am an outdoor enthusiast. If I have a lot on my mind, I like to go for a walk and spend time alone. I figure things out by spending time with God. I always have a great conversation with Him. We all have to face our fears. Walking, hiking, riding a bike, whatever helps calm you and gives you time to think and figure out what your next steps will be, is helpful. If you constantly live in Fear, then Fear needs to be high on your priority list so you can deal with it. If you, don’t face your fears, it will consume your thoughts until it either controls your thinking or you control it. Either way, the next move is up to you!

In closing, don’t let fear decide how you live Life each day. Find someone you can talk to and start dealing with all your fears so you can live a happy life. 

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Boundaries in Dating,” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, on Thursdays. “If you’re interested in attending this class, it’s on Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 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.

Don’t Allow Fear to Control You! (3)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will continue on how to deal with your fears so you can understand how to manage them. Fears don’t always have to be hidden and cause embarrassment. Dealing with them will give you freedom.

So, let’s look into some of the reasons what cause our fears and how we deal with them. Most experts say that there isn’t one particular cause for our fears, I’d say there are several good reasons why we have Fear in our lives. Many people cannot pinpoint when their fears began. So, let’s look at some examples and causes of those fears in a nutshell.

Past incidents, fears, and traumas: For example, me jumping off a roof and the Fear of the actual height looking down at the ground when falling, it has had a lasting effect on how I feel about heights to this day. I have a friend whose two daughters were attacked by a neighbor’s dog when they were toddlers. When a dog comes near them and I mean any dog, they lose it, they scream, yell and cry, these kids are 8 and 9 years old. They will never forget the dog attack as long as they live. Maybe when they become adults, they will be able to deal with dogs, but for now, they have a real fear of dogs.

How do you react to fear or panic? You may have had a fear that controlled you growing up, or even as an adult from a situation or object you encountered. Think about how many of us growing up, were told by our parents not to talk to strangers or avoid strangers. Our parents would tell us stories about what could happen if we did. We could get kidnapped, or even worse than we’d never see our families again. Many adults to this day will avoid talking to people they don’t know. They still have that fear of strangers that their parents scared them with. There is nothing wrong with that mindset today, many kids are being abducted and need to know they need to run away from someone approaching them. Fear can be very healthy as long as it’s used to be a learning lesson.

Long-term fear can cause anxiety and cause you to have depression if not dealt with in a proper way. Fear can keep you from enjoying life to its fullest and cause you to avoid events and people. Family gatherings can be difficult to attend for those who fear closeness. I know I struggled with being at our family gatherings because I was extremely shy. I hated going and seeing family at these reunions. I know I was anxious for sure and begged my parents not to take me. I’ve overcome that fear over the years.

As I was researching this article, I found some very interesting tidbits of information, do you know what one of the longest words in the dictionary is? I was amazed by this: What is Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia?  I find it funny, the meaning of the word and, and in an ironic twist, is the name for a fear of long words. I never imagined that words cause people to fear.

So, how do I overcome my fears you may ask? There are many scientific ways of dealing with your fears. I want to make this easy for you and just give you my Readers Digest version.

Next week, we will continue with “Don’t Allow Fear to Control You.” Learn how to deal with these thoughts on Fear so they don’t control you.

Don’t Allow Fear to Control You! (2)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

This week, we will continue on how to deal with your fears so you can understand how to manage them. Fears don’t always have to be hidden and cause embarrassment. Dealing with them will give you freedom.

I will tell you, my jump didn’t go as planned, in fact not even close to what the paratroopers looked like when they landed. The umbrella collapsed and my pleasant ride became a nightmare. Unbeknownst to me, my mom was in the kitchen looking out the window when I crash landed. All she saw was my feet, waist, chest, my arms holding on to the umbrella, my head and then I disappeared with a thump. What do you think happened after that? Well, I’m here to tell you, she wasn’t worried about any broken bones, she was mad that I took the umbrella and it broke. She had a wooden spoon, and I was getting spanked for the broken umbrella.

I learned that my fall or jump, scared me with heights from that day on, I don’t like looking out windows on the 10^th floor, I don’t like being on any balcony that’s 2 floors up or higher. That experience in Germany put the fear of God into me. I can laugh about it now, but not when I’m near any height. I know several people that cannot fly for many reasons. I initially had that fear too. I got over it when I started doing research on plane crashes…lol

So, what causes many of our fears? For me, it was a learned fear after jumping from a two-and-a-half-story house. My fear responses (like heights) today are caused by my early life as a kid. So, for many of us, past incidents or traumas can cause us to fear even into our adult life today.

Here are some common fears that trigger many people: Spiders, snakes, flying, heights, future events (divorce court, weddings, moving, new job, loss of a job, separation from spouse or children, failure, real or imagined events, and the unknown, darkness, being alone, etc.

Eventually, we have to overcome our fears no matter what they are. If you want to overcome your fears and face them head on, then do it, don’t wait for the perfect time. We all know that life can be hard and yes, at times it seems impossible. I think it’s made harder when we cave into the very fears that control us and cause a loss of opportunity and connection. I know that for most of us, we have no control over many factors in our life, yet we can still learn how to control the fears that control us. You have to be determined to face all your fears if you want to move ahead in life.

Dr. Mike and Rana will resume Zoom classes on August 19th and continue with the “Boundaries in Dating,” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. “If you’re interested in attending this class, mark it on your calendar starting on Thursday August 19th 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.

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 fear all the time? Are you overcome and controlled by your fears and don’t know how move forward? Do you need help in trying to figure out and identify what your fears are? Do you want to know more about fears and how they can control us? Do you want help in managing and understanding your fears? 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!

Don’t Allow Fear to Control You! (1)

By Dr. Michael Brooks

How many of you have issues with fear? I know I do, and sometimes it gets in the way of life and my life’s enjoyments. There are many different fears that we all deal with, I don’t know of one person who isn’t afraid of something. If they tell you, they have no fears, then they are lying to you. In my humble opinion, I believe that your fears will be the number one obstacle that you will face in your lifetime. It’ll be the most difficult challenge you will ever have to face and the most important one to overcome in your life. Seriously, facing up to your fears and dealing with them will free you of letting your fears control your life.

All of us will experience fear at some point in our life, that is a matter of fact. It’s how we face it that will define us for the rest of our lives. We all have fears that can keep us stuck, and it can be uncomfortable making the needed changes to deal with our fear issues that we have.

Fear can be a good thing or a bad thing, just depends what side of the fence you’re on and what and why you have those fears. Me personally, a few of my biggest fears are heights, electric shocks, being in a speeding car, and some relationships. I have other fears but for the sake of this article and to keep it short, I will share those maybe in another article.

I’ll explain the one about heights that I listed and why. The reason for heights is one from being a dumb kid growing up in Germany and living on an Army base. We had the 101^st airborne jump and land on the Army base we lived on. I would watch them jump out of the plane and land not more than 200 yards from our house. I was simply fascinated as these paratroopers that jumped and then landed near our home in an open field.

One day I got the bright idea I could jump just like they did and experience the floating down to the ground with a soft landing. We’ll my parents had a beach umbrella on our back patio deck. I decided that I could do the same thing with our umbrella. My mom and dad were busy that Saturday morning, so I managed to get the umbrella out of the stand and haul it upstairs to the second floor. I was seven at the time and quite resourceful to finding fun things to do. There was a pull-down attic ladder on the second floor of our house that went up to the roof and there was a roof window that you could climb up to and open. I managed to open it and get the umbrella on to the roof. I opened the umbrella looked where I would softly land and jumped from a two and a half story house.

Next week, we will continue with “Don’t Allow Fear to Control You.” Learn how to deal with these thoughts on fear so they don’t control you.

Dr. Mike has Zoom classes on “Boundaries in Dating,” By Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, 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.

Do you feel like you’re living in fear all the time? Are you overcome and controlled by your fears and don’t know how move forward? Do you need help in trying to figure out and identify what your fears are? Do you want to know more about fears and how they can control us? Do you want help in managing and understanding your fears? 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.

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 and counseling for those who live outside of Colorado. Give Dr. Mike a call! You’ll be glad you did!