Saturday, April 9, 2016

In Relationships: Why Do We Self-Sabotage?



You meet a guy and right away you are attracted to him.  He’s handsome, knowledgeable, and worldly and has a wicked sense of humor.  He makes you smile.  The first few months are the “get to know you” stage.  He is an open book, transparent even.  He knows that if he says too much you will run away and if he says too little you will still run, so he provides you with the perfect balance of the good, bad and ugly with truth being at its core.  In this imperfect world, he appears perfect; meanwhile, you are waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Does this sound familiar? 

This article focuses on the ways in which we sabotage an otherwise good relationship, and often times when we realize it it’s too late. So what’s a girl to do to side-step the trap of self-sabotage and what are the ways we can sabotage a relationship?

TRYING TO LIVE THE PERFECT LIE
In the single girl’s world we dream of the perfect man.  Sounds good right? But reality is there is no such thing as a perfect man.  It’s a myth, urban legend, hell, it’s a lie.  But still that is what we think we will find when we find love.  So when this attractive, worldly, wickedly funny man enters your life, you instantly attach the myth of perfection to him.  If a man has told you the bad and ugly of his past, the question now becomes in the immortal words of Colonel Nathan Jessep, in the movie A Few Good Men…Can You Handle the Truth?! Instead will you choose to apply the past into your future together?  This is the foundation of self-sabotage.  Although he may be a good man…he is not a perfect one.  He will make mistakes and sometimes even disappoint, but you have to talk about it, not accuse, because communication is key.  

More importantly you will see that as time goes on, he is not the total package, he’s human.  If in the beginning you can see his core, if he constantly possesses the qualities essential to build a strong union together, then that is what you work with, because you cannot mold clay from steel.  There is no such thing as a ready-made man, or woman.

Fear and Ego:  The Dangerous Duo
Everyone has a past.  You have one don’t you?  Then what makes you think that he doesn’t and better yet, what makes you think that when he says “that’s in the past” he lying?  If your past is behind you…then why can’t his be behind him?  Fear of someone creeping back into position is possible with your thoughts and constant talk about his past ways often brings them into your situation.  Everything dream or problem starts with a thought.  The power of the manifestation is real! 

Fear produces nothing good and feeds that little monster called the ego.  Instead of thinking about what happened in his past, concentrate on his behavior and treatment of you.  Remember the bad and ugly mention in the beginning of this article; do you see any traces of that in your relationship?  This is a good indicator to help you see the man he is with you, and not the man he has told you about in his past.  If you see traces of his former bad behavior, you know my motto “cut ties and move on”.  If not, continue on your journey together making a new start and new memories.  To be honest, there will be some traces of his past that will be in your future mainly due to the fact that he may have a child or children from a previous relationship.  This you cannot deny.  But it is the way in which he handles this part of his past that will quiet your fear and tame your ego.   You had nothing to do with his past and fear and ego places it directly into the pathway your future. 
  
Insecurity
This topic, my lovelies has nothing to do with him, but EVERYTHING to do with you.  An insecure person is not fit to be in any type of relationship as their insecurity will surely cause it to fail. If you are an insecure person it is you who are living in the past, not him.  YOU are the one drawing on past experiences and applying it in your current situation when there is no real evidence for it.  Insecurity feeds into fear and ego; the three go hand-in-hand.  Know that being in love and in relationship with your mate consist of hard work, patience, self-less-ness and most of all vulnerability. An insecure person cannot be all four. Being open and vulnerable is one of the strongest traits that you can possess, and I want you to possess it.  Self-assurance causes you to know the difference between patterns of bad behavior and self-sabotage.  Self-assurance, if warranted, allows you to move on from those old patterns and opens your heart for the “real thing”. 

Not every apple on the tree will be a good apple. I say, let it fall to the ground and reach higher for the deep red, juicy, delicious one.  It’s there…we just have to keep on picking.

Until next time my lovelies, remember…there’s only love.  

Peace & blessings
Phaedra


 

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: The Project Man…and Why Many Single Women Won’t Da...

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: The Project Man…and Why Many Single Women Won’t Da...: Spring is in the air!   That’s right, dating season is back.   All winter long I have been listening to single women in Atlanta moan ...



 

The Project Man…and Why Many Single Women Won’t Date Him.



Spring is in the air!  That’s right, dating season is back.  All winter long I have been listening to single women in Atlanta moan and groan about how they want a man in their life.  Well, now’s the time, and any city that you are in is the place however; there is a hitch…They don’t want a man who is a PROJECT.

What is a PROJECT Man you may ask?  It could be a number of things but here are the TOP 4:

The man with a child or children and aka baby momma
The man that doesn’t have a relatable employment
The man that doesn’t have relatable education
The man who is persistent and determined to get to know her.  Translation:  She assumes that because he knows that she doesn’t have #1, and possess #’s 2 and 3 he wants something (it makes her nervous)

Project Man #1 – Child/Children and baby Momma
Oh how I hate that term “Baby Momma” but for the purposes of this article I shall use it.  I must admit, I can understand.  Children are lifelong commitments, and depending on the age of the child when you meet the man, it could be considered life +20.  This is a concern especially for a single woman with no children.  Here she desires a husband and children of her own and she has to contend with the fact that their child is not and won’t ever be the first.  His time and attention will be divided and momma bear will be making sure that her child is NOT forgotten. 

The thing to remember when considering dating a man with a child(ren) is how he prioritizes his responsibilities between you, the child(ren) and the interaction with their mother.  If you want to be first in his life with all things, then STOP READING right now because this is not the man for you.  There are many successful blended families co existing today.  It’s up to him to set a precedent.  The successful man listens to you, takes into account what is needed, listens to your needs, sets the boundaries between him and the mother and maintains the balance within this relationship.  But you also have to be open and patient to a point.  Some women are cool with this, others are not.  If this is not for you, don’t even entertain his advances because you will never be happy with the results.

Project Man #2 and #3 – Relatable Employment and Education
You work for a Fortune 500 company and he works at a gas station.  Whoa, talk about a divide!  While you are pouring over spreadsheets and are in countless meetings, he’s ringing up a bag of chips! But seriously, there are some differences in this scenario with finance being at the top of the list.  Other things might include a possible difference in skill set and social skills.  Let’s face it, these days and times if the roles were reversed a woman working at the gas station is not appealing to many men either.

It is not for him to know what you do during the course of your work week or else he would be doing what you do.  You have to first figure out what he brings to the table and what it is that you need from him. They say that “potential” stops at a certain age, but you don’t really know what the person is about just where he works.   But if you want that lifestyle, if the financial situation bothers you, if you are afraid of what friends and family may think or feel, keep it moving.  This situation can be taxing and stressful especially if you are trying to make it work.  If you have to make it work…it won’t work.  Again, if this is not for you, don’t even entertain his advances because you will never be happy with the results.

Project Man #4 – Persistent and Determined
He calls on a regular basis, ask you out within a week of meeting you, checks in regularly and he possesses all three from the list above. You on the other hand are lacing up your running shoes by the time he sends his last “good night” text for the evening because you figure…there is something wrong with him.  Face it; you are terrified out of your mind because no one wants to be duped into something.  It’s an oxymoron because the very thing that he is doing calling, checking in and being consistent is the very thing that we are afraid of because of his circumstances.  Honestly ladies, I can’t call it.  Maybe there are other intentions, a come up perhaps…maybe not.  To let him pursue or not to let him pursue…that is the question.   I just don’t know and I’m just keeping it real. 

The fact of the matter is that we are all “Projects”.  We all have issues, circumstances, hang-ups and things we need to work out.  To me the real question here is what issues, circumstances, hang ups and things that need to be worked out are we willing to work with?  Love rarely comes in the package that we envision.  In fact it is not placed in our paths ready to go.  It takes being truthful in what you need and a willingness by both parties to work together to make it right for the two of you.  To date him or not to date him, that’s up to you but love is out there…you just have to find it.

Until next time my lovelies, remember…There’s only love.

Peace and blessings,
Phaedra


 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

The Gift



Gifts…everybody loves them.  Some gifts are extremely extravagant and some are as simple as single stemmed rose or heartwarming card.  It can come from people we know, and people we don’t know.  It can be a word, a glance or a nod an acknowledgement of being seen.  No matter the gift, people generally appreciate it.  All of us have the ability to give the greatest gift of all, and that is the gift of love.  We all possess this gift and we all are capable of giving it.  But this article is not about the “gift giver”, this article is about the receiver of the gift…just how grateful are you for the gift of love?

The gift of love is not parked in a driveway, nor is it worn on your finger, around your neck or wrist.  There is no price tag associated with it and there is not enough money in the world to buy it.  The gift of love is in many ways intangible by nature but can be touched and felt as if you were to reach up to scratch the nose on your face.   Have you given any thought as to just how valuable that simple act is? Many of us simply scratch and move on, not giving it another thought.

 In a world of entitlement minded people, the thought is that the gift giver is supposed to give. What a selfish way to live.  In relationship with an entitlement minded person intent is evidenced by selfish behavior and words.  Entitlement minded people think like this because they fail to realize that the hand that reached up to scratch their nose although it has value, does not have a choice as it was designed to do that.   

Perhaps you are not an entitlement minded person, maybe you are simply unaware of the gift of love that is all around you.  Yesterday, I saw the movie “Miracles from Heaven” throughout the entire movie the gift of love was being poured on a family struggling to care for an ill child.  The mother, played by Jennifer Gardner lost her faith in god, whereby blocking her view to see all the love that was being shown to her and her family during their crisis.  But once her faith was restored, her ability to see and to appreciate the gifts of love received from friends and strangers became clear as crystal.  Faith, love and appreciation go hand-in hand my lovelies. 

Giving is a choice in which I’ve seen many practice on a daily basis and reciprocated in like manner, while on the other hand, I’ve seen where some simply give it very little thought.  So today my lovelies, I ask that we take the first step in being grateful receivers by” tuning in”.  Tune into the love that surrounds you.  Make it a point to acknowledge the smallest acts of love and of kindness especially from strangers. Don’t just assume that’s what people are supposed to do, appreciate it and watch how often it comes to you.

Until next time my lovelies…Peace & blessings and remember…There is only love.

Phaedra


 

Monday, March 28, 2016

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: The Gift

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: The Gift: Gifts…everybody loves them.   Some gifts are extremely extravagant and some are as simple as single stemmed rose or heartwarming card...



 

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: My Favorite Things

Welcome to Living in Atlanta: My Favorite Things: One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Sound of Music”.   The musical, starring Julie Andrews is one of love, family, finding you...



 

My Favorite Things



One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Sound of Music”.  The musical, starring Julie Andrews is one of love, family, finding your place in the world and perseverance.  But what I love the most about this movie is the music.  My favorite song in the movie is called “My Favorite Things” written by Rogers and Hammerstein.  In addition to the melody, it lists some of the simplest things that make the writer so happy. 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warn woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string
These are a few of my favorite things

How simple is that?  This afternoon, as I was walking up to my front door, this song came to mind.  It is the first day of spring 2016.  It’s sunny but cool.  The brisk wind and warm sun touch my face at the exact same time which gives me a warming chill.  It makes me smile to be able to feel two sensations at the same time.  I’m coming in from work and it has been a tiring day.  I’m looking down at my feet as I walk and see my brightly painted toes peeking out from my sandals, “Ariah would love this color”, I say to myself and her beautiful face with all that wild bushy hair and missing front teeth appears.  I open my front door and another thought comes to mind “What’s for dinner?’ only it’s not my voice saying it but Elijah’s voice.  I know what the next sentence is “Mimi, can we help you cook?”  Again I smile and say to myself that I’m not cooking anything, but if you were here…yes, you can help me cook. 

I don’t remember putting my bags down but I do remember going into the bathroom, pulling back the shower curtain and running a hot bath.  Pouring in the Epsom salt and lavender into the hot water filled the place with an aroma that placed me in another space and time, not just standing in my bathroom.  I soak in my tub for what seems like hours thinking back on my week and weekend before my mind just goes blank.  Here in this bath, I feel a peace that passes all understanding.  The simple pleasure of relaxing without a care or a thought is freeing.  I’m smiling no, dam near laughing for no reason what-so-ever.  This is the simplest of times; this is one of my favorite things and it feels good. 

Our favorite things are the things that give our lives meaning because it is just for us.  Those are the things in which when they happen it resonates with us so that only we can get its meaning, we can laugh, love and persevere.  Our favorite things bring us back to our center when we have strayed off course.  It opens our hearts and minds to new possible opportunities, it makes us look back over time and look ahead in time and we are oh so grateful.  Our favorite things we should hold near and dear to our hearts, just like our favorite people.

So my lovelies, when was the last time you did your favorite thing?  Life is just too short not to.  As the chorus in the song says…
” I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.”

Peace and blessings to you all… There’s only love.

Phaedra