The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Nate Webster, IMH Nothing has taught me more about life than when I traveled abroad. Something amazing happens when you get out of the familiarity of your life to somewhere new. New foods, new people and new sights just have a way of changing the way you see the world. Going to new places and seeing news things does wonders for our mental and emotional wellbeing. In my own travels, a few things have stuck with me and I hope they can convince you to take some time abroad as well. 1.       We always have a lot to learn: A professor once told me, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” A simple adage with a big point. You can feel like you know a lot but chances are there’s a whole lot you don’t know. Most of us see education as a season of our life that we’ve thankfully graduated from, but being a life long learner is the biggest key to success. During his career Thomas Edison was quoted saying that he didn’t fail a 1000 times, he just found a 100...

By: Emily Long Taylor Swift said it perfectly in a song: “you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye…” when it comes to describing bad boys. Your friends have dated them, you’ve dated them, your mom, sister, cousin… every woman you encounter has experienced a “bad boy” at one point or another. How can you spot the “bad boys” and identify them? You can’t. They don’t walk around wearing signs of indication, dress a certain way or hang out in a particular area. They just are. When your friends or family date them you can normally spot them more quickly than Waldo in a Where’s Waldo book. But when you’re dating a “bad boy” everything isn’t so crystal clear.  Categories of “Bad Boys” When someone thinks of the bad boy image, their perception is all based on experience. Why? Shouldn’t a bad boy be obvious? Bad boys can earn their classification by their charm. They could be perfectly groomed in an Armani suit and know the exact words to say to a female to win her over....

By: Cara Griffin-Locker, IMH Why do good girls often flock to bad boys? Well, they are fun, adventurous, familiar and more often than not they need to be fixed.  What girl does not like a little project?  As women we tend to want to fix things and that may include the man in our life. How can a good girl avoid dating a bad boy? The answer lies in understanding herself as a woman, having expectations of what she wants in a man and being able to identify her value. A girl’s desire for the perfect man can lead to a fixation on finding a boyfriend. Having a boyfriend does not define you but your self-worth and spirituality do. Relationships experience intimacy when both parties can sacrifice for one other . By definition, a bad boy is unable to offer sacrificial love.  Women often fool themselves into thinking that they are immune to falling for a bad boy. The affection of a bad boy is always performance-based and challenge-driven. Here are four reasons why good gir...

A World That Transforms Us By Aaron Welch, LMHC, NCC, CSOTS Have you ever wondered why we love stories so much? I mean, really……here in America…..we LOVE stories. As kids we cannot wait for bedtime stories or story time at school. As adults, we flock to go to the movies, DVR our favorite programs on TV, and buy the DVD’s that we love the most. But why? Why do stories capture our attention at such a high level? I think it’s because we connect to stories. When we watch great stories, I mean stories that inspire us, it is often because we can connect to the characters or the story. Perhaps it is because stories go beyond our intellectual thinking and go straight for our hearts. They cut right through our defenses and hone in on the most intimate hopes, fears, and desires that we harbor in our soul. They touch us……and deeply. I look at the stories I have loved: • I love the first Rocky movie: Who doesn’t relate, at some level, to being an underdog…..someone who has to work har...

Commentary and review from Dwight Bain “The Shack” is one of the most popular fiction books in the country with millions of copies in print. Could it be because the author, Paul Young, used this parable story to address the issue of finding resolution from his own childhood trauma? Here's an overview of "The Shack" as well as the testimony of the author, which explains much of his orientation in writing a book like this one; which was almost an autobiography of his own healing journey from sexual abuse and adultery. The author spoke in the Orlando area last year and I could hear his heart and motivation to write this book. Knowing the author will always give you a better understanding of the intended message, and often will help you to understand why so many people are connecting to this little paperback book about getting past their secrets, shame and pain to really feeling free in a relationship with God as their "Papa". The Shack, by William Paul Young, 2007 ...

By Aaron Welch, LMHC, NCC, CSOTS I wrote, recently, that I have been in a spiritual funk. I know, the word “funk” is not very technical but it’s hard for me to fully explain what I’m dealing with. After three years of drawing closer and closer in my walk with God, I suddenly have come upon a new period of “wilderness”, of testing. Umm….this one caught me off-guard. I wasn’t ready for it. I thought that I would just continually move towards knowing the Lord better, praying for Him to make me a warrior for Him and that all would be hunky-dory. So, when suddenly my prayers felt distant and my time in the Word felt hollow; when my finances were less than my bills; when fasting produced little immediate results, I did what any self-respecting “warrior” for God would do: I panicked. I freaked out. I became fearful and began to doubt my ministry, my calling, my heart, my relationship with God, pretty much everything. I began to look for ways to take matters into my own han...

40 insights to break habits and build strength to become your best! BY Dwight Bain, LMHC,NCC & Certified Life Coach Physical & Spiritual 1. Drink plenty of water. 2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar. 3. Eat more natural foods, rich with nutrients while avoiding processed foods 4. Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy for others 5. Build restful activities into your day to reduce stress 6. Play outside more, so you can 're-create' natural energy 7. Read more inspirational books than you did last year 8. Sit in silence to meditate and reflect on God's blessings to you 9. Sleep for at least 7 hours a night 10. Make sure to add in gentle exercise, like a brisk daily walk. Every step adds value to your life Personality: 11. Spend your time and energy focused on your personal best instead of comparing yourself to others 12. Focus on positive thought...

By Dr. Walt Larimore www.drwalt.com This is not an infrequent question for me to be asked. And, a very nice article by Mara Betsch at Health.com will give you the information you need to answer this question for yourself, your family, and your friends: You’ve heard it before: Drink eight glasses of water a day to keep your body trim, healthy, and happy. Though water is vital in a variety of bodily functions and processes, you may not have to drink as much as you think. Unlike other vital nutrients, water doesn’t have specific daily requirements. Just like everyone has different caloric needs, a person’s water intake is affected by age, weight, activity level, and environment. In a report from the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine, the group offers a ballpark estimation: Women should drink approximately 2.7 liters (about 11 cups) and men approximately 3.7 liters (more than 15 cups) of total water a day. However, the key word in this sentence is total. In fact, you...

by Jim Rohn, Business Mentor & Master Coach Over the years as I've sought out ideas, principles and strategies to life's challenges, I've come across four simple words that can make living worthwhile. First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN. What you don't know WILL hurt you. You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if you learn from your own experiences - negative or positive. We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a positive negative. We also learn from other people's experiences, both positive and negative. I've always said that it is too bad failures don't give seminars. Obviously, we don't want to pay them so they aren't usually touring around giving seminars. But that information would be very valuable – we would learn how someone who had it all then messed it up. Learning from other people's experiences and mistakes is valuable information because we can learn what not to...

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written, so here it is once more." - Ann Landers 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 2.. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship ...