The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

  By Chris Hammond You thought that when the papers were signed for the divorce everything would be better and you would finally feel relief and calm.   But you don’t.   Somehow the hurt emotions intensify and unexpected emotions of remorse, sadness, and guilt pile on top of bitterness, resentment, and frustration.   This has left you confused, disoriented, and even wondering if you made a mistake.   You begin to relive the marriage all over again looking desperately for answers as to why this happened, what went wrong, and how could things have been dealt with differently.   But you are afraid to confine in friends and relatives because they have supported the divorce and your questioning is unwelcome after they have taken a stance for you. So you find yourself even more alone than before the divorce wondering if this lonely feeling will ever go away.   And it will, but not today or even tomorrow.   A divorce is more than the end o...

  By Chris Hammond Out of the blue, you receive a message that someone you loved has passed away.   Perhaps it is a sibling, a longtime friend, or close co-worker, he/she is close to you but not one of your immediate family.   Whatever the nature of your relationship, the timing of their death is so unexpected that you can hardly believe what you are hearing.   And yet you know intellectually that it is true.   Yet your emotions do not catch up to the reality quick enough so your response is distorted by a numbness of disbelief.   You are left hanging, not knowing what to do or how to respond.   Your relationship with the immediate family is close so you feel this pull to be with them but are unsure of how to act, what to say or who to speak with during this time. The climate of our present culture is one that has lost touch with the art of maintaining intimate relationships. Media influences such as Facebook, texting, and video gaming a...

By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH She was beautiful, intelligent, successful, witty, and cunning but at 29 years old, she committed suicide.  How could someone who had so much going for herself, who seemed to love and live life to the fullest, who had such a strong faith in God, and who gave so completely to her friends and work commit the ultimate act in selfishness?  No one would ever describe her as selfish; even those who did not like her respected her ability to give selfishly to others.  Yet she chose the defining moment in her life to be a selfish act and knowingly wrote about it in her last letter.  Worse yet, her death also meant an immediate death for her unborn child turning her suicide into a homicide.  For those whom she left behind it imprinted a scar so deep that despite all efforts to conceal it, it remains a permanent reminder of the fragility of life. There are some moments in your life that you can recall every last detail as if it were...

By Christine Hammond, MS, IMH One of the hardest realities to explain to a child is death especially when it is the death of a parent, sibling, beloved grandparent, close friend or even a favorite pet. As a parent, you try to protect your child from things that might harm them or protect them from things that are too difficult to understand for their age but unfortunately sometimes this is not possible. When you are faced with the reality that you need to have a conversation with your child about death, keep the following ideas in mind. Don’t lie. Whatever you do say, make sure that you are completely honest with your child. Telling them that a person went to sleep for a long time does not help them and can confuse them later when they do find out the truth. Don’t say anything that would cause your relationship with your child to be in jeopardy later because of a lie, even if it is just a little white lie. Keep it simple. Long winded explanations may make you feel better b...

By Chris Hammond Not everyone grieves in the same way. After all, we are different people with different physical appearances, different perspectives, different experiences, different thoughts, different emotions, different backgrounds, and different attitudes. So why when it comes to grief do we believe that there is one correct way to handle the loss of a loved one? There are in fact a number of constructive ways to manage the feelings of grief and some destructive ways. Learning the difference between the two is far more important. Denial. It is not uncommon for someone to struggle with believing that a loved one has passed away or to pretend that the person has not really passed. For a time being, the person may even imagine conversations with their loved one, knowing how they would most likely respond in a given situation. This usually does not last too long after passing and is more of the emotions catching up to reality. The seeds of dysfunction can begin however when the emoti...

By Chris Hammond Every once in a while God gives us the opportunity to say good-bye to a loved one before they pass away. You may have experienced moments such as this in the past or may be going through it right now. Either way, it is still difficult to endure. Nevertheless, these are rare precious moments to be treasured as gifts from God. Not everyone has the opportunity to say good-bye to a trusted friend, a close family member, a loved one, or a valued mentor. Some must deal with the shock and loss all at once, but sometimes God graciously grants us an opportunity to say goodbye. This is a gift that can be used as part of the healing process of letting the person go. In the moment, such times are difficult to endure, but in the end they are a blessing and are very often helpful in healing from the loss. In some cases we avoid saying good-bye because we don’t want to admit the end is near. We don’t know what to say in the moment we see the person or we fear that we will say the ...

With great sadness we share that Jim Rohn, our mentor and friend, left us December 5, 2009 for a better place. Over the past 18 months, in his battle with Pulmonary Fibrosis, Jim assured us with a smile that all is good, that he would fight until the last breath, yet he had no fear as to what would be next. Jim’s faith was as much a part of his life as his desire to inspire and challenge us all to be the best we could be and to live our dreams. Jim’s courage in his final months and days were a testament to his message that we should all fight the good fight. He never gave up and never gave in. Jim Rohn touched millions of lives over the past 46 years through his seminars, books, articles and CDs. He always stayed long after an event t o shake hands, take pictures and sign autographs. He loved making a difference in people’s lives, that was his passion and inspiration. Yet he was also a private man who kept a small, loyal and caring inner circle. He was a tremendous friend to those who ...