Mamma Can Help: Take Back Your Life in 4 Easy Steps

by Joyce M. Coleman

Published on this site: June 28th, 2004

Did you know that answers to many of your unasked questions are under your own roof?

Yet, every day we draw critically flawed, negative conclusions about ourselves, including our ability to improve our lot in life, even to excel. Blindly, with insights at our fingertips, we head into the abyss.

We must learn to ask Mamma, before the other shoe falls.

Constant worry without a light at the end of the tunnel leads to serious health issues, such as depression and related illnesses. Approximately 12.4 million women in the United States experience depression every year, roughly twice the rate of men, according to a 2001 report by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Further, their research shows that people with depression are at greater risk for developing heart disease. Today, it's difficult to read a newspaper or magazine that does not remind us that we are but a hair's breath away from becoming one of these statistics.

Mamma can help. She can lead you to information that helps you take charge of your life instead of letting it roll over you.

Our greatest foe is lack of information. Our greatest gift is an abundance of information. This article shows you how to access the gift that will defeat your foe and help you take back your life.

These 4 steps are simple, affordable, and will always bring favorable results. However, nothing will happen until you complete step 4 - Take Action.

1. Arm yourself with information
   
   Information is your key to knowledge, understanding, and action.
   
   Go to Mamma (www.mamma.com), and begin your search. Or, go to Google, or Yahoo, or any powerful Search Engine. Why hang your head in shame when others who have similar or more traumatic experiences are all around you. More importantly, many can share how they overcame them. You can learn from them.
   
   Begin by seeking information about your particular circumstance. For instance, if yours is a health issue, search for the most recent professional papers on the disease or symptoms. Go to your favorite search engine and type in the name of the ailment and other key words such as treatment and white papers. You'll find symptoms, latest treatments, the drug manufacturing company, and other pertinent information. I frequently use this tool in order to feel comfortable with medical advice from my personal physician.
   
   For a job search, type in "job search" and key words such as a specific city, and the industry you're interested in. If you're looking for home-based work, type it of alternately "virtual assistants" into the search box. Think about what you want and use it as your key word search. If you assume that an Internet listing is a starting point your search becomes much easier.
   Further research will validate your findings.
   
   I have a personal, classic example of how lack of information can be devastating. When I was a child growing up in Mississippi I didn't know that I was considered to be poor. We had no TV and very limited access to newspapers. I was better off than most people I knew. Then along came television and images of mansions, fancy cars, and reports on poverty of Blacks in Mississippi. Suddenly I was ashamed to admit where I came from. Years later, at the other end of the scale, I thought I was smarter than just about anybody until I joined a rap session with students from Harvard and MIT. Before that conversation ended I learned that each of us had unique, relevant information. What we choose to do with it was the measure of our character.
   
   
2. Get the support of others who have the know-how to help you (or who are at minimum supportive)
   
   The first step in feeling okay about what you're experiencing is knowing that you are not alone. A National Mental Health Association study reports that fewer than half of those affected seek treatment. Don't let yourself fall into the "I'm too ashamed to let anybody know" trap.
   
   From rich to poor, all people - at some point - feel that everything about their lives is like a runaway train over which they have no control. From those without means to secure basic needs such as food and shelter to the relatively well to do, everybody has issues that keep them awake nights. If you were to take a poll on misery, each would rate theirs pretty high up on the angst meter.
   
   It seems that we humans are wired to believe that ours is the most difficult time in history. But try telling my great grandmother, born a slave in the Old South, that her lot was easier than mine. You get the point. The world of human kind has always had its issues.
   
   Discussion forums are a great place to start listening and talking to people who share your experiences. Enter "discussion forums" and keywords that describe your area of interest into the search box. An example
   is "family relationships forums", or "forums on job loss."
   When you find a discussion group that appears to fit your needs, stop in and listen. Protocol for what to do next is online at:
   www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Breakers/5257/Chatet.htm #Handle
   
   Surrounding yourself with others of like mind creates energy. If your best friend's negativity would deflate all the balloons in Macy's parade, don't share your newfound direction with her. Align yourself with supportive people. If you're like most of us, you can feel bad all by yourself. You need positive forces that will help prop you up when you think you can't take another step.
   
   
3. Embrace possibility thinking - The miracle of an open mind
   
   A seed of an idea picked up from reading other people's stories about similar situations is enough to get started in a positive direction. I begin my search for all things related to self-growth by typing "self growth" into a search engine's search box. Following is a sample of results that popped up.
   http://www.workinfo.com/free/Downloads/189.htm
   http://www.thinkrightnow.com/nopop/enternp.htm
   http://www.discoveryhealth.co.uk/
   http://www.iabundance.com
   
   This list is by no means complete, but it will get you started in a positive direction.
   
   
4. And, ...Take action
   
   Here's where most people find a sticking point.
   
   Truth is, you are going to have to meet miracles at least halfway. Your personal call to action will be directly proportional to the position on your angst meter. If you're really sick and tired of being sick and tired, you'll act.
   
   How-to books, educational tapes, on-line help sites, Local support groups, and professionals who are experts in their areas are excellent tools that help you achieve your objective. Type "how to" and keywords that specify what you're looking for into the search box. Exercise good judgment in selecting a course of action from the possibilities provided.
   
   Why not write about your experiences. You'll feel better, help others, and possibly become famous.

Mamma can help. She may not make you rich tomorrow. But she will enrich your life and, just possibly, lead to financial wealth. Note: Additional help resources related to this article at:
mailto: mailto:[email protected]?subject=REF001

Joyce Coleman has inspired many to follow their dreams through her books, consulting, speaking, and one-woman shows. Visit her site to see her books, original art and no-cost resources:
http://www.locusthillpublishing.com.