When Forgiveness is Toxic, and How Not to Forgive

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Travel Clubs International

“People who force themselves to forgive know no peace”, Chido, the EQ Detective.

Have you ever been asked to forgive someone you weren’t ready to forgive? Have you ever been emotionally harassed or bullied to forgive someone whose actions feel unforgivable? Why are victims often pushed toward forgiveness?

Before you jump to conclusions and accuse me of saying that I don’t believe in forgiveness, I’ll start by saying that I very much do believe in it as an act of healing, self-love, and moving past life’s most difficult obstacles. I myself have had to forgive many people from my past, I have released many painful circumstances, and I won’t entertain comments claiming the opposite. I am aware how some readers love to project their own shortcomings, put words in my mouth, and interpret what was said in a way that bolsters their ego. The reason I stand in so much power today is because I have cleansed myself of other people’s judgements, projections, rage, and any harm inflicted upon my mind, body and spirit, and I did it through the power of forgiveness.

However, I see that many of you who have been harmed by others are conflicted about forgiveness. Perhaps you are being coerced into forgiving too soon. Maybe your intuition is telling you that in your particular situation, forgiveness is not the right course of action. It is possible that you are being shamed or guilted into forgiving someone who is willing and capable of crossing your boundary again. You have every right to feel conflicted and suspicious of anyone who demands forgiveness.

While I have written many times on my own journey toward freeing myself from other people’s toxic energies, I have never written about what healthy forgiveness looks like, and how toxic forgiveness is usually used against the victim to absolve abusers and sinners of all wrongdoing and perpetuate negative cycles of emotional and physical trespass.

On my own journey towards liberation and growth, I have been accused many times of carrying grudges against people who have crossed very serious boundaries. I have been accused of being non-forgiving as if it is some sort of crime against the perpetrator. Like many of you, I have been guilted and shamed into rethinking breakups with highly toxic men and women, as if cutting off a tumor or an energy vampire is a crime. I have even doubted my own ability to deal with toxic people, and for the “sake of peace” have attempted to negotiate and look for more effective ways to deal with manipulators just to create semblance of inner balance. Has peace with a narcissist or a pathological liar ever worked in my favor? No.

Forcing people to forgive is harmful to their mind, body and soul. It is an impediment to their personal growth, and is a form of coercion. Any healer, therapist and medical professional will tell you that healing is a process. There are stages to healing, and the victim’s authentic feelings must be honored. There are times when forgiveness can be harmful, especially when forgiveness involves exposure to exactly the person, act or situation that caused the injury. Forgiveness serves to liberate the victim from ruminating on the past, but it can only be done when the victim is finished with the process. It is the last step that involves letting go of the crime, so that we can step forward into a healthier future without looking back. Asking the victim to look back, ruminate, reconsider walking away, question their decision, is disrespectful and a huge red flag.

I am neither a psychologist nor a therapist, so I will leave the topic of healing strategies to them. I can only speak about my own journey, and I want to address those situations when it is perfectly okay, even preferable not to forgive. There are some people you absolutely must cut off from your life. You cannot respect yourself as you remain exposed to their toxin. You will never find inner peace, nor your personal power while you let them feed off your energy. We are all surrounded by toxic people, frenemies, narcissists, manipulators. Many of us repeat the same karmic cycles because we have failed the mission, we have failed to free ourselves, we have failed to put an end to certain relationships, and so we keep repeating painful situations with new toxic people. This often leads to seeing ourselves as victims of bad people with poor intentions, and to wonder why we are attracting more cycles of abuse. There is this toxic belief that we must repair toxic situations, that we must fix people, that we must endure bad relationships, that we must persevere in our mission to stay with users, controllers and manipulators, because if they aren’t becoming better, surely we must be doing something wrong. But the only thing that you are doing wrong is perpetually forgiving them.

Toxic people use forgiveness as a tool to continue to extract from their victims. This is why the victim is bullied and harassed into forgiving when they are not ready to do so. Toxic people will use friends, relatives, bosses and coworkers to gang stalk you, make you feel like you are wrong, and how your failure to forgive is your offense against them all. What is most important in such situations is to protect yourself from anyone who jumps on their forgiveness bandwagon, allow yourself the time and space to rationally filter through what feels wrong to you, and separate yourself from people who do not have your best interest in mind. They are operating from their own interest,and your forgiveness is what they need to absolve themselves from any wrongdoing. Have you ever observed how easily abusers free themselves from guilt or shame by placing those harmful feelings on the victim?

When you forgive before you feel ready, you are committing a crime against yourself. You are taking part in self-injury, and relinquishing your right to your own process, in favor of their absolution. You are sacrificing your own feelings, so they can feel absolved of their sins. You are allowing the abuser to go free, while you imprison yourself in your own unresolved emotions. If you have repeated many toxic cycles with people who have have harmed you and you have forgiven without cleansing your physical and spiritual body, you have accumulated a lifetime of unresolved issues and emotions which must be released. There are countless ways to do so, and I urge you to work with a professional to help yourself. But please know that the goal of any toxic cycle is to free and release yourself, rather that find new ways to bind yourself to toxic people and give them another chance.

If you are forcing yourself to forgive in order to preserve relationships, marriages, or toxic bonds, you will never rise, you will stunt your growth and development, you will reduce yourself, and you will carry a lifetime of emotional burdens dumped on you by people who are in your life to kick you until you learn to respect yourself. Our journey toward healing is in finding strength, freedom, inner power, inner peace, balance and release, it is not and never will be to endure.

So many women believe that forgiveness is allowing those who have hurt us back into our lives. It is not! The true meaning of forgiveness is finding so much peace in your own heart, that what they did no longer matters. When you have that much peace and balance, nothing they do can hurt you in any way. More importantly, when you have that much peace and balance, they have no chance to exist in your reality. Toxic people disintegrate in the presence of those who have achieved self-mastery.

I have a confession to make. I receive hundreds of physical, verbal, psychic and spiritual attacks. It is my own frenemies who wonder how I continue to thrive, grow, expand, build, persevere, receive bounties they can only wish for, and I do it all with ease. I don’t even flinch any more. And to receive such blessings, I have never had to retaliate against any of those who have harmed or attempted to harm me. I have stalkers and gang-stalkers, both male and female. There are people in my surroundings who exist only to take a bite and savor my energy. I never allow anyone to feed on my energy. I allow them to step forward because only then can I observe their true intentions. But cutting toxic people out of my life comes with no apology. They are like barnacles, parasites, they exist only to benefit from others. They bring nothing to anyone’s table. They exist to consume, feed, bloat their own egos. Do I forgive them? Yes, I do.

I do forgive the toxic people in my life with great ease, because I have healed, my wounds are sealed, my energy is cleansed, my soul is balanced, and I stand in my power. I can afford to forgive anyone for any reason, and it no longer feels uncomfortable. But the reason I can do this is because I do it for my own benefit and never for the benefit of the abuser. Forgiveness NEVER means allowing a toxic person into my life. I know that there is nothing they can do to change. The toxic will always remain toxic, so don’t let them fool you. I am strict about who I allow into my energy space or my personal life, and I make no apologies for who I cut off. Never! My table is clean. I trust myself and my own discernment. I am not afraid to say that I judge. My judgement is sound, and don’t apologize for it. I can forgive so freely because I know that there is nothing that parasite can do to tap into me. When you forgive too soon, you are allowing the parasite to try to tap into you again.

Forgive only when it suits you. Anyone who bullies or harasses you into forgiveness is not your friend. Healthy, healed people don’t do that. Instead they respect your time and space to heal, In my life, I have hurt people too. We all have. But I have never demanded forgiveness from anyone. I respect their decision whatever it is. While I will 100% apologize for my transgressions, I will never demand forgiveness. That is like demanding something I have not earned. Demanding forgiveness is extortion. It is a shameful attempt to erase a transgression and places the onus on the victim to bear the burden of a crime. An honorable person would not do that. Being respectful of other people’s time, space and energy means accepting the fact that I may not be forgiven. Feeling bad about what I have done comes with that. Yes, a transgressor is supposed to feel bad. Yes, that person who hurt you is supposed to feel awful. Anyone who harasses you into forgiveness is demanding that you erase any guilt they should feel. Why would you do that?

When people demand I forgive, I automatically respond “I have already forgiven you, I have already healed, I have walked away and I have closed that door a long time ago because it was in my own best interest”. That statement shows that the act is my own decision, and that it has nothing to do with them. That power to forgive is only within me, and my own to use with discernment. I forgive when it benefits me, as any victim should. Forgiveness is medicine that any victim can administer to themselves at their own discretion. It should never be administered to the benefit of the abuser who has not atoned for the crime. When you forgive before you are ready, you enable the transgressor to do it again, to you and to other victims. This is how toxic people get away with perpetuating bullying and abuse. Often it is the victims who enable them when they are in a hurry to forgive a crime that has not been paid for. In essence we make abuse okay for us and for everyone else, and thus silence the victims.

“The number one preachers of forgiveness are always toxic, narcissistic people…Anyone who forces you to forgive people when you are not ready to do it, when you feel like you don’t have the capacity to do it, is probably abusing someone else..and they want to continue pushing that narrative.” Chido, EQ Detective.

Forced forgiveness is nothing short of victim blaming. The onus is placed on the victim to absolve the abuser of wrongdoing and to bear the guilt, shame and weight of that transgression on their behalf. Now the victim carries that emotional burden for the rest of their life, while the transgressor feels free to do it to someone else. We all free the transgressor by forgiving rather than healing ourselves. People who perpetually expect forgiveness are perpetual abusers of forgiveness. Read that again.

This is how the victims get coerced into absolving abusers for their crimes, and make it socially acceptable to demand forgiveness. I repeat, forgiveness is always in the hands of the victim, and should never be demanded from them. Yes, forgiveness can be healthy, but only when the victim is ready, willing and totally healed. And it is also perfectly acceptable not to forgive, as long as we don’t hold onto that injury and re-live that situation. We all have the prerogative to administer the medicine to ourselves first. We share the medicine only once we have completely healed from the injury, and only if there is enough medicine to share with others. You don’t have to heal toxic people- smart women know that cannot be done. If you commit yourself to healing other victims, you will never revisit the past.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged faith, forgiveness, god, healing, jesus, relationship, toxic forgiveness, toxic relationship | Leave a comment

Are Women Paying For Relationships With Sex?

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Travel Clubs International

Let me rephrase that a few times. Are you paying for an opportunity to eventually get into a healthy relationship with your body? Are you paying for a chance that the person you are sleeping with will offer you a relationship or that he will eventually turn out to be a solid candidate for a relationship? Are you using your body to connect to males who are dead inside, only to find out later that that no one was home all along? What exactly are you having sex for? For pleasure? Most men are not pleasure. For an opportunity to be considered? For a chance with someone?

Toxic masculinity has fooled women into paying for a a chance to be in a relationship with sex. Biologically, it is the males who have a greater need for sex, and are even driven to compete for it. Historically, men have always paid for sex, women have not because we rarely needed it. Sure, some women need more sex than others, but access has always been and still is free for us. It is the women whose inboxes are full, and it is the males who keep filling them.

So, why do women believe that they must have sex by the third date or within a certain period of time? Why do women believe that sex will lead to something greater, like an emotional connection or marriage? Why do women pay to play the romance and relationship scam, when it is the men who need sex? We have been fooled, and no one is talking about this.

The reason we believed in sex on the third date is because men have created that rule to reflect the amount of time and money they are willing to invest in order to get it. This is not the amount of time it takes a woman to feel comfortable, nor the amount of time it takes for a woman to genuinely get to know a man. The time is not even enough to create a meaningful connection. It is a dating rule created by men for the benefit of men. But, does this rule benefit women at all? No. When sex happens, this is exactly the point at which women lose their footing in the connection. They give up exactly that which men are after, and now have to wait and see if he will return for more, continue relating, or disappear completely. Sex is that turning point where women lose all power in a situation. Each woman has far more power when she is NOT having sex with a man.When she is not giving anything away for free, that is the time when a woman has the power to negotiate. Not after she has given up the goods.

It is true that women are dropping out of the dating market faster than ever. It is true that we are far more likely to file for divorce. It is also true that a growing number of women are more satisfied being single than they are in relationships. So why would be pay to access men with sex?

When I listen to women chat in our private group, most are rarely satisfied with their partner’s performance. Most just put up with it because they hope to one day connect better, or eventually build a better relationship. The single ones believe that this is the path to commitment or marriage. But is it? Often it is after that first physical encounter that the male disappears, or loses interest. Often, it is after he has received unlimited access to sex via a cohabitation arrangement that the male no longer feels a need to make the relationship legal. We have all heard the adage “Why buy the cow when you can get milk for free”? Are women giving away sex for the illusion or false promise of an eventual contract?

If men are sex driven while women are relationship driven, doesn’t that mean that we have two drastically different goals? And if our goals don’t match, do we have a deal or no deal? Obviously, no one would make such a deal unless they are desperate. When two people have drastically different agendas, we cannot have a relationship. The mistake women are making is that they accept he may have a different goal for now, for the chance that eventually he will want a relationship later. And they pay for that minuscule chance with sex. Ladies, please stop buying opportunities with your mind, body and spirit. The chance is not worth what you are getting in return.

But back to the issue of paying for relationships with sex. If you are already in a relationship, are you maintaining it with sex? Why? If what we want is understanding, depth, a meeting of the minds, than why aren’t we establishing relationships with that? Why aren’t we evaluating male candidates based on their ability to emote and empathize, their commitment history, their ability to provide for their existing and future children? Because we are afraid he will drop out? It is true, many would, but of what value are males who are just in it for the sex? None at all. We have plenty of experience and direct evidence, that males who are solely seeking sex are doing nothing for womankind at all. Yet, we are still trading sex for relationships?

It is no secret that women desire healthy relationships. But why can’t we have them? Do men refuse to relate? Do they disengage from women who aren’t providing sex? Do they pretend to relate until they get some? The answer is all of the above, and a lot of women are catching on. Why would a healthy woman continue to offer up her body to males looking to score? We have absolutely nothing to gain from that other than an infection.

Women have been bamboozled into giving it up first, and waiting to see what happens later. But, later never comes and relationships rarely develop beyond the physical when we approach them with sex. How is that deal working out for you?

In most industries you pay first and receive the product later. You buy a dress, you pay first and take it home later. You order your groceries online first and get them delivered later. You pay for a house first, and you move into it later. Considering that men are the ones who need sex, shouldn’t they be committing first and accessing sex later? In fact, this is exactly how things used to be in the old days, when fathers controlled access to their daughters. You couldn’t court a woman unless the father approved of you, and you would not be allowed to access sex until you married her. Fathers are men, and men know exactly what other men are after. They knew that men who can access sex first, have no reason to marry later. Isn’t the same true today?

Yet many women believe that their performance in the bedroom will lead to a healthy relationship. Do you remember when doctors and psychologists used to tell us to keep men satisfied physically? Did that lead to any satisfaction for us? Nope, in fact this is what is driving women to file for divorce today. Women are exhausted. We are tired of giving, working, taking care of everybody, and paying for the privilege of doing so. Nobody needs to be in a relationship that badly.

Today, men are no longer paying for anything. They aren’t committing, they aren’t marrying, they aren’t even paying child support, instead they aim to cohabitate so they can access unlimited sex, free household labor, and get a woman to pay for at least 50%. But what drove women to agree to this arrangement? Desperation. There was this belief that we expire like sour milk if we don’t have a baby. There was this other belief, that we must have a man in order to be happy. Is that still true? There were other false beliefs, that if we don’t find a man we will be alone forever. Are we still afraid of that? Most single by choice women are looking forward to having their own space and time to themselves.

Fearmongering by media, church and politicians has been the global norm in every culture since the dawn of mankind. I’m surprised by how many women bought into that, and how long it took to wake up. Many women still can’t admit that they have been fooled. Fortunately, many are waking up to no longer compete for men, to no longer strive for a marriage contract, to no longer need a baby, so why exactly do we need a date? Men have even convinced us to pay for our own time to be on a date.

My professional background is in finance and economics, so I see everything in terms of supply and demand. I see that the supply of women willing to date, reproduce, or even engage with men is in decline. But men want to control the market anyway. Despite the fact that cheap and easy access to sex is dwindling, they are not willing to do anything of benefit to women to get it. Do you know what happens next? On rare occasions in history, both supply and demand have decreased at the same time. What happened then? That particular market collapsed. If no one is benefiting from a product or service, there is no longer a need for that product or service. Today, the marriage market is in collapse. Men are not willing to do the work to enter it, and women are not willing to pay for it with sex, free labor, free child rearing. That’s the end of marriage.

I am unfazed. I didn’t believe in the marriage institution anyway. I didn’t benefit from marriage, but I did benefit from freeing myself. I did benefit from pouring less of my energy into a man, and more into myself. In fact, I built a life that many find enviable. Today, I would not trade my lifestyle to be in a relationship. I still have relationships, but only for pleasure and only when I feel the need.

What is turning so many women off from men in general is lack of meaningful engagement, lack of connection, lack of human empathy, lack of feelings and genuine emotions, lack of personal character. We are waking up to the fact that men cannot provide, so why risk our bodies and health to access them? We are waking up to the fact that we cannot build deep relationships with a physical act. Many males who are available, don’t have that ability to bond or emote at all. Why pay for it with sex? Why allow them to access us? We lose every time.

As for sex, is it better with men or without men? Many women are now admitting that sex with their husband or partner is not enjoyable at all. A growing number of women are admitting to rarely having an orgasm, so sex is not worth chasing. But single women have a choice. They can have sex, or not. They can do it with a partner, or without a partner. Which way is more likely to produce an orgasm? Which type of orgasm is likely to last longer? The one without the man.

Tables are turning. The market for sex is shifting. Women’s access to a job and a paycheck has eliminated the need for many things we could only get from men. We don’t even need babies as much as we used to. And the reversal of Roe vs. Wade has driven a huge wedge into gender relations. It has sharply reduced our desire for sex. Today, sex comes at a huge risk, and it just isn’t worth pursuing. Women no longer have a reason to give it up indiscriminately, and men have created this situation for us. Basically, manhood shot itself in the balls when it put the last nail in the coffin of women’s reproductive rights.

We are at that point in society where tables are turning. As women gain more college degrees, we are gaining more economic power which will eventually lead to more political power. Women are starting to control the market for sex by dropping out of dating, or filing for divorce. Women who are divorced have little to no interest in pursuing marriage ever again. Traditional relationships and marriage agreements promised a lot but never delivered. And casual relationships lead us to take chances, and seek opportunities that never materialize. Is that a reason to have sex?

We are in a resting phase. Nothing has changed yet. But once women learn to satisfy their own needs, rest assured that the needs we identify that men can fulfill will require greater consciousness, strong personal character, a demonstrated ability to be of service, and that will be impossible for an ego-driven male to achieve. Women’s needs are largely interpersonal, emotional, spiritual, and focused on care for the self on all levels. We have learned a lot from our losses, I for one have benefited greatly from divorce, being single and finding my own personal power. Those of us who have gained will not renegotiate.

I believe that the need for traditional relationships will dwindle. Women feel no need to be controlled, owned, managed, or dominated by anybody. Transactional relationships will be for brothels only. Real women don’t seek to transact, we seek to relate. Now look at the pool of single men we have all dated. Are they capable of that? In the twelve years I have been single I have met only one man who could relate on that level, and we stayed platonic friends.

Women will be more sovereign, but I think that will benefit both genders. Sovereignty will liberate women to live on their own terms, but it will also free men from having to provide anything at all. What exactly will we need from each other? I’m’ not sure, but we will engage on a higher level. No longer will we trade sex for a game of chance, or a meager opportunity to eventually secure a relationship. Women will redefine sex, and I predict that five to ten years from now, sex will look more like a woman.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged dating, relationship, single life, single woman | 1 Comment

Intentional Dating vs. Giving Chances to Random Men

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Travel Clubs International

This post is a follow up to several of my previous ones where I mentioned that I only date intentionally and promised to expand on that topic. I have shared it in the private Goddess chat several times to see how the idea is received, but never expanded upon it in my blog. I find intentional dating to still be a foreign concept for most women, and it is definitely not for everyone. It is not for women who need or want experience with many different types of men, but it does work well for those of us who are tired of following dating rules and simply weary of dating in general. I have to admit, this only started to appeal to me once I re-thought what I want out of life, and started to appreciate the life I have already built for myself. This idea was born out of self-appreciation and wanting to date in a way that is more aligned with who I really am.

If I am going to date, it is very important that the experience is very pleasant for me. I have reached that point in life where I am highly satisfied with who I am as a person. I have a lot to be grateful for, especially my inner peace. I live the good life, I live the soft life, I treat myself better than anyone else, and I am not willing to do anything that I don’t enjoy. That includes dating, or giving my time and presence to people who simply ask for it. For me, dating is no longer a matter of taking chances on random men, giving time just because somebody thinks they deserve it, nor giving attention to males who don’t qualify.

What is your style of dating? There is this unhealthy, yet very common belief that dating and love are a matter of chance. Give a nice guy a chance. Take a chance on the guy you were never into. Pick the guy who is right under your nose, he might surprise you. Sure Tinder is a swamp no classy woman should swim in, but for some women that frog with warts might one day turn into a prince. We all know that one girl who took a chance on a random Tinder dude and scored. We all want to believe if we lower our standards just a bit, and play the dating lottery, that 1:999,999,999,999 anonymous dates will be a winner.

Do you realize what your odds of winning a prince are when you place your bets on random males with the following odds? 1:999,999,999,999 Who can do the math? Can you calculate the likelihood of that frog getting into your bed with those same odds? If math stumps you, let me put it to you this way. When you take a chance on a random male, who is actually getting the chance? You or him? Whose chances of scoring are higher, yours or his? Provided that scoring for you means you get into a strong, stable, healthy relationship, while scoring for him means getting laid, what are your chances? Extremely low.

Yet women are told that dating is a game of chance. Place you bets and chances are pretty high that a male will score while you loose each and every time. It is surprising to me how many women never wake up to the fact that the game is rigged and that the game only works in the favor of boys.

Those of you who are into chick lit, romance novels and movies are all too familiar with that gorgeous girl who meets a disheveled, discombombulated, confused male, and they hook up, and they have a baby, and only then she realizes that this scruffy, unwashed dude who lives in his mother’s basement is her one true love. Look around your circle of friends, how many women are taking scary chances with their minds, bodies and souls with men who have no intention of doing anything positive for her to meet her relationship goals. Why are women so enamored with chances? Do you really need a chance, or do you need a solid, committed man who is your intellectual, financial, emotionally healthy equal? Do men become that by chance? Then why are you betting against yourself when it comes to dating?

Men don’t grow into strong, capable, committed, successful adults by chance. They become that only with intention. Some guys are intentional about their future and their success, and other guys play video games, watch porn, and spend countless hours in the manosphere of social media. Which one is for you?

Men who are serious about their futures don’t take chances when looking for a serious, qualified partner. When they are looking to hook up, sure they will pick the lowest hanging fruit, the one who is the easiest to talk to, the one who is most approachable, they one who will show up on a last minute date. But when they are looking for a wife, they want somebody impressive, not random. They don’t want the girl on the street. Men take easy pickings to hook up, and are totally intentional when they are looking for a spouse.

Yet a lot of women are looking for husband in the trash. Giving unqualified males a chance devalues you. This idea that you have to sift through dust and sh*t to find a man is absolutely ridiculous. It was Melanie Hamlett who said that “desperate women are reckless”. They are reckless with their bodies, their minds, their self-respect, taking chances on the lowest common denominator.

The reason I am writing this post is that I think that women who value themselves should be much more intentional when dating. Our standards must be much higher, and when you see that your dating results are poor or unfavorable, you have to have the courage to raise your standards up a notch, and not be tempted to lower them. When you are feeling down, it is tempting to want to lower your standards, and that is what society and men tell us to do. But this only works in a cheap man’s favor. It makes desperate women even more available, increasing their chances of hooking up with even lower, less qualified men.

I wish all women had the courage to keep rising. If you are not getting what you want, if you are not being treated well enough, it is because you are allowing yourself to be treated by men who don’t have any reason to treat you better. That is not your man. A guy who is looking to hook up, has no reason to treat you like a goddess, it is too much work. He wants a cheap and easy girl, who will help him score sooner rather than later. And if you are her, your odds of finding a prince are minuscule. The odds are not in your favor if you date by male rules. And lets face it, they created this icky dating culture. But it is us to control access, and it is our fault when we don’t enforce standards.

I want every woman to date powerfully, not powerlessly. I wish every woman had the guts to say no, disengage, detach, and drop out of marathon dating low quality men. The first step is to take a long time out, heal, detoxify your body and soul, care for yourself. Take a long vacation from dating, or go on what I call a man diet. This will help you re-calibrate until you decide who and what you want.

Write yourself a list of 50 qualities you would like in a partner. The top 10-15 should be your non-negotiables. If he doesn’t possess them, don’t even make eye contact with him. When you think about it, why would you give a man a chance if he obviously does not meet your requirements? Remember that any chance he gets with you is a chance for him to score. Even if he does want a relationship, most men still get sex even when a relationship does not work out. That is a drain on you. Don’t let unqualified males near you. You don’t owe them that.

Second, only date men who you are interested in first. Instead of talking to every male, instead of going on random dates to find out if there is chemistry, find out if you are interested in him first. You don’t need to give a man free access to your time and body to find out. Ask all the questions first, and if you see no reason to be with him, don’t waste your time. Do not be guided by benefit of the doubt and allow time to decide if he becomes more qualified later. You lose immediately, and you are taking chances that he will come up with one quality that redeems him as you waste your time.

I use my $100 bill test. I ask myself, would I spend a $100 to get a date with this guy? Is he worth an hour of my time? Your time may be more valuable than $100 per hour. You are entitled to that. When I started thinking in terms of value for my time, I realized that I would not spend a dollar to get an hour with most men. Yet, I was accepting dates from those same men. Why? I was bored, I didn’t have anything better to do, I was feeling peer pressure from women who were dating much more. Often, I allowed a guy to talk me into giving him time, I fell for the “give a nice guy a chance” and then regretted it the minute we sat down. By dating only the men who asked me out, I was swimming in a very toxic pool, in fact I was in the wrong pool. None of these guys were my intellectual, emotional, professional equals, they were merely the ones who were the most readily available.

Today, if I have no personal interest in a guy, I don’t give him any consideration. I don’t allow random males to take up my time, to tell me I am too picky, to DM me. I am not random. You don’t get to meet me by clicking on my profile. I only talk to men I am interested in, not the other way around.

Mentally, I have created a small pool of qualified men. No, I don’t date them all, but I do get to know them at my own pace, and screen them for relationship status, reputation, professional level, sophistication, emotional intelligence and I don’t even tell them that I am doing that. I am only talking to them, not random frogs who contact me. But this way, my dating pool is not random, it is qualified.

My pool is small. You all have seen for yourselves that the number of men who actually qualify for your attention is very small. This is exactly what I want. A small, highly qualified pool is much cleaner than a huge swamp with warty frogs. Trust me, thee is no prince in that swamp you keep diving into, but odds are high you’ll get warts or an STD.

I started dating intentionally in 2020 at the start of lockdown. In 2020, I broke up with my toxic ex. I decided that I am no longer going to date anyone unless I am interested in him first. Once it was solely up to me to be interested, I realized that I am actually not interested in anyone at all. I also realized that there are very few men who I find remotely attractive, or even genuinely interesting. This made me realize that by dating random people who asked me out, I was giving away my time and attention out of boredom, often out of a feeling of obligation, never out of my own genuine interest. How many icky dates have you been on? Did you pick that guy or did he pick you? How many so-so men did you give a chance to? How many mediocre, there’s nobody better around dudes did you spend time with? Weren’t they all a complete waste of your time and energy?

In 2021 I went on 2 dates with 2 qualified guys. It only took 2 dates to realize they are very nice, but not for me. I have to say that those 2 dates were far better in quality of the interaction than any random date I ever went on. Both guys were highly intelligent, well-mannered, respectful, just not for me. But by only dating the two I was interested in, I eliminated the riffraff. I felt better about the time I invested, rather than feeling like sh*t for giving some loser access and a chance to make me feel bad about myself. In 2022 I only went on 1 date with a quality guy, and in 2023 only 1. And I am really starting to like that one more. I like that I am not wasting my time and my attention span on low-value males, I like that my standards are so high that all of them asked me on a very nice date. I like that even if I find out I am not into them, I still feel good about the time I spent with them. I only give access as long as I am interested. If after 1-2 dates I figure out he is not for me, I don’t waste his time, because I wouldn’t want anyone to do that to me. I don’t string men along, to see if maybe I like them more later. I know myself, I know what I want, and I trust my own good judgement.

I don’t date on benefit of the doubt. Meaning, I don’t date to see if I can grow to like him, or to see if he turns from a frog into a prince later. That is a waste of my time, and an opportunity for me to eventually lower my standards. I never allow a male to talk me into giving him a chance. I only date with my own interest.

I know most of you would be shocked by how little I date. But I only date when I want to, only when it feels good to me, and only when I am approached respectfully. I don’t need a big roster, I don’t need a date every Friday. Honestly, my Fridays and Saturdays are for my friends who bring value to my life. Each and every one of my friends is worth my best time slot, my finest wine, and my best energy. I don’t waste my Fridays and Saturdays on Tinder trash. Sorry to those of you who are still on Tinder.

Dating with intention means dating only on your own terms. It is not up to the guy to set the terms. This is the BS we have all accepted, which has forced women to lower standards, give chances to random dusties, waste their best years on players and worst of all, compromise their bodies, emotional and mental health. Women waste so much time dating only the men who ask them out, when they could be dating only the men they want.

I set my own terms, you all should create your own. But remember, after each guy, you must raise your standards even higher, not compromise to make them lower. Each guy is a new learning experience, and each person teaches me about what I am settling for, what boundaries I am still not defending, and what requirements I still need to sharpen. Every girl should have her list of 50, and that list should be refined every year. It can even be a list of 100, with the first 25% of most important qualities being your non-negotiables.

And if you are wondering what I do with the random dudes who dare take their chances on me, the answer is nothing. No response. The time it takes me to respond to some random dusty is the time I could be using to pick my nose. No response is the best response. It states exactly how I feel about his qualifications. My DMs are full of unanswered chats.

Men talk, and they talk about me. Sometimes I run into random ones at parties and they remark “I know I have no chance with you” or “I know better than to mess with you”. That’s right. I’m not the one you mess with. Go mess with some unaware, confused, girl. Take your chances on whoever will give you one, I am not anyone’s random chance.

But since I cut down on dating drastically, de-centered men, and started dating only intentionally, I feel like a much healthier person. I am more centered, more appreciative of my good friends, more healthy. No one, absolutely no one can make me feel bad about myself, or make me question my own decision. Your dating strategy must be created entirely by you, and not set by a dating culture or hookup culture. That won’t work in your favor.

Take the time to meet the kind of people you are interested in only. You probably never thought of that because you have been giving opportunities to whoever asks you out. If you only give time to those who ask you out, then your choices are slim. No wonder women think they have to settle. Usually the guys who ask the most women out are the most desperate, the most eager to get their numbers up, the most active on the market, Some guys play the numbers game, and they ask out every woman they know indiscriminately because they know that one out of a 100 will say yes. But those are usually the lowest quality males simply looking to play a game of chance. Its your fault if you give it to them.

Where have I met the best quality people? I run a large east coast social network, so this is where I have met most of my long term and short term relationships. I’m lucky, I don’t need a dating app. By creating my own social circle, I am in charge of who gets invited, who gets access and whom I introduce to my friends. You could simply start a meetup, or a professional organization. Also, in the past I have met the best quality people via professional organizations, conferences and after work gatherings. For years I worked on Wall Street, this is where I met people of the same educational level as me. This doesn’t mean that everyone I dated was great, but I always dated in a qualified pool. Dating randomly where there are no qualifications to meet you like on a dating app is just the wrong space for a professional woman with standards. You don’t want to date in a pool of a million dusties and warty frogs, you want a pool of just 10-12 exclusive members. Build your own pool and please only date selectively.

Since 2020, I only dated 4 people, and as I mentioned above, all four where much better men than the dozens I met before. Every one of them had positive qualities that I selected. I didn’t have to exhaust myself on random dates with strangers, I pre-qualified them by getting to know them professionally or through friends, and found out most of what I needed to know before the first date. I do look for genuine people, but I won’t list the qualities I am looking for here in a public blog.

The less time you give to random males, and the fewer chances you take with your own time, the healthier you will feel. But this will only be worthwhile if you have actually reached that point in life where you highly appreciate who you are, what you’ve got and you respect your time, mind, body and soul. Some girls will always be out there running after some scruffy nobody. I have reinvested the energy saved on random males into myself. At this point in my life, only very few people equal the quality of my own time. If it doesn’t bring me immense joy, I don’t consider it.

S

P.S. I repeat, Women waste so much time dating only the men who ask them out, when they should be dating only the men they want. Let that sink in.

Posted in Blog | Tagged dating, feminism, intentional dating, love, relationship, relationships, romance, single woman | Leave a comment

The Value of a Woman’s Presence

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Travel Clubs International

Have you ever witnessed how much benefit men get from having your friendship, your mere presence in their lives? Have you ever felt uncomfortable with how they use your presence to boost their ego, shore up their masculinity or gain admiration from other males at your expense? Have you ever noticed how men insinuate physical connections when in reality there are none?

Much has been written about how much males gain from marriage, and how the union benefits male careers, social status, physical and emotional health. Much has also been written about how much males benefit from cohabitation, steady access to sex, female energy, not to say free household labor as well as a reduction in household expenses. But not much has been written about how males benefit from a female’s mere presence. From friendship, to companionship to simply belonging to your social circle, males gain a lot from having access to women.

Have you noticed how a male’s status increases from having access to women? Males who surround themselves with a lot of women are perceived as more successful than males who have no access to women at all. When males succeed financially, the tendency is to spend money to access female attention, whether it is through dating or partying, they seek to create the image of having a lot of female energy, even when that image is false. Even males who have no access to women will seek to create the illusion of having relationships they don’t actually have. Why?

Growing up I always had more male friendships than female ones. I never understood why, but men always hung out with me, and unconsciously I used to freely give them my time and energy. In fact, like most nice girls, I believed in the value of those friendships and overestimated their worth simply by placing too much importance on them. We all want to believe in the relationships we have, even when those connections show some red flags. But in my 20s and 30s I easily ignored those red flags. In the last three years, I started to greatly limit male access to me, and I have benefited greatly from distancing myself from connections that benefited males in ways that made me uncomfortable.

Have you ever analyzed the actual value of your friendships with males? Have you ever listed what they actually bring to your platonic friendship table? Have you ever observed what your male friends gain from your presence?

Many of you are still friends with your exes, many of you hang out with random males, Do you notice how your mere presence strokes the male ego, raises their social status, boosts their image? Under the guise of a platonic friendship, they still get to access you, your time, your emotional labor, you just now get to pay for half of that access. You probably never thought about this, but a friendship with a woman does a lot to boost a man’s image, even if he does not have the emotional qualifications nor the social skills to be in an actual romantic relationship. He still gets to be seen in public with a woman who would not date him if she was aware what he is getting out of her presence.

Many ladies aren’t even aware how a mere photo on social media boosts a man’s masculinity while at the same time it devalues her in the eyes of other men. We all think it is innocent to pose in a suggestive way, drape ourselves all over a male even surround a male with a group of females. A photo like this raises a man’s worth immediately. Suddenly everyone sees him as having female attention, social and sexual status. But what about the women in the same photo? They may not be interested in him at all, but posing suggestively or draping themselves over a man devalues them. It makes them look easy, loose, free and overly available in the eyes of other males. Your presence is valuable, don’t give it away so easily.

As someone who grew up in male company, I now see how many of those connections were not true and authentic friendships. It took decades to call it what it is, an illusion or a delusion that I had a true friend. I often suspected that the guys were benefiting in other ways from being connected to me, but I could never verbalize how. Perhaps I was emotionally immature to understand. Like most nice girls with low boundaries, I never took account of how much these friendships cost my emotional health, my reputation and my self worth. Perhaps I was too embarrassed to question their motives, nor could I defend my self worth. But, much of the gain the men got was hidden, never discussed, never addressed, never called out.

Without recounting each individual friendship in great detail, in the end over 90% of those friendships with males ended when the male finally realized that he could never have me, Yes, those great friends I thought so highly of were simply waiting for me to become single, or eventually interested. I had a college friend for over 20 years who called me as soon as his divorce was completed to tell me that he is ready for me now. He simply assumed that I was waiting for him.When I told him I don’t want to date him he was shocked, angry, called me names after 20 years of what I perceived to be a solid friendship. The remaining 10% males got blocked when I found out they told stories about dating me to their cronies and their girlfriends.

I have had many males hang out with me in order to insinuate a physical connection to their other male friends. Imagine how it feels when a bunch of low level incels believe that I slept with their unsleepable friend. It feels like a violation that no woman can ever prove, because she is never privy to those inuendos. Males validate each others’ fantasies and believe in them even when they are far fetched, because they rely on each other to shore up their masculinity. They rarely question each others’ reality or each others’ conquests because to do so comes with a risk that they too will be discredited.

I have had males use me to make their girlfriends and wives uncomfortable. I can’t count the number of times somebody’s girlfriend gave me the evil eye or somebody’s wife couldn’t look me in the face. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t touch her man with a 10 ft pole. Males are insecure, highly, highly insecure. And when their masculinity is shaky, they will try to destabilize their woman to make themselves feel more secure. However, like most good friends,I actually believed in that friendship with the male. Even though I knew what they were doing, I stayed silent to protect the friendship. Is that a true friendship? I wasn’t even being true to myself. Inside, I felt gross that my friendship was being used to insinuate a physical connection that never happened. But on the outside, I was silent, protecting my so called “friend”.

I am glad that most of those friendships ended, and I would not allow any male to boost his ego at my expense. Today I am very protective of my energy, I limit access to people I have vetted, and when a guy tries to insinuate something or stroke his own ego in my presence, I actually call him out. I don’t mind embarrassing males at all because I know that what they fear the most is exposure. No man wants his masculinity denied by a woman, especially not in front of friends. So when I suspect that a male has made a claim about me, I openly say No, that never happened, or I tell his wife in front of him, “You know that George and I never dated” which usually puts women at ease, and lets the male know not to dare make such an insinuation again.

You have to be firm, and you have to be respectful of your own image, because insecure males will use it to shore up their masculinity. The more insecure they are, the more likely they are to do it. Our silence protects them, but our openness shuts them up. Rest assured that most of these guys present as “nice guys” and will make it your fault when they are exposed. Be fine with that.

A few years ago a girlfriend of mine was devastated when she found out that the man she has been dating for six months was impotent. He never informed her, simply strung her along. When she found out he acted like it is none of her business, like she was ridiculous for complaining. She broke up with him only to find out the next day he was posting pictures online with a new girlfriend. Shortly after, that woman dumped him too, and immediately he was posting pictures on social media with three girls in their 20s. Why do males do that? To cover up the masculinity that is missing. But, notice how each woman’s presence was being used to create an illusion of his masculinity, potency and sexual prowess that he didn’t actually have. And to other males his illusion was believable. Nobody questioned him, in fact he was congratulated and admired for his ability to score so quickly. In the real world males get applause for what women provide for them. To the world it looked as if he had 5 women, in reality he disappointed and used all 5 of them. Incidentally, the 20 year olds were just hanging out with him (not dating him) because he kept paying for expensive dinners and nightclubs. They were too young to be interested. He still used their presence to create an illusion.

Currently, one of my girlfriends is accusing another of flirting with her husband. I was there, this did not happen. Instead, her unattractive husband has been acting like other women are after him, and is doing his best to make his wife feel insecure, trying to manipulate her into giving him something she doesn’t want. He is using the presence of women in our social group to trigger his wife, and it is working. Meanwhile, this guy is unattractive to us all. None of us pay any attention to him socially, he is ignored at most events, and none of the ladies in our group would ever flirt with another woman’s man. This guy is a 2/10 and his wife is an 8/10, so you can see why he is so insecure. But, simply allowing him in our social circle because his wife is our friend has destabilized our friendships. He is manipulating our friends just to trigger his wife emotionally and the only reason he can do this is because he has access to our circle of friends. I can think of two other women who are in similar situations with their partners, who are using female attention to disempower and make their girlfriends jealous, while no woman is actually interested in them.

Over the years I have dropped many male friends when I realized these connections felt icky to me. Sometimes, I wasn’t even aware of how or why this felt uncomfortable, only to later find out that a guy I politely rejected claimed to have had me anyway. Which leads me to wonder how many unsuspecting women get used under the guise of friendship to give away time and energy for a male’s personal gain. Of course this cannot be measured, but self-aware women know when their energy isn’t reciprocated correctly and respectfully.

The older I get, the more cognizant I am of my own value, my own energy, and who I give attention to. I have cleaned up my table and tightened my circle of friends. I am more aware of how my energy is used by other people, whether they reciprocate equally, and whether their presence is healthy. I am unapologetic about having to cut off a few barnacles, withdraw attention from people who feed on it, and don’t give away my time or attention so easily. I have benefited greatly from doing this. Many of the people I ended things with were males who were benefiting from my time, attention, advice, caring, and used that for their own personal gain.

But the greatest benefit to me has been speaking up. As uncomfortable as this is for women, nothing in the world feels more powerful than calling out a male when he has insinuated a connection at your expense. His story boosted his masculinity at the expense of your own worth. Why do males get a free pass for using their friends this way? Speaking up and calling them out has been so freeing and so cleansing for my energy, it feels like a spiritual detox.

Many women bottle up their emotions not wanting to cause a conflict. We all know the wrath a male can inflict when his mask has been pulled off and his illusion shattered. However, our silence is exactly what has created this imbalance between the genders, where our silence strengthens their insufferable egos. We have to speak up. Sure, men will avoid women like us, and that too is a good thing. Personally, I don’t want parasitic friendships, and I no longer value quantity over quality in my social circle. I realized that many of the males I kept in my circle weren’t true friends at all. They brought nothing to my table, but benefited greatly from my kindness and my attention.

Some of you are actively dating, and are struggling with blurred lines between romantic, platonic and friends with benefits type connections. I urge you to see that when the lines are blurred, they rarely benefit you. Somebody is always benefiting from your confusion under the guise of friendship. Redefine your friendships, create rules of engagement, list requirements for time and access to your company, and you will see that all your relationships will either improve or disintegrate. Don’t fear losing friends. The ones who disappear are no longer good enough for you.

Nothing changed until I started cutting people out of my life. I made some tough choices and many people were displeased with me. Be unapologetic with your self-respect. You will gain more respectful friends out of that. But, once I started ending so called “friendships” with males who were simply benefiting from me, even my dating life improved. There are higher standards in place now, my dating strategy is purely intentional, and no one gets access to me unless they step forward correctly.

Stop giving away your time freely to random males who just want to hang out and tap into your energy. No genuine friendship will come out of your indiscriminately pouring your attention into them. No male can entice me to hang out and give him my time or attention. But before your dating life can improve, you must cut off the useless males who are feeding on your attention. They are unattractive to healthy males who see you pouring into them, and they devalue you in the eyes of quality people. You can’t build a healthy social circle when you are surrounded by unhealthy attachments. It is impossible.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged emotional labor, female presence, feminism, friendship, gender, male friends, masculinity, mental health, platonic friendship | 1 Comment

A Woman in Power

Posted on October 4, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

POWER. What is it? How do you know if you have power, or if you are truly a powerful woman. Power is a loaded word. It offends some people, especially when the word is used to refer to women. How dare she? Who does she think she is? When a woman is truly powerful, she is 100% satisfied with who she is, what she has got, and nobody can make her feel insecure. No one can convince me that there is something wrong with me, no one can make me feel bad about myself, no one can convince me that I need to come down to earth, in fact I am quite comfortable way up here.

The most powerful women need nothing. The operative word here is need. A woman in need has no power at all. If she is seeking fulfillment for whatever is missing in her life from external sources, she is an easy target, and her handicap can easily be used to keep her small, a “real woman”. Who decided that a real woman must be soft, small, manageable, compliant,accessible, adoring, and to never compete with men? Is that who you aspire to be? Some women do. Some even urge their daughters to be that way in the 21st century.

Who decided that a woman who can remain unaffected by anything thrown at her is a “scary woman”, “not a real woman”? Why is a truly powerful woman, that inaccessible one who refuses to bend over, who refuses to submit, why is she the bad girl?

I have no problem with whatever anyone chooses to call me. I am cool with who I am. I am cool with losing people, friends, men too. I want my table clean, so if you’re going to eat at my table, then talk about me when you walk away, you have no business sitting here.

I am not afraid to stand alone. In fact, a long time ago, I realized that I am much more powerful alone than with someone. I looked at all my prior relationships and realized that when I was coupled, even in my best relationships, I had far less power. Either I was in a relationship with a male determined to keep me in check, always gently and lovingly reminding me that I don’t need to be so powerful. Or I was with males trying to usurp my power- how dare she, let me get a grip and control of whatever she’s got. Or I was in relationships where I needed to be soft and gentle and get off my pedestal, None of those situations felt good to me, I was in them because I thought that love and relationships were more important than being who I truly am.

I think I was powerful when I was 5. Even then my dad would jokingly tell me that I cannot be the boss. At 14, I learned to argue him into a corner, and he told me that with that attitude and such low respect for my superiors no one will ever want me. What made him believe he was superior? If he couldn’t win a logical argument against a 14 year old, then was he truly superior? All my life, I was told to soften. Girlfriends urged me to get into my feminine energies, but when I tried I didn’t feel like my self. The fact is, I am not hungry for power, and I never take anything from anyone. I just want to be who I truly am, and if that is not feminine, than I am okay with that.

But, I also realized that whenever I was single and comfortable with it, I was in my best form. When I am single, I am usually thriving. No man is competing with me, though many try, I just dismiss them. I have had some nasty girlfriends in the past, they don’t stay in my life for long. When I am single, I am focused on myself, on living my best life, on cultivating genuine relationships with people I can actually respect. I am much more powerful when single, and I always see my life growing in a positive direction. What is wrong with that?

Recently, 2 guy friends accused me of being frigid. I giggled. I am not frigid, I just know how to seal off my energy around certain people. But maybe that is how people perceive me, and that too is okay. My energy is not for everyone. I share it openly with people I love, in fact I shower them with it. But when you cannot access it, it is decidedly not for you.

I’m not sure if any other women feel this way. Does anyone else feel more powerful when they are single? I feel like in a relationship I must share my power. Any time I am part of a two person team, I feel like I’m operating at 50%. I’m sharing the throne. Why do I have to do that?

A while ago I watched a documentary about Queen Elizabeth I, the one who never married. Many men tried to marry her, but she refused everyone. She remained in power because she refused to marry. Of course, there were many rumors about her. They called her the virgin queen, but she had plenty of lovers, even found herself pregnant once. She chose not to marry, nor to have children. Imagine what would have happened if she married. She would have had to share her throne.

Her counterpart, Mary Queen of Scots, was forced to re-marry as soon as her husband died. But the guy she married made an immediate play for her throne. He immediately started to have affairs, tried to derail her reign, and install himself on her throne. So, which woman was smarter? The one who understood the source of her power, and knew how to protect it.

I know that most women are still eager to share their throne. Though the idea is becoming less popular today, it is still important to some ladies. But, I think I was sitting on that throne when I was 5. Why would I share it?

I do wonder what a relationship would look like with me maintaining my own throne. Is that possible? I never wanted to re-marry, because I love living alone. But I wonder what a relationship would look like with a person who has his own throne, and needs no part of mine. I am at the point in my life where I am completely satisfied, and am not looking to share, compromise, nor soften myself. Sorry, but that’s not who I am. I love that I reign supreme in my own life.

When I meet men, all I see is what I don’t need. I’d love to meet someone I can actually admire as a human being, but I wouldn’t necessarily need to contractualize my relationship with him. I’m curious what my counterpart would look like, but we could just as easily remain platonic friends. But when all other males are concerned, all I see is “not enough”. Males who I would have to settle for, males who are in need and projecting their needs onto me, or males who would feed their egos being in a relationship with me. No thanks to that.

I was married once, and I shared my power. Back then I thought that true love was me pouring all my energies into a man. And of course, I gave my energy away freely, and my ex truly grew into a powerful man. He was satisfied as long as I remained smaller, softer, and in the background. But when I took back my power, started pouring into myself, and made more money than him, that marriage was over. And he told me that I did nothing for him, and that I should go flip burgers for a living. I walked way, and he never was powerful again. Shortly after, he started losing jobs, employers realized he was a phony, and no one was buying his “powerful act” any more.

Post divorce, I still made mistakes. I still gave my energy away, and men saw an opportunity to empower themselves through me. Some dated me so they could show off their manhood to their friends, others saw what I could give them. Each was just taking, and not one had the energy needed to empower himself. Males will take whatever you are willing to give them, or whatever you refuse to protect. No wonder they try to feed on as many women as they can. Our stupidity is in sharing our energy with them.

I will explain this energy in another post. I eluded to it many times, but never truly explained. A woman’s energy is a million times more powerful than the energy a male can generate. This is why historically, men have tried to control, suppress and contractualize relationships with women. Men feed on female energy, and the males who have no access to women have no perceived social standing at all. Notice how men who want to project power, immediately surround themselves with as many women as possible? The stupidity of women is in allowing it.

Women who are truly powerful, understand that they are the source, and that their energy must be protected. They are not running after anyone, eager to pour into half-witted men. Instead, they seal off their energy, and use it to expand themselves.

Talking to some of my girlfriends, I see that many are approaching this point in their lives. Once they have shifted their focus toward expanding themselves, they satisfied whatever urges they had to run after people. The ones who are in romantic relationships don’t want to live with anyone, they are maintaining their own lives separate from the relationship. And the ones who are single, are happily single. A few are still running after males, but I see those numbers dwindling.

But speaking of power, I am curious if you feel powerful and if you feel more so when you are single? Are you still searching for someone to give your power to, or share your power with? Do you yearn to have someone sitting on your throne?

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged love and the single girl, powerful women, single women, women | 2 Comments

The Patriarchy Cannot Survive If Women Are Fearless

Posted on July 28, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear being single.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear being child free.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear getting old.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear the biological clock.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear competing with men.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear what males think of them.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear being in the lead.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear speaking up.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t fear their own power.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women decenter men.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t give a damn about patriarchs.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t believe in gender roles.

The patriarchy cannot survive if women don’t submit.

All those things that women are afraid of are the very things that will set women free. Our only downfall was that we ever believed them.

So, stand up and take your place. Walk into that boardroom, take the lead, have that child on your own, leave that male, drop out of the race to catch a husband, create the life you want for yourself. Always speak up, especially when males disapprove of your opinion. They are more afraid of you than you are of them.

Your attention and your energy empower the patriarchy and all males in your life. Withdraw your attention, drop out of their race, refocus your energy into yourself. Give to yourself, speak highly of yourself, don’t worry about who is pissed off.

The patriarchy as well as toxic males, project their own fears onto women. There is nothing more powerful that realizing that all those things you have been afraid of, are really their own fears. Isn’t it obvious that insecure males live in fear that women will compete with them? Isn’t it obvious that they live in fear that women won’t need them? Isn’t it obvious that they fear seeing us in the lead? That’s why they shame us into thinking we are not soft nor feminine enough for them.

You didn’t come into this world to be second to a man. You are here to take your place, no matter who has a problem with it. So speak up, state confidently what men are afraid to hear, never fear their shame or disapproval.

Let them call you a bitch, a witch, the C word, a feminist, or whatever they are terrified of. Your power is in being unaffected by their word. Allow them to display their own insecurities for all to see. What they are really displaying is their own irrationality, their own impotence, their own fear. Make sure you never accept what they project onto you.

It is time that women stop believing in that small, second-class role that manhood has projected onto them. The only way we can create space for ourselves is if we stop responding to societal pressure, and stop arguing for our own self worth. That conversation does not serve us, it is always twisted and used against us.

Archaic institutions like the patriarchy, organized religions and other cults of manhood are dying. They are fighting for their last breath because women are dropping out as their subscribers. Without our subscription they have nothing to sell to infantile males. They cannot fan the flames of masculinity nor feed its ravenous ego without women who are willing to submit. This is what all the anger and rage is about. Women have nothing to do here.

As threatened as the patriarchy feels, what they don’t understand is that we never tried to compete with them. We did what we had to in order to survive when the males in our lives failed to provide, failed to feed their own children, failed to respect, failed to protect and honor their wives, their mothers, their daughters. They taught us how to take care of our own needs.

When they refused to pay child support men taught us how to provide for our own children. When they refused us healthcare, they taught us how to take care of ourselves. When they walked all over our rights to bodily autonomy, they taught us to protect ourselves. When they barred us from universities, they taught us how to push our way in. When they blocked us from the workplace, they taught us how to earn our own paycheck. Today, 42% of all business owners are women. And now the patriarchy would like it if we felt guilty and ashamed for being our own partners, husbands, and providers. The patriarchy drove a nail into its own coffin when it took away Choice. It is the conceit of manhood that believed there could be no repercussions for its own stupidity.

The world is full of real men. In fact, there is no shortage of them. And those men have nothing to fear. Evolved men will always be wanted, they will always be needed, they will always be equal partners to women they respect. In fact, natural selection ensures that those men are always taken. Women aren’t vying over the egotistical, hyper-masculine, hyper-sexual, narcissistic, uneducated, cavemen. We are partnering with equals who exhibit empathy, sensitivity, intelligence, and strong parenting skills. We are not shunning manhood, we are selecting those males who possess traits that ensure our well-being and the well-being of our children.

If women do absolutely nothing, the patriarchy will die of its own conceit, because there is no need for that trait in humanity. There is no need for dominance, in fact that trait destroys balance that society desperately needs. There is no need for aggression, violence, suppression, control, manipulation. There is no need for the male ego which dominated religion, culture and society for the last 2000 years.

Manhood isn’t dying, but the male ego is. What feeds on female attention, female validation, female submission? The ego. Take away your attention, decenter men as the main focus of your lives, and the ego will rage against itself. Women are doing nothing to compete with males, we are simply focusing onto ourselves.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged child free, evolved man, feminism, male ego, manhood, patriarchy, real men, toxic masculinity, what women want | 3 Comments

Love Junkies and Man Crazy Women I’m Cutting Off

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

This one is bound to be a sensitive topic, as I am sure many women have been at the opposite end of this situation, in a position where they feel like they are being left behind by their girlfriends. It is rough to lose friends. For many this is demoralizing and it triggers feelings of abandonment. A lot of women keep going through repeating cycles where they feel like no one supports them, no one wants a long-lasting connection with them, and that their girlfriends just don’t care. I am speaking as someone who frequently walks away from people who don’t reciprocate equally, nor offer the level of friendship that I bring to the table. This is my way of letting go, ending old cycles, respecting my own boundaries, and moving towards friendships that are more positive, equal, and satisfying.

Over the last twelve years, I have made many wonderful connections. I am lucky because I make friends easily, and I attract people like a magnet. That comes with a ton of responsibility toward myself. As much as I attract genuine people with depth and kindness, I also attract shallow ones who pose one way, but bring something entirely different to my table. I can’t afford to connect with people who are toxic, empty, thirsty, shallow, competitive, or grown women who never reached a level of maturity it takes to be of value in a lasting friendship. Shallow connections cost me my time, attention, and my energy, and they leave me feeling wasted, drained, and disrespected. In this time span, I have learned what kinds of women I want in my life, and I filter the ones who I find lacking in qualities I find necessary for a genuine friendship.

One of my biggest peeves about female friendships are women whose entire lives are centered around men, relationships, crazy situationships, Tinder, and their never ending thirst for low quality males who mistreat, reject, ghost and emotionally abandon them. I used to feel sorry for you, I used to think that I can help you, I used to even be like you until I realized that I respect myself and need to change the way I date and find a way to heal myself. It may seem cruel to say this, but I have been through this process so I sympathize. However, as much as I tried to help you heal, you refuse to do the painful work on yourselves, you ignore advice, you refuse therapy, and you continue to make your childish dating dramas a part of my life.

There is nothing more unattractive than women whose entire existence revolves around chasing men. Every conversation, every night out, every interaction involves exhausting scenarios of who she is talking to now, what he said to her, who ghosted her, how many males she is seeing this week, and all the emotional disappointments that come with texting with 50 different candidates a month. It is absolutely exhausting to have to listen to women who only have one subject to talk about, men. And then, there are women who disappear the moment they get into a relationship. She takes this male so seriously, that she practically disappears to concentrate on her connection to him. She prioritizes some goon who offered her a getaway, and she acts like she’s already in a serious relationship, when he just needs someone to screw for the weekend. When he stops answering her texts, she’s back acting like my best friend needing some advice, for the 101st time.

A while ago, a girlfriend asked me out for drinks. She said she missed me, that she would like a night out with a good old friend, and asked me to meet her at a popular restaurant. When I arrived, she was busy looking for some guy she hooked up with the month before. Apparently, he was supposed to be working at the bar. How do you know? She said he posted where he would be on his Instagram. I thought it odd that she came here looking for some guy she stalked from social media. I thought she wanted to meet with me. Well, she couldn’t find him, so she suggested we try another bar that was less crowded. But when we got there, she looked disappointed because there were no people at that bar. What did it matter? We are here to talk to each other, right? She reluctantly ordered a drink, then kept texting another guy, asking if he wants to meet us. The entire time, she kept getting up to go to the bathroom, then on her way back she would try to make eye contact with complete strangers sitting around the bar. As I was trying to speak, I caught her looking over my shoulder, straightening her back and pushing her tits out, sending some guy a come hither look. Was she even listening to me? Finally, the second guy she was texting showed up, so I had someone to chat with while she was still trying to make eyes with new strangers coming into the bar. By the end of the night, we had been to three restaurants, ordered no food because she was busy trolling. We made no conversation because she was not interested in me at all. It was obvious she was looking for a sister to troll with. I don’t do that. When I go out with a girl friend, I give my undivided attention to her, not to strangers walking past the bar. I realized that night that this friendship is empty. There is no one to connect to here, and that if I want genuine friendships I need stronger boundaries.

Have you met girls (they’re not mature enough to be women) who go through endless cycles with the same toxic males? They treat me like their therapist, wasting my attention span on questions they have already asked me a thousand times. What should I say to Tom? How should I reply to Rick? Can you believe what Mike is doing to me? Help me! The worst thing I ever tried to do is to help them. I genuinely cared, and thought that with a bit of good advice, and a dose of self-respect, a thirsty girl can raise her standards and move away from repeating cycles that never work out in her favor. Boy was I wrong! These girls never take advice given to them. In fact, they will drain me with their questions, dump all their negative emotions on me, tell me that I just don’t understand because their situation is unique, and then go ahead and do the opposite of the advice I gave them. That demonstrates a lack of respect for my time and my friendship. Do you realize you wasted an hour of my time? I have never received an apology for the months and years invested in such draining friends.

I have learned the hard way that some women have no intention of getting better, because they think that there is something wrong with people who just won’t give them time. Men ghost them, therefore the man is bad. A girlfriend no longer picks up the phone, therefore the friendship was bad. They extract every ounce of a friend’s energy, and they keep coming back expecting me to listen to the latest dating drama, as if this one is different from the last. Nothing ever changes for man crazy women. When they should be getting professional help, they spend that money on a new hairstyle- maybe that will make her more attractive for the next guy.

I once wasted four years of my life on a friend who used me for free therapy when she should have been seeing a qualified psychologist. During that time, she was in two separate relationships with men who I found out later, were not in any relationship with her. How is this possible? She was in a state of limerence, a psychological state where a person is fantasizing, obsessing, and agonizing over a situation that isn’t reciprocated, nor real. Both men were taken, neither was making any moves toward her, but she spun their professional level friendship into an obsession she eventually lived through as if it was real. I spent hours a day counseling her through what I thought was a difficult romance. I had no idea that neither man had any interest in her whatsoever, that they were just coworkers who treated her as a “friend”. My level of involvement in her personal saga was not only a drain, but the fact that I thought this was a friendship was a delusion on my part. During this time, did she help me work through any of my personal challenges? They weren’t even a topic of conversation.

I am a very empathic person. I care, especially about women. In fact, I give most of my free time to female friends who bring a genuine friendship to my table. I have absolutely no problem spending time, offering advice, encouraging and supporting women who are experiencing a crisis, going through a difficulty, looking for advice. But, there is a big difference between women who learn, grow, evolve and move on, and girls who never seem to grow up.

The first group takes full responsibility for their healing process. It is very painful to have to look within, face our own demons, address our own inadequacies, and commit to doing the difficult work on the Self. It is no easy task. Some women do the work on themselves, others get professional help. Each of us is on a journey, and we all learn via our own process. But for man-crazy women, there is no journey. They avoid therapy because a professional will hold them accountable. In fact, they drop therapy every time they have to confront an unpleasant aspect of themselves. And this is why they pick up the phone and start talking about some greasy Tinder rat, without even asking for my time. They don’t care. They don’t care about me their friend, they don’t care whether I am getting reciprocity in this friendship, they don’t want to get better, they only want someone to drain. And when you don’t give them your time, they accuse of you of not being a friend.

Unfortunately, some women are obsessed. They are never in a relationship, more often they are just in a new obsession. They don’t relate to men or friends, they extract from them. They are addicted to whatever toxic feelings they absorb from cheap interactions like rejection, abandonment, lack and they chase that temporary high from getting a like on their profile, or hooking up with some ass who doesn’t even know her name. These women are addicts. They start foaming at the month every time they get a whiff of new cologne walking past them.

But to me, these friendships are empty. Some of these women are nice, very nice. But nice is not a measure of character, nice is not a qualification for a quality friendship, nice only lasts as long as you need free therapy from me and my time. Like most humans, I am looking for genuine connections with people who are invested in their own growth. There is nothing more attractive than when I hear about what a friend has done to upgrade her lifestyle, her story of how she has found power, and any advice she can give me so that I rise up too. I am disappointed to say that I have never found such a friend. This is why I have to keep moving, because I know that more evolved women are out there, and to find relationships with women who truly are powerful, I have to drop the dead-weight. I cannot afford to pour into people whose cup is leaking when they refuse to mend its cracks.

I realize that I am the one who has to change. Once again, it is up to me to take full responsibility for my friendships. If I am giving time to draining situations then I am the one who has to stop. If my time isn’t valuable to me, no one will respect it. I did a ton of work to cut off toxic interactions with males, and I benefited greatly for raising my standards so high, that only the men I have vetted can actually reach me. I have to do the same for my personal friendships. As nice as most women are, not all are healthy enough to be my friend. If I occasionally dip my toe in their toxic pool, then I am the one who will not heal. I am still committed to my growth. It is only I who has this life to live, and I do have an idea of how I want to enjoy it. I am now committing myself to actively seeking out women I can learn from. I love the powerful, the successful, the focused, the responsible, free thinking women who are absolutely sovereign. I have a few women in mind, but before I can move forward, I have to scrape off a few barnacles that are feeding off me.

Good bye.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged boy crazy, dating, powerful women, relationship, single life, single woman, toxic friends, women | Leave a comment

The Most Powerful Woman

Posted on July 8, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

There is nothing that you could say about me, to make me feel bad about me. People try, it never works. Their words bounce off me, and then they are right there in their own face. It’s a very powerful feeling when you learn to not absorb, and not be affected by other people’s intentions, but then hold those intentions and words for that person to see about themselves.

How do I do that? I love myself, I respect myself before anyone else, I accept all my flaws, issues, insecurities, to the point that they cannot affect how I feel about myself.

I wasn’t always this confident. I was your typical nice girl who used to give, give, give, make people feel great about themselves, smile politely, validate on demand, and you know what happens to nice girls. But nice girls aren’t really that nice, we have rage and anger inside us, resent people for not reciprocating equally, we opt to turn ourselves into a doormat, then blame others for walking all over us. One of the most powerful realizations was that I chose to be a doormat, I didn’t defend my own boundaries, then allowed people to take over.

The confidence came later, when I learned to say no, and not apologize. I realized that people actually don’t hate me for saying no, quality people respect that in me. Who would I rather have as a friend, the one who respects a boundary, or the one who tries to test it? I gave myself that confidence, by constantly working on myself, and congratulating myself every time I defended a boundary successfully. You have to pat yourself on the back.

Most women are fine defending boundaries among other women, but most will not offend a male. I never understood why women are so afraid of losing males, or pissing them off. Males are far more insecure than women, we give them way too much credit for their false confidence. They posture, they put on an act, and other males support the act. They will even back them up. Women are the real fighters.

I think there is a turning point in all women’s lives when we realize that the emperor has no clothes. That’s usually around the time when we realize we don’t need him. Our mindset begins to shift when we realize we do all the work anyway, that we take on more emotional and financial burdens, so why are we giving him all the credit? That point when women realize I have been doing it all along, is usually when confidence gets unleashed. But really, that point is when we are no longer afraid of losing a man, pissing one off, or what he might think of us.

I always thought that males are weaker. They are far more insecure about their contribution, and they are terrified of competition. Women don’t bother to compete, we don’t even try. I don’t know of one woman who is trying hard to outdo a male. We all do whatever is necessary to keep a roof over our heads, keep the children fed, and maintain our peace. It is the males who our outraged by our independence, and perceive everything as competition. Why do you want to be like a man? I don’t, that’s not much to aspire to. But I do love my freedom, I earned it, and I want to maintain it. My confidence, my freedom, my inner peace are a luxury that I earned- no one can take that away from me with an insult, a scare tactic, I have no fear of losing you. That’s how much I trust myself.

I know this all sounds cocky, but that’s what I have been working on in the last 14 years. I am at the point when I sound arrogant about how little power people have to affect me. When people try to do something, I let them. It is a super powerful feeling when you can allow anyone to say anything and their word have no power to change how I feel about myself.

The advantage I have had is that I have never been afraid of losing a male. Sure I have been heartbroken, trampled on, disrespected, but I always had the self-respect to not go back, even when it felt like leaving was as painful as cutting off a limb, I would still leave. I may have not had much self-respect at the time, but that self-respect grew the more I kept choosing myself over others. At a certain point leaving started to feel good, then satisfying, then very powerful. Now I leave easily without deliberation. Of course I choose me, the topic is not up for debate.

Everything shifted for the better when I started liking myself with all my issues and flaws. I have plenty, but because I appreciate them, no one can use my flaws as ammunition against me. How can you insult me, when I absolutely adore me? Say something about my big ass, and I will thank you for the compliment. Talk behind my back, and I’ll enjoy your opinion of me- this one makes people sh*t their pants! Try it.

But when it comes to males, they literally fall apart when they see they have no ability to reduce me. You all can tell when a male is questioning your intelligence, looking for signs you will concede to his opinion of you, trying to gently devalue you to soften you up, using you for validation. Most women smile, ignore, and let him think what he wants. We all know the regretful mess we have made for ourselves allowing males think what they want. They egos are bloated, their masculinity is now toxic, and all because we have been silent for centuries trying to appease them.

We do have to speak up more, and lose that fear of being criticized. I developed the courage to be disliked, just by allowing people to dislike me, and training myself to not absorb how they feel about me. I piss people off, and that’s fine. I realized that people who are comfortable with who they are are not threatened by me at all. But the ones who are ego driven will always try to project their own insecurities onto me. Their insecurities don’t reach me, I hold them up for everyone to see how insecure they are.

Here is an exercise that you all should try. It will work for those of you who can sense energy, or who are more empathic and easily affected by other people’s words. I call this the sealed jar technique.

I either seal off my own energy in a jar when I am in a place where there is too much anger, rage, bad energy from others, like a toxic workplace or a group. Alternately, I also seal off other people, I put them in my jar and seal it, when I am affected by another person who keeps on bothering me.

To do this, relax and pay attention to your own energy, your own body, your own breath, your own mind. It helps if you can center yourself in a light meditation for a minute. When your mind is soft, and when you feel peaceful, imagine that person whose toxic words are affecting you, and allow those ugly words to reach you for a second. Feel them, and notice how you personally feel when you hear those words. Now take a glass mason jar, put that person in the jar, and seal the lid tight. Now, notice how their energy has been sealed off. No sound can escape that jar or reach you. Nothing they say can affect you. Keep them in the jar as long as you like. If it is a person who is forever taunting you, all you have to do is recall that they are still in the jar, and spend a minute thinking about how no sound penetrates that jar.

Also, if I am in a crowded, toxic setting, and don’t want to feel other people’s anger or rage, I seal myself in the jar, but always remember to unseal yourself when you have left the room.

This is how I block energy. I put that person into a jar, and enjoy the silence. I smile knowing not a word nor an ounce of their energy can reach me.

This may sound esoteric to some of you. But, because I meditate I am super sensitive to other people’s vibe. This is how I unfeel people, protect myself, and let their words slide off me. I remain unaffected and I feel healthy, even powerful as I walk away.

I have noticed that people get pissed off when they see how their words have no power over me. Males feel impotent when they see they have no power to get me to politely concede.

Also, I noticed that when people are vicious, keeping them in the jar keeps them at a distance. As long as I tune into that sealed jar, I am in awareness that they cannot budge toward me.

I only unseal the jar, when the person has left my presence, when I am sure I will not see them again. I do have a toxic, vicious coworker in a jar for the last 2 years and he has not even made eye contact with me. Please don’t do this vengefully or to hurt people, only to protect yourself, and then let them out of the jar when they are no longer a threat. Bad intentions will always hurt you in the end.

But now that you feel protected, use that time to work on your confidence. Speak up, enforce your boundaries, state your opinion without apologizing, walk straight and confidently, learn to let go and never look back (it’s the look back that hurts you), and start appreciating all that you have achieved and everything that you have.

S

Posted in Blog | Leave a comment

Cheating Is Emotional Abuse And A Form of Psychological Violence

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

Cheating is Abuse.

How many of my readers think of cheating as a mistake, an accident, just a part of masculinity? Why do we believe that? Society, pressure and media tell us this, and some women buy into it. But really, cheating is a form of abuse. It is painful, it is demoralizing, it is psychologically traumatic and harmful. It is never an accident, it is often a tool of abuse, revenge, emotional manipulation. People who experience cheating, experience betrayal, loss of the ability to trust, they lose their self-worth. If the cheater denies or lies about it, victims question their reality, their own mind, and often force themselves to accept cheating if they want to maintain their sanity.

We all have to stop believing that ‘Boys will be boys’, that cheating is a characteristic of high testosterone, a man’s sexual prowess, and attribute it to his masculinity. We all are guilty of dismissing cheating as just a part of maleness. And we all have to stop making excuses for it and looking for ways to spin it into something acceptable. Do you really need to stay in a relationship that badly? Do you really wish your friends, sisters, daughters could just forgive and forget? Keep the peace? Is cheating peaceful or is it abusive? It is abusive to the whole family, especially if there are children involved. Children internalize cheating and it becomes part of their program.

Culturally, many women have been raised to turn a blind eye to cheating, then suffer in painful silence. Couple’s therapy serves the purpose of simply to save the relationship, never to save the woman’s sanity. But even if cheating stopped, why is the goal to maintain that relationship? Whom does that serve?

I understand there are women who cannot afford to leave. It is a tough situation. And many accept cheating because at least he is not doing worse- at least he is not hitting her or abusing the children.

A lot of women are programmed to turn a blind eye. Is that what a good woman does? To protect the children, to protect the sanctity of marriage, to protect the male, they swallow their pride and they go on. We really need to stop telling women that cheating is something that can be worked on, and negotiated. Staying in a relationship that is psychologically damaging is not something to maintain. We are instructing women to endure.

Think of the physical danger a woman is in when she is cheated on. She has not consented, yet her health is at risk. I do have a friend who contracted herpes, when her ex forgot to tell her he accidentally had sex with another woman. Her pain is for life. Try to recover from that trauma. Yet, cheating is still treated by women as if it is just part of the dating game, as if it is something to be negotiated later when the relationship becomes serious. Many believe thy don’t have to deal with cheating now, they’ll negotiate terms of the relationship later. It doesn’t work that way. Cheating is a red flag. Guys who show off their cheating prowess up front are a walking red flag.

This is just my own opinion and I am not a psychologist. But I believe that cheating is pathological. It is never an accident, it is always a way to denigrate a partner, control, dominate, psychologically abuse. How many males boast about cheating? How many males identify as cheaters? How many males use cheating as a way to bolster their ego? Pay attention ladies. I know women cheat too, and that too is a sign of a much greater problem. What kind of human would hurt somebody on purpose, and then gloat about it? But, this is a part of dating many men and women ignore and think they can work around.

In some cultures, cheating is viewed as a rite of passage for males, and as indoctrination for women. Cheating happens early in almost every relationship to soften the woman, or to break her spirit just like a horse is broken to submit. And the community urges a woman to support her man and be a better wife. This is sickening but very common. Imagine the emotional trauma that “rite of passage” causes a woman. I see cheating as pathological.

In other cultures males strive to become a ladies man, to display their sexual prowess for all to witness, to juggle women, and in countries where males don’t have fast and easy access to dating and women, they actually come here to sow their wild oats. And we all smile when they use us to prove their maleness?

I am purposely not mentioning any cultures. I don’t want to get into a racial, ethnic argument, be accused of stereotyping or generalizing. But many of you know I come from an ethnically mixed background and have lived in 4 countries, so I am very familiar of how masculinity and femininity in those countries are defined. And it starts at a young age, so many women don’t even know that they are being gaslighted into accepting abuse.

But getting back to dating in the USA, I see cheating out on full display, and many women simply smile and think of cheating as not really cheating if it happens early in the relationship before there is any commitment. Many see cheating as a bad habit to be worked on or negotiated later when things get serious. This idea that a cheater is a viable candidate for dating, that he should be given another chance, that cheating is something to work on as a couple is sickening. What is the goal of couple’s therapy? To teach one party how cheating hurt the other’s feelings, then teach the victim how to forgive, accept, and force her to trust because the alternative is to break up the marriage? So the cheater gets to keep his wife, but the wife gets to swallow a poisonous pill, and is urged to trust again for the sake of what? Why is preservation of marriage more important than preservation of a woman? Why is getting to the desired relationship level more important than a woman’s mental health? Relationship goals?

I think women are also complicit in this toxic form of dating, and we are enabling males to do exactly what every woman wants him to stop doing. We urge women to “work on him” or to negotiate with him, when in fact he should not be seen as a viable candidate at all.

Cheating is a sign of an unhealthy male. It is a red flag. It is not something to be negotiated. I believe that cheating can be pathological, when it is intentional, when it is used to control, dominate, harm another human. Cheating is emotional violence, which hardly ever leaves physical scars, but often results in psychological trauma. Victims of cheating often only get superficial help in the form of marriage counseling, but rarely the help that they actually need. I do believe that victims suffer gaslighting, mental abuse, and emotional violence, and this is rarely addressed. The word infidelity sounds so much more benign that the term mental abuse. One can be worked on and negotiated by couples therapy, it can even be forgotten and never mentioned again. Mental abuse sounds so much more harsh, and requires much more than family therapy.

When a male has been secretly or openly violating fidelity, trust, a bond, then uses persuasion, love bombing, manipulation, gaslighting to maintain the relationship or to maintain access to her, a woman has two choices, save herself or save the relationship. Some women leave to protect their physical and mental health, while others look for ways to make it better. Unfortunately, when we rely on religious or family counseling, when we rely on the male to make things better, women often simply acquiesce.

Let’s think about this. Has cheating become an accepted trait of maleness that is often ascribed to manhood? In your culture, what is the prescribed recourse to women? Save your marriage, save your man, save your children? The women who have the strength, and self-respect to walk away have a luxury many women don’t. The systems that protect maleness and marriage involve religion, culture, media, that often women have no choice but to conform.

I can’t quote the textbook because I finished school decades ago, but I do remember a psychology class that discussed that cheating, having multiple sexual partners is a male need and that females have to understand that. I do remember learning that this is a biological need, therefore something that must be accepted, and I am wondering now if that is what people are still being taught in university and if this is why mental health professionals treat cheating as if it is a benign growth, and not a cancer that needs to be eliminated?

Compared to other countries where I have lived, American women are ahead of the curve. We may not have the rights that we deserve, but we are fighting, standing up, rejecting. The latest trend is that women are dropping out of marriage, sexs and dating and just saying no. It is happening in other countries as well. We are finally choosing ourselves, our own mental health, and are healing. I do think this is a positive trend. It is a matter of self-preservation, when the entire system and all its institutions are ignoring our physical and emotional health.

I would love to hear from you on this subject. There are many women in this forum from other cultures, with probably drastically different opinions than mine. And some of you are US-based and work in healthcare or are actively involved with women’s organizations. Am I going too far in thinking that cheating is a form of psychological abuse, and in thinking that systemic cheating is pathological?

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged abuse, cheating, mental health, relationships, sexual violence, toxic masculinity | 1 Comment

Never Mistake Dick for a Man

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

LESSONS LEARNED, and things I will never do again in dating. Never give a man the benefits of a relationship without any agreement. Never assume that a relationship will grow later. Never assume that sex is the beginning of a relationship and that a relationship will blossom out of a sexual connection in the future. It is quite the opposite. In fact, a true relationship begins first, and then, if a woman is satisfied with what he has brought to her table, if she is happy with its growth, if she sees an authentic bond, and if the relationship has reached the commitment level that she needs, only then does she give the benefits. I’m not sure why women still believe that if we pay for a used car in cash upfront, the slimy used car salesman will give us something special later.So, why do women give up the goods up front, and think he will want them so badly later? I have been on this earth for many decades, but women have been around since the dawn of humanity, and we still haven’t learned this lesson?

Assumptions. We have all paid the price for assumed relationships, and connections we thought we had but were never there. Sure, males often avoid the relationship subject because they know that a factual conversation clearly stating “I am not particularly interested in you, but we can hook up a little, for a while” is most likely to be rejected by a woman of some standards. But women often assume relationships, blow connections out of proportion, and we are responsible for what we think, especially when no clear facts were stated. When I look back, most of my connections, situations and relationships were a battle of my own mind, a discrepancy between the man I thought I have and the one who was slapping me in the face with reality. Ouch.

Often, when I talk to women who are hopeful about a budding connection, they seem to believe in the fantasy. The frog will eventually turn into a prince, and if I throw him back in the swamp, I will regret missing out on a great opportunity later. The guy who isn’t stating anything about his feelings is probably having communication difficulties due to his painful childhood, so let me give him as many relationship benefits now to get him to open up later. I’ll just feed him my energy until the price wakes up and falls in love with me.

We all grow up on fairy tales. But more than that, conventional dating wisdom tells women to pay with their energy up front, pour into his cup first, drown yourself in his cesspool, and she will be rewarded later when he turns into a competent husband. What are we thinking? Or, we are told to marathon date every male on Tinder, give each one of the wart infested frogs an equal chance, exhaust ourselves on human garbage, and maybe one lucky girl will get married! Hooray for you. Why do we still believe this sh*t, and why do we still behave like we have no common sense at all?

Would you really pay a used car salesman cash up front without knowing exactly what you will get in return? So why do we date males who have never clearly expressed what they want, who don’t intend to give us anything but di*k as a consolation prize? Is di*k truly worth it? It must be, because so many women are still worshiping it. But that’s what you get when you believe that giving up the goods up front, to some floundering, flip-flop who doesn’t know who he is- you only get di*k with a head attached to it.

You know, since the dawn of mankind, men have been paying for s*x. Why? Because they feed on it. There are entire industries selling women and their energy to men: from matchmaking, to prostitution, to escort services, to s*x tourism, to mail order brides, and trafficking. No one knows how big the industry is, but I’d venture to guess it is a significant chunk of the global economy. Men need women. They survive on women. Men who have no women are perceived as having no power at all.

Now, have you ever paid for d*ck? Have there ever been situations where you thought you’d save up for a good man? Would you buy s*x? How much would you pay for it, what would be a fair price to you? There isn’t a woman I know who is after d*ck only, Tthe older we get, the more we understand that d8ck can’t make a relationship, in fact, it doesn’t even know how to relate. They get old, they deflate, they start to flop, and the less it works, the more energy it takes on the woman’s part to convince d*ck that he is a man. Never mistake a d*ck for a man.

Yet, we all do that. We all think that when we invest in d*ck, we will grow a man. Who taught us this, and why do we believe this? There’s something seriously wrong with this belief, yet we all invest heavily, and we have all been screwed by d*ck that wasn’t worth it.

At a certain point in life, all women realize this. They all realize they have been screwed by the dating culture a.k.a. d*ck culture, that convinces women to pay up front, or give up the goods to every frog in the swamp if she has any hope of catching a prince later. I see women making very poor choices, literally gushing over warty frogs trying to convince everyone they know, No, really, he truly is a prince in disguise! It’s worse when they try to marry the frog, and convince everyone he’s not just a d*ck, he has potential! You’ll see, I’ll clean him up, I’ll teach him good manners, he’ll get a job and no one will ever know he hasn’t yet turned into a man. Girls, stupid, stupid girls believe this sh*t. And they pay a heavy price when they fall for their own delusions. One truly becomes a woman, when she realizes this scam. Is it any secret that when women reach a certain level of maturity, they openly reject d*ck?

The world is full of d*ck and women never buy it. To my knowledge there is no industry selling mail order husbands, male s*x slaves, and the reason women don’t pay for it is because there is zero to no demand for it. D*ck is cheap, it is available in any grocery store aisle, on every social media chat, on every dating app, at Home Depot, and every woman knows to look out for the d*ck trying to walk her to her car. It is so cheap and easy, it ain’t worth paying for.

The delusion most women have is that d*ck is a relationship. And when it is being offered, they reluctantly take the prize, The ones who are eager to work with it, to see if they can relate to it, maybe it will talk and communicate if she tries hard enough, almost always get screwed by their own delusion. These situations eventually turn into lessons for all of us. They have for me. Like most women who have graduated, I no longer give anything for d*ck. I don’t show up for fine wine if it will get me d*ck at the end of the night. I don’t even accept a steak dinner, it too leads to some d*ck I won’t want later. How about a vacation with a d*ck? No thanks, I have wasted miles of air travel and hours of my life to get to some exotic destination halfway across the world to be disappointed by d*ck.

What money women save by never paying for d*ck, they waste sexual energy, attention, time on situations that are nothing but d*ck in disguise. When will we learn that when a man isn’t saying anything, he isn’t committing nor wanting anything genuine at all? When will we learn not to fall for the used car salesman? When will we insist on clear, verifiable facts, not fantasies that a warty frog will turn into a man? When will be stop being afraid of using our judgement, and actually judging males selling snake oil because that is exactly what our brain and our sense of judgement is for? When will we check out of the marathon dating culture a.k.a. d*ck culture, and realize that we are cheating ourselves, making ourselves unhealthy, polluting our own energy, and free ourselves from this belief that d*ck is an actual man?

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments

The Pleasures of a Soft Life

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

It turns out that I have been living the “Soft life” for years and I didn’t even know it. If you haven’t heard, the soft life is a social media term that many women are claiming for themselves. According to Google, it is a lifestyle of comfort and relaxation with minimal challenges or stress. But having practiced it for several years now, I can honestly say that the soft life has been the best medicine for me, and my life is so warm and comfy that there is no going back. I’m committed to the soft life for life.

I had been dealing with anxiety and panic attacks since childhood. After an unfortunate incident at work 20 years ago, a therapist twisted my arm into meditating as a way to learn to regulate my out of control emotions. And, meditation turned out to be the most powerful tool I have in my Goddess arsenal. Over the long term it has helped me reduce stress, shift my perspective, stop chasing people, milestones, situations, and start valuing every breath. Once I learned to calm, I also learned to stay balanced longer, and pay attention to the kinds of things that disturb my peace.

There were unhealed friends who never dealt with their own traumas. There were cheap men who brought no value to my life, instead they put me through emotional roller coasters to distract me from seeing they have no self-worth. There were bad habits, and bad beliefs like goal-setting, then feeling sorry for myself that I could not meet my own low goals. There were high stress jobs, that later turned into a work-from-home sanctuary I have now. All these changes came from meditation and becoming familiar with a better, more peaceful, softer energy I wanted to embody.

You don’t have to meditate, you just have to commit yourself to yourself, then pay attention to how you feel in every moment. If it feels good and peaceful, it is a yes. If it feels uncomfortable, potentially stressful (like a wild night out with loud music, a crowded club and drunken friends), then it is as easy no. The more I paid attention to how I truly feel, and the more I started to honor that, the easier it was to say No, without any excuses given.

I also started following my bliss without turning my life and career upside down. Rather than quit a stressful job in the financial industry, I eased into working from home, and investing in creating an easy travel business which was my true passion. I started doing what I love on the side. The best part is that after 5 years, I even started saying No to potential travelers. Yes, I turn down business, and there is no greater luxury that saying no thanks to money. What a pleasure! I do this for my own well-being. Imagine what it is like to be on tour in a far-off destination, having to deal with grown adults creating drama, breaking up arguments, catering to toxic people. Very quickly I realized, if I am to enjoy my own travels and truly experience that bliss I was craving, I had to be in good company. At first I struggled to say no to customers, but the more I kept saying, “No you can’t travel with me- last year you created too many stressful situations for me”, the more my other travelers appreciated my efforts too. When you appreciate your peace more than you need the money, it is easy to keep your table clean and enjoy it with quality people who bring you joy.

That effort crossed over into my romantic relationships. In 2020, at the beginning of lockdown I quit dating, sharing my mind, body,personal space and internal peace with just any male who was asking for my time. Any invitation is now met with a fast and easy No thanks. Have I regretted not dating or missing out on a potential prince? Nope. Not at all. Instead, I loved how I felt at the end of that year of honoring my own needs, that I committed myself to not dating unless I meet a person who I am interested in first. (This is a long story that requires a long explanation, so I will elaborate in another post). But, I decentralized men and relationships from my life, and tossed a 1000 lb weight I had been carrying on my back. I feel healthier and lighter than ever. I am not opposed to men, but now one would have to be honorable, respectable, and highly evolved in order to get my attention.

Softening my life has made me sensitive to my own needs, and I really pay attention to how people make me feel, what they bring to my table, do they value me as a friend? In 2021, I let go of a nutty, gaslighting, temperamental, ungrateful, imbalanced “friend” as soon as I noticed the crazy-making, that my needs were being ignored, and no amount of polite talking was getting through. I did it quickly and easily, and I have no regrets. Peace is my top priority.

Living the soft life isn’t difficult at all. We all waste time chasing people and situations, apologizing, trying to build relationships with people who don’t value us. We are all wasting time on something. Many of us are wasting time chasing goals that mean nothing to us, we just thought that attaining them would feel better. Some goals are good, but what’s truly important is that they actually balance you, not stress you out. For me, the biggest time-wasters were dating, and connections with people who don’t even respect themselves. I never liked dating, I always hated the getting to know someone process. I never liked the dating apps- I still insist that they are a toxic pool I will never swim in. And connecting with someone just to go through the motions because right now I have nothing better going for me is a hideous waste of my own precious time.

Many of you have relationships you are constantly trying to fix. We all value our family members and people who have been in our lives forever. So we are more likely to get stuck fixing people who don’t want to be fixed. I totally understand. I have been trying to “repair” my sister for years, but she doesn’t want to be repaired. No matter what I do trying to connect and reconnect and grow with her, she shuts me out (for good reason), She doesn’t try to have a relationship with me at all. We get along just fine, but there is a coldness and an emotional wall there. I have no right to break down her wall, nor climb over it, I have no right to interfere, I have no permission to fix somebody. and it is not my place. So, I have to accept, and let go. I still have a sister, and we have some sort of a distant, sterile situationship, and maybe that is all I can have. I accept and I move on.

Here are my suggestions for softening your life:

1) Go at your own pace, take plenty of rest and take time to envision what the soft life means to you.

2) Make yourself your top priority, and by all means, be more selfish. Give generously to yourself. Give yourself alone time, give yourself gifts, give yourself therapy, or meditation, or a good self-help book. I buy myself high-end jewelry, African safaris, a sports car, and fine wine that I don’t share with anyone else.

3) Clear your table, and make sure only healthy people get to sit at it. This is something I learned during lockdown. Those of you who know me in real life know that I run an east coast party network. Being friends with everyone is draining. You feel obligated by other people’s expectations, never knowing whether they actually qualify for your attention. During lockdown, we were forced to tighten our social circle, and only invite the healthy, the vaccinated, the soft and gentle friends, who bring laughter, support, encouragement, good wishes to my home. I am keeping it that way. A small, supportive, healthy circle is softer and more meaningful that a big, loud one.

4) Boundaries are king! I say no unapologetically and I don’t care who is pissed. No means no, no matter who is asking.

5) Tune out media. I have no TV. I haven’t had one since 2009. I watch no violence, no politics, no commentary, and yet I am still informed. My job requires financial news, and politics affects that, but I do not have to have media pollute my silence every day of my life.

6) Take care of your mind and body. I would love you to meditate, but if you can’t, at least cut out the noise, connect to nature alone

7) Invest in yourself: Go back to school, sharpen your skills, learn a new language, hire a therapist, get a new hobby. I challenge you to take at least one solo trip abroad per year.

8) If you are a woman, stop dating. Please! Heal yourself, drop out of the race, trust me, you will feel so much healthier. I wrote many posts before about getting on a man diet, and in the past taking year-long breaks from dating has been invigorating. But, I do think that the dating apps and social media are toxic and they attract low quality people. You will never meet a price or princess swimming in a toxic swamp, you will only catch warts or an STD. I really believe that marathon dating, and constantly putting yourself out there is unhealthy, and a lot of women are draining themselves participating in that. Just say no.

Just before New Year, I was telling my friends that I have achieved internal peace. I am happy, I am satisfied, I am relaxed, I have everything. The things I don’t have, I don’t truly need, and I am not willing to chase them. More and more things are falling into my lap, because I am receiving, not chasing. I am grateful for the life that I have created for myself, and I am grateful that I have earned the right to say No. I reject business from clients who are hard to deal with, I say no to work projects that are likely to drain me, I say no to friends who don’t respect my boundaries, I think long and hard will something bring me pleasure before I agree to it. So many things that are being offered to me are not good enough, and I recognize that now. So many people who are asking for my attention can’t compete with a decent glass of wine I buy for myself. I’ll choose the wine, not some dusty who texts me ‘Hey’ at 8pm on a Friday night. For the record, I never text back.

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments

What Do You Bring To The Table?

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

What do you bring to the table? Have you ever been asked that question by a guy? How did you answer?

I have seen so many A+++++ women squirm, and actually try to answer this question, posed by very low value men. First of all, why do they ask that?

Think about it. He already asked you out, so he already saw something of interest. No one would ask you out, if they see nothing they like.

A lot of developed women know exactly what we bring to the table. Many of us are educated, speak several languages, are worldly, are talented, are beautiful, are self-aware, are accomplished, are leaders. We have a full resume of self-worth and self-esteem, and by now we all know how to answer this question.

The reason males ask this question isn’t because they don’t know what you bring to the table. They have eyes, they have ears, they have a brain so they can put it all together.What you bring is obvious.

They ask this question to put you in the uncomfortable position of having to answer for yourself, validate who you are, build a case for yourself. The minute you utter a word in your self-defense, you are in a defensive position. The minute you utter that first sentence, you have attempted to justify who you are. Every word you state from this point on is ammunition he can use to invalidate everything that you say.

You say “I am a talented cook” , then he says “I can pay anyone to cook for me”. “I am a successful business woman”, so he replies “I’m a business man too”, “I speak 3 languages”, “What good are those languages to me?”. He will invalidate whatever you worked hard to build and grow for yourself. So you might realize, maybe I’m not that special. He’s right, any woman can do what I do. Sure, lot’s of women are prettier than me. What was I thinking, so many women are smarter than me. He is right, I’m not any better than him. Maybe I should get off my high-horse and settle. Wait a minute, he really is my equal, I should give this guy a chance and settle for him.

Who asks this question is attempting to place himself in a position of power, but any woman who answers this questions is allowing him that position. Never forget that he asked you on that date, that he asked for your company, therefore he is the one applying for a position in your life. Never give away your power.

When a person applies for a job, who asks to see a resume and qualifications? The applicant or the boss? The applicant. Who is in the position of power? The employer or the boss? When someone asks for your time, a date, a chance, it is because you already have what they want: attention, energy, sex, beauty, status, security, femininity. Rather than validate that insulting question with an answer, it is your job to determine whether they qualify for you. What questions they ask on that first date, how they make you feel, whether they approach you with respect or a power-play tells you everything you need to know. Don’t be afraid to judge that first approach.

I used to get asked this question a lot by males who actually knew long before I gave them a chance what I bring to the table. Many of these guys pursued me for years and I was just disinterested. One of them asked me out for 8 years straight, but my instinct told me nope. Then one day at a party, while he was surrounded by his cronies, he asked me why he should want me, and what I would bring to his table.

I said “NOTHING. I bring nothing to your table. As you have noticed, I am not applying for a position in your life, I have never asked for your approval. My table is too full and too rich for you to be sitting at it.” And I walked away.

I’m glad I said it in front of his friends, because that’s the kind of response males twist and exaggerate into their own win. However, I do hope that none of you would ever validate that question with a response. It is a trap to get you to stoop down to his level.

All males know what you bring to the table. Every single woman, job or no job, career or no career, money or no money is always being pursued. Males never stop looking for women, they spend their whole lives always looking and measuring whom they can have. Even married men are always validating their egos, checking to see which women respond to them, which ones smile at them, which ones engage with them. They put women in two piles, the ones they can have, and the ones they can’t have. The ones they have, they don’t always respect, and the ones they cannot have, hurt their egos.

But if you are a high-value woman with a strong self-esteem, you should not defend your value to a male who has not earned your attention, who has not approached you with utmost respect, and who thinks he can devalue you by triggering you to argue for your self-worth.

Never validate that toxic question with a response. You know who you are, and he knows what you bring to the table, that’s why he is trying to get a seat. Instead, see this question as a red flag. He just asked you to validate yourself.

I am comfortable saying NOTHING, I bring nothing to your table. But if you’re not, it’s better to just shut that conversation down. Delete, ignore, walk-away, swipe-right if you must, but never step on that landmine.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged dating, relationship, single woman | 1 Comment

How to Lose Power Through Unconscious Sex

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Travel Clubs International

I’m curious how many women are aware what the quote says below, and how many agree. This is something I have been thinking about for years. and have put it in practice a while back. It is the reason I date much less than ever, and have never regretted it. I see the positive changes in my own emotional and energetic health, so for me, there’s no going back to mindless f*cks. But I see that many of my friends are still looking for love by unconsciously having sex.

We all complain about how awful it feels, every woman wants a better connection, but having sex with males who are not capable or don’t want a true connection leaves us feeling empty, dejected, used, and drained. They ask what is wrong with me that I cannot connect? What is wrong is that you are mindlessly having sex with males who are disconnected from themselves and are intentionally disconnected from you. I know many of you are not aware or don’t feel energetic changes in your body, so I avoid talking about this spiritual concept because it is not for everyone. But, your energy gets drained, and your entire being feels empty after hooking up with a male who is there just to feed, and I know that most of you know how dissatisfying that feels.

I have talked about Tantra before in this forum, and how sex affects your body in a positive or a negative way- depending on how you choose to approach it. Sex can either empower you, heal you, or it can destroy you, make you sick, and drain you. Going about it mindlessly, giving it away to any male who wants it, using sex to gain a relationship, is a transaction that is going to make you sick.

According to Tantra, a woman’s sexual energy is infinitely more powerful than a man’s. We all see it, a male orgasm can last a few minutes, a woman’s can last for hours, even days if she knows how to protect it and stay connected to it. What is an orgasm? It is the most powerful energy in the world, and women are vessels for that energy. According to some ancient traditions, this is God, or the God state in which humans (if they know how to use that energy) are as powerful as Gods. This is why some ancient traditions practice “sacred sex”, celibacy, do energy work on the body, and actually honor the giver of that energy, women.

Men cannot survive without female energy. Men spend their entire lives hunting and searching for sex. Even when they are married, even when they are loyal, they still seek female attention, validation, approval. Women don’t always need male energy. The energy we create all by ourselves is sufficient, as long as we don’t use it to compromise ourselves. Sure, we need men, but only in healthy, caring, loving, respectful relationships. No woman can argue with this.

So, what happens when you are giving males, you barely know, whom you haven’t vetted, who have never bothered to earn your respect, who have never bothered to create a genuine two-way, mutual connection, access to your sexual energy? Men feed on your energy, while you release it to them. Notice what happens when you have had cheap, unconscious, sex? Males feel empowered, they feel more like a man, they feel more masculine, they thump themselves on the chest. How do you feel? Most women who unconsciously give their energy away, feel used, drained, sad, lonely, and depleted. This is because he has done nothing to honor you, worship you, take care of you. He may give you an orgasm, but the release of that orgasm is exactly how you transfer your energy to him. Emotions are powerful energies, and most men know how to drain you through your own emotions. What’s worse, if the man is unconscious, that energy you just gave him will just feed his ego, which in turn perpetuates that toxicity we all talk about.

Like many of you, when I was younger I used to think this is ridiculous. I thought that female sexual energy should be free, uncontrolled, and I still believe that no one should control that but the woman herself. But most women, have no clue how to respect their own energy, how to work with it, how to empower themselves, how to balance themselves, so they trade it away, or give it away cheap. So, when women have unconscious sex, they simply allow males to relieve themselves with their bodies. I’m glad that some women have figured out that this doesn’t feel good and are rethinking relationships or situations they chose for themselves.

But conscious sex can only happen between two conscious people. When one or both are not aware of themselves, one or both will be dissatisfied, seeking to find fulfillment through the other’s body, and as you know, both will be left starving. So if you want a more fulfilling sex life, you must first become aware of yourself, understand your own needs, learn to honor those needs, and not seek attention from males who have not knelt down before you. This is why I refer to powerful women who respect themselves, honor themselves, balance themselves as Goddesses. When women figure out where their power lies (hint, it is within). they turn into Goddesses. That God energy is available to every human on earth, and you ignore it when you turn your attention outward and seek fulfillment through other people.

I have always used this analogy to explain how female sexual energy works. A woman is like a battery, she is full of energy. All healthy humans know how to recharge their own energy, and keep it full, complete, and powerful. Men are like plugs who simply drain that energy to feed themselves. Nothing in this universe can exist without this power, yet sadly, most women throw it away to feed pigs with it.

We all want better relationships. But nothing will change until you change yourself. So stop asking males to be better. You have to be better to yourself. Stop begging males for respect, you must respect yourself so much that not an ounce of that energy will go to a male who does not worship you with a pure heart. Stop seeking relationships with energy vampires, egoic males, males who are in the game to score. Yes, you do that, so it is you who has to stop. It is women who are giving their energy away, so it is our responsibility to protect it. You can easily take back your power if you honor it. You have the whole universe inside you, you all know that God is within.

I don’t care what religion you are, no God from any belief system has come down to earth and allowed males to disrespect it, or soil it. No God from any religion has knelt in front of man, it is the other way around. And no man from any religion has received anything until he knelt before God. Stop begging males for better treatment, no Goddess would do that. Stop seeking attention, connections, or relationships with males who don’t respect, earn the right to be with you, don’t even like you.If you want to be powerful, you have to stop kneeling before males, your power is within you.

S

Posted in Blog | Tagged dating, relationship, single woman | 3 Comments

You Are Dissatisfying

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Travel Clubs International

“You are dissatisfied”. Those are the exact words I said recently to a friend. She asked me why I keep saying no to her requests for more personal time with me, passing on invitations to events, and No to taking her on travel agent trips that I always get invited to by travel companies. In the past, I had invited her, and always felt obligated by her to make her experience even more satisfying. She complained “I didn’t like the people I met at your party, they were so boring. Next time, invite me where there are more prominent people”, “I appreciate the invitation to Spain, but next time, please only invite me if the agency is paying our airfare. I don’t want to buy my own ticket”, “I don’t want to be a paying guest in your group safaris, I want to travel with you alone”.

One day she was complaining to me about the men in her life constantly running away, ghosting her and refusing to commit, and she asked me what is wrong with men today? I said nothing is wrong with men. You are a dissatisfied person, and nobody wants to satisfy you. Why not? It is not anyone’s job to satisfy you. You are a grown woman who still expects other people to complete you. You are dissatisfied with yourself, and you expect other people to provide you with friendship, invitations, and then to cater to you when you are dissatisfied.

On one agent trip that I invited her to, our flight was leaving at 4 am, so I suggested that we split a room at the airport hotel so we can make our flight on time. She asked if I will be compensating her for that room. Somehow she thought she was owed a free room from me, because she was inconvenienced by a business trip that she tagged along on. Excuse me? I should pay for your room? She said yes, I owed it to her because she now had to get up at 4 am and she did not like it.

As ridiculous as this sounds, this post is all about dissatisfied people who seek satisfaction through others, and how much of a drain they are on relationships with romantic partners, family and friends.

I write this because a lot of grown women, still cannot see how unattractive and burdensome their needs are to other people. They still believe that their needs should be met by others, and that a true friend or a loyal lover would prove it by satisfying them.

As someone who gets approached a lot by needy men, and as someone who rejects 99% of males who approach me, it is because a lot of these people are dissatisfied with themselves, and project all their needs onto me, as if it is somehow my job to give them their manhood, their status, their confidence, or even a life. “Why wouldn’t a nice girl like you give a man….”, “My ex is such a bitch, I want to travel with you so that she can see that I can have a real woman”, “I’m a nice guy, I deserve a relationship with a woman who can give me…..”. When did it become my job to give you whatever it is that you are starving for?

A lot of people will eventually tell you what it is that is missing within them, or what they believe they can get from you. Is that a healthy relationship? If your ears are open, you can hear how dissatisfied they are with who they are, and how they believe they can benefit from you.

I asked my friend if she would ask a man to compensate her for a room if she was traveling with him, and she said yes, I deserve to be treated well. After a bit of questioning about her logic, she actually said that she thinks that I should pay for that room if I expect her to keep accompanying me on these heavily discounted trips in the future. I told her that this was her last invitation. I had offered her to tag along on an agent’s trip, which are heavily discounted, partially sponsored tours for travel professionals. I am not sure, and please correct me if I am wrong, how am I responsible for comping her a hotel room so she won’t be inconveniences by an early flight?

But, if you are dating this way, and expecting men to keep you satisfied in order to prove their interest is real, then you, like her, will get a lot of doors slammed in your face, a lot of people refusing to satisfy your delusions, and a lot of men refusing to carry you on their backs. I openly said this to her, because she has asked me in the past about why she can’t find a good man. Well if you think “good” is someone who keeps working to keep you fed and satiated, then you are the negative drain in this relationship. You are a grown woman who is constantly getting ghosted, men block her as soon as she starts asking for more of a relationship. They even openly say to her that they want nothing more, and she keeps harping to them that they should give her more. Would anyone give her more? I can’t give her more of my friendship, I totally see why males feel no need to give her anything at all.

In my life, it is usually the other way around. I spent many years completing myself. It took a lot to learn how to get in touch with my own emotions, explore my own inadequacies, learn to fill my own needs, fill up my life with things that are meaningful to me. I built an international travel business with $0 in my bank account. I can’t tell you how many men simply think they can fulfill whats missing within them, if only I would give them access to this. It goes both ways. Men and women who are inadequate and unwilling to learn how to grow their own life, will seek a life from others.

Just last week I was approached by what I will openly call an unleepable male. This is an acquaintance I bump into at parties, and he started to tell me how he believes he and I would really get along. “I could use a girl like you. I like how free and unattached you are, just like me. Just out of curiosity, do you ever take men with you on your global adventures?” I reluctantly responded, that sometimes I meet up with men I am dating. He proceeded to tell me “Well, if you ever want to buy a guy a ticket, we could work something out in terms of a relationship”. Meanwhile, this guy has no job, has just declared bankruptcy for charging off his credit cards, and he also thinks that he could take over the management of my company. He didn’t ask for a job, he thought he could assume a 50% partnership in my business. All I had to do is date him. What a deal! A lot of dissatisfied people, see you as something that you could do for them. All you have to do is pay attention to their words, because most will project all their needs onto whoever seems capable of satisfying them.

You owe me. Those are the words of every incomplete person. How do those words sound to you? I owe you? What have I done to incur this debt toward you? Often their reasoning is “Well, I spent time being with you and now you owe me a relationship” or “I went on vacation with you and now you owe me a free hotel room”, “I took you out to three dinners, so now you owe me some sex” or with women, “I spent 2 months giving you sex, now you owe me a relationship”. This is transactional thinking. A lot of underdeveloped people see relationships as What can you give me? What will I get if I take you out on a date? What will you give me if I sleep with you? And they are often shocked when the answer is Nothing. Nobody owes you anything for giving you a chance.

Years ago I had a friend who lived her entire life through me. She was a really loyal person, but after years of giving her access to party invitations, trips she would never do alone, access to friendships she could never make on her own, and activities she would never partake in without me, I realized that I am her only lifeline to life. She absolutely refused everything unless I would do it with her. I broke up with her 5 times, and for years she refused to accept that I was no longer willing to be her friend. I explained how unhealthy she was and what a burden she was on me, and believe it or not she didn’t care. You owe me. It has now been 8 years, and she still has no friends of her own, and is still pestering me to invite her so she can be friends with my friends.The same happens to her, both men and women simply close the door, because her requests and her expectations exceed what she is willing to do herself.

Males are often approaching me because they like how my life looks on social media. I travel the world, throw parties and take groups on safaris. Like I said, I built this business with $0 to my name, and I can see why my work, and social media makes me look like the perfect girlfriend. I get two types of males contacting me, the ones who want to run my business with me of for me, and the ones who want a woman like me because they will feel more like a man if they had my lifestyle. A lot of guys who think it would be great to have a piece of the action offer me a “business partnership” when they have absolutely nothing to bring to my table. They have no business, no customers, no travel experience, but they see themselves leading trips around the world, and they really don’t see why I won’t make them a partner in my company. When I explain their lack of experience, they offer to romance me for access to my trips. Yes, men are also very willing to trade sex or their body to get something. It goes both ways. I also get lonely, dissatisfied, inadequate males who project how their life could be if they only had a woman like me. I could make them feel more like a man, my business could make them feel like they have a purpose, running a company like mine could make them feel successful, and they don’t understand why I wouldn’t want a relationship with them. Why would I give you myself, so you could feel like somebody? Isn’t that your job?

Every single time I announce an itinerary, I have 1-2 male travelers who purchased a plane ticket because they fully expected to date me. They see a public travel advertisement, and somehow they interpret that to mean they have an opportunity with me. As creepy as this sounds, yes, a lot of dissatisfied people will unrealistically project their desperation onto people whose lives seem more fulfilling, and they offer relationships, their bodies, sex, time, money to fill that empty hole in their life.

I know that a lot of women in this forum have been through this already, and are in the process of working on themselves, learning how to fill their own needs, healing from codependency and striving for balance within themselves. Congratulations! It’s not easy to transform yourself from a codependent damsel into a Goddess. But looking back at who you used to be when you were not fulfilled, or when you were still seeking satisfaction through others, can you see what a burden dissatisfied people are on potential partners? Can you see why the hungry will always be chasing those who don’t want to be their food? Why the empty will always be discarded like an empty paper cup on the side of the road?

Please share your own experiences. I know you avoid connections with people who are draining, but I am sure we can all relate to having been there. Have you found any effective methods for communicating with dissatisfied people and helping them understand that it is not your job to satisfy them?

S

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Do You Take Whatever You Can Get in Love?

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Travel Clubs International

Do you take whatever you can get when it comes to relationships? Think about it. Is what is available right now, even if it is less, a whole lot less, acceptable to you? Maybe later, it will grow into something more. No, later you will get used to it and settle for less. Why is that half-option a decent choice? Are you bored, are you lonely, are you hungry, are you needy, are you empty? Why is that half cup good enough for you?

If i see how little you settle for, why would i offer you more than that? If i know you will accept
half a wage, why in the world would i offer you the full amount? Some people command a
higher rate, i wouldn’t dare offer them less, but you, i already know can’t get more than that. You
already showed me, i see how little is enough for you.

A man approaches you and he wants to buy you lunch. Yippee, many women would act like they
won the lottery. Let’s say he bought you a really nice lunch, in a fancy restaurant with an
expensive bottle of wine. But, at lunch he explains that either his dick doesn’t work, or he is
committed to his work, or he is in a crazy relationship and is slowly crawling out. A lot of
women are so fascinated with that free lunch, they are impressed with his performance, they
swallow that half-offer because his intention was really good. Yep, you ate the entire lunch, but
you gave yourself away to an unavailable, uncommitted, half-man who can’t satisfy you. Now
comes the chanel bag, the luxury vacation cut short, later you find out you are sharing him with
kids, alimony, child-support, a job, but hey, he’s really nice and he is bringing you gifts. Do you
take whatever you can get?

You are applying for a job and the salary offered is much less than expected. Do you negotiate
up? Do you persist and keep asking for more, or do you accept less than you are worth? We have
all been there when bills had to be paid, and we all accepted half-work until we find something
better. I understand. But how many times have you settled for that half-raise because you knew
they wouldn’t give you more, a half-assed promotion that isn’t really a promotion, more work
a. K. A. “greater responsibility” for the same amount of pay. Why?

You are dissatisfied with your friendships, you can’t stand the men you are meeting online but
are giving them your time and body anyway, you are underpaid but you keep your mouth shut,
you are taken advantage of by a family member, but you need them in your life anyway. All
these choices are made by you. Each and every one of them is the less you settled for, not the
less they gave you. Nobody has to give you more than you settle for.

A lot of women buy into this toxic attitude that compromise is okay, even admirable because
compromise is what relationships are all about. You can’t be greedy and demand what you want.
Then they compromise themselves away and get nothing in return. How is that a virtue?
And many more women buy into an even more toxic idea that it is okay to settle for less right
now, in exchange for an opportunity to build something greater later. He offers you a non-
committed opportunity to enjoy his body, and you think that’s great, i can work with that.
Eventually i will prove that i am good enough and he will only want me. Have you ever been
offered an opportunity to work for free, in exchange for exposure? Have you accepted an offer to
work for free, thinking you will prove yourself, then earned no paycheck and no additional projectoffers, and felt great about that? Yet, that’s exactly what you are getting when you are negotiating with a male who isn’t sure what he wants, but he will take you and see where things go later?

This is good enough for most women. I am sure every woman has said yes to that pile of nothing
at least once in her life. But many women find this to be a worthy endeavor, so they commit
themselves to turning uncommitted, unqualified males into a steady relationship. That’s like
alchemy. You have a better chance of turning water into wine! Sure, go work on that
“relationship” girl. Accepting whatever is available now, in hope that eventually it will turn into
something viable later is like accepting to work for no paycheck. Who does that? People who
don’t value what they’ve got.

The third most toxic idea women buy into is this fear of losing out. They really see every offer as
an opportunity, and fear that rejecting the half-assed offer from a mediocre male will be regretted later. What if i don’t kiss that frog? If i don’t give a frog an opportunity, i will surely regret it when he turns into a prince for another girl later. What a loss that would be! Who taught us that our common sense to not kiss frogs is wrong, and that it will surely lead to a life-long regret later? Isn’t not having a frog in your house preferable? If you don’t choose someone quickly, you’ll be alone later. If you don’t give a nice loser an opportunity with you, you are not a good woman. If you don’t lower your standards, you will be punished with spinsterhood forever. And then she lowers her standards and gets what? A low, low, low situation that she pays for with her life. Why is good enough for now, good enough for you?

So how do you get more? I used to have a coworker many years ago, who later became my
husband. This guy earned more than my boss the very first year we were on the job. How
did he get it? He asked for it, he was told no, so he asked what it will take, then he worked hard for it, and by the end of the year he drove a nicer car and had a higher paycheck than our boss. He never settled. Within a few years of getting that entry-level job, he made vp. Was he smarter than any of us? Nope. But he kept working for it and never settled, until he got a c-level position and a seven figure salary. I still laugh because he was no smarter than any of us, certainly not as capable, he just refused to settle for less than he thought he was worth.

Most of us aren’t even asking. Many of us are not comfortable asking. I know that i am not. That
said, i learned to ask anyway, because even when i am not feeling so confident, i always get
more just by asking.

But, to me the most effective, self-respecting strategy is to say no thank you, quickly and easily
to whatever is less than my expectation. You all know i say no to men quickly and easily. I
reject offers without regret because i know what i want, and when i can objectively see he is not
who i want, why give him my time, or listen to whatever proposal a half-man i am not even
interested in can bore me with? One hour alone is a luxury, an hour with somebody i am not
interested in is disrespectful to me and i don’t choose that.

At work, saying no thank you to lesser projects does keep me on the bench longer, but by
accepting only the offers that pay a certain level, i have raised my average billing rate. That
means that i am automatically getting better offers without having to negotiate anything. I say no thank you for working with people who are half-performers. If i have the opportunity to
select a team, i choose the producers, the deliverers, because working with a nice excuse-maker
who smiles at everybody but delivers nothing makes me a loser too. That’s more work for me. I
found that as soon as i started choosing wisely, and expressing clearly what i want, i got a whole
lot more and it doesn’t cost me anything at all.

People respect people who respect themselves. I now openly say i won’t work with him, is there
somebody else for that project? The company that assigns our projects called me recently to ask
if an upcoming project is good enough for me? I laughed, i had not been asked that before. But
the guy said, you’re the only female who asks for better work and better people. Other women
don’t ask, so i give them whatever is available. Asking goes a long way. I am always okay when
i don’t get what i want, and honestly, i am not so ambitious that i am willing to fight for it. I used
to get matched up with mediocre performers, lazy teammates, and excuse-makers until one day
out of sheer frustration i said no, i won’t work with him. He doesn’t deliver on time. Somebody
got pissed, a few people said how dare she, she’s so unprofessional. But since then, i get
matched with people who take their work more seriously.

I admit, sometimes i take what i can get because i don’t feel like working for it. Sooner or later,
that situation will slap me in the face because it will never work out for me. Eventually, i have to
face my own choice to accept less and find a way out of the mess i created for myself.
But i think so many women are habitual settlers when there is no need to be. To me this is more
obvious in dating. How is some schmuck from tinder worth your time, how is some unavailable
male with the attention span of a gnat worth giving your attention to? How is that half-
relationship with a male seeing 5 other women a worthy endeavor? How is that not the ultimate
example of lack of self-worth? Throwing your hat into that ring to see if you’re a good enough
contender for his time, when he is splitting his time among many others, how is that a self-
honoring endeavor? Are you okay with a quarter of a man? How much is missing inside you that
makes a quarter good enough for now?

I think that one situation where we are all failing is this toxic idea, we have bought into that
“good enough for now”, “it’s better than nothing” or “it’s better than being alone”, is better. A cup
that’s a quarter full looks a lot fuller than an empty cup, until you realize some cups are filled
with vinegar, some with tears, others with fine wine.

Chances are that if you are consistently getting less, it is because you are settling for less. Why
would anyone give you more when they see how little is good enough for you?

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Why You Keep Coming Back To The One Who Hurts

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Travel Clubs International

If they make you feel so angry and frustrated, why do you keep coming back? We all have a person who is challenging us, antagonizing us, he or she is the perceived cause of all our problems. What is it about them that you need? What is keeping your attention on them, and why can’t you let go?

We all benefit from having people in our lives, from having a support system, and people to reflect with. But if this person is as toxic as you claim, why are YOU so fixated on them? Why can’t you walk away? What are they feeding you that you are bingeing on? Think about it. It takes two to tango. Often, it is we who are addicted to their toxicity. Sure, they are awful and treat you badly, but if that was the whole problem, you could easily walk away. Why are you still here? Is their constant stream of toxicity your fuel ? Does their abuse provide you with an identity of victim, does their drama give you something to participate in?

Have you ever met people who are always in some sort of a mess? They have a toxic parent, a crazy ex, a bad boss, and friends who never give as much as they do. When one problem gets solved, another one arises almost instantaneously. And then there are the ailments, both physical and emotional ones, and you want to sympathize, but after a while it is obvious their whole life is a wreck. They blame everything on others, yet they cannot walk away from their tormentor? Ask them this: If this person is so bad to you, if he is the cause of all your dissatisfaction, why do you seek his company or a relationship with him? Chances are, they don’t know why. They may say that they need friends, family, and love like everyone else and that’s true, but they cannot provide a concrete reason for why they actually need this person specifically. That’s because the relationship is not personal, it is about what their tormentor provides. They need the tormentor’s time, their attention, social access, money or whatever it is that they provide, but they know nothing about who this person is on an inner level. They need the drama as much as their toxic ex needs them.

A long time ago, I wrote a blog post called “We Love on Our Own Level of Consciousness” and all our relationships reflect who we are. You cannot tango with someone who is less conscious than you, and you are not healthier than the toxic people who you give access to. You can’t walk away from them because they provide something that you cannot live without.

Can you identify what your toxic mother provides you, what your crazy ex from 10 years ago still does for you, identify exactly what you continue to get from them? Be honest with yourself. Are you still latched onto them because of money, addiction to toxicity, fear, emptiness, personally inadequacy? If they disappeared tomorrow, how would you feel without them? Would you then seek out similar company with new people who provide just as much drama?

Have you ever noticed that when one relationship ends, a similar one with the same issues begins? You might lose a crazy, toxic friend, only to get into a romantic relationship with a toxic person with similar qualities? They never go away, do they? That’s because you are still here to greet them.

All relationships reflect who we are right now. Unless we are the ones who change, people will continue to mirror back who we are, and that can be maddening enough to take all our aggression on them. Before you allow another imbalanced person to throw you off course, ask them What keeps bringing you back to me? If I am so bad, why do you continue to call? Why do you keep asking me to come back, why do you keep working on our relationship? If they cannot give you a concrete reason and simply keep trying because they have nowhere else to go, know that the relationship was never about YOU, it was always about what you provide for them.

This morning my sister asked me why I continue to care for my elderly mom, when she was so cold and dismissive of us when we were growing up. Luckily, I have had 18 month to think about this. Closure. She is providing me with closure I never would have had if I turned my back, put her in a nursing home, and took care of her the way she took care of me when I was a child. I want to know that I can do better for another human being, and that I am over any past resentments. I want to feel peace with myself. It is not about her at all.

Every relationship has a reason for being. If you are unaware of it, seek that reason within yourself. Most people in our lives served some need many years ago, and we are attached to them simply because we are afraid to let go, when we should have flowed to a newer and fresher perspective many years ago. They are all we know, so we keep driving each other crazy over and over again. They might be toxic, but you might be too. The truly toxic people simply feed on relationships regardless of whether the interaction is positive or negative. They love their tormentor, they need their bully to bully them, how else would they know they exist?

To toxic people, we are simply an audience, eyeballs they need to validate their performance in life, the applause then need to hear, we are someone who listens and mirrors back the person they want to believe they are. It’s exhausting to do that for people, and chances are that is all they need from you. Move on.

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A Bulletproof Woman

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Travel Clubs International

You can’t take down a woman who knows exactly who she is, who has accepted all her flaws, failures, shortcomings, and learned to appreciate and be proud of all her scars. True or false? You can’t insult a woman, manipulate her, or make her act smaller, when she knows her own power. You can’t tell her she is nothing, she won’t believe you.Are you still struggling against people who bring you down? Instead of asking what is wrong with them, instead of trying to fix your relationship with them, look within yourself. Your problem isn’t them, the problem is that you believe them, you believe in who they are, their words have too much weight, you are giving them too much power.

A woman who has accepted all her mistakes, a woman in love with her body, a woman who has accomplished loving her choices, her career, her lifestyle, will never doubt herself, and never apologize for who she is. Never, ever, ever. I am the epitome of that free woman who is often called names. I released myself from people’s judgment, but most importantly from judging myself when I realized that even those toughest choices I made that nobody approves of were made in my own best interest. Had I chosen what is right for society, my parents, or men, I would surely be hating myself right now. I would be apologizing, feeling the need to compensate or justify my actions.What freed me is the realization that I AM that woman who has made some painful decisions, said No and suffered the consequences, because I had to be true to myself. That is nothing to be ashamed about, and it is nothing to apologize for.

All humans have flaws, insecurities, and feel guilt acting in their own interest- especially women. When people hear you justify your actions, seek approval, or apologize, they know exactly how to exploit you. You open yourself up to their judgment, what is worse you listen to it, then believe it. Whose fault is that you feel bad about yourself?Toxic people look for flaws, bring them up, then watch your reaction as you try to justify who you are. No matter what you feel insecure about, they will find it. The onus is on you to change how you speak, how you present yourself, and whether you allow people to interpret your flaws in a way that makes them feel better than you. This is my advice about how to effectively talk about your flaws:

Never fight critics, judgment or toxic beliefs. That’s like arguing for your self-worth, and it acknowledges their assertion. Instead, proudly talk about your decisions, flaws and mistakes as if you have chosen them, as if you have truly benefited from those flaws.
- When I sense that someone is trying to explore my weaknesses, I admit what I did, or I openly call attention to exactly that flaw they are trying to exploit, but then I start beaming with pride. Do you want to talk about my weight gain? You know, I am falling in love with my newly found curves. I never thought I’d be getting so much positive attention from men! Do you want to talk about my devastating break-up? I am living my life now, loving my freedom, travels, and enjoying younger men. Do you want to talk about my career setback, I’ll tell you how that minor setback has lead to an amazing new opportunity. You will never hear me feel bad about myself. Sure, we all feel bad sometimes, for that we have trusted friends who support us. But, the worst thing that you can do is hand yourself on a silver platter to critics.
- Play offense, rather than defense.Toxic people know how to pour salt into your wound, then they watch to see you flinch. Rather than flinch, put on a smile, then call their attention to their flaws instead. A few years ago I met some girlfriends in a bar, but that day I was in no mood to dress up, wear heals or makeup- I just showed up in my house clothes. They are all gorgeous and stunning, but that day I felt comfortable as is. A guy at the bar zeroed in on me, seeing an opportunity to test my insecurities. He asked me how it feels to be surrounded by such gorgeous creatures and be the shortest one in the simplest dress. I smiled because I was going to enjoy this conversation. I proudly said that it feels great because I’m enjoying my reflection off his bald head- I can now put on my lipstick while I tower over him. Did I walk away? Nope, I just stood there beaming with pride, and watched him back away.
- Know that anyone who is looking for your insecurities is likely to be more insecure than you. Confident and healthy people don’t need to exploit your flaws, they will bring out the best in you. But toxic people need to make you feel smaller than they are, so they could feel good about themselves. This is your signal that you are dealing with someone who is not your professional, romantic, emotional nor intellectual equal. Armed with this knowledge, you now know not to justify your actions to them, instead look them straight in the eye and call out their insecurities or inferiority instead. Never invent things that are not true, only call them out for the behavior that you see. Toxic people fear being discovered, they live in fear that others will know their own failures and flaws- that is exactly why they try to make you feel smaller. You will see they fear women like you, the ones who easily see past their words, and are not afraid to stand firmly.

Had I not worked on myself and learned to love each and every of my flaws, I would never have had the confidence to talk back to someone, let alone revel in my flaws while I turn the table on him. But, today I have the power of knowing exactly who I am, so I can afford to stand firm, while someone tries their best to bring me down. There are many of you in this forum who are working on relationships, trying to teach men to treat you better, trying to show the world that you are worthy. The only mistake you are making is wasting time on other people, or trying to change their opinions of you. That will never change, because they see you trying and they are enjoying your effort to appease them.

Change your opinion of yourself. At first, you won’t believe in your new opinion. Change how you talk about yourself, change how you stand, change the tone of your voice, never react, change how you act. People will challenge your new confidence, no one will believe it at first. And when people don’t believe you, be okay with it. A lot of women get emotional and apologetic when no one believes they are worthy or powerful. Instead of arguing for your self-worth, brag about it .

Do you want to know how to address people’s inquiries about your flaws, failures, weaknesses and embarrassments? Brag about them as proudly as you can. Think of each of your mistakes as something that you have learned from and turned into an advantage. Take any issue that you have felt guilty or ashamed about and change your position. I am no longer afraid, I empower other women to speak freely about their choices too. Call attention to your physical features, and speak as proudly as if you have designed yourself to be this way. How do you feel about the 10 lbs you gained during lockdown? I love it! I stand in front of the mirror and admire my new curves every day. So tell me, how do you feel about your receding hairline?

S

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The Power of Too Much Experience In Love

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Travel Clubs International

Why do women believe that there is something wrong with them if they have experienced countless toxic patterns with toxic men? Why do we automatically believe that there is something wrong with us, that we are ruined, spoiled, jaded, negative, broken, damaged, messed up? Because we are taught that.

Society, media, and culture tell us that women with a lot of experience are somehow damaged by negative experience and broken relationships. I disagree. I am not damaged, I am wise. I wasn’t broken, I healed myself then learned how to avoid toxic people and situations. Experience is the best teacher. Since I can’t underline this statement, I will repeat it: Experience is the best teacher, and you should never apologize or think less of yourself for being learned.

That’s the same as when media claims that women with MBAs are now not eligible for marriage because they are over-educated, cold-hearted, over-ambitious and too greedy to settle down and have children. Absolute bullsh**.

So, what is wrong with you? NOTHING. The only fault that you have is that you believe this garbage that there is something wrong with you. Yes, bad experience can cause trauma, trauma is agonizing pain, and when it is not properly dealt with it can cause future harm to the self. But, most of us are actively processing past relationships, negative experiences, talking about them, getting help, still learning, and most importantly healing. Like many of you, I have a lifetime of experience with hideous men, monsters, toxic friends, bosses, neighbors, family members. I have learned from all of them. It took me 48 years on this earth to start to recognize patterns, pay attention to red flags, spot suspicious behavior, learn to read people.

According to some textbooks and many experts, my alertness could be recognized as a problem. Maybe I do approach people with caution. I’ll give you that. But, what I have recognized within myself is that I am now a better reader of people. I pay attention, not just in romantic situations, but with all people I meet. My stillness allows me to see things that people who are too eager and excited do not see. It is amazing what happens when a woman begins to trust herself, believe in her own intuition, trust her own decisions, and feels no need to compensate, apologize, or question her own judgment.

No I am not broken, I am powerful. And so are you. You too have a lifetime of pain. Every human being on this planet does. Do you see yourself as a victim? Maybe you should reconsider that. Instead of telling your friends about your pains and your traumas and your failures, how about talking about your lessons, what you have learned out of each crash, how you honored yourself after abuse, how you left toxic people behind, and about how healing and freeing it felt to make a painful decision that honored you.How amazing would it be if we congratulated each other for those painfully hard decisions? You are a winner, you did good for yourself. You spoke up, you said the most painful thing, you spoke your truth and freed yourself. You stood up, you believed in your own inner guidance system, you defended your boundaries, you displayed remarkable strength, incredible focus, you cut that cancerous person out of your pain body. You are like the GI Jane of pain relief! Congratulations on being so tough.

No, I am not broken, I am not spoiled, I am not negative, and I am not a victim. I am experienced, I spot the signs of a predator, a toxic person, a con-artist because I believe in my own experience and everything that I have learned thus far, and I won’t apologize.The most valuable education I have received in my life has nothing to do with my degrees. The most valuable education was my pain, my traumas, my sadness, my loss, my anxiety, my past depression, my accidents, my illnesses, my emotional anguish. I am not sick, I am not tarnished- I AM WELL. I have 48 years of experience dealing with difficulties, broken hearts, trauma, sickness, abuse, and I learned how to honor myself through it. I have 48 years worth of patterns that I now know how to analyze. Having a lifetime of patterns is like owning a lifetime of solid data- it is like being a good statistician- you let the data speak to you. No I don’t apologize for seeing danger, I know how to read the signs.

If I am protective of my friends or other women, it is not because I want them to fear, it is because i want them to trust their instincts and honor them. If I warn people about something I have experienced before, it is because I want them to make the best decision for themselves. If someone can do you harm, I will take the blindfold off your eyes, because maybe you don’t see clearly. Is something wrong with me? NOTHING. I am educated, I am experienced, I am wise. I stand by what I have learned. I have a graduate degree in humanity. I have a big heart and I want women to see the power within themselves and stop apologizing for that power. We are not victims, we know what we are talking about.

S

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Wherever You Go, There You Are

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Travel Clubs International

“Wherever you go, there you are.”– Eckhart Tolle. It took me decades to understand that no matter how much I blame my circumstances on other people, no matter how far I run, there I am, at the center of every problem of my life. No matter how much I deny my own role in my own pain and suffering, I am the only one at the heart of every situation.

No matter where I move in this world, and I have lived in many countries, there is no way of escaping that reality I create for myself. Your life patterns, your habits, your choices, your issues will follow you everywhere, until one day you realize it is not the world that is ruining your life, it is you. You are center stage of your life’s drama, and only you create your own saga. Other people are just characters who possess the traits, habits, problems and issues that you need to learn your life’s lessons.

For example, I always wondered why my life is full of controlling manipulative people. I left every man who was managing my life, I broke up with my own father, I moved away so I wouldn’t have to see them again, and the farther I went, the more friends I made who also had control issues and manipulated me into giving them the kind of friendship or relationship they needed from me. I would never even realize this could turn into something toxic until I got stabbed in the back, lost money, got cornered. On the outside it may seem that I had bad friends, but on the inside I was choosing people to be in my life, I was attracted to certain kinds of men, I mistook control and subtle signs of manipulation for confidence, strength, masculinity- that was all my own program.

There are countless other patterns repeating themselves throughout my life. My inability to defend my boundaries, my fear of speaking my own truth, my preoccupation with injustice, drew me into situations where I experienced exactly that through other people. Each time I believed that those people were creating the problems in my life. It wasn’t until I realized that this is my life, I own it, I own my creation, that I realized that I am the only one who holds the responsibility to change it. Running away from “bad people” never solved my problem. Instead I attracted even more boundary crossers, more liars, more egomaniacs.

Each person brought into my life the harshest lessons I needed in order to teach me how to deal with my own insecurities, weaknesses, how to defend my own boundaries by speaking up. Once I took responsibility for learning how to speak up, I noticed that things started to shift in my favor. One boundary defended, a little respect earned for myself. It felt good to learn to speak my truth, even though it was painful. It felt good to stop running away and face, even call out manipulators. Once you start fixing your own reality, you start to feel more powerful.

A lot of women think that they are failing at relationships. What they don’t realize is that was just one lesson, and if you haven’t mastered the lesson, you will keep entangling with more people who bring you the same issues until you learn to say no, or stand up, or speak up, whatever your handicap is. You haven’t failed at anything, you just haven’t mastered your voice, your confidence, your boundaries, you have not learned to value yourself enough.

In my opinion, the purpose of those many “failed” relationships is to teach you to value yourself most of all, to make choices that honor you first, to strengthen your dignity, to understand that you steer your own wheel in the direction you want. How good could a relationship be if you haven’t learned that? The toughest situations in life are all about you and your self-mastery.

I do see that a lot of women aren’t interested in that. Many just want to get married. They think I will feel better, I will be better as soon as I find someone who will give me the stability, the love, the home and child that I want. They really don’t care about self development. They assume that their “Self” will be cured once they attain that goal. So they keep chasing, they keep bending over backwards, standing on their heads, thinking that if they can adjust to other people’s expectations of them, they will master those people, It doesn’t matter if those people are bosses, friends, family members or lovers, you never win someone’s respect, you never earn their trust by adjusting your “Self” to their needs or expectations. If you are not ready to take responsibility for your own patterns, your own life, you are not ready for the kind of relationship you dream of. Who will trust a woman who compromises her own truth? Who will respect a woman who neglects her boundaries just to score a little bit of love? No one.

“Wherever you go, there you are.” Your journey isn’t about negotiating your pain with other people, it is about creating yourself, mastering your own habits, choices, taking full responsibility for what happens to you, and dealing with it on your own terms, in a way that honors you. In the end, you can’t run away from you, so you may as well master yourself.

PS. The quote “Wherever you go, there you are.” is a quote used by many people, and a title of a book written by yet another author. I attributed it to Eckhart Tolle, but it is a common saying.

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Audition Men To Be In Your Life

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Travel Clubs International

You should have people audition for a role in your life. I’m not kidding. After years of betrayal, crossed boundaries, learning to stand up for myself, but most of all learning to respect myself and place my own honor above all others’, I have learned to audition people to be in my life.

It took years of work to learn how to tell the difference between genuine friendships and conditional ones, how to deal with crossed boundaries, toxicity, drama, that I realized that relationships in general are exhausting. I simply don’t have the emotional capacity to fight war every time someone decides to test my boundary for the 17th time. So what do I do now? I audition people to be in my life.

I have said several times in this forum that I am happy with my relationships in the sense that I have narrowed my giant circle of acquaintances, coworkers, party people and men into a small circle of people I genuinely appreciate for being in my life. But that doesn’t happen by swinging the door wide open and letting anyone who is interested in. It happens by having criteria or standards for the types of people you want to date, work with, share with, bond with, and then being very selective about who you let in.

Today I want to talk about how being selective relates to men and dating, and about the pain a lot of women endure for having no criteria at all. Giving a chance to any man who shows interest means having no criteria. Why is his interest so important? Shouldn’t you be interested first? A lot of men question my judgment and ask “How do you know you are not interested in me”? A lot of women complain as well “How would I know if I am interested in him if I don’t give him a chance”? To me this sounds like a very stupid question. Do you mean to tell me you have no personal desires, criteria, attraction points that you are aware of up front, that could help you determine whether a person warrants your interest? This is how a lot of women get hurt, emotionally pummeled when after they have already invested themselves into a man, the only way they know he isn’t the one is if he has rejected them. They keep working on the relationship, give it their 110% all the way until he decides this won’t work. By this point they have already slept with him, they have already opened up and been vulnerable, they have already accepted all his faults, made sense of everything that doesn’t add up about his story, and they feel crushed because they invested so much into somebody who doesn’t even care enough to return a phone call. This is because they have no criteria at all for men.

I see so many beautiful, caring, loving, successful, educated women give, give, give, to get nothing in return from men they have put way too much trust and importance into, and when I ask them why they even went out with him in the first place (as many of them are out of his league anyway), they tell me they were looking for a chance. Girl, you are the Goddess here, you are the prize, and you can’t make yourself available to anyone who wants you. Your time, your body, your emotions are not something people get to take a chance on. In fact, a Goddess is someone to be worshiped, respected, honored, and all of that should be proven way before anyone gets to ask for your time. Otherwise, how would you know if he is worth your attention?

It has been about 7 years since I learned to truly see myself, my attention, my time, my body as something that is far too valuable to be given away or traded for a chance. It has been 2 years since I have been practicing self-honor to the level where I feel that I honor myself 100% of the time. Do you know how good that feels? Do you know how it feels when you have criteria for people and situations you give your time to? It feels like pure power to be selective, to know exactly what I want, to be able to say No Thank You, to qualify people before handing them your trust, your money, access to your home, your body, your privacy, your mental health. Total power, pure, uncompromising self-respect, dignity, self-love, a life of peace, quality relationships, fulfillment- this is not wishful thinking, this is your work. And the way I ensure that my friendships, work relationships, and romantic relationships are healthy is I have to say No a lot.

Many years ago, when I was starting out in business, I thought I had to say Yes to everything in order to get the business. I found myself catering to whims of angry customers who didn’t even know what they wanted, nor what strategy was good for them, they simply wanted total control and someone to constantly say yes to them. Those were the worst years of my career and I suffered from anxiety, asthma and was a miserable, nervous wreck who hated her job. But I was taught that pleasing customers was of utmost importance, how else are you going to get recommendations and more business? Then, one day, out of sheer frustration and defeat, I said No to a pushy customer. No, I won’t do that. If you think you can get a better deal elsewhere, feel free to go elsewhere. Know what? He didn’t budge. Even after I put the phone down, he kept calling me for days asking me to put this deal together for him. I closed that deal, and I charged him 3 times more for my aggravation, and yes, he paid it because I kept saying No to him every single day until closing. The moral of the story is that, you have to say No, you must protect your own sanity and dignity at all times, and slowly you will see quality people come into your life. They won’t come in when they see that you are a doormat. Since then the word No has been my best strategy in life. I now select work projects, co-workers I am willing to have on my team, I select my friends because quality people are selective too, and I say No thank you to 99% of men who ask me out. I respect my time, my body and my mind so much, that I’d rather be without people who push buttons, overstep boundaries, or take advantage. They are not friends, and they will waste being time on your team.

But back to men and dating. A lot of women are not aware that without strict criteria, they are fully responsible for earning time with low-quality men who actually can’t do anything for them, can’t add value to their lives, and are simply wasting time of multiple women at the same time. Do you really want to compete for that? Imagine how frustrating it is to be texting with some loser who keeps yanking your chain, changing plans, replies whenever he feels like it, keeps you in suspense. A lot of women would work even harder to pin him down and get him to commit to a date. I wouldn’t. When I see someone is playing hard to get, is texting multiple women at the same time, and trying to frustrate me or trigger me into chasing, I let him go chase his own tail. Not me, I shut that down immediately.

When I see an acquaintance who is constantly pushing my buttons, shows signs or control or manipulation, do you think I invite that into my life and give her a chance to be a friend? Nope, I already have plenty of experience with that. Just like you wouldn’t give multiple chances to a non-performing coworker to miss another deadline, why do you invite males who haven’t qualified to be with you into your life? Because you have no criteria for a healthy relationship. Life is an audition. Do you think you could get that job position, fancy title, a pay raise if you didn’t qualify for it? Think how long your audition process was for your job, just for you to get an opportunity to try and qualify for that 90 day probationary period? Did your boss give you that bonus up front? How long did your manager verify your resume? Did they check your references by calling your previous employer? How long did they track your performance ? Did they set clear goals and a list of deliverables that you must accomplish in order to remain employed? Most of all, did anyone pay you up-front? Nope, you had to earn an opportunity to be there, but above of all you had to be qualified. You had to pass multiple auditions and convince multiple hiring managers to give you a chance.So why then do you give chances to males who have not even lifted a finger to get your time? Why do you engage in exhaustive texting trying to negotiate one measly date with a stranger? Why are you having sex with a male who you suspect is sleeping with other women? Do you believe that later, he will fall deeply, madly in love with you, and then you’ll negotiate commitment from a man who has other options? Do you really think that will work out in your favor? That’s like paying a used car salesman before you have test-driven a used car. What kind of car do you think you will score then?

The problem with a lot of women is that they pay for it long before they even know who they are dealing with. They give chances to males far below their own level of education, sophistication, worldliness, wisdom, self-development and it is because they believe that there is a global shortage of men, because they believe in their own expiration date, they are lonely, and the answer I hear most often is that there aren’t excellent men out there, so I must give someone a chance. If you believe that you must settle, you will settle. And when you try to create a healthy relationship with someone who is not your emotional equal, guess what you will get? I am pretty sure you have plenty of experience with that.

Every milestone of your life is an audition. You can’t even get into college without decent grades. But I bet that getting into college is far easier than negotiating for your self-worth with a man who can’t be bothered to respect your time. So how to set criteria? Don’t be afraid to judge. In fact, you must have a strong sense of judgment before you can judge whether people are healthy, respectable, honorable and have good intentions. Notice how I repeated the word Judge? People get shamed for judging others, but you were born with a brain capable of logical reasoning and sound judgment is critical for survival of every species on the planet. You must use your sound judgment, and work on fine tuning it so that you are always aware of who is good for you. Yeah, I judge people because I have been drained, ripped off, trampled on, used, manipulated, controlled, but guess what? Now I have a ton of experience to know how to spot a con, and with whom I can safely take down my guard.

I have some criteria for all people, and some, more specific criteria for lovers, friends, family etc. But in general, I admire and work well with people who are genuine, honorable, worthy, self-aware, emotionally healthy, wise, caring. I quickly dismiss big egos, pushiness, boundary testers, energy vampires, controllers, needy people, the codependent and those who seek to dominate. Anyone who has triggered me deserves a sound evaluation. As far as men go, many years ago I wrote a list of 50 characteristics a man must possess in order for me to enter a relationship, and 25 characteristics that he must have before I will even go on a first date. Believe it or not, once you get to know what you want, red-flags are very easy to spot. When a man doesn’t provide me with enough information, evades questions, when his story doesn’t add up, that does not mean that I should give him a chance to prove himself. If your resume had big gaps, and your story didn’t add up, would your employer have given you a chance and a weekly paycheck until you proved yourself?

Whatever the criteria you have set, make sure you honor it all the time. Once you start saying No, it gets easier. You won’t lose out on an opportunity of a lifetime with a man if you reject him. You will lose the frustration of trying to figure someone out who doesn’t make any sense at all. Also, please stop thinking that every man is an opportunity for something, and that you might lose your great chance because you didn’t give a frog a chance to turn into a prince. A grown woman knows that kissing frogs is humiliating. While you are kissing that frog, he is enjoying his time with you, but he is the only one having a good time. Please stop seeing every male as an opportunity. You will have a difficult time using your sound judgment when you doubt your criteria and worry that you might lose out on something big if you say No Thank You. Instead, you will earn your self-respect.

If you are having difficulty asking hard questions, asking for a detailed explanation, getting his personal details, why are you sleeping with the man? None of those answers will magically appear later.One of the best things I have ever done for myself is to create a list of criteria that people must meet in order to be in my life, and yes I do audition people who are asking for my time, commitment, and friendship. Life is an audition, you don’t reach major milestones without qualifying, and the best thing that you can do is to take the time to qualify men before you start giving them your body and mind. Dating is not a guarantee that with enough time and effort you will earn a relationship. Dating is an interview process, it is an audition, and it is the absolute wrong time to start giving before you have made a sound judgment whether this person is worth your time.

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The Emotional Cost of Digital Dating

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

We live in a digital world, and most people I know date using apps like Tinder and Bumble. I don’t. In previous posts I explained why I don’t like it and I won’t bore you with my own choices. But, so many of my friends do and I am always curious about what kind of people they meet and what types of interactions they have. Many of them are miserable because they are meeting drones who are unable to relate to another human, yet they don’t have the self-respect to remove themselves from these situations. What’s worse, is that their expectations of these digital players are pretty high. They really believe that a stranger they met online will give them a quality experience.

Is it reasonable to expect that the people we meet virtually will be as honest, honorable and considerate as the people we meet and relationships we cultivate in person? If we met at a party through mutual friends, I might think twice before I call you a name, slam the door in your face and accuse you of being a freak. After all we have friends in common, we both have a reputation to protect. The cost of acting inappropriate is higher when we belong to the same social network. But, if our relationship is strictly digital, neither of us has much to lose for treating the other disgracefully. How much do you value a digital date? How much do you value a person who showed up at the click of a button? I admit, I don’t value that person at all. I might be respectful, human and decent toward them, but I haven’t earned an opportunity to be with them, I have done nothing to earn their trust, respect, nor attention. If I can click a button and get you to show up in an hour, for free, at no emotional or personal cost to me at all, honestly, I won’t value you at all. Maybe somebody else would, but I am being honest here, why would I value you, and the dozen other people who are willing to give me a date, when I didn’t even have to ask you face to face will you go out with me?

My theory is that people we meet online are valued less in terms of dating and relating, than people whose relationships we had to cultivate over a period of time. If I had to earn your friendship, I will value you as a human more. I will have a deeper understanding of who you are, I will have something concrete to relate to. Even if that level of personal understanding is low, I still had to earn time to be with you, and am more likely to value you and respect you, even if we are drastically different.

I know people meet online all the time, they get married and live happily ever after. I have close friends who married their Match and eHarmony dates, and divorced them in three years. It is possible for all of us to find an instant date, an instant relationship and an instant bond. But how valuable is it? How disposable is it?

Many of you have been ghosted by digital lovers, and find it hurtful and rude. But, what are your expectations of people who you met online? I understand how hurtful ghosting would be if you knew someone for years and they simply cut you off. I understand if you were in a serious relationship and the guy disappeared. Those are all real connections that warrant face to face communication. But what are your expectations of a digital date? Do you truly expect a stranger to coddle your feelings and communicate lovingly with you?

I find digital dating to be too superficial, too artificial, and I don’t get a good read on people online. In the past when I tried online dating, I really did not like the kind of males I met in person. I found them to either be weird, expect quick results, have toxic habits, or have unhealthy expectations. I also observed that both men and women who go for digital dates are more likely to be disconnected or of low emotional intelligence. Sorry friends, but if you are willing to start relating and romancing a complete stranger you don’t have self-worth, you lack an internal guidance system, you can’t tell the difference between a human with a soul, and a human who is just as empty and confused as you. Sorry if I offended you, but this blog is about perfect honesty.

A lot of women I know marathon date online, have a date every week, line up new dates well in advance, and I am always a bit surprised they have such high expectations of those males. It is almost normal that they get ghosted 1 out of 5 times, that they hook up and then learn he is not looking for a relationship. Some have created fantasies, even gone on vacations with males who lack emotions, only to come back and wonder why did things not work out? Well, if you can’t tell a male has no ability to relate or emote up front, why are you surprised that the whole thing fell apart as soon as you started to build a relationship?

It is customary for online daters to get juggled with a few other people, and quite often they compete for attention from strangers they barely know. Why would a healthy person want to be a part of this scheme? To me it is absolutely sickening that there are so many people out there willing to act out intimacy with complete strangers, and allow themselves to be judged, evaluated and rated as relationship material by people who don’t even qualify as an emotionally healthy human.

Again, that’s a question for you to answer. I never liked it so I stopped dating online almost 10 years ago. I saw that the quality of the people I was meeting was low, that our interactions are shallow, and that their behavior is quite offensive. But, I also understood that I was a digital date, they didn’t have to do anything to earn my attention, they barely had to qualify, so what did I expect? A knight in shining armor or a prince charming?

I’m not saying that all digital dates are bad, but we have to have more reasonable expectations of people we don’t know. If you are going on a date with a complete stranger, who didn’t even have to ask you out face to face, who didn’t have to prove to you that he is a decent human being, and you instantly showed up because he clicked a button, of what value are you to him, and how much effort should you make for a person you don’t know? I think many of my friends are putting way too much effort into digital men who are busy communicating with a dozen women at the same time. What does that do to your self-esteem? What does that do to your sanity?

My second theory is that many of the people we meet online are males who would never have an opportunity with the opposite sex at all. You might not even give them a second glance if you met them in person first. But apps give us all an opportunity to shop around, swipe right, swipe left, and a lot of low quality, toxic people now have immediate access to individuals they would never have a chance with in person. A lot of males select everybody because they are playing numbers. They know they will get lucky because at least one beautiful woman who they know is way out of their league will show up. Her self-esteem will be just low enough to give an incel a chance. Online dating is like a slot machine, all you have to do is keep pulling the lever. Sure, you will get a lot of Nos, but eventually that slot machine will light up and a prize will spill out into the tray below. It takes only 5 minutes to win a few quarters in a casino. So how valued do you expect to be, and how well do you think you will be treated when a complete stranger can get a date with you?

I’m not the smartest person in this forum, but I figured this out almost immediately. I was basically giving an opportunity to really low quality males to have an hour with me, and that felt absolutely gross.

What bothers me is that today, men have to do almost no work at all to score a date. What bothers me even more is that they get to date women who are 20 times out of their league, and the women don’t even know it. Why don’t they know it? Because they are busy playing digital pinball with players who are just looking to score the highest points. And then they wonder why this gamer doesn’t treat them well, and doesn’t act like he values them? You want respect from somebody who pulled a lever to get you?

Some women say that Bumble is so much better because women get to choose. But how is Bumble better? You get exactly the same cads listed on all the services, and they get to be even more passive on Bumble? All they have to do is create a listing then wait for you to choose them. Sooner or later a beautiful woman way out of his league will land in his lap.

Yes, this is a rant. I know so many brilliant women. I am lucky to know women who are extremely accomplished, educated, worldly, sophisticated, fearless, competent, rational, but when it comes to dating they compete for the smallest, most emotionally retarded males. Half of these guys would be finding dates in dark alleys if they didn’t have access to Tinder. Many of them ARE those guys who could not even get a date. Why are we giving them our time on dating apps?

We have to value ourselves more. So much more that we don’t have to compete for digital dates with drones who are just clicking our buttons. We also have to value ourselves so much to realize that being treated like a number is demeaning. We have to realize that we are being treated poorly because we give men every opportunity to have the advantage. Rather than withdraw, set some standards, cultivate real relationships we choose to compete for players on their terms. How do you expect to be treated like a valued human being when you are allowing access to everybody who can view your profile?

A lot of women claim to be rare, exceptional, one of a kind “goddesses”, but how are you rare if anybody can have your time? How are you rare if anybody can click you? How are you rare when he can order you online faster than he can order a pizza? Surplus pizza gets shared with the dogs, it’s discarded with the uneaten crusts in the garbage because pizza is that cheap. Anyone can get another one delivered in less than an hour. You alone are choosing to make yourself that easy. You alone.

Why would a male treat you like a high-value woman if he can score 20 of you at the same time?

Women are much more likely to settle for a low-quality male when they believe that is all that is available. Imagine going on 20 dates and playing the same game with each player? “Do you like me, do you want me, do you want to see me again? Will you give me the decency of a phone call? Will you treat me respectfully? Will you juggle me with other women? How should I answer this text to make him want me more? I guess I can only wait to see if he eventually chooses me.” Are these questions demeaning to you? They sure sound that way to me.

Now, when she gets any common decency from one of these players, it seems like she scored something of value. She is much more likely to invest herself emotionally after she has found one who will play the game a bit longer. He looks promising, so she disregards that the male has a lot going against him, she is more likely to ignore the red flags because hey, at least he’s participating. Do you see how easy it is for even the smartest women to get wrapped up into playing with low-quality males? I even heard from a woman who dated a male she suspected was homeless or had no place to live, because he was hell-bent on making this work with her. Come on ladies, do you really have to consider every frog in the pond?

Ladies, you choose what you participate in. I am not saying don’t date online, but you certainly can’t expect to be treated like a real woman by some pigeon who pulled a lever to get a pellet. If there are no qualifications needed to score a date with you other than to click a button, then why are you surprised when you get deleted just as fast? If he can order you online, he can cancel you in a split second. You choose to participate in this game. It’s totally up to you.

S

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The Goddess of Love

Posted on October 8, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

This morning’s post by Que Jones made me smile. Beautiful picture of her glowing, and she states: “I like me”. I like this lady too.

I am out of town, stuck in a remote area with nothing much to do, so I spent the last week liking me. You know what, as much as I learned to love myself, having nothing to do, made me realize how much I truly like myself. What am I doing here? Laying in grass, barefoot, kissing the sun all day. It kisses me back- not kidding.

Sometimes, I forget to like myself. Life keeps me busy, I get distracted easily, I focus into things that are less important than loving life, loving me. Que Jones’s post this morning was a great reminder to start the morning, smiling at me.

A friend asked me a few months ago, how do I stay so positive (despite my bouts of panic attacks and anxiety), and I told her that I work on me every single day. It is a full time job, but I love my job. My task of appreciating me is the most passionate job I have. Like you, I have a career, hobbies, causes, board work, and a coupe of organizations I run. But, my job of loving me tops any task I have to perform any day.

It really is a great pleasure to love me. Try it, it will give you pleasure too. If you live alone, you’re in luck because without any distractions, you can focus onto yourself, your reflection in the mirror, your hot cup of tea, the silence, the rain fall and feel as if it all appreciates and loves you. Yes, you know how your cup of coffee loves you like nobody else can. Feel the love.

I love to meditate and I wish you all would too, but if you can’t, I understand. Loving you is a meditation without having to close your eyes and be still. Love the image in the mirror. Yes, that unshowered, crusty eyed, greasy haired you. Smile at her, laugh with her, who else could look so sexy in plaid, wrinkled pajamas better than you? Nobody.

Give yourself a hug every day. Learn to appreciate that hug from your soul to you. It feels better than anything to love yourself.

Last night I watched a few videos on Youtube. There were segments on cool female social media influencers and their lifestyles. I watched with great pleasure. What makes these young women so successful, so interesting, so alluring? They never stated this in the videos, but each one looked as if she loves her life, she loves all her passions, as if she is in love with herself. Each was self-possesed, so passionate about every little thing she did, that I said to myself Wow. No wonder each has millions of followers. People love people who love themselves authentically. There was nothing superficial about these women. They ignored their critics, they invested in themselves, but each worked on self-development. You might think that an influencer is a superficial job, but outside of their online presence, each woman was heavily invested in her personal growth, her spirituality, her journey. And each knew that she will be even better, when her career in social media expires. These young women are moguls, investing in building personal empires.

People who love themselves are magnetic. We are all drawn to them. They are a cure for whatever ails us.I practice managing my energy every day. The one thing I noticed is that when I am in that energetic state of love for my Self, my appreciation for every little thing I’ve got, awesome people, animals, are drawn to me.Men won’t leave me alone.

But on days when I slack off, and forget to adore myself, I get quite a different reaction from people and animals.

If you have a hard time liking yourself, don’t be discouraged. It took me some time to get comfortable with it. I come from two cultures, where women who like themselves, adore themselves, and are confident are called rude names. I am not a narcissist just because I like, love and adore myself.and neither are you.

Each day practice finding things to appreciate about your body, your soul, your life, even when you can’t think of something to like. Start with things that are easier to like, your sense of humour, your little finger if you can’t find anything else. As you learn to love that, expand into loving those aspects of yourself no one notices, those aspects even you didn’t like. It is amazing how my perspective shifted once I saw the beauty in my unacceptable flaws. Then I fell in love with those aspects of me that others always criticized and judged. That was the most powerful experience of all because suddenly their words could no longer hurt me. Imagine how powerless your critics would be if you stood there in your glory, appreciating all those flaws they couldn’t tolerate in you.

The biggest criticism I ever received was for my big mouth, my direct communication which tended to offend some male coworkers. I honestly don’t know how to express myself more softly in a way that does not threaten men. The biggest mistake I ever made was to try. Imagine what happened when I decided to appreciate my directness, my reasoning skills, to like me exactly as I already am. I fell in love with those brick they threw at me. Immediately I felt more powerful, more happy, more in love with exactly who I am. And almost immediately my critics became powerless. Who would dare judge a woman who knows with absolute certainty who she is, how much she appreciates herself, how powerfully she exudes love for herself?

Yes, in those high states of self-appreciation, everybody appreciates me too.

There is no shame in being in love with ourselves first. If we can’t love ourselves, how can we love other people authentically? If people doubt your love, if they don’t need it, it is because they feel that the energy you exude toward yourself is weak. Love yourself powerfully.

Love is a magnet. The energy of love is intoxicating. We are all drawn to it. The mistake we make is chasing people with our love, which is perceived as a lack of respect for the self. Draw your energy inward. The more you practice falling in love with yourself, the more other people will too. I guarantee it.

S

Morning Toilet of Venus, Peter Paul Rubens

*The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus)*, 1647-1651, Diego Velázquez

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How Many Phone Calls Are One Too Many?

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

How many times do you check if someone likes you, or is interested in you? When someone isn’t responding to your calls or texts, how many more times would you call or text? Granted, the other person should be more clear and state that they aren’t into you, but if they don’t, how many times would you keep checking?

We had many conversations here about ghosting, and I seem to be the one who disagrees with popular opinion. I think ghosting is normal, unkind, but a clear way to show someone I’m not into you. Before the digital age, we would just let the phone ring, or unplug it, and the answering machine. Right or wrong, ghosting happens frequently.

Some people just don’t want to talk to you. Some people just don’t want you in their lives. Some people don’t even notice you. The point of this post is what do You do when someone shows you lack of interest? Do you keep calling? Do you keep checking if they maybe forgot that you exist?

“Ummm,…..Just checking if maybe you forgot we met at such at such and such party, and it seemed like we had a connection…..”

Honestly, if there really was a true connection, both people would be equally interested. Yes, it takes equal interest from both parties before a connection is even possible. If there truly was a real connection, you wouldn’t have to keep checking if the person maybe forgot to call you back. This goes for all relationships, romantic ones, friendships and professional. If somebody isn’t calling you back, it is because they don’t have any interest.

Next question: How many different methods of contact would you use before you stop trying? Call once, direct message once, Instagram once, text once, then try email, because you never know, maybe he lost his phone? Would you exhaust all methods of contact before you realize this person may be blowing you off?

When someone doesn’t reply it is a clear indicator of how much they are into you. Sure, there are both men and women who play texting games. They don’t reply immediately to appear too busy, then they are frustrated and dismayed when somebody won’t give them a clear and honest answer.

Here is my take. I have a lot of respect for myself. I trust myself, I like myself, I honor myself, therefore I will never beg for anyone’s attention. I won’t ask for your attention more than once. Go ahead, test me. Don’t call me back, and see what happens. Nothing. I respect myself too much to keep searching for signals when one is right in front of my nose. I also don’t fall apart, because it really is okay when somebody isn’t into me. I brush it off, I move on, I am grown up like that.

That said, we all have a trusted circle of friends and family. We know each other so well, that if a call is missed, a text left unanswered, our relationship isn’t threatened. Why? The trust has long been established. I have 2 family members, and a inner circle of vetted friends. We are good. No testing required.

But I also have a huge network of social connections, acquaintances, party people, professional network, and starving men. who are constantly asking for my time and attention. Not all of them qualify for my time. I appreciate seeing them once in a while, but the reason they are on the outer edges of my attention span is because I took me many years to learn how to filter, enforce my boundaries, and discern who should be in, who should be out. So, assuming that you like somebody, and would like to get to know them better, how many times would you try to get in?

People who keep calling over and over again, are actually broadcasting something very important about themselves to those who aren’t interested. They are sending out a signal, that the other is clearly picking up, and choosing not to engage with. What is that?

We all have that friend who calls and leaves a dozen voice-mails. Actually, I don’t any more, but I used to. We all have a few guys who keep reaching out over and over even though there is no chance at all. You may or may not have explained in words, hey, I’m not into you, but he still keeps trying anyway. Why? What signal are they sending you as they keep checking, do you like me now?

That signal is: I am not self aware. I am not aware when I am behaving in a way that is disrespectful to me. I am not loyal to myself, because your loyalty, attention and interest are more important to me. I have no self respect, I will keep calling even when I don’t get a reply. I choose to ignore other people’s disinterest, because it doesn’t feel good to me. As long as I keep trying, I feel like there is a chance to win them over, so it is easier to keep working on them, rather than work on myself. I am desperate, I am lonely, I don’t like myself as much as I like you.

What else are they projecting? They are projecting: I don’t care if you are irritated, I don’t care if I am annoying you, I don’t care how I appear in your eyes, I don’t care how you feel. A person with no self-respect, has no ability to respect you. When people show you who they really are, believe them.

In the past, I actually used to engage with such people, because I was nice. And as all nice girls, I would get bulldozed into roadkill by people like this. They thrive or they feast on others. When I used to ask them why they won’t stop calling me, almost all of them explained that they saw in me something that I could do or be for them. You are so smart, you could teach me, you could help me, you could save me, you could be for me what I am not for myself. You are not like the others, you are loyal. Yes, I am loyal to myself and those few people who have earned my trust, but I couldn’t possibly be loyal to someone who has no self-respect. Absolutely not.

Do you have someone in your life who just won’t go away? What are they projecting about themselves? What signal are they sending that turns you off? How many unanswered calls or texts did it take before you realized I don’t want this person? How many times did you ignore the message before your realized, this person is just going to be calling until I blatantly tell them to go away?

The reason I ask is to make us all think. Am I doing this to other people? Am I texting men well past the point where they have shown me no interest? How many messages do I leave for other people? When people ignore me, do I start trying to fix things, do I get triggered into chasing, do I want them even more? What am I projecting to other people when I behave this way? Am I projecting desperation, the need for approval, loneliness, a gaping hole within me that I am trying to fill through other people?

We all need to be aware of the signals we are sending out. Self-aware women possess the ability to gauge their own behavior, question it, even judge it to be unhealthy, then shift their focus into fixing themselves. Men and women who are not self-aware, tend to ignore that inner alarm that warns them to not call for the 10th time. They really don’t know what is wrong with that. If you ask them why are you still trying with this person, their answer usually points to how this person could satisfy them. They actually have no ability to gauge whether this other person likes them, wants them or is interested in them. They really don’t care. They are more concerned with having this person, than they are with themselves. This shows lack of empathy.

We have all been rejected in the past. Rejection is a normal part of life. How we handle rejection says a lot about who we are as adults. Some people are more self-aware than others, and they know that chasing anyone who doesn’t want them is demeaning. And other people have no inner compass. They lack the ability to look at themselves objectively, they actually cannot see themselves as they truly are.

To me personally, self-awareness is the most valuable quality I look for in the other person. Is he or she self-aware enough to discern when they are doing something wrong? Is he self-aware enough to notice when he is hurting me? Does he notice, or do I have to cry and scream before he knows he is doing something wrong? Is she self-aware enough to understand when she has crossed my boundaries, or do we have to argue about it many times before she will stop trying? Is she self-aware enough to apologize and correct her behavior, or does she need to be told that an apology is needed before she takes any action? Self-awareness and empathy go hand in hand. When you are aware of your self, you have the ability to see how other people feel as a result of your behavior.

That person who keeps calling 10 times, actually has no desire to read your signal. They have no ability to check themselves. Their need for your attention, approval, your interest exceeds their acknowledgement that maybe they are annoying you, maybe you don’t like them.

We all do this some time. All humans are more likely to seek attention of those who show little to no interest. In fact, a lot of slimy dating books teach men and women exactly that. Never appear to be eager, interested, available, never answer that text on time, delay it, etc. The reason this bad advice seems standard is because it works.

But if you are a healthy woman who does not want to trigger men into chasing, and wants to relate to all humans on a healthy level, you have to be aware of your own behavior and your goal should always be to heal yourself enough to act form a place of self-respect.

Why somebody won’t call you back is obvious. They are not into you. That’s the one and only truthful answer.

But of you are pursuing people who refuse to reach out, if you are calling people multiple times in a row and getting no answer, sit down with yourself. If you lack the ability to see what is wrong with that, if you lack the ability to connect with yourself and answer those uncomfortable questions, please get help from a qualified professional. Your friends and women you admire are not qualified to fix you. I am not qualified to help you.

If people are ignoring you, it is probably because you are ignoring yourself. If people refuse to connect to you, it is because you are not connected to yourself. They have all the evidence they need of who you are as a person. In fact, your 12 unanswered phone calls are that clear projection of what is going on inside you. You may not be aware of that, but they are.

How many unanswered messages are you willing to send out?

S

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How to Manage Fear and Anxiety Mindfully

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

FEAR. Everybody knows how awful it feels. What if you have an ongoing, long-term fear, an anxiety, or an automatic negative feeling triggered by external circumstance? How to deal with it mindfully?

This post is not for everyone, but I am throwing it out there for those of you who are starting to get in touch with your inner self, raising awareness of your inner world, and are starting to practice managing negative energies which you feel inside your own body and mind.

Rather than go into details of the long-term effects of holding fear based energies and thoughts inside you, I would like to address how to manage that energy or feeling, and help it dissipate.

I have been dealing with anxiety since childhood, and in my early 30’s it culminated in an unfortunate outburst in the office, which involved the HR department, the legal team, and a strong recommendation that I speak with a therapist Long story short, rather than prescribe meds too treat my anxiety, a smart doc referred me to meditation, and I have been meditating for 18 years. I can’t teach you to mediate in a blog post, but those of you who are in tune to your internal energies will know what I am talking about.

Fear, anxiety and automatic negative thoughts can be debilitating, especially when you allow them to spin your mind out of control. I know first hand how damaging this can be to your job, your relationships and your family, when you are a pressure cooker waiting to explode. So here is my best explanation on how to manage fear and anxiety.

ACCEPTANCE. Don’t try to fight it, ignore it, pretend it isn’t there, or force yourself into positivity when you feel the presence of anxiety inside you. Accept the fact that you are anxious or fearful right now, then do your best to relax with it.

AWARENESS. Remain in awareness of that bad feeling and pay attention at all times to where it is within your body. If it is in the pit of your stomach, your heart or throat, stay aware of its presence inside you. If you know how to manage its movement, do not allow fear or anxiety to rise up to your mind. Keep it below your throat chakra. Again, do not force it down. Forcing anything will have the opposite effect and you will explode. Your awareness is an important tool and you can shift your awareness into a lower part of your body and the fear energy will move there. The goal is to keep your mind clear of that energy, and awareness of it will make it flow south (away from your head). The reason you shift your attention to your lower extremities is to prevent fear, anxiety or negativity from rising into your mind. If you have ever had an anxiety attack you know that this is where it can really do some damage. It can lead to mental paralysis, or a complete meltdown. You can really damage your external world by allowing that energy into your head (where it becomes a part of your reality).

Using your awareness, fist shift your focus lower and lower to move the energy down toward your belly. It’s a very powerful and stabilizing feeling to realize that you can move feelings around your body, and that you have the ability to separate your mind and body from it. In that awareness, you can see how you have willfully kept that energy away from your brain. Now you see you can move mountains!

Fear is just a feeling. The more you practice managing it, moving it, and staying aware of it, the more powerful you are over it. You realize that you have the choice whether to feel it (Fear can be a useful tool). You can allow it to take over your body and mind, or you can gently and mindfully separate from it.

Now that it is sitting comfortably in your belly you can observe the feeling of fear. Your observation may be enough to make it dissipate. Here it gets more complicated. It depends on how you observe fear. Some people amplify it and others dissolve fear through observation.

If you observe the feeling in a detached way (you are not emotional about that fear, you are not a victim of it, you are a disinterested bystander), if you are passive, the feeling of fear will subside. But if you watch fear actively, get involved with it, get emotional about it, you start to identify with it, and pretty soon you notice that fear expands within your body.

The only thing there is to fear is fear itself.

Read it again. Fearing fear is one of the quickest ways to amplify it, and explode in it. Many of us who have been dealing with anxiety, fear fear because we know how quickly it can overtake our body and mind. Once we start having fearful thoughts our entire reality becomes altered. Those things that no one finds threatening are the end of the world to us, and we can make some awful, truly damaging decisions in that mental place.

Fear is just a feeling, that you choose to feel then identify with it. You can become a very powerful manager of fear, when you mindfully observe it, then direct it away from your head, and separate from it.

A couple of nights ago, I had what most people would find a terrifying experience. I was almost assaulted on the street near my home. Except, I knew how to manage my fear and direct it elsewhere. As soon s I understood that I am in danger, I decided to manage it, my mind and my response. Rather than allow fear to take over, I stayed calm, searched my pockets for anything I could use as a weapon, and chose my response. Long story short, I would have been a statistic had I not scared the crap out of my attacker. He tried to attack me 3 times (it took that long to get home), and each time he ran away from me because I was more threatening to him, I felt so powerful, so in control, so confident that I knew that no matter what happens to me I will be okay. No matter what. I can honestly say this guy was more afraid of me than I ever was afraid of him. I mean that.

I got away, I had a mini meltdown and spent some time acknowledging my feelings. They are okay. I decided how I am going to feel about this incident. Yes, I set an intention about how I will eventually feel, it took me 24 hours and then I slowly moved into relief that I got away. I commended myself on how I handled it, I accepted the anger, fear and anxiety inside me, but minute by minute I was starting to feel a little better by focusing on what I did right, being grateful that I can stay focused and in control, and slowly I felt better, and better, and better. Today I feel really good.

INTENTION is the third step in directing your fear and anxiety. When I first became aware I was in danger, I set an intention that no matter what happens I will be okay. I will remain level headed, I will be calm and in control, and I will be okay. Intention is something you keep making every step of the way. Once I got away, I set another intention that I will accept the incident, that I will process it in my own time, that I will not be a victim, that I will not hate people, that I will not fear people, that I will not identify with this trauma. I set the intention that I will release it, and that I will still love all people anyway.

For a brief moment I thought about buying a weapon. Then I realized that is a fear based decision. I have never lived in fear. I love my city, I walk freely at night, I am never afraid. Having a weapon will make me aware of danger, make me mistrust people. I wont do that. My first instinct was to call my friends and cry about it. Nope. I won’t spread fear to them, I wont take a chance that one of them will make me feel like a victim, and convince me that the world is scary and that people are bad. This is one scary incident out of my 48 years on this earth, I am not going there.

Intention gives you a choice. You set intentions before bad things happen. They are just a light that shines to point the direction for you to go. You also set intentions as bad things are happening. They are your next step, and your next step, and your next step.

If you have anxiety issues like I do I set my intention every morning to get past it, to do whatever it takes to calm myself, to detach, to mindfully remove it from my body, and always to keep the energy of anxiety and fear out of my head space where it can really do major damage to others as well.

Fear, anxiety, and automatic negative thoughts can be managed mindfully. You coddle them with your awareness. This is why it is so important to be focused internally, so that you can recognize bad feelings, acknowledge them, and work with them. You can do nothing about them if you believe that bad things are happening to you and that you are just an innocent bystander. You can do nothing about them with a victim mentality.

You can manage them effectively by making friends with them. Now I see that fear is just a feeling I was afraid of all my life. That uncontrolled, unaddressed feeling lead to anxiety, which wreaked havoc on my life for many years. Now I know how to manage my mind-body connection, choose how I will feel, then coddle those bad energies into submission. Your mind is a powerful tool. Go inward, get in touch with all aspects of yourself, then learn how to manage those energies inside you.

S

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A Priceless Woman Has No Price Tag

Posted on September 7, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

“If it’s free, it’s for me”. You have heard the expression. Some women can totally identify with the statement, while others find free stuff cheap, distasteful, and are offended by freebies. Why?

In business school, we learned “When something is free, you’re not the customer, you’re the product.” If you fill out a form to receive a free e-Book, you trade personal data for that free book which is then sold. I once won a free vacation, only later I learned that I unwittingly qualified for a 7-day sales pitch at a time-share.

Are you for sale? Take some time to think about that. How easily can I buy your attention, loyalty, agreement, support? Could a man buy that?

Don’t be offended, there is a lot you can learn here by being honest with yourself. The reason I bring up this topic is that I see that so many women sell their smile, congeniality, agreement in exchange for approval, free dinner, a business opportunity, an open door. And later, when they see the price tag of that free lunch, they are offended. What do you mean you expect sex in exchange dinner at a fancy restaurant? We never agreed to that?

We often find ourselves in uncomfortable situations with men who think that something they offer is a trade for something they want in return.

To some women this is even normal. In some cultures, dating and relationships are all about what the man can do, and women are expected to let him make a show of all that he has to offer, and in exchange shower him with attention and validation. They are comfortable trading a few hours of their time for whatever they get in return, dinner, a Chanel bag, etc.

But, nothing in life is free. And if you are willing to trade with men, don’t be offended nor surprised when they perceive you as “for sale”. A lot of guys are guilty of extending generous offers and playing “let’s make a deal” with women, but those same, generous males have no respect for the same women who accepted the offer. You’ve seen it happen before, he treats her lavishly for a few weeks, then accuses her of being a gold digger a week later, then trades her for a newer model. Why? No one can make a trade with you until you say yes.

Even when a guy is not douchey, yes, even quality guys look for signs that a woman is for sale. I know a lot of really good guys, and often interview them. They have been burned by women who expected to be treated lavishly, but she disappeared when it came time to have sex. Why? It is quite common for men to experience women like that, so they take great time and effort to screen out those who are for sale. Quality guys don’t respect women like that, and so they observe how much she takes, and how much she gives back or reciprocates.

Some women see nothing wrong with this. They confuse this “trade” with having high expectations. They think that expensive dinners, lavish gifts and prizes are just signs that a male respects them, values them, and is serious about them. But then they are surprised to find out that he can afford to buy the attention of three women at the same time, that he can afford to disrespect all of them, that he can afford to string them along, that he can afford to use them as validation, that he can afford to use them to boost his ego, and that he can afford to dump them because he owns their time and attention. Are those truly high standards?

This scenario goes both ways. It has happened to my successful female friends that men offer their body or loyalty in exchange for financial support. One minute they can’t be bothered to commit, the next minute he sees her tax return, and immediately wants a baby. Men think I have money, so it is quite common for me to receive commitment the minute they see my watch, my home, my car. Men can be gold diggers too, and they are far more common than anyone realizes/

When you were a child, did you mom teach you to not take free candy from strangers? Why did she teach you never to do that? What happens when you take the candy?

When you were a kid, did your mom teach you not accept a free ride from a stranger? Why did she teach you that? What happens when you accept that free ride?

I am not telling you not to go on dates, or trying to scare you about men. I am asking you to think long and hard about the terms of the offer before you say yes. What are you saying yes to? What exactly is being offered? What are his expectations? Most importantly, do you appreciate this person or are you sticking around to see what you get?

A guy asks you out, and he is of no interest to you whatsoever. Either you don’t find him attractive, or he is not your type, whatever the reason, you said no. He then sweetens the deal and tells you that he will take you to the best restaurant in town, and it’s all on him. Now do you say yes? Why? If you weren’t into him before he offered a lavish dinner, what makes you interested now?

I know a few very successful women who will compromise, and go out with anyone who offers something lavish because hey, it’s a free. What’s the harm in trading an hour of her time, in exchange for a five star meal? They keep accepting offers simply because he is giving away something for free. After three dates he expects sex, he has invested enough money. But, now she is not into him, and politely declines. Things quickly get ugly. He gave enough, in fact he gave a lot. Dates aren’t supposed to be about money, but they are about expectations.

Have you ever been that woman who keeps giving, giving, giving herself, and gets nothing in return from men? Now you know how it feels to buy, buy, buy, and get nothing in return.

I am not defending slimy men here. I am pointing out that we all have expectations that we don’t discuss up front. Our expectations are usually implied, we go through with the dates, and when one of the people gets nothing in return, one of them will surely feel cheated. One person will be accused of taking advantage, while the other will feel cheated out of money or time.

When we don’t want the man, but accept the free dinner, free vacation, free gifts, we are cheating both of us. You are not just making a bad deal with the guy, you are selling yourself out too. How does it feel to sell your attention or your time in exchange for food?

Personally, I only accept the date if I am genuinely interested in the man. I may not know him well, but I have to genuinely want to know him. If I don’t, I don’t let him buy my time. My time or attention are not for sale.

Sure, some guys get annoyed that no matter how much they try to sweeten the deal, I still say no thank you. There is nothing they can do to get time with me, unless I want to share my time with them. I have learned the hard way, that there is nothing to gain from trading my time. In the end, what is truly on offer is the guy, and if I am not attracted to him, no amount of money or expensive dinners will make him attractive.

If you keep making bad deals with men, stop and think, why are you making a deal at all? If the point of the date is to get to know a compatible human being, or to find a true connection, then why fall for a deal? If he is not enough all by himself, why did you let him keep increasing his offer?

No one can make a deal with you unless you say yes. No one can buy your attention or time, unless you accept money, gifts, free stuff. That is on you. In the end, you didn’t fall for the man, you fell for the free gifts, free vacations, false promises. I don’t feel sorry for women like that at all. Women often accuse guys like that of being users. But who is using whom?

You say you want true love, but you keep falling in love with what someone is giving you. You say you want a genuine man, but how genuine are you?

We all want to be treated well. I do to. There were relationships with men whom I truly respected, and I did receive nice gifts. But I reciprocated with equal gifts in return. No one bought expensive stuff until the relationship was healthy, committed, balanced, and trust was established. The gifts were never necessary, the love would have been enough.

Why not evaluate men for the love they give? Instead of measuring their gifts, why not evaluate the human instead? You can’t see him for who he truly is when you are blinded by bling. you cannot truly evaluate the emotional connection nor his inner emotional health if you are adding Cartier, Chanel and Tiffany into the equation.

There are a lot of popular dating books out there that teach women to gauge his interest by how much he is spending. Keep in mind that a guy with more money can afford to string three women along with lavish gifts. This is bad advice.

If you truly want an emotional bond, then the only thing you have to love is his heart. If he has one. You also have to be genuine enough yourself, to not be for sale. You cannot be swayed by expensive dinners and bling, an honorable woman would not be impressed by that.

If you have made some bad deals with men in the past, it is because they saw a “for sale” sign on your forehead. Sorry, but you made a bad trade. You have to take responsibility for saying yes to bling, vacations, or whatever turns you on. You are a grown woman, and if males can buy your attention with free candy, then take a long time out, peel that “for sale” sign off you forehead, and rethink how you perceive men and relationships.

Karma makes sure that we all get what we deserve. If you keep trading, it is because you’re a trader of time, attention, affection, or love. Stop trading with males, and start relating to humans instead.

A Priceless Woman Has No Price Tag.

S

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If Your Presence Doesn’t Add Value, Your Absence Won’t Make a Difference.

Posted on September 2, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

This morning a member of our private forum posted “If your presence doesn’t add value, your absence won’t make a difference.” How many people are trying to be present in your life? How many lives are you trying to be in?

Women are often offended when someone isn’t making an equal effort to be with us, but rather than get upset, this is a great situation to objectively gauge of what value you are to people and what value they bring to you.

Sure, it hurts. You really, really like someone, and they can’t be bothered to answer your call. You really, really, want to belong, but the group you admire rarely invites you out. You are a giver, and they only make an effort when they need something. We all have friends, lovers and family members who do this.

Ever since I learned to value myself more than anyone else, I no longer get upset. I understand that even if I make myself into the epitome of the ultimate woman, the Goddess, I will still not be a match to some people. I don’t even try. It was way too much pressure and disheartening to try to match myself to other people. I am happy with myself, with all that I have to offer, but I am also very happy with all that I don’t offer. There are a lot of things I don’t bring to the table, not because I am deficient or insecure, but because I now know which tables are worth dining at.

Today, I look at groups I once tried to belong to, and people whose lives I tried to join as less than. This isn’t because I am resentful, but because I know exactly how much I invested into myself. Today, it is okay if people don’t like me, don’t need me, don’t seek my company, and I am okay not accepting attention or company of people who have no value to me. If you want to be discerning, and create a life full of people and situations that are of value to you, then you have to accept that there will be others who won’t see any value in you. Don’t get upset, healthy people have strong boundaries and tighter filters. Rather than try to squeeze yourself through their filter, work on your own feelings and on increasing your own value.

What does “value” actually mean? What do you have to bring to the table? We have all seen relationships and group dynamics where one person has money, social status or a reputation, and people want to be with her because they perceive those qualities to be valuable. Is that value?? It can be, if both parties see a benefit to it. It’s a superficial relationship, and it can only last as long as both parties gain equally.

But if you are a humble human who wants to be appreciated for who you are, how do you build value in yourself and how do you get people to include you, and value your time and attention? What makes a woman valuable?

We all value ourselves and others by different metrics, and as superficial as some standards are, there are always people who will seek out those surface traits. I think that is okay. Some women invest a lot of time and effort into their physical appearance. As critical as I used to be of that, I see that the are highly sought after because of their amazing looks. Good for them. Others, are heavily invested in their careers or building their empires. I admire that, but as successful as some of my peers are, I still see them just as likely to get rejected in social or romantic situations. Why? Some of us seek to be well-rounded, and invest in our inner, emotional growth. We strive for balance, and still we are not enough for some people.

I think it is okay to not be enough for others, as long as we are enough for ourselves. When we are not enough, we will always feel rejected, inadequate, marginalized by social cliques. This is what we have to work on- how we feel about not being valued by others. But, I am perfectly okay and have fully accepted my own failures and shortcomings. I am no longer critical of that, because after I got over the bruises to my ego, I realized that some of my efforts and projects weren’t all that important to me.

I think it is crucial to become okay with all our flaws, our failures, areas of life where we didn’t meet our own expectations. But it is also extremely important to become okay with other people not valuing us enough. We all know how demoralizing it is to keep striving to meet other people’s standards and expectations, so why do we get angry when we don’t get accepted by them? If it truly is okay to not strive to belong, then why is it not okay to be rejected by people we try to belong with?

Become okay with rejection. Become okay with not being valued. Nobody can value you as much as you value yourself. I can’t possibly be all things to all people, so I am perfectly okay not being liked by everybody. In fact, I am disliked by many people. I no longer waste time pondering what I have done to disappoint them.

At any given time, there are usually 1-2 people in my life who give less to me, or try less to be with me than I try with them. I realized that this is how I drain myself. Yes, that pursuit of their attention or time drains me, but that is a choice I make all by myself.
Stop accusing people who don’t value you of not finding value in you. That is not their job. As long as you are resentful of not getting what you perceive as your fair share of their energy, you are hurting yourself by constantly measuring what is fair to you. You are measuring your own value against how other people perceive you and you will always fall short. Why should anyone value you more than you are of value to them?

When you truly value yourself, you are more aware of the imbalance within, and you seek to re-balance yourself. Rather than be resentful of that friend who never picks up the phone and rarely invites me, I ask myself why am I in so much need of attention of a person who sees little value in me? Don’t be afraid of the answer to that question. It will be unpleasant and you will not like it. But, that’s what balanced women do, they can face their own inadequacies and work on themselves. The ugly truth is that there are areas of my own life where I am still seeking approval of others. Sure, it is painful for this Goddess to admit that, but I am happy that I discovered this inadequacy right now through a friend, than to find out how inadequate I feel in a romantic relationship. That would be much more painful. This is something that I can repair easily by sitting with myself and my own emotions, and figuring out how to fulfill my own deficiency.

The reason that rejection happens is because your life experiences mirror your soul. You might think that people “make you feel inadequate”, but no one can make you feel anything. YOU feel inadequate within yourself and you are blaming other people who simply show you what is missing. You need to fill your own cracks, no one will value a leaky cup. All those experiences where you see that people don’t value you enough, are an opportunity to add value to yourself.

I have a ton of people in my life. Some value me more than others. I am okay with that. Some need me to the point that it drains me. I don’t value them at all, nor do I feel bad about ignoring them. Others need me for superficial reasons. There are plenty of superficial situations where its is fine to have superficial connections. I don’t invest much, but I don’t overthink it either. And then there are people who mirror me until I see within myself whatever I am accusing them of. These are valuable lessons where I get to see how I am pursuing people and situations who I think will fill some need, but it turns out this is a need I should fill for myself.

That quote “If your presence doesn’t add value, your absence won’t make a difference” is so true. Our egos would love to believe that they will be sorry when we are gone, but that’s just our own insecurity talking. If you bring no value, they will not regret you. The goal is not to hold resentment, but to accept the fact that you cannot bring value to everyone’s table, nor should you want to. It’s also a reminder that you may still be trying to be accepted or approved of, when instead you should be satisfied with all that you are, and all that you are not.

My point is, you will never be enough for everybody, you just have to be cool with that. If you are satisfied with yourself, you are enough. That’s all that maters.

S

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Why Intuitive and Empathic Women Should Date Less

Posted on August 20, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Have you ever gone out on a date with someone you didn’t want romantically? Have you ever gone against your intuition? Have you ever allowed someone to twist your arm, or talk you into giving them time, when your intuition was screaming no? How did the date feel? How did it end? How did you feel after you cancelled your feelings and gave your time, attention and energy to someone you felt was not for you?

I bring this up because in the last ten days I spoke with a few women in our private forum who felt awful going on a date. Many of you ladies are intuitive, and can feel the emotions or the state of being in another human. Many of you are a whole lot more intuitive than you think you are, but are ignoring your own intuition. Others feel guilty not giving a chance to those who keep asking us on dates. And many of you, have succumbed to peer pressure- yes, there is peer pressure when it comes to dating. It is when your friends insist that you give a nice guy a chance, tell you that your high standards are unreasonable, that your intuition must be off because they know and like this guy.

A few of you have gone on dates and felt awful being there. Why? It is because you were cheating yourself? You are doing something that your mind and body are screaming NO, and you are negating your intuitive gift and doing the opposite. That is why the date feels like emotional torture.

It is wrong. It is very wrong to disrespect yourself this way. It is very wrong to allow other people’s feelings to dictate how you should feel about someone. It is extremely wrong to allow a man who has used tactics like mild manipulation, guilt or shame to get time with you. and it is wrong for friends to push men on you, or make you feel like you don’t know what is right for you.

But the real reason going on a date with someone you feel isn’t right is wrong is because you are cheating yourself. Have you noticed how contradicting your own feelings makes you feel? Those dates feel like physical, emotional, and mental torture. The guy might even be nice, but it is you who feels absolutely heinous about yourself? Why?

Most women could relate to how awful it would feel to have to get intimate or have sex with someone they find physically, emotionally, or personally unappealing. Every woman knows how disgusting it would feel too have a man forced upon her. So why do we feel guilty when we have to talk ourselves into going on a date, or to give a chance to someone our intuition is telling us is a big NO.? It feels awful because you are much more intuitive than you have allowed yourself to believe, and you are doing something that is repulsive to you. Your friends probably don’t understand why you cannot consider that date.

Honor yourself. You have a heart, a mind, a body and a soul, and you are dishonoring your entire being by not doing what is in your best interest. You would have no problem rejecting a toxic food, staying away from secondhand smoke, nor ingesting poison. Why do you allow yourself to ingest what automatically feels awful to you?

None of your friends know what this guy feels like to you. Most of them have not dated him, nor had to sleep with him. If they knew how your stomach gets twisted into knots at the thought of having to date him, they would never ask you to do that. We all know that “nice” does not qualify a man. Sure he is a great friend to them, but you are the one being asked to consider him in a way they are not.

So what happened when you went on a date, or gave a chance to a guy your intuition was telling you NO? In my experience, it always ended with a giant slap in my own face, and it was always well-deserved. I always felt gross, like I was doing something shitty to myself. Only, like many women, I believed that I am wrong, and that the guy, or the friends who talked me into him were right. I swear, I will never talk a friend into giving a man a chance, when only she knows who feels wrong to her.

For many years I did not believe in intuition. I am a very logical person, with all the logical diplomas that reject something that isn’t scientifically proven. All along, my mind and body were screaming at me, while I was forcing myself to accept people and ideas that felt absolutely wrong to me. And all along, I felt awful about myself. Why can’t I talk to that man? Every ounce of my being rejects him, but every well-meaning friend is telling me that I must be nice and give him consideration. Do people know how gross it feels?

I have stated many times in this forum, that intuitive women should date less, not more. Why? We have a gift. We can sense people, read them, feel them out very quickly. Other women must kiss a thousand frogs to find out much later that there is no prince hiding inside. We can sense that the frog is just a frog, and leave it alone. Some women have to go on a thousand dates, give everyone an equal chance, then feel deflated and spent later, when they put in so much work into getting to know him, when you intuitive ladies already know him. Know you are not wrong. Stop doubting yourself.

Please stop feeling guilty for having to say No. You are absolutely entitled to honoring your intuition, and honoring yourself. If dates feel disgusting to you, it is because you are ignoring red flags only your intuition picks up. Your friends can’t spot that, the guy feels fine to them. He may be within their level of consciousness, he may be on their level of emotional intelligence, he may meet their requirements but what difference does that make, when he is outside of your energetic or emotional range?

Intuitive people are very sensitive to feelings, emotions, and energies of others. I know that science does not support that assertion. That’s fine. You are not a science experiment, you are a conscious being with a gift. The more you ignore that gift, the more you dishonor yourself, and that’s why some dates feel awful to you.

Put your gift to good use, use it in your highest honor. There is nothing wrong with you for not being able to give every male a chance. This is something right. Please read this sentence again, and process it internally. Your inability to give chances to everyone, is your gift. You absolutely should use it to select the right people to surround yourself. You will see that all your relationships will change for the better when you acknowledge the utmost importance of being the most honoring to yourself first.

If you haven’t dated in a while, please don’t think there is something wrong with you. You already know that only some people feel good to you, and that compromising yourself is abusive to your heart and your mind. Trust your intuition.

If you are still doubting your intuition, but believe that your feelings may be right, please work on expanding and allowing your intuition. There are exercises, meditations, practices to help you open yourself up to your higher self.

If you are wondering why you still haven’t met the one, it is because you have still not recognized him. You may still be considering the possibility that you are wrong, you might be doubting your choices, you might still be allowing the toxic to seep into your life. You may be filled with self-doubt, you are not using your gift to see people as they truly are, you might be forcing yourself to consider those your intuition has already rejected. You have a little more ways to go before you fully trust yourself.

Intuitive people date differently, and we select our partners differently. We don’t consider their resume, vital stats, nor how they look on paper. Instead we feel our way into relationships with people who are both right and wrong for us. We don’t need to take a long time to get to know someone, we know how people feel to us right away. I don’t need 3, 6, or 12 months to negotiate a relationship with a male I know right away. I can sense that there is nothing within him that matches what I feel strongly within me. A non-intuitive woman may not realize even a year down the road that he has no feelings, nor that he may not be capable of emoting at all. She will find out later, in a painful way, what an intuitive woman has been able to feel all along. So, why is it wrong then to ignore what you feel, and give people chances to continue to convince you what they need you to believe? Goddess, trust yourself.

As long as I was doubting my intuition, dating felt like torture to me. I was negating my own feelings in favor of other people’s demands for my time. I felt like shit about myself dating men who insisted they were right, but felt totally wrong to me.

I date much less now, and I feel wonderful about that. I no longer give time, energy, consideration nor chances to people who feel wrong. I no longer feel conflicted between what I feel and what other people think is right. I am so in tune with myself, that I no longer entertain males I don’t feel for even 30 seconds. I know myself. I trust myself. That feels very empowering.

I don’t feel guilty trusting only my own instincts. Yes, I have a smart head on my shoulders and I am naturally a very logical person. When my logic tells me No, I believe my own reasoning mind.

What I don’t believe are other people. They can’t possibly know what is right only for me. The most painful regrets I have in life, are making decisions that are in other people’s interest and not mine. Yes, every date I had with a guy who twisted my arm into it felt like torture. Every date I allowed a friend to set me up on, was also awful. Why did I trust my friends more than myself?

Make peace with yourself. You are an intuitive being and you can only do what you feel is right for you. Any input that comes from outside of you, will feel wrong, and rightfully so. Stop feeling like you are doing something wrong. You are doing what many people cannot do for themselves. I am not criticizing non-intuitive women at all. We are all different. It makes no sense to twist an intuitive woman’s arm into ignoring what she feels.

Accept the fact that you will love and date differently than other men and women. That is perfectly okay. If you want to sharpen your intuition, then focus on making yourself 100% reliant on your own senses. My intuition has risen to about 95% mainly because I started trusting my own feelings. The improvements in my personal relationships in all areas of my life are massive. I am surrounded by much better people because I honored my own intuition about them. Sure, I make mistakes. You will too. But, once you know you have overestimated someone, you will not have a problem quickly correcting your mistake, and letting go of people who are not in your highest good. I make no apologies for that. Trust me you won’t either.

Goddess, know yourself, trust yourself, honor yourself.

S

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How To Have Everything You Want Without Trying

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

WIN WITHOUT TRYING. Of course, you have to know your craft. Of course you have to have expertise in your line of work. If you are an athlete, of course you have to train. But, often when we are after something important, a job promotion, a medal, a license exam, even a man, we tend to work ourselves into a mental tizzy, and we compete for what we want instead of being our best selves. Winning without trying, winning while maintaining our dignity, means winning on our own merit, not because we are competing against others.

Winning without trying is an ancient Taoist concept. It is being calm, and level headed enough to not measure yourself against others, not see your object of desire as something to compete for, but simply being confident that you are enough. You are enough for that job promotion, you are enough for that medal, you are enough for that man- so enough that your enoughness does not warrant stooping low, playing games, trying to outdo other women, you are so enough that you know that even if you don’t get what you want you are more than enough anyway. You are so enough that you are probably better qualified for a higher position, a tougher race, a much more conscious man. When a woman who is enough doesn’t get what she wants, it is because she is worth more.

This is all a matter of your own mental state in the moment. When you feel that anxiety that your goal is out of reach, that your winning or losing is dependent on the correct words, that your credentials are a matter of perfection, that your man has better options than you, then of course you will feel the urge to compete against others, perhaps even manipulate the situation to give yourself a greater chance. In that moment, your mind is aware of your disadvantage, of all obstacles, and is in a state of not enoughness. You are aware of your own inequality.

If you were an employer who is interviewing candidates, who would seem most fit for the job? The one who is calm, confident, whose talent and intelligence speak for themselves, or the candidate who is nervous, anxious, in desperate need of the position?

If you are a woman who is filtering offers from multiple men, who would seem most fit for your company? That male who is making your phone ring 12 times a day, that desperado who is parking his sports car in front of your house, and repeating it’s make and model every time he has one minute of your time? Or, is it that man who asks you out only once, did not have to state anything to impress you, and seems cool if your answer is no?

People who are anxiously competing, relentlessly striving, standing on their heads to win are usually the ones who appear to have the lowest chances. They may be perfectly qualified, but they are projecting to their world their own awareness that they have a lot to lose if they don’t win, and their desperation.

So the Taoist concept of winning without trying states that you must be a master of your craft to be good at it, and yes you have to be qualified. Of course you have to work toward those qualifications. But, when we get into that mental state of urgency, desperation, competition, we start to sweat, question ourselves, doubt our abilities, and lose our alignment. We fall out of balance, we act out of fear of losing, we are more likely to do things that are undignified. This is how we lose our flow. But, when we play for fun, for the love of the sport, or for the love of our profession, we are unburdened by the possible consequences of not winning. In that free flow state, we are most likely to win with ease.

Being a winner is not about competing for anything at all. Being a winner is your awareness of being enough to qualify for whatever you want. It is confidence, it is dignity, it is self-awareness, it is love for yourself and for what you already have,

When you already ARE, there is no sense of urgency TO BE.

Picture this scene. A new designer handbag is being launched on the market, all the fashion magazines are talking about the latest IT bag, and all the fashionistas are drooling over it and coveting this prize. There are dozens of girls on the street below your office window, wearing flip-flops, waiting outside the store for hours, credit-cards ready in their hands. It may take them months to pay for this bag, but they all NEED it in order to win the game of who is the top fashion slave of the season. And then there is you, calmly observing this scene from your office window. There is no need to wait outside some store for hours, you have no intention of bursting through its doors and fighting hordes of girls for just a bag.

Instead, you stay cool, pick up your phone and dial the store. “Please send me that Birkin and have it delivered to my office this afternoon”.

Who is the real winner? Who already is in that winning mentality? Winning is not about competing against others, even when you are running a race. How fast others are running makes no difference. All that matters is how fast you can run, and that is a matter of your own training and athleticism. Trying means measuring your speed against others’. Winning means being the best runner.

So, the next time you think that you have to be the prettiest, sexiest, smartest, most engaging woman out there to win the attention of a male, please stop trying to be the winner. He is observing how many women are trying just for him, and they are playing a game of who can stroke his ego the best.

Being a Goddess means being aware of the self, your goodness, your elevation, your achievements, your radiance, your energy. your being. You receive everything with ease, when you maintain your flow, your lightheartedness, when you take your attention away from the race, when you remove all pressure from yourself.

There is no trying, when you already ARE.

S

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How Toxic Men Manipulate You

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

If you are easily offended, you are easily manipulated. One of the slimiest tactics that toxic men employ is to try to point out a flaw that makes you feel uncomfortable, defensive, insecure. Of course, this is never blatant, but a very slight comment about your lack of choices, your body, your personality, your job, or prospects. I’ve seen girls fall for this tactic close to 100% of the time, because as soon as he says something that makes her feel insecure, she tries to fix it, or agrees with him “You’re right, there aren’t many men my age who want to get married, You’re right I’m a bit overweight because I indulge, You’re right, I work hard and don’t get paid enough”.

Most humans who are offended or uncomfortable will either attack back, or feel powerless because someone destabilized them emotionally. Women are conditioned to be nice and congenial with men even when the guy is offensive, so they try to please him rather than call him out. Or they take the demeaning comment in stride and walk away. Even worse, they try to fix themselves for his sake. Many women will go on a diet because some guy pointed out her muffin top. No matter what, she has swallowed his insult, and disempowered herself. What’s worse, she is now working on doing something that would make herself better in his eyes. Because the offense is subtle, many women would date the guy anyway “He probably didn’t mean that, He is right, I really can’t find a better man, I should give him a chance, He is right, I should loose a few pounds, it would be healthy for me”. What just happened? She swallowed his toxin and now she is spinning around his little finger. She is being manipulated.
I only know a few women who have the courage and the strength to look him straight in the eye, and mirror him back. Most women find standing up to a man, even offending him back terrifying. Do you?

But, if a toxic girlfriend offended you, would you take the bait, would she still be your friend? Would you try to get her approval by losing a few pounds? Depending on the situation, there are good ways to deal with a toxic person. Your best strategy is to recognize this behavior and do not engage. They are looking for your cooperation, your attention, your engagement, so if you are in a place where you cannot fight, disengage, disconnect and do not react emotionally. They are looking for an emotional reaction, your distress, a display of your insecurities- they feed on it, so do not give them that.

If you see he is surrounded by male friends, then his act is a performance for them. He wants to be perceived a ladies man, devastating for women, irresistible, and is probably showing off his skills to them. Again, the most powerful thing that you can do is demonstrate in front of them that he is powerless and unattractive to women. I mirror the guy back. I am not afraid of men at all, so I am very confident about exposing their insecurities and I am very good at arguing, so I know I won’t be cornered. I personally believe that males are far more insecure than women, their bad behavior is often described as manhood, machismo, and they get a gold star when they are acting from a toxic place. When I see that a guy engages women on such a low level, I know that his biggest fear is exposure, being rejected, or ignored by women. I don’t mind verbally mirroring him until his pisses his pants, but if you are not comfortable, then do not react, do not engage, but DO walk away. Your continued presence, congeniality and smile is being taken as proof of your interest. Yes, a lot of toxic people, take your politeness and presence as proof that their charm is working. You do not want to send him that signal.

What is worse, if you are easily offended, start crying, badly arguing for your self-worth, you are giving him more of what he wants. He sees his power on your face, he sees his effect on you, and you are still here. So you are getting manipulated into showing him evidence of his power. Regardless of how you respond, a toxic person will twist your behavior into something they want to believe. Oh, she can’t handle a compliment, I’m so devastating to women I can easily make them cry. Often a very subtle insult is followed by asking for her phone number, and it actually works. I normally date only models, but you’re so nice, why don’t I take you to dinner? First he cut her down to his size, now he is comfortable enough to ask her out.
If you are easily offended, please work on yourself. No, you absolutely do not have to take it, and pretend that you did not get offended. But if you are easily triggered and manipulated because you cannot control your emotions, you can easily get hurt. Anybody can push your buttons and get you to react in a way that benefits them.
I don’t get offended because I really like myself, and all my flaws. When a guy tries to push my buttons to find out what my insecurities are, I get stronger in front of him. Sometimes, if I am in a mood, I make him feel insecure with a smile on my face. Sherry, you put on a few pounds. I say, yes, I have been trying to gain a bit of wait all summer. I love myself curvy! It’s awesome, I’ve been getting more dates than ever! What about you, I see you got yourself a cute little potbelly?….

Guys who are looking for your insecurities are looking for tactics to bring you down to their level. They are already insecure, they just want you to feel it. By showing them how easy you are to emotionally manipulate, you are demonstrating how little your like yourself. You are a perfect doormat for a man who wants to feel he is in charge. You are handing over your power to him, and you are reacting on command. Being able to turn any tactic or any offense into a compliment or advantage for myself takes away his power, and I can enjoy having fun with it.

I am not crying, screaming or defending my honor, I am boldly having fun with the insults he throws at me. If you can’t do that, I understand. But you owe it to yourself to power up. That does not mean to defend yourself harder and louder, power means not reacting on command, not being easily triggered, and not trying to make nice and congenial with a guy who just crossed an important boundary you should have defended. If you let men cross the line, that is your choice. You have to be responsible for not enforcing your own boundaries.

If broken boundaries are a problem for you, it is YOUR problem. If being offended by others is a habit for you, it is YOUR problem. Other people won’t respect you more, until they see how much you respect yourself. Take the matter into your own hands, and get some help for that.

S

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Trust Issues Are Your Inability To Trust Yourself

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Got trust issues? It is understandable. We have all been hurt, and we all have trouble trusting. Some of us are tired of dating, men and relationships. Why put ourselves out there?

But who do you really have trouble trusting? The men, or yourself? Think about that. The world is full of people and situations which could potentially hurt us. If we don’t have solid trust in ourselves, in our ability to stand up for ourselves, defend our honor, protect our boundaries, say No, walk away without regret, then of course other people and relationships can be potentially harmful.

A lot of women claim they don’t trust men because they have experienced the pain of being cheated on. Weather a man or a boss or a friend cheats you is beyond your control. But you are not defenseless. Do you trust yourself to associate yourself with quality humans? Do you trust yourself to not fall into relationships or be sucked into them against your will? Do you trust yourself to enforce a boundary, stand up for yourself and firmly state this is not okay? Do you trust yourself to walk away in a split second the minute someone dishonors you? A lot of women would stay, and argue for their self-worth, try to fix the man, or lower their standards to protect the relationship. Is that you? Then you probably don’t trust yourself, and for a very good reason. You have a history of failing yourself.

The world is full of people who won’t honor you. They actually don’t have to. It is not their job. But how much do you trust yourself to honor yourself? Will you keep that job because you need the work more than you need your self-respect? What’s wrong with a little abusive or disrespectful behavior? The only thing that is wrong with it is you trying to accept it. What is wrong with that man crossing your boundaries over and over again? What is wrong is you trying to accommodate him. What is wrong with that person speaking in a tone that demeans you? It is you not walking away.

If your style is to walk away as a means to manipulate the other, just to see if they chase you, you are willing to play a game, and you are dishonoring yourself. You are proving you are willing to negotiate your honor away. But if you know with 100% certainty that you will always choose you and your self-respect no matter what, then you are bulletproof! You don’t have to worry what he will do, in fact no one can do anything to you when you are willing to treat yourself with utmost importance.

When you know that no matter what the situation, no matter how painful, you will always treat yourself with utmost respect, then trust is that you know you will always come up on top. You don’t have to fear men nor relationships. What can they possibly do to you? You will always come up a winner when you love yourself first. People will always treat you with respect when they see how much you respect yourself.
Sure, men will test you. Toxic friends and unhealthy coworkers will always test your boundaries. But, you don’t have to worry about that when you know that you are capable at defending them. Is that what you are afraid of? Are you afraid of saying no, making the other person feel bad, uncomfortable creating conflict, feeling ashamed for defending your rights? Then you don’t have enough trust for yourself.

Are you still afraid of losing people, lovers, relationships or friends? Your life lesson isn’t in learning how to appease your tormentor, your life lesson is in finding your personal power to act in your own best interest. If you doubt your ability to honor yourself in every situation, then your lack of trust is for yourself. And that inability to trust is well-earned. Only you possess the evidence of how little you are willing to do to show yourself honor. Your feelings of mistrust are quite accurate. No wonder you fear relationships, men, even a little fun- you know how easily you lose yourself. If that is you, again, you hold the key to transform yourself.

You can’t go through life avoiding relationships, fun, flings and only engage with people who swear to you they will never hurt you. No one can honestly promise you that. But you can embark on a journey to learn to trust in yourself.

How to trust yourself? Can you keep your word to yourself? Have you ever promised yourself that you will walk away, only to stay and negotiate your dignity away? Take baby steps. The first time I feared to stand up for myself, I shook like a leaf but I said No anyway. I got screamed at, but in that moment I realized that it is they who are screaming, angry that I have a little dignity to say No. It really wasn’t as scary as I imagined, so I started saying no, talking back, pushing, until I witnessed how uncomfortable men are when women stand firm in their power. Believe it or not, most men are terrified of powerful women. Their masculinity and their egos are tied to their ability to remain in control. They fear exposure, so most men will back off rather than risk being exposed. If you don’t believe me, try it.

This is something that I learned at a very young age. Bullies bully because most people are afraid to stand up to them. But when a bully is beaten up by a girl, he loses all his power and his masculinity. I learned to stand up to men at a very young age, and the only secret I have is trust in myself, that I won’t back down until I have taken back my power, and the certainty that most people we tend to fear are just bullies who are used to having their power handed to them with our fear. Nothing else.

I practice this on a regular basis. In the office, I challenge coworkers who cross boundaries, and I hold them accountable. I don’t pick fights, instead I politely but firmly explain that John, it is your job to hand in the project on time, not mine. What made you believe that I should take the time to edit your work? Just a tiny slap on the wrist. In a bar, when a guy is being disrespectful, I don’t show any discomfort, I turn the tables and show him his own insecurity. But every day, in every situation I show myself how much I trust myself to defend my boundary, not politely smile and let him get away with it.

I trust myself because I have never chosen a man over my dignity. I have never chosen a relationship over my respect. Yes, I am that woman who has NEVER stayed. My self-respect is non-negotiable. I don’t give anyone another opportunity to talk me into staying. This is how I demonstrate to myself 100% trust in myself.

When you trust yourself, you don’t have to worry so much if other people are trustworthy. By now I have been disappointed a thousand times. I am okay with it. All I have to know is that when I realize that I am being played, that I will act with 100% honor toward myself. I can walk away and slam the door is 3 seconds and trust myself to not look back in regret even once. Can you?

Healthy relationships aren’t always about other people. We can’t control others. Healthy relationships are about us, and trusting ourselves that we will easily let go of any person or situation that is not honoring to us, and having 100% trust in ourselves.

S

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Stop Shrinking To Fit People

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Stop Shrinking To Fit People. Have you ever made yourself smaller, so a man could feel more comfortable or masculine around you? What would happen if you didn’t shrink, but stood comfortably confident with your size, your “bigness:”, your success? Would he disapprove of you,try to topple you, or do something to make you feel smaller, so he could feel like a man? This happens to me all the time, but now I refuse to shrink. Instead I let them feel uncomfortable. It is a sign of who they are, it has nothing to do with me. Their discomfort is valuable information about who they are on the inside.

Aside from women shrinking to accommodate men, we also shrink to accommodate other people. We shrink in the workplace, so everyone feels comfortable around us. We are afraid to appear bossy, so we shrink to the level of people we are trying to manage, so they don’t feel threatened by us. We shrink to appear less threatening to other women, because we want to be liked, we want to fit in, and we brush our accomplishments under the carpet, so no one thinks we are greedy, overly ambitious, the haves in a world of have nots. We shrink to our parents, we shrink to toxic people who demand we respect their position, we even shrink to situations and relationships, hoping that they won’t change. Have you ever shrunk to prevent from losing someone or a group of people? You outgrow your friends, but you feel loyal to them So you are afraid to move on and spread your wings, because it feels warm and fuzzy in this crowded nest.

Life is about growth, We all have to spread our wings and fly at some point. But, most of us wait until we are kicked out f the nest, until circumstances no longer allow us to remain the same, until change becomes so inevitable, that the universe (or whatever power you believe in), comes in to sweep all that we know away, and force us into letting go, and moving on. We are all shrinking in some aspects of our lives, and it is probably those areas that will bring the most painful lessons.

You are not meant to be small, you are meant to grow, expand, take up more space, speak up, grow your confidence, so that you can inspire others. How could you be of service to others if you hide all the lessons you learned? How could you empower others, if you shy away from letting them see your power? What is there to learn from you? A lot of women automatically downplay their successes. But, I won’t judge you for being a super woman, I want to learn from you. If you can succeed, so can I. If you have a skill or a power that I am lacking, please teach me. Why are we afraid to be big? Why are we afraid to take up space? Why is that so offensive to some?

I keep mental score of who my friends are, and I see that all my girlfriends are highly, highly educated, experts in their fields, while others are super-motivated, entrepreneurial, for them money just pours into their lives. But, when I ask to talk about their successes, and some are silent moguls, nobody wants to talk, or proudly state I AM. Among the men in my friends circle, they too are smart, but they take up a lot of space, much more than they earned. In fact, they take up the space that women leave empty. In my office, men embellish what they do, continuously expand their roles, even when nobody changes their title. They are always talking more than they are actually doing. And you know what, people believe them. They eventually take those roles they have been talking about, simply because no one else went for it.

Are women really meant to be smaller? I don’t think so. This is our program, our social and cultural conditioning. But, I firmly believe that those who know themselves are Goddesses. Knowing yourself means being in total awareness of all your power, being proud of who you are, and taking up your well-deserved space. I see the discomfort a lot of women feel when a man is displeased with how much room she has taken. How dare she? There are names for women who think too highly of themselves. But, years ago I realized how much of my own power I gave away, shrinking to be less threatening to men. I seem to not threaten women at all, but I piss off men easily. Why? I refuse to shrink, I refuse to bow down, I refuse to accommodate their demands that I move, I never stroke their ego, I refuse to submit, I don’t budge. I have been practicing taking up space in two situations, around men who approach me in terms of dating, and around men in my office for about 7 years now. Here is what I found.

There are two kinds of men, the ones who are threatened, and the ones who are not. The threatened ones will judge me, call me names, try to make me feel uncomfortable, whine, wage war, try to destroy my career or reputation, sabotage my work., and are absolutely belligerent. I let them be that. By allowing them to be, everybody gets to see them. The non-threatened men, are highly attracted to me. They follow me around for years, they stick to me like magnets, they won’t leave me alone. I am not doing this to attract them, but I see that I get all of their respect. Some of these men have followed me to other countries, just to get a chance with me. I am comfortable being bigger than a lot of men. I never apologize for that.
If you get comfortable being bigger, and truly start to appreciate who you are, freely talk about your accomplishments, from an authentic and genuine place (not to gloat, but to share), you will free yourself from the fear of being judged and disapproved. That is a very powerful feeling. No one could make you feel smaller, when you proudly take up all the space that you have earned. They will test you, especially the men, but you won’t apologize for your space, nor will you give them an ego stroke, when they are demanding to be validated.
We all admire people who seem to be bigger than us. But a lot of big women aren’t comfortable being admired. They shrink to avoid the positive attention, as much to avoid the negative. You have to stop arguing for your smallness. Yes, in the workplace a lot of women refuse the spotlight even when they have earned it better than anyone else. I recently watched one of the brainiest consultants I know, refuse to get up on stage and be acknowledged for a $50 mil contract she secured, so a man took the mike, got up on stage, said three words to thank her, than took up the space that she refused to take. I felt cheated for her. I was looking forward to finally see one of the hardest working people I know finally get recognition, and she chose to keep sitting down. I even told her that I wish she proudly took up the space because I wanted to see her in it. I don’t mean to judge women, I know how hard it is to stand up and stand behind our own work, but I wish that more of us would stop being afraid of being the super women that we are. Instead we let the man lead the parade.
There are severe consequences to all of us for handing over our well-earned glory to people, or men who have not earned it. It is submission to something smaller than us. This is a form of self-disregard, lack or respect for the self, and we have to stop doing it to ourselves. Now one will give us power for being good little girls, we earn power and then we keep it. I don’t know where we learned that we earn power than give it away to other people so they could feel good about themselves.

How many years of my life did I waste building up the manhood of men who had none, so that they could feel like a man around me? I wrote a lot about that, so I won’t go into it here. But we are shoveling our power away, giving space to people trying to accommodate them, shrinking rather than being who we have grown into.

If you have anyone in your life who is disrespecting you, taking up more space than they earned, threatening, using you, or taking advantage in any way, it is because you have allowed them to believe they can. It doesn’t matter if this is a lover, a boss, or a parent. You are here to be powerful. There is no shame in being a powerful woman. There is shame in shoveling your Goddess power away. Take your space that you have earned. In fact, this is one of your purposes in life. You must know who you are, become comfortable with that, stop apologizing for it, and giving your power away. I know it is daunting to push people aside so you can take up all the space that you have earned. But you will never feel like a Goddess, unless you are comfortable and proud of all that you are.This is not something you do over night, but practice, practice, practice. What areas of your life do you feel powerless in? That is exactly where you begin.

S

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Whom Are You Hurting The Most?

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

“Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you.”– Eckhart Tolle

I have been looking for clues to the root cause of a couple of issues I still have to work on, and I could not figure out exactly what they are. I knew something doesn’t feel right within me, but no amount of meditating was exposing it. I know I have a few big internal blocks, and I falsely believed that they must be so deep that I just can’t reach that part of myself.

Then I came across the above quote by Eckhart Tolle (who I am proud to say has liked a few of my Goddess Instagram posts before). That quote hit me like a ton of bricks, because it resonated so well. My blockages have not been buried so deep inside me that only a psychiatrist could chisel them out. They have been right in front of my eyes, literally, all along.

A while ago, a friend who was struggling emotionally was telling me about the multiple health conditions she has. As soon as she heals one with prescriptions or medical treatment, she is diagnosed with another autoimmune disease. By now, she has 3 diagnosed autoimmune diseases, going on four. I do to. What is autoimmune disease? The oversimplified definition is when the body attacks itself. Why would our own body, attack itself? It would not- a healthy body would not do that. A body’s purpose is to protect the self, to keep it healthy. But sometimes the body physically reacts to communicate with you that you are doing something wrong. What?

Though I wasn’t smart enough to see it within me, I was astute enough to ask my friend immediately, How have you been attacking yourself? It took her 3 seconds to give me an accurate, self-knowing reply. I fight with myself in my own head. I have repeating thoughts that I cannot shut off. I battle with myself to shut them off, but my mind is on auto-repeat, and yes, even though mentally and emotionally I seem to be fighting others, I am doing harm to myself. She knew herself.

I too have had very obvious battles in my head that I ascribed to my monkey-mind. I wrote about this before. Years of toxic relationships with toxic people are replaying in my head like a broken record. My brain never shuts up, unless I still it intentionally through meditation. But when I allow it to do what it wants, I am still fighting in my head with every “bad guy” I ever met. And yes, there are my favorite “bad-guys” who fit a certain stereotypical profile I won’t discuss here.

We all have a boogeyman, a “bad guy”, somebody who hurt us, destroyed us, sucked the life out of us. Many of us continue the battle long after the relationship is over, and the person is permanently out of our lives. Many of us are completely aware of who we are battling with, but many of us are simply triggered by certain kinds of people, and we wonder why we have such an automatic and negative response to a seemingly benign person.

What is the harm of having a mental boogeyman, or having continued mental battles within yourself? You see, that anger and rage we feel inside us every time we bring up that injustice or person. Is a bad, negative energy. We might think we are expressing our anger and rage at them, but instead, we are feeling that emotion within us. That person may or may not choose to accept our anger and digest it. If they are healthy, they will realize the anger is yours and they will choose not to engage with you. But, you are the owner of those bad emotions. You produce them on command any time someone triggers you. Those bad energies reside within your own body. You nurture them, you coddle them, and you spew them out without any thought of how you are hurting yourself. You might think your anger is directed at other people, but they are within you, and they are hurting you. Don’t be surprised if years after you have not dealt with them, you start to develop physical conditions that reflect how you feel about yourself. Your body is a reflection of who you are. If it is misbehaving, or not working correctly, it is physically reacting to your rage, anger, resentment, whatever you have that is not resolved.

This morning when I read that quote by Eckhart Tolle I realized exactly what I still resent in other people, and yes, I can admit that I still hold that resentment within myself. And as someone who is highly intuitive, I can feel exactly where in my body I carry that resentment. It is of no surprise that I feel the most discomfort, pain, and bad energy exactly where the X-rays show I need the most healing.

So, everyone has their own resentments, anger, pains, and we all carry it and project it onto others. It is normal for us to not want to see that, nor admit it, but if you genuinely want to know, look for answers in your own head. If you’re not that introspective, then ask people. Ask different kinds of people who are likely to tell you the truth, not sugar-coat it. Friend, you know me so well. Tell me honestly, what do you see within me? What is my problem, what issues do you think I have, do you see anger within me? And if that doesn’t work, find a good therapist. There is a very good reason that you are emotionally reactive. It is a clue about what you have to resolve within yourself.

If you don’t, you will continue to repeat relationship problems or life situations over and over again, and you will falsely believe that misfortune is happening to you, and you will fail to realize that you are creating it within yourself. So, who are you triggered by? Who do you hate, rage, attack within your own mind? You might be a nice and polite person, and never offend people verbally. Pay attention to who you are fighting with on the inside. Again, there is no shame in doing so, but by resolving that, you are healing yourself, and moving on.

S

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How To Protect Your Energetic Space

Posted on May 22, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Here is a post for the more sensitive ladies in the group. Many of you meditate, many of you do yoga, many of you know how to take care of yourself, and many of you are aware of energy. Do you know how to protect your energy, how to ground yourself, how to seal yourself off, and how to remain sovereign and supreme in your own space? If you don’t, this post is for you.

If you don’t understand what I am talking about, ponder this for a minute. What would happen to a body physically, if a surgeon did not stitch the person up? If that incision remained open, what would happen to the patient and their personal wellbeing? Every one of you knows what would happen next. Germs would enter the body, an infection could happen, the person could get sicker, even die. So what happens to your energy field when you remain open, and forget to protect it?

Here is what I learned during my 15+ years of meditating. Meditating feels wonderful. It is a very healing practice, that makes us feel balanced, stable, positive, blissful, high on life, even powerful. It feels so good that most of us want to stay there for extended periods of time. More of you do yoga, and some describe the positive effects on your body as addictive. We all want to feel good, so we pursue the practices more.

But, there are also negative effects of meditation, yoga, or any practice that involves “opening up”. Some of you may have noticed that you have become much more sensitive to negative energies. You spend much of your time in that positive space, that the negative becomes much more noticeable, even unbearable. Many of you join groups to practice yoga or to meditate, and this is something I want to caution you about. The reason I advocate for solo practice in your own personal, clean, healthy space is because during your practice you open your energy field, you open yourself up to whatever energy is around you. When the practice is over, many of you forget to stitch yourself up, seal off your energy space. I used to forget to ground myself for years, and caused myself accidents, energy attacks, all kinds of things too weird to describe here.
Never practice yoga or meditation, nor any other practice that expands your energy field around other people. If you are sensitive, you know exactly what I am talking about. You are sharing energy with others, and if someone in that room is emotionally unhealthy you have no way of knowing it. Their energy will affect you, can even make you feel bad.

Recently, a friend who meditates on a regular basis experienced a breakup with a cheater. The man is toxic, and being highly sensitive to energy, makes it more difficult to end a bad relationship. Why? You can break up with a physical person, block them, never see them again. But that person’s energy is an imprint that can stay with you for a long time. In my opinion, energy is more toxic than any disease. You will be able to feel energy, long after the person is gone. Luckily, my friend understands this and knows what to do.

If you are sensitive to energy, you will have a harder time cutting off that connection. That means that you must take better care, before, during, and after relationships to deal with only healthy people.

One of the side effects of meditating for over a decade, is that my energy field has expanded. I am a magnet for people, especially for men. Don’t laugh, this is actually not a desired effect. Imagine meeting men for only a few minutes, but then be followed by them, pursued, stalked for years. My energy field is bright, and high. Often people feel intoxicated around me. Many unaware men automatically think that this means they are in love. The confuse their feelings with love, when in fact they just had a taste of what it feels like to be in a permanent state of bliss. Positive energy, or Goddess energy can be addictive, so be very careful who you share that with.

I can’t leave a grocery store without men following me out. This can be scary, if you don’t understand what to do about it. In 2017, there were three people sleeping on my lawn waiting for a chance to talk to me. A man was once waiting for me in front of my PO Box for a week, waiting to see me. Women get addicted to me too, desperately wanting to be my friend. Positive energy and bliss are intoxicating, it feels good to people, they want to feed on it. They want some of what you’ve got. But, things can get ugly if you don’t know how to seal it off.

It takes time to learn to seal off your energy space. It was a long process for me. In the mean time, if you are not quite sure of how to protect your energy, do what you need to do physically. I continue to unfriend or block people whose energy feels unhealthy to me. I shut of my attention to that person, I don’t let my thoughts or awareness to flow there. You may have to physically move away until you learn how to block energy.

A lot of women are eager to bond with someone. That desire for a deep bond exposes them in unhealthy ways. That need to bond can be so strong, that they fail to evaluate people, don’t screen men well, don’t take time to read all the signals, pay attention to see if this male has good intentions. Most women don’t even know what he wants, but are so eager to bond that they open up immediately. This is a hard and painful lesson I had to learn. Being cautious is not being hardened or distrustful of men. It means you are honoring yourself by taking time to learn whether the other is in your highest interest.
So, if you are sensitive to energy, or if you are just starting to notice physical and mental changes as you are learning to meditate, please study some techniques for grounding, sealing energy off, shifting attention, and if you are not good at that, open your mouth and just say NO. Yes, not allowing people into your personal space is sometimes the best way.

But, there are a lot of methods out there for grounding. You do this before and after yoga or meditation. Since I meditate a lot, I have to remind myself daily to do this frequently. It is a matter of pulling your energy back down into your physical body, and remaining more connected to the ground or earth. In addition, I shift my attention into the present, and make sure that all 5 of my senses, sight, sound, smell, touch and hearing are fully present by seeing things much more vividly in the now.
I also use my “sealed jar” technique. How would your senses perceive the now, if you were sitting inside a sealed container? Imagine that for a minute. Your senses would be impermeable, you’d be immune to any toxin outside the jar.

This is how I close up my energy. I practice sealing myself off when I am in a group of people, any place where there is tension, stress, aggression, even the subway 🙂
But most of all, you have to be aware of who is in your personal space. You have heard the term “my body is my temple”. It absolutely is. But you have to protect your temple, keep it clean, safe, healthy and honor it every day. How are you honoring yourself when you are not screening the men you share your temple with? Are they healthy? How do you know? What do people do inside a temple? They get down on their knees and worship. Do the men in your life worship you? Do they honor you? Do they revere you? Then why are they in your temple?

If you are aware of energy, even if that awareness is slowly growing, you are noticing that it is becoming a little harder to keep your energy aligned when other people enter your space. By no means am I telling you to kick people out, nor to be egotistical about your personal space. That will make you just as toxic.

Instead, practice techniques that make you impenetrable to bad energy. A lot of people see themselves as “empaths”- I don’t like that term. They see their awareness of energy as something special. Well, they are seeing themselves through their own ego. That’s not so special. Being a powerful woman means being impervious to bad energies, opinions, judgements of others. Are you impervious or do you fall apart when someone looks at you the wrong way?

Goddess Power is knowing how to remain balanced despite what everyone else is doing around you. The purpose of relationships is to teach you that. You will have many relationships in your life, but the most important lesson you can learn is how to remain in complete balance, how to remain supreme surrounded by people who are trying to push you out of balance.

So, do your daily yoga and meditation alone. If you need other people, study yourself and ask why? Whether you are doing yoga, meditating or if you are in a romantic relationship, your energy field is open. You may be trying to connect to someone. You may be experiencing negative effects of having an unpleasant energy in your space. Pay attention! This is your space, you are open, and you are laying there exposed.
The best lesson I learned on this meditation journey is how to ground myself, how to seal off my own energy, how to stitch myself up, how to not feel other people. Practice, practice, practice.

S

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What I learned From Ignoring All Men for a Year

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Some of you know that I have been practicing holding onto my attention instead of giving it away to unnecessary distractions. In essence, I have been practicing mindfulness, but on a whole other level. My attention only goes to what I want, and I intentionally decide in advance to what kinds of people and situations I will give it to. For example, I don’t give attention to repeating news, opinions, and only selectively read what I need to know, which is just the facts. This allows me to stay emotionally stable during these tough times.

About 18 months ago, I realized that despite my best efforts, I am still drained by people. When I thought about how people clamor for my attention, and how I am wasting it, I realized that the vast majority of my attention is being asked for, even demanded by men who are of no personal interest to me. Yes, women do that too, but in my life, I get surrounded by men everywhere I go, and what is annoying they assume they are entitled to talking just because I am there.

Inappropriate men seek my attention for reasons that only make sense to them. My coworkers dial my phone number in off hours just to get to know me better. My male friends who I have been just friends with for years, pester me to give them a chance. Strangers follow me from the coffee shop to my home. Who gave you permission to follow a woman down the street to her home? Indian men follow me to public events then corner me and talk at me for forty minutes (unless I cut them off) to propose marriage without any signal from me that I am even interested. They don’t care if I am not.

Older men, the most starving of all, are “entitled” to my attention, and they start telling me that they are a real man and spell out what they can do for me in the first 30 seconds of meeting me. Usually they begin a conversation by mentioning how much money they have and what they are willing to pay for. Absolutely disgusting. I have a travel network. Men see my itineraries online, and purchase a trip traveling to an international destination assuming that I will be their girlfriend. They get there and are extremely disappointed when they find out they purchased a flight and a travel package, and they get none of my interest at all. Years later, some of them are still contacting me to find out if I am ready to get serious with them. Are you kidding me?

Yes, in my life, it is the men who are the biggest drain of my time and attention. People think that I should be enjoying it, but I absolutely recoil at being drained. People who do that are needy, hungry, lonely, entitled, toxic, and I had to figure out a way to cut my energy from them. Nothing worked. The more I tried to unfriend, block, not talk to them, the harder they tried to get my attention. It is as if “No” only incites them to persist harder.

So, I decided to stop fighting men, and learn to withdraw my energy instead. I tune them out, ignore them, pay no attention at all. About 18 months ago, I decided to pay attention selectively, and only to men who are of specific interest to me, to see if that helps. My strategy was to tune out everybody, avert eye contact, not answer messages, not initiate nor invite a conversation, not smile, not accept drinks from, not be present to males I have no personal interest in. Of course, I have to work with men, but I work with them in a detached manner, only conversing about work. In my private life, I have managed to be completely tuned out of males, unless I am dating one, or romantically interested in one. While I was doing this for 18 months, there were only two men in my private life who could get my attention, and only after I determined that the connection was healthy and satisfying to me. Otherwise, no attention to males who are not sleepable, datable, or of romantic or sexual interest at all.

When you think about it, this is the most practical thing to do. Why would anyone give away attention freely? Women are conditioned to do this for everyone, to smile warmly at any stranger who is entitled to her smile. I decided to do the opposite. I emitted no signal that I want attention for eighteen months. Here is what happened.

I carved out more time for myself. I gave myself permission to not answer messages or texts from men I have no personal interest in. No apologies were given.

At parties, I scanned the room and identified a few males I might be interested in talking to, while ignoring everyone else. If no interesting males were around, my attention was given to women. When men try to talk to me, I openly say I have no interest. I make no excuse like ‘sorry I have a boyfriend” because that is a lie, and why should I lie to protect a man’s feelings? “No thanks (to the drink) I am not interested”. It was uncomfortable to say this unapologetically, but why do I owe him an apology? Is saying No an insult? Only to insecure or egotistical men.

Being unapologetic was uncomfortable at first because I knew that men were waiting for a polite excuse “I would be interested if only it wasn’t for that pesky boyfriend”. But no apology and no explanation soon started to feel honest to me, it felt right, and the more comfortable I stared to feel, No, felt truthful, and powerful. Who could pester you for your time when you directly and clearly say no? The second thing I noticed is that I feel better about myself, and was slowly starting to feel more powerful, knowing that no one could drain me unless I allow them to pester me for attention.

The third effect of ignoring all men, is that I got ten times more unsolicited attention from men than ever. Unsolicited or unwanted attention is not pleasant. No one wants to be hounded by hungry attention seekers. At first, I was annoyed, but then I decided to examine who are these people who believe they are entitled to me?

Yes, most men who chase even more when they are being ignored are toxic. Think about it, would a healthy person pester, nag or hunt a person who clearly stated that she is not interested? No, a healthy man would have too much respect for himself. Unhealthy women do this too, they chase or nag even harder when their object of interest is not.

One day I read all my unread messages to find that the vast majority of these males are entitled, demand to talk to me, accuse me of being a you know what when I won’t reply, some even cursed me. My advice to you is to allow men to write, they will tell you exactly what you need to know about them. I would not have known how any of these males truly feel if I was politely allowing them to talk at me at an event. I would have been feeding them my energy and attention, and they would have been getting an ego stroke from me, even though I would never intend that. But, ignoring them allowed me to read and hear what these males really think.

Any male can be polite when he thinks he will get what he wants but pay close attention to who he becomes when he knows he cannot get anything at all. So far, I have seen rage, anger, insults, threats, stalking (yes two showed up on my lawn, and a few followed me to events in other cities). One even tried to discredit me in front of a dozen mutual friends as revenge for my rejection. Are these real men? What did I do to make them angry? This strategy of not engaging anyone in conversation at all, allowed me to filter unhealthy men. I never would have had the ability to see them as they truly are had I removed the filter and allowed everyone a bit of my time. I appreciate knowing.

However, withdrawing my attention also had a positive effect. It allowed me to identify quality men more effectively. Two guys noticed that my attention is not easily attainable. They both noticed that I don’t spread myself too thin with male attention, that I do not feed on it, that my ego doesn’t get boosted by male presence, in fact that I do not need it. I am still talking to both and am interested in them equally. My level of interaction with them is healthier than before, because I allowed them to show me who they are as people, their character, how they feel about women in general, what is their motive, and I got to see that upfront before getting invested at all.

In general, I think that withdrawing attention from all males I have no personal interest is working for me. I spend less time texting, answering messages, and even having drinks with males I do not intend to see again. Most of the time, I know I don’t want him in the first 30 seconds of the date, why waste an hour of my time with someone I know I don’t want?

I get more unwanted attention, but the wanted attention I get is of higher quality. I also realized that I have more time to pay attention to my own personal interest. Very few women date based on who they want to date, most accept offers from who is available. That is not much of a choice at all. In the last 18 months I have sharpened my senses, and I have a better idea of the kinds of characteristics I appreciate in men and the kinds that I now immediately avoid.

Knowing who I want is a huge advantage. I now don’t waste my time politely dividing my attention among people who are asking, instead I zero in on who I want. If that particular male is not interested in me, I am completely okay with it. I do not pursue nor wait for someone who is not interested. But, managing my attention, and allowing to only flow towards males I am interested in, helps me be more selective, and I get a higher quality of interaction from the males who matter to me.

This is a subject I feel very strongly about. I think that women are raised to be polite, flatter males on command, smile at everyone to make them feel good about themselves, make males feel brave about their manhood, and then they wonder how they unintentionally gave a male they don’t want romantically an indicator that he should pursue them. A lot of these same nice girls who support any male ego, wonder how they repeat painful cycles with toxic males who feed of their energy and attention but cannot contribute anything healthy to a relationship at all. They give attention on command. They smile automatically at anyone who is entitled to her validation. If you cater to people with your energy or your attention, don’t be surprised when they are just there to feed their egos.

My reverse strategy, to never give attention to anyone who is not of specific interest to me has worked in my favor. No, it wasn’t easy to get used to energetically blocking 99.9% of males. But, as Seinfeld said, 99.9% of the population is unsleepable. Women aren’t looking to hook up with 99.9% of males in this world, yet 99.9% of males firmly believe that’s she is interested in him. Why do they believe that? Because 99.9% of the women in this world are raised to be nice to everyone, to smile at everyone, to make everyone feel good and supported. That’s why.

If you are like me, and are wondering why unwanted males hound you, continue to pursue despite your resistance, and orbit you for years waiting for your attention, you might be unwittingly emitting a signal that shows them you could be supportive, giving, pleasing, stable, welcoming, enduring. Those are wonderful qualities, but you only want to give that to one man you have deemed worthy, not everyone who wants that. We all send that signal to everyone by being nice, caring, loving, positive, supportive. I am not instructing you to not be that, I am telling you to give all that to people who are worthy of you, not everyone.

The only way you will figure out who is worthy of your time is by carefully considering who specifically you want as a partner, and second, withholding that attention until that person has demonstrated interest, an ability to have a healthy relationship, that he is emotionally mature and healthy, that what he wants out of a relationship meets your needs, and that his commitment is unshakable. You cannot possibly know if he is the one you want if you are feeding him energy and attention upfront. And you can’t possibly identify him if you are emitting your signal to every male to pick up. I guarantee that the wrong males will come to feed on your signal, and you will be wasting time coddling the unwanted ones.

Spend an extended period of time making a list of characteristics and qualities that you want in a male. By now you have years of experience and material to be able to identify the inner qualities that work for you. The more time you spend homing in on what you want, the more it will become evident that you wasted your time giving attention to males who don’t come even close. The longer you stay focused on those wanted characteristics, the more dismissive you will be to males who are there to waste your time. Do not feel guilty, everybody is wasting your time and attention unless they are who you want. You are looking for one, not a hundred, so only focus on what or who you want.

When you shut off your signal, be prepared to feel uncomfortable. Males will feel entitled to your energy and your attention, and some of them will be absolutely belligerent when your presence no longer feeds their ego, nor validates them. Be okay with that. They are demonstrating that they were feeding off your energy from the start. You are not looking for an energy vampire, you are looking for a healthy man.

How many times have you left a relationship feeling drained, spent, only to realized you were in a connection with an unhealthy male? Don’t you wish you knew up front who he was? Isn’t a man’s emotional health one of the most important attributes women should look for? Then don’t feel bad that you have to screen for it. When I started blocking my signal and started directing it only to the males I want, I saw the side of maleness I never wanted to see. I saw that a lot of these males who were pursuing me were after energy, validation, an ego boost. Some looked absolutely desperate, hungry, starving for their manhood and were after me to fill their vacant insides. Yes, you will see this side of males too, but you must see it in order to understand that these are not healthy people, and that they cannot offer you a loving relationship. You have to be steadfast in this approach, because it will allow you to see the truth, you will see the inside of a male long before your become involved with him, and this is a must if you want to eliminate unhealthy candidates.

This will be unpleasant at first, but it will serve you once you become comfortable. Understand this is a display of their nature and has nothing to do with you. Don’t allow them to judge you, do not engage in exchanges of words, simply tune out once you see who this truly is. He is not for you, keep walking. Non-engagement is key. Engagement will only drain you further, so you must always remain detached from males acting inappropriately or with lack of respect. Do not compromise on this.

The world is full of healthy men. They are handsome, educated, strong, healthy, loving, caring, worldly, evolved, conscious, capable of having relationships on a higher level. How would you identify them? You can’t if you are giving time and attention to every male who asks for it. You cannot identify the healthy ones, while you are apologizing to the unhealthy ones. Practice only giving attention to what is wanted, and don’t waste your time and energy engaging nor justifying yourself to people you don’t want.

Do what you must do that is in your best interest. I had to block over 150 males who displayed lack of respect toward women in general, lack of respect toward me, psychological imbalance like anger, rage, shame, mind games. Yes, mind games are a red flag, not an opportunity to become engaged in conversation. I silenced males like coworkers, elderly, anonymous males who were contacting via any social media channel they could. No consideration at all. I silenced orbiters, those males who have been circling me for years, dropping in occasionally to check in to see if I am interested now. I silenced them by directly stating: “I noticed you have been asking me the same question for years, and I want to clarify that when I said no four years ago, I did not give any indication that you should wait”. Why did I say that? To cut off the energy. Those of you who are sensitive to energy can feel the presence of people in your energy field. I won’t go into details, but that too is a drain. If you feel it and if it doesn’t feel good, cut it off. You don’t need that attention, not even from a respectful distance.

I can honestly say that I feel healthier now. I have tuned out toxic news channels, energy vampires, and males who I was wasting time with. I have more time to focus on what I do want in my life. Sometimes I want to focus on a man, and sometimes not. The ability to shift focus has given me more power to pursue those wanted things. We simply do not have enough time to give our attention to everyone who demands it.

S

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How To Shatter Your Own Illusions And Adjust To This New Reality

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

I’m not sure who said something to this effect: “the curse for creating illusion is living with more illusions”. We all create our own illusions, choose beliefs which reflect who we want to see in ourselves and other people, and we all live in a hall of mirrors we have chosen to protect ourselves, our identity, our ego, and our reality. None of us are immune to illusions.

Some of us are truth seekers, so we strive to see beyond that hall of mirrors. We can question our own beliefs and our own selves so that we can learn, move beyond, become more. And others hang onto their illusions for dear life because it is safe in there. When a new truth or reality threatens their world view, they choose to hang on to their beliefs, and the only way they can do that is to stay within that hall of mirrors, They adjust their beliefs only so much as to maintain their existing reality, to maintain their identity, to maintain the old, unchanging, unevolved self.

But, when we do that, our world becomes smaller and smaller. Our reality becomes so fragile, that we constantly must work to seal the cracks in our old mirror. We only adjust our beliefs so much as to create a new seal for a mirror that is almost shattered. When that old mirror catches a reflection of a new world or a brighter light, they quickly throw a blanket over it to make sure that mirror still reflects their old world view.

This is not a critique of any people in particular; we all do this in certain areas of our life. We want to believe certain things that have always made us feel good, and we all hang onto outdated beliefs. The world is constantly changing. Change is the only permanence in the world. How would it benefit us to still believe that the earth is flat, that evil spirits are responsible for disease, that powerful or independent thinking women are witches, and that flight is only possible through magic? You chuckle, but we all believe in something that no longer serves us.

The world has never evolved for the worse. Change is always uncomfortable and painful, so people blame it for their inability to adapt. It is tempting to stay attached to old people, things, and beliefs, because any new belief or reality that comes in feels like a slap in the face. We all earn whatever happens to us when we refuse to grow. Every time that I have clung onto false beliefs, I crashed and burned of my own doing. Nobody did it to me. Of course, I blamed whoever was in my situation at the time, but I always did it to myself because my belief system refused to budge.

I earned every painful lesson, but I also grew from it. In isolation, I have been pondering: What people, beliefs or things have I been hanging onto? How have I kept myself stuck in the past? How am I refusing to grow and move on? What distractions have kept me off my path? In what ways am I holding myself back?

Isolation has been good for me, as I am sure it is good for all of us. It has been uncomfortable to watch friends clash because of their belief systems. It has been sad to see 2 friends die, and another 6 succumb to disease. I have been unfriended by dozens of people who do not like what I have to say. I am okay with all of it. It is supposed to happen. I am losing two important people, who have always been a crutch for me. It is time that I learn to walk without crutches. I am not sad because this is part of my changing reality. More of my reality will continue to change and I will be okay with it. In fact, I am allowing for the new reality to come in without any resistance. It will be uncomfortable, but I will adjust to it, and I will grow in it.

And so will you. Resistance is a killer. Resistance clogs your flow. Resistance compounds your fear, anxiety, negativity. Fear spreads like a wildfire. Relax. You are doing great and are taking good care of yourself in isolation. Adjust to whatever new reality is coming in, even if it looks uncertain. You can choose to thrive in uncertainty rather than cower in it. You can float in the ocean, trusting that every new wave will carry you where you need to be, even though a wave has the capacity to pummel you. It is not the wave, it is your resistance and doubt that makes you go under.

Have you ever floated belly up in the ocean and wondered what exactly is holding you up above the water, even though you are not actively swimming? Have you noticed that the minute you start to question your ability to float, you see a wave coming, you try to resist it and you now have to start pedaling to stay above it? That is your resistance. Relax and allow yourself to adjust to the waves. There is a lot of power in uncertainty. The power is in knowing how to flow with it. Accept whatever comes without resistance, then slowly work to adjust to this new reality. The more relaxed you stay, the less change will hurt.

Allow all those old beliefs, relationships or patterns that no longer serve you to flow away. Do not argue or fight to keep them, but gently allow them to wash away. Whoever wants to go, let them without any resentment. Wish them the best. Whatever no longer works, allow it to crumble without any fear. Whoever is attacking you, nagging you, taunting you, allow them keep barking, pay attention to something else. Why?

If I made a fist and threw a punch at your face, it would hurt. But if you were in flow, you would slowly bend like a reed in the wind, and my punch would miss you. My punch could not hurt you. You would now be much more powerful than anything I could do to you, and I would remain powerless. Instead of fighting people, or fighting a new reality, bend and flow.

When a hurricane passes through town, which objects get destroyed? It is the oldest, most rooted trees that fall in its path. It is the flowers and the reeds that can bend with the wind that survive. Go with this flow and you will adjust easily to whatever new reality you make.

S

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How To Engineer Your Mind and Body Right Now

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

How do you want to feel? How would it feel to have your ideal day? How would the most beautiful morning feel to you? Peace, tranquility, a hot cup of tea, an invigorated body, sunny mood, having a lot to look forward to, good news?

Sit down with yourself, and consider for a moment what would it take for you to engineer that kind of a day. Yes, it is not up to Facebook to tell you how to feel, and it is certainly not up to the news to tell you what you should fear. It is 100% totally up to you.

The question I asked above, is not easy to answer by some. Times are uncertain, things feel uneasy, life is confusing. If you are like me and frequently experience anxiety and panic about things that are beyond my control, can you afford to feel the way you naturally feel? Can you afford to allow nature, mood swings, hormones, and other people to dictate how your day will be? I know that I cannot afford it.

Each day, like most people, I wake up with a pain, a belly ache, my face swollen, feeling fat, and my mood spiraling down into an abyss. This is especially likely when the sun is not out, and I anticipate a mailbox full of bills, emails, notices, and bad news. But, as soon as my feet touch the floor, I decide how I am going to feel. I engineer my day.

How do I want to feel? For that question to be answered powerfully and effectively, I cannot think nor allow myself the time to notice nor dwell on any of my issues. I don’t even glance at my aching shoulder because that ache is not how I want to feel. Imagine if I considered that ache for 30 minutes, imagine how I would feel after that.

How I want to feel is eager for my day to begin. I want to feel as optimistic and invigorated as if there was sunshine on my face. I want my body to feel energized, light, fluid, I want to experience a full range of motion with ease and flexibility. I want a ton of energy. How would my body and mind feel if I was full of energy? I want to feel powerful today. I will make the right decisions, the ones that are in my best interest and highest good without feeling torn about whether I could, should, or how would other’s feel if I did. I feel certainty that I can do that.

Rather than start your day in front of a computer, and allow yourself to absorb the prognosis from the news or Facebook, engineer your own prognosis for your body and your mind. Forecast how you will feel, and actually feel it as you are deciding.

Can you imagine how powerful it feels when you are the only decider of how you will feel? Can you imagine how strong, motivated, excited you will be when you realize that no one else can tell you? Can you imagine how it feels when your physical body starts following instructions that you gave it?

Each day I tell my body how it will feel. I meditate, and I get into the feeling that I want to experience, and I stay in that feeling as long as it feels great. Again, you don’t have to meditate, you can simply decide. If this sounds ridiculous to you, try it now. Choose the best feeling that is easiest for you to feel. Pick your easiest subject. For me, it is animals, especially wild ones. I have had some experiences encountering lions and tigers in the wild, and those were my highest, most blissful states I ever experienced here on earth.

Do not pick a subject that you feel a lot of resistance. For example, don’t force yourself to feel good about your financial situation if that subject gives you anxiety. I assure you, that the more you practice how you will feel, the easier it will become to choose how to feel even about the most challenging subjects. You will naturally be able to do this later.

For now, pick your favorite thing that makes you happy: sunshine, beaches, kids, baby animals- whatever automatically puts a smile on your face, that’s what you will feel intentionally. Stay in that feeling as long as it feels great.

Notice that when you can engineer how you feel even for 5 minutes, how does that chosen feeling effect your physical body. How does your heart feel holding that baby, or kitten in your hands. How does your mood feel when a butterfly lands on your shoulder?

You just succeeded in deciding how you will be. Sit down, and create a little time and space for yourself to decide how you will feel. Pick up a journal and start writing how you will feel right now, how much you will enjoy this morning, how your body will feel invigorated today, how your mind will respond to all information it has to process today. Who will you encounter?

I have a few nasty coworkers who make me not want to pick up the phone. I dread them. How can I feel better about myself while dealing with them? (I am not asking how can I feel better about them, they feel nasty to me. Instead, I am considering how can I feel better while dealing with them). I can choose to not absorb their negativity, I can choose to not listen, I can choose to direct the conversation where I want it to go. I can choose to structure our calls so that we don’t have time to talk about what makes them so miserable. I can choose mentally how I will feel when they make my phone ring. Rather than feel that practiced feeling of dread and stress, I will practice a new feeling. That new feelings is of a woman in charge, a woman with important things to do, a woman with no time for mindless chit chat, a woman with an agenda, a woman who can effectively direct them to do what needs to be done.. How would I feel if I decisively directed them to get their own projects done? I would feel empowered, I would feel firm I would feel strong, balanced, level-headed, I will feel powerful as soon as I talk to them today.

We decide how we feel. Unfortunately, most of us get lazy, sit our asses in front of the screen, and rather than take charge of how we feel, we lazily let TV, social media and our grumpy friends tell us how we should feel.

You have the power in every moment to decide how you will feel Now. I wrote about this in a previous post, but I have been battling anxiety since childhood, and in 2017 I spiraled down into depression. I crawled out of this without drugs. How did I do it? I accepted how dreadful I feel, I stopped resisting it, and then, moment by moment, minute by minute, I practiced changing my feeling. No, in that state you cannot change how you feel about that tax collector knocking on your door, but you can choose how you will feel when that hot shower loosens every muscle in your body, you can practice a blissful feeling for 2 minutes, yes you can.

When my mind and body refuse to follow me into bliss, I turn on some carefully chosen music. It is the music that makes you dance, it is the music that makes you sing, it is the music that makes you run a marathon that will guide you toward a better feeling. I never allow myself to listen to music with sad, disempowering lyrics of betrayal, loss, or sadness. I only listen to what makes me feel happy, blissful, powerful, skinny, energized, successful, positive. What you put in your brain is what comes out. You cannot smile listening to music of loss and tragedy.

Your input will always match your output. If you want a better output, spend 30 minutes each morning (you know you have the time), inputting better feelings. Your brain is a computer that you have programmed since childhood. Write a better program.

If you have pesky children who don’t give you 3 minutes to yourself, sit them down and have them write or dream about how they will feel today. Pay attention to how easy it is for a child to imagine, and how quickly they respond emotionally to things that feel good to them. If a child can do it, you can do it.

Some people begin their day with prayer. If you know how to pray effectively (without begging, pleading, whining, needing), then you may have recognized the power of engineering your day, even your life. God is not a lottery ticket, nor a genie whose job it is to make your wishes come true. You may have noticed that she does not respond to begging, nor whatever you feel entitled to. God helps those who help themselves. God responds to your knowingness, your feelings of worth, your peace, your open heart, your grace. You have to feel it first. Yes, you have to do the work on yourself.

Like everyone, I now have more time to myself than ever. And like everyone, I am wasting a lot of my time. Wasting time, does not feel good, eventually I will spiral down into something I do not want to feel.

I carry my journal with me everywhere I go. I sit under a tree behind the museum, and I write how I will feel all day long. When something comes up, like that 3pm call with my cranky coworkers, I spend as much time as it takes, to decide how I will feel ahead of time. 90% of the time I successfully engineer a more positive interaction with them.

As you practice this, you will see that your body will also feel how you practice. Your employees will also feel what you tell them to feel. Your mind will feel immediately more powerful knowing that it is YOU who instructed that feeling.

Imagine how people will feel about you when they notice that their instructions do not effect you. This Goddess only feels how she wants to.

S

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The Invisible Woman: How To Stand Out

Posted on April 7, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

That which clings repels . That which moves attracts. Who are you clinging to? Whose approval do you seek? Whose opinions matter the most to you? Whose validation do you compete for?

Have you noticed that the people who are the most unapologetically themselves are also the people to whom others are most attracted to? Ironically, these are also the people who care little about who is attracted to them. They don’t need the validation.

The need for approval makes you invisible. All humans want to belong, but often belonging means succumbing to the beliefs and opinions of others. We have to adapt to the group in order to belong. Often belonging to a group means adjusting our beliefs systems, whether political, religious, or social. The more that we give up our own beliefs in order to belong, the less authentic we become, and the more that we desire approval from the group, the less attractive we become to those group members. Seeking approval makes us unattractive, less valuable, and less respectable. This is true when we also seek romantic relationships, business connections, approval of mentors, and family members. In essence, seeking approval makes us slaves to people and groups we try so hard to belong to.

How to be visible? Practice being yourself. Who are you really? What do you truly believe in? Why are your authentic beliefs so difficult to express to others? Do you fear their disapproval, disagreement, any label they can place upon you? Do you fear their rejection? Then you fear being authentically yourself.

Your authentic self lives buried deep inside you, and is afraid to come out for fear of what others might think of it. What is truly invisible is your authentic self. And you’re making a choice every day to keep yourself invisible.

Authenticity is highly attractive. But it comes at a hefty price. People will be threatened by your authentic self. They may be in disagreement with that authentic you. Authentic people get a lot of criticism. Authentic people often stand out from the crowd and are perceived as not belonging. Authenticity is challenging, and many people are not prepared nor self-assured enough to defend their authentic self.

When we learn self validation, we show the world that we have worth. When we learn to trust ourselves and our judgments, we discover we don’t need other people’s validation. We feel more authentic. We feel more proud to be ourselves. Pride and self worth are highly attractive.

When we become authentic and self validated, we naturally receive approval from others for our genuine qualities. Now there’s something of true value. Isn’t it of greater value to be appreciated by a few people who care for who we truly are, then to be loved by hundreds of people who approve of our mask? Your need for acceptance will make you invisible. Your need for approval makes you less worthy. That authentic you that is only you and no one else, is what you have to bring out into the light.

Yes, it is very uncomfortable, even scary to come out of the closet. Yes, in essence, you are revealing to the world your authentic you. For sure, people will judge you. For sure, somebody will talk about you. She’s not like us, she’s a little weird, she has issues, she’s so opinionated. They might even laugh. They might not ask you to hang out. The worst thing you can do is recoil and run back into the closet. The worst thing that you can do is ask them why.

To be authentically you, you have to accept all that comes with being an authentic person. When approval truly isn’t needed, why they don’t want you is not important. Become more comfortable being the one standing outside the group and being confident about it.

Practice speaking confidently about your unpopular views. Don’t apologize for having a different opinion. If you want to truly be confident about your own belief system, then you have to study your own beliefs, find logic in your beliefs, and prepare to defend them like a rational person. Only a person who doesn’t have full intellectual grasp of her own beliefs, will be offended when others challenge her. Have the knowledge to back up your beliefs with proof and evidence. Only a person who doesn’t have full confidence in her beliefs will apologize for them. You have to fully know your subject, your self, and your position before you can stand firm and be confident.

Practice saying no. Practice disagreeing. Practice standing outside the group and feeling confident about it. Practice moving on. Practice changing direction and moving towards independence, self assurance, and learning subjects beyond the intellectual grasp of the group.

It is only when you have your own direction that you become attractive to others. It is only when you stop clinging to others that they will find value in you. It is only when you have self worth, valid opinions of your own, that others will see you as a valid person. Even when they start validating you, you must understand that your own self validation is of greater value, than any admiration they could give you. If you want people to follow you, chase you, seek your company, then you have to start moving. This is true in business, romance, and social settings. No one chases a person going nowhere.

Clingy people repel. The ones moving attract. Don’t believe me? Watch a nature show and pay attention to how lions hunt. As lions are stalking a herd of impala peacefully grazing grass, there are usually a few animals grazing right there in front of the lion’s nose. You’ll never see a lion chase the closest impala. Unless the lions are sick or injured, their natural instinct will have them zero into that one particular impala that is running away. They will chase it only because it is getting away. The other that was grazing right under the lion’s nose is of no interest whatsoever.

Quit clinging and start moving. Quit seeking approval and start approving of yourself. Quit apologizing and start expressing your true opinion and know why you believe it. Come out of your own closet. The reason you are invisible is because you’re trying to blend in, rather than stand out.

S

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Think With Intention

Posted on April 4, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

How to think correctly to reprogram your mind, change your attitude on a difficult subject, decide how you will feel about an anxiety-causing situation, and create a response that will be in your highest interest? Again, the short answer is to meditate, however, that’s not easy for most people. So, I realized that often meditation is not necessary at all, and that we all get into a meditative state throughout the day, but are not aware of it. At those times, you can think with intention.

Meditative states happen naturally when you are driving on the highway, you reach your destination and wonder, How did I get here? I don’t remember this 2-hour drive. Your brain was functioning, after all, you reached your destination without crashing into anything. Yet, here you are, a 100 miles away, with no inkling about all the turns you took to get there. You were meditating. Have you ever picked up a paintbrush, and started painting, not with need to create something specific, but just allowed the paint to flow out of you and onto the canvas? You were meditating. Have you ever journaled in a relaxed manner, and allowed you ideas to just flow out of you? You were meditating, or in a state very close to it.

So. when I can’t meditate (when I have anxiety or panic attacks), my favorite way to correct my unreasonable panic-stricken, fear-mongering mind, is to start to write. I want to think with intention, but none of us can do that when our minds are racing a 100 miles an hour. I want to think only thoughts that will benefit me, but that only lasts 20 seconds, before my monkey mind takes over and starts repeating fear.

The pen and the words I write intentionally on paper, force my mind to flow along with it. Your mind can’t argue with what you are intensely focused on, it can’t argue with that pen writing what you intend. It can only follow the words on paper. While you want your mind to reach that meditative state and flow in the right direction on it’s own, you are going to pull it in the correct direction physically. Yes, your pen and your hand will pull your mind into the words it sees on paper. And eventually, as you stick to your intent: how you will feel, how you will accept, how you will process an uncomfortable emotion, pay attention to your body’s energy. It begins to relax when you decide that you will feel good, feel powerful, feel excellent when that big moment comes.

I have used this technique many times, and have always been able to reprogram my automatic responses with the ones I have practiced with just a pen and paper. I write for hours, and it is relaxing and enjoyable. Sometimes, I have a glass of wine. But always, I am able to decide how I will feel and act in the future when some unwelcome thing that is currently causing me anxiety happens.

What is anxiety? It is an irrational fear of something that has not happened. I am basically fearing the future, not living in the now. Why fear something that hasn’t happened? If you have anxiety, you know that sometimes the brain is triggered by the most irrational subjects. I have been triggered by dialing a phone number, reading an email, and every single year I have a major meltdown as tax time approaches. Even when I know I don’t own any money, that due date triggers me into an emotional tailspin.

I am currently anticipating an uncomfortable situation. There is plenty of evidence around me that shows it will happen soon. I fear the consequences, the hassle, the enormity, the frustration of dealing with it, the months it will take to settle, even the panic that I haven’t started to feel yet- I know I will panic in the future so I am panicking now, I know I will be frustrated by this process, so I am frustrated now. Does that make sense? Not at all. But that is my brain, and that is why I train it so much.

So, I am thinking with intention. I can’t bear to think about the implications of this upcoming situation, but I can ignore that for a minute and ponder how would a more powerful woman feel? What would a rational, intelligent, action-oriented woman do and how would she feel as she is doing it? A lot of women are much more assertive and intentional and goal oriented than I am, how would she feels as she is meeting her goals, and accomplishing these tasks one by one? Meditation is just reaching for that feeling, staying in that feeling, and then enjoying that feeling as long as possible. The feeling of power, ease, excitement, accomplishment, feeling satisfied, even empowered knowing you are acting in your best interest. But, writing in my journal can get me into that exact same place. When my brain resists, my hand and pen force it into that magic place where that difficult task is easily accomplished. Thinking with intention is exactly that. Deciding rationally how you will feel, and practicing that feeling until it becomes an automatic response.

When I was 11, I came to America barely speaking any English. My school required all students to be proficient at public speaking, and we trained every year in speaking in front of an auditorium, then debate, and oratory contests. How do you do that when you can barely form a sentence in English? Imagining what this would feel like, literally made me shake in fear and cry every night. I didn’t want to go to school, and my dad tormented me even more “No daughter of mine will shake in fear on stage”. But just the thought of it made me piss my pants. I knew I couldn’t learn English in time to feel confident about speaking in front of the whole school. Instead I floated off into space and imagined what it would be like to speak like the most confident public speaker in class. Immediately I started to feel ease, power, this is fun, I can actually look people in the eye as I am relaxed behind the podium. Then I upped my projection and now I was a news anchor, speaking confidently, intelligently, staring straight into the camera like I know what I’m talking about. I noticed that the fear in my chest was replaced by excitement as I kept imagining I am her. I practiced with intention, how I would feel if I was the best speaker in the school.

Decades later, I think I am an excellent public speaker. At work, speaking in front of a conference room full of people who are much smarter than me, feels empowering. In fact, in my job, men who are more confident and more powerful in the office, have even asked me to deliver their presentations for them. I have convinced myself that I am the best, most confident, most powerful speaker on the planet. I sell out stadiums!

The reality is that it took many years for my English to become fluent, yet I succeed in speaking publicly when I practiced the feeling of confidence.

Have you got something scary coming up? Don’t let your brain tell you how difficult, impossible, unpleasant this battle is going to be for you, and certainly, don’t let it tell you about the agony you will feel when you lose. That’s just your brain talking. Instead,, use your mind. Your physical brain and your energetic mind are two separate entities. When one says no, use the other to practice the feeling of yes.

This is what I call intentional thinking. Decide how you will feel, practice the feeling of doing the right thing, making excellent decisions, acting in your best interest. You know how awesomely empowered you will feel when you act with ease, and certainty. You know how you feel when a job is well done. You know how excited you feel when everybody thinks you gave an excellent performance. You know how it feels to hear applause, great job, you did it! That feeling that you feel right now, IS that energy you want to practice in your body. That is what spiritual people refer to as transmutation- changing an energy from fear to ecstasy. That is alchemy, turning a base metal into gold. This is how you change your reality, and this is how you get a desired outcome every time.

S

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How To Feed Your Own Soul In The Age Of Social Distancing

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

How to feed your own soul? Is your soul hungry? Now that we live in an era of social distancing, is your soul starving? This has been a strange week, with most of my coworkers now working from home, and dealing with family members who are going crazy in isolation. For me, this is the norm. I have always loved my own company, and find work from home to be peaceful and calm. But a lot of my friends are suffering emotionally, they cannot cope in their own company, so I am writing this post to share some strategies on how to feed your own soul.

This is something we all should be doing at all times, not just in an era of required social distancing. We cannot have healthy relationships with other people unless we have a strong and deep bond with ourselves. In fact, if relationships have always been short, abrupt and cold, chances us that you may be seeking from others that soul food you should have been feeding yourself. This is a great opportunity to learn how to nurture yourself.

So, what is soul food? We are emotionally affected by everything that happens around us: media, news, friends, our work, drinking, commuting, you name it, it affects us spiritually and emotionally. Now that you have to spend so much time on your own, you will notice rather quickly how those things are affecting you. You are now in isolation, and can no longer blame your stress and bad mood on other people. You choose what you put into your brain just like you choose what you put into your mouth every day. Spiritual or soul food can be both junk food and health food. You choose to interact with toxic people, share your stubborn opinions, post on social media, feed your soul with some empty drivel. You can also choose to listen to uplifting music, dance, exercise, meditate, spread positivity faster than a virus, give people hope rather than bad news. Now that we all have a lot of time on our hands, choose wisely how you are going to spend it. Will you nurture your own soul, or spit out toxic sludge at other people? Remember, when you are sharing fear and negativity with other people, you are actually holding it in your own body. That IS karma.

If you are at home and in isolation, here is something that you can do to make solitude a beautiful experience. Clean your house. Cleaning your home is in fact a spiritual experience. It is taught by zen masters and spiritual teachers to mindfully find peace in cleaning your personal space, and making it beautiful. Rather than panic because my fridge is empty and create awareness of lack, I decided to make my personal space more comfortable. After disinfecting everything, I moved a few objects around, restyled my bed, took some artwork out of storage, bought some potted plants, repurposed some old items. With my extra time, I restyled my rooms with objects I already had, eliminated accumulated clutter, and gave away a lot of things I had in storage. I lit candles, brought out my finest crystal, of course I’ll be treating myself to my best champagne while I’m in isolation. But cleaning and redecorating my home on a dime, really did feel good and calming.

Read. Now is the time to fill your mind with a careful selection of things you want to be aware of. I want to always be aware of adventure, success, winning, loving, nature, this beautiful earth, wildlife, humor, health, thriving. I carefully select what I fill my head with. A note of caution: when I say be aware of health, I do not mean that you should make yourself aware of all the things that could block your health like viruses, cancer, pollution, chemicals, or bad food. Awareness of that will poison you. Awareness of health means acknowledging the tremendous resources we have like medicine, exercise, clean water, and the realization that in less that 5 seconds we can all create a feeling of wellbeing in our minds to instruct our bodies to follow. What a powerful feeling!

Laugh. It is amazing how quickly I start laughing and making light of every situation when I shut off all media. If you can find humor in the most difficult situations you are doing something right. You can join people in their fear and misery, or you can infect them with laughter, and force them to see something positive when they are insisting that the world is ending.

Write in your journal. Now that you have all the time in the world, you have time to re-write your story, decide how tomorrow will be, or paint a picture of the life that you want to live.

Take care of your body. If you love to cook, make yourself the most exceptional meals. Treat yourself to your finest foods. I don’t like to cook, but I do love fine wine and champagne. Now that I am shopping for only one, I can afford to buy myself the best. Cooking can be a mindful experience when you learn to enjoy every moment. Take some time to decorate your plate, serve yourself on your finest china, pair your simple meal with an extravagant wine, and bam, you’ve got mindfulness!

How about a bubble bath? When was the last time that you treated yourself to an hour of pampering yourself? We all pay for services to pamper us, but that care comes form outside ourselves. How about caring for yourself? There is nothing better than taking the time to think what do my mind and body need, then use your own hands and your own initiative to give that to yourself. A fragrant bath, a slow self-massage, a facial are all example of you taking the time to tune inward and give your body what it is asking for.

Give yourself the gift of nature. Nature talks. It is amazing how connected I feel when I am alone in nature. Years ago when I was feeling very down, I would hike by myself in a nearby state park. One day, when I was feeling particularly hopeless, I leaned on a tree. First I touched it with my hand, and felt an unbelievably powerful surge of healing energy. I burst into tears. I was laughing and crying at the same time. So, this is what it means to hug a tree. If you have never tried it, or even ridiculed the idea, I urge you to hug a tree in solitude. You have to be alone to experience its power, but a tree is my best medicine. I sat down and rested my forehead on its trunk. I have never experienced anything more powerful than the healing energy that nature gifts us every day. This is probably how the Buddha healed from years of hunger, pain and suffering. That tree have me my most humbling moment.

My favorite practice that I started a few years ago when I was on a man-diet was to date myself. If you are suffering in social isolation, this is probably the best thing that you can do alone because it will change how you perceive men, teach you self-reliance, but also make you more confident, and aware of how attention from a man compares with the quality of attention you give to yourself. Dating myself is now extremely important, whereas before, it was something to be avoided at all costs.

To date yourself, make a list of things that the men in your life never wanted to do. It could be antiquing, apple picking, knitting, art classes, nature walks, sunset watching, cooking lessons. Then, all you have to do is do it by yourself. The most spectacular sunset I ever had with myself, was at my own log cabin in the Adirondacks, with my feet soaking in a frigid lake, drinking a $250 bottle of wine and a French baguette all by myself. The day I gave myself that gift, was the moment I realized how I create my own world. It was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Now that you can’t lean on others to accompany you to these activities, it is the perfect time to understand that other people are your crutch. Get rid of your crutches and learn to appreciate every moment walking in your own company.

If you were staring at the most beautiful painting in the world, what would feel better? To tell all the people in the gallery how much you like it then collect their opinions about it, or would you appreciate a moment in the gallery alone, with nothing but the rays of sunshine to make the painting come alive? I could see the painting better in silence, in peace, and absorb every color all by myself. If you had a glass of vintage wine, would it taste better when your friends are telling you that it tastes great, or when you are sipping all alone by candlelight, swirling every exquisite drop on your tongue? That is mindfulness.

To get in touch with your inner self, solitude is of utmost importance. It is about becoming comfortable with your own company, making friends with it, then slowly appreciating everything in your surroundings to the point that every moment becomes precious.

These times of social distancing will define us. Some of us will become infected by our own toxicity. Those people who absolutely cannot stand to be alone, may realize how much they hate their own self as a companion. Hopefully, they will see why others end relationships and move away so quickly. But many of us will take this time out to reflect, turn our space into a personal haven, take care of our mind, body and soul, and appreciate the respite from too much social interaction.

S

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The Ease With Which She Says No

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Boundaries teach people how to treat you. People can only know what they have been taught. They are not offensive, and when people are offended by your boundaries, rather than apologize, notice what they are offended by, and treat them like a potential red flag. “Hmm, she’s offended that I won’t take phone calls past a certain hour”, “I see he disregards that I have said that I am not interested”. Sure, a lot of people test boundaries, many disregard them, and some will keep crossing them until you say no. Saying no as soon as your boundaries are crossed is extremely important, because if you let it slide a few times until you are thoroughly pissed, the person has a history of you allowing the behavior, and will use it as prof of permission.

It is okay to communicate boundaries before they are crossed: “I don’t lend money to friends”, “I never work for free”, “It’s not okay to call me at work”, but it is even more important to watch how they react to your boundaries. Are they looking for a loophole, circumstances under which your boundaries would be okay to cross? Do they present their special needs, and call on you expecting to treat them as special?

Women with strong boundaries get more respect. They are not rude, instead their No is firm and uncompromising. When they say no, no one questions them. Why? Because that word doesn’t come with an apology. Because they are not offended when someone calls them a prude, rude or a bitch. They are sure of themselves, and they don’t fall apart when someone threatens them for saying no.

If you feel the need to apologize for enforcing your boundaries, you are signaling the other person that you are unsure of yourself, that you might be pliable, bendable, that you are careful not to offend the offender. In essence, you are giving the offender more respect than you have for yourself.

Some women are not comfortable saying no, so they make an excuse “I can’t, I didn’t get paid yet, so I can’t lend you money”. Again, you may be inadvertently signaling the other person that you would, if only you had the money. Boundary crossers are always looking for a way in, so don’t be surprised if they keep trying. Sooner or later, they will catch you on the day you get your paycheck.

People only know what they have been taught. And if you feel bad to teach them, you have a problem, and it is yours to fix.

If you have a child, you understand the importance of teaching rules. You are also aware that children are constantly pushing your buttons, testing your boundaries, and that they never, ever stop. Your job is never done when you are a parent. This is why you should know that your job of protecting your boundaries with men, employers, friends, relatives is also never done. Your job doesn’t stop just because your boss is nice, your mother is sick, your brother checked out of rehab, and that guy is now officially your boyfriend.

Women who can say no while looking you in the eye without blinking are total Goddesses. Of course, her no will always be tested, but she won’t give in just because someone tried to make her feel guilty.

S

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The Power Of Your Anger and Your Emotional Triggers

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

In the last few years, my biggest lesson has been this: “The more upset I get about something, the more underlying baggage and shit that I’m avoiding dealing with. Irrationally large emotional responses are like our psychological metal detectors, they’re screaming to us, “Better start digging here! I found something!”– Mark Manson.

What topics make you angry beyond reason? What fears trigger you into hate? What actions, beliefs or behavior trigger you into shaming someone? That’s not the other person’s shame, it is yours. You are merely attempting to make her feel it too. But you carry that guilt, shame or fear inside your own chest. It is very much your unresolved crap that you don’t want to deal with.

We are all convinced that whatever we feel is justified, because we all believe that our crap is clean. I’m not toxic, you’re toxic. My belief isn’t detrimental to my own well being, yours is what is wrong with the world. “It is people like you, who…”.

But if you are capable of inflicting shame, guilt or fear onto another person, it means you have plenty to share. The most dangerous belief we could have is to think that we are rightfully reprimanding and teaching other people to behave better. What qualifies you or me as the teacher? Who ordained us with universal wisdom? No one. We are just not acknowledging our crap, and we are flinging it onto other people. If we see crap on their face, boy does it feel good! They earned it, they deserve it, you see, how crappy they are? You knew it all along.

Some people go a lifetime, preaching, teaching, shaming, guilting and inflicting fear onto other people. Innocently, a lot of children believe it, then grow into adults who can’t understand why they are afraid of their own thoughts. Projection of our own shit onto other people is what’s sickening the world. Admit it, we all do it. Scroll down your Facebook home page, and every second post is about crap slinging. What’s amusing is that every person is armed with “facts” and “expertise” that qualifies their shit as absolute truth.

We can all acknowledge the toxicity of this behavior, yet we all project our own crap onto other people. Those of us who are “smarter” and have more expensive credentials have an added layer of proof that our crap doesn’t stink. but yours surely is unqualified.

So what to do with that crap that festers inside us? That sewage will make you sick emotionally, mentally even physically if you refuse to acknowledge it as only yours. But you know it is there because those unprocessed emotions, that sewage triggers you into anger, shame, guilt or fear. The fact that you erupt violently, is an important tool, not something to be covered up, but something you can work with.

It is not enough to trace the source of your crap. Immaturely, we all trace it to our childhood, parents, lovers who refused to cooperate with us, people who wouldn’t coddle us. If that is all the digging you do, and you see others as the source of your unprocessed emotions, you are likely to accept it as their affliction and forget to acknowledge it as your own. How many adults still blame their inabilities and failures on a rough life?

What are you doing to get that crap out of you? To clear it, you must actually deal with it. Are you in therapy? Are you working on it spiritually? Are you addressing it with those who have hurt you effectively, or are you sweeping it under a brand new rug?

What people don’t realize is that the crap IS actually their life path. It is the reason you haven’t attained those trappings of life and hard work that you think you deserve. It is what is blocking your bliss, your self-realization. It’s there, you’re just not working on it.

Recently, I witnessed a whole pile of my own crap. It is being triggered daily by an unexpected situation. Mom is in the hospital declining fast, and my mind and body are reacting to a natural phase of life- we will all lose our parents. The kind of responses my own body is producing of pent up emotions buried for decades are like a volcanic eruption. Every night I wake up screaming. A work colleague offered me some of her Xanax and it sure was tempting, but I realized these horrible emotions have presented themselves now so that I can deal with them, and release them forever. They are not something to be covered up, they are here to be addressed, understood, then released. I have no intention of being scarred for life by them, my intention is to be free of them.

The fear I am experiencing now has been inside me for decades. Maybe we all carry a fear of losing our parents. But, I just realized that my fear and panic have nothing to do with the woman laying in bed. My fear is much bigger than her. I have enough compassion to understand that she wants to be released from her pain, and I can let her go. I am slowly realizing that my fear is of myself. Over the last 47 years on this earth, I have stuffed a ton of emotions into this body. I carry a ton of unprocessed emotional baggage. It is all erupting like a volcano. It is this eruption that I have been fearing all my life, and now I have to deal with it. I understand mom at her stage of life. I don’t understand this pile of shit. It is a weight I have carried for so long, yet I don’t want to stop carrying it. It is a part of who I am. Here comes another painful life lesson, after which I will emerge as a bigger person. I am bracing for this.

We cannot heal the world when we refuse to heal ourselves. It is hypocritical to think that our shit doesn’t stink, and to believe in other people’s toxicity, while refusing to acknowledge our own.

You can’t claim to be enlightened when you are carrying the weight of your own toxicity. You must see it within yourself first, then slowly shed it. You cannot strike a yoga pose, and see that pose as proof of your own universal wisdom. No, the crap won’t be cured by a detox shake, nor your extreme, restrictive diet. That restriction is how you are restricting your own self.

Your emotional triggers and automatic responses are the most important tool you have. Think of them as an X-ray, a snapshot of exactly what is going on inside you. Don’t shut down that X-ray machine, just because you don’t like to see what is showing up on film. That image is YOU. It pinpoints exactly what is wrong, and exactly what you need to work on. Right there, on that film is YOU. That is the part of you that you have to cure.

I love this quote by Mark Manson: “Irrationally large emotional responses are like our psychological metal detectors, they’re screaming to us, “Better start digging here! I found something!”– Mark Manson.

He has a Facebook page where he shares his views on self-responsibility. His words inspired today’s post.

S

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Stuck In The Past, Not Moving Forward?

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Why are we all so loyal to our pasts, when it is the future we are trying to create?

If you keep your past activated, it plays a heavy part in your present, and you keep projecting it into your future. How many of us are repeating past patterns of money, relationships, suffering, tragedies, broken heartedness, poor health, our past political and religious beliefs, and wondering why we can’t make a brand new start? All of us do it to ourselves. We are all loyal and bound to our own past, and we form that attachment to it by ourselves. It is hard to let the past go. There are some good, pleasant, loving memories there. But, how do they serve you now? If you are trying to rise up above who you were, and become that woman of the world, that Goddess, how can you enjoy her being, when your identity is based on that past, powerless, hesitant, uncertain girl who hasn’t yet mastered herself?

I know, there is a ton of evidence in the past that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that you ARE that girl who is still learning, trying, striving, struggling, falling, being rescued, misunderstood. One unfortunate byproduct of higher education is that we are all trained to look for evidence. There is no evidence of our future self, that hasn’t happened yet, but I have 40+ years of evidence that I am not, that I have failed, that I have needed to be mended and rescued, and the more past is behind me, the more of that evidence piles up. It is no one’s fault but mine, that I keep staring at it, and concluding, “You see, I am the sum total of all that evidence”.

Both science and math, even the law schools train us into sifting and sorting through the evidence, and to draw conclusions based solely on that proof. We all have degrees in staring at piles of data on ourselves, that data that wasn’t working, and making rational and sound conclusions based on that crap. And it really is crap. If we drew a future version of ourselves based on that old crap called evidence, we would be drafting a phony, a girl wearing a false mask of who she is trying to convince the world she is.

Can you feel confident that you are a successful, powerful CEO, simply because you’re wearing that $1000 stiletto and carrying a power bag? Nope, fashion never turned a woman into a powerhouse. The true leaders, tycoons, and magnates, don’t carry accessories to show success, they ARE success. But to be real, you actually have to feel real, convince yourself, then believe in yourself, and how can you do that when there is no evidence of that version of you? The world needs proof, and nothing is real until proven. So where will you find evidence of that woman you are evolving to be? Where is evidence of your Goddess? How do you convince yourself of that?

The Goddess is always present, she is simply in awareness of her being and her connection to herself, her power is in the now, and she is focused on herself. No, she did not erase her past, she knows where she comes from, but she chooses to be aware of her now. The Goddess is simply that self-aware woman who understands that the past pile of evidence does not serve her today. By refusing to dwell on her past, she shifts her awareness to her blank canvas, that woman she would like to be. Her focus is on that.

How many of us meet a new person, and in the first 5 minutes of conversation, we know all their pain, all they disappointments, all their blockages, all their resistance? They are still married to their past, and their identity is nothing but that.

By now you know all my dirt, I write about it here every day- so the same could be said about me. But that is not who I want to be. Even though in my daily life, I make sure to detach myself from that past version of me, I write about her in this forum every day. How well does that serve me? Sometime I have to take long breaks from writing so that I can recalibrate.

So how to truly let go of the past? I practice my energy, and spend time tuning into new energies. But if you don’t enjoy meditation, there are more practical ways. Write a list of all that is holding you back (your place of origin, your religious beliefs, past abuse, all your failures, bad parents, unfortunate circumstances, your race, your attitudes) and think how you are married to each of those beliefs, and how your bond with that belief has programmed you to play out those old beliefs again and again. We study our parents’ marriages and love dramas, and we continue their story. Every day we learn from Facebook what is wrong with us- there is no shortage of solid evidence against us. And rather that refuse to absorb that evidence like a sponge, we agree, evidence is always true, so now we become martyrs, victims, recoverers and heroes of past traumas. I am no longer a victim of PTSD, abuse, cancer or gluten, now I wear the badge of honor of survivor of PTSD, abuse, cancer and gluten. But a survivor of anything still carries the evidence of it in her life story, every day. In essence, to be a survivor, you still are aware of what you survived, and that awareness brings your past forward. Survivor of abuse is just a projection of that past abuse into the present and future. You will always be a survivor of something nasty, and carrying that unwanted baggage with you.

It isn’t easy to shed our old skin, some of us like it, it looks good on us. Some of us cling to our old pains and sorrows because without them, who would we be? Most of us would have no identity whatsoever without our past piles of contaminated evidence.

I once asked a friend whose abusive mother had died: ‘Now that she is gone, will you release that victim of abuse?’ She replied: “Never, I will always be my mother’s daughter, no matter what. I know that my daughters will watch me struggle with that, and that they too will struggle with that abuse for years to come”. That is a declaration of intent to always cling to that old identity.

So, how do we move past from our old selves? It is hard when our entire program is based on decades of old, credible evidence of our faults. One of the ways I do it, is to rewrite my old story. What have I been harping on for decades? My narcissistic parents whose house I moved out of at 14, and my narcissistic mother who now expects me to coddle her in her old age. Recently, I had no choice but to rewrite my story, when as she predicted, she ended up crippled, incapable of taking care of herself, and demanding my eternal devotion to her. I panicked, I certainly would not devote myself to my abuser, so I sat down and rewrote my story. I only rewrote those parts that I could convince myself of, not the entire story that I could not truly believe. In my new story, I have a more objective, detached, relationship with her. It is true, her cognitive abilities have declined so much, that she doesn’t even remember who she was a couple of months ago. Rather than fight her decline I accept it, because in her new childlike state, she is more passive, appreciative of any help that she gets, and it is easier for me to treat her with humanity and kindness, than that old woman I used to be in combat with. I made up a new story, and I am sticking to it. I am helping a friend who cannot help herself, and I am giving only as much as I can give, and not more. My new story feels much healthier, so I adopted it.

It is hard to not drag the junk behind us, when we are so loyal to our pasts. We keep staring at that old evidence which only reinforces those dysfunctional parts of ourselves. This is why I write a new story every day. By now I have used up 30+ journals, and on days when I have no time to meditate, I write a new me. Some stories are less convincing than others, but I keep writing anyway. When I look back at my journals from 2012, I am astounded how some of my new stories have become reality, and how I have exceeded my expectations in certain areas of my life.

Here is a list of identities that I have successfully shed: 1) the immigrant me that came from a 3^rd world country got replaced by a confident, American me. The evidence of the old me are the tattered red passport, and my slight accent, but I pay no attention to that. I travel with my US passport instead, and use my American name. 2) The wife- how I disliked that identity. I have no problem with marriage, but I did not like myself in that role. For years I carried that with me when I decided, who does she serve now? The broken wife was serving countless toxic men who were looking to benefit from my identity as victim of a bad marriage. Nope, the new powerhouse me, who puts men in their place, benefits me now. 3) The kid who got placed in a foreign boarding school at 11 and felt abandoned and discarded by her parents, and the teenager who moved out of the house at 16 and found a new place to live. This pile of shit, made me a runner most of my life. I was running from all kinds of relationships, searching for safety, independence, battling anyone who wanted to capture me. But, what am I running from now? Where the fuck am I running to? My new story is of contentment, my new family, being appreciative of the new people in my life, my chosen family.

We all have a past, that doesn’t mean that we have to be so loyal to it. It doesn’t mean that we have to be so firmly committed to what ails us. And it doesn’t mean that we have to keep telling that old story like a broken record. We all have the ability to be more present, and we all have the ability to paint a blank canvas, or fill a blank journal with our new story. We have the right to choose what we focus on, the kind of women we will be inspired by, and when they don’t exist, we have the ability to empower them and convince them that they can, they really, really can.

I have no interest in the person that I was. I am committed to always moving forward, keeping my connections light, helping people along the way, but never dwelling on my old story, and never acknowledging what is keeping my friends stuck. Whatever holds them back, I ignore it, and show them to look in a different direction. How does it matter that some man in the past didn’t give you the life that you wanted? All that matters is that the half of the world’s population is male, and most of them are desperately seeking you. Unfocus from what ails you, focus into what will make you feel good. If you see no evidence of your future endeavors, pick up a pencil and start drawing or write in your journal a new version of you.

Who created God? That’s same force that created the Goddess. She was born from consciousness, awareness, she is our own projection. We are all masters of ourselves, of our own reality, and we dominate our own existence with our own beliefs, thoughts, and by constantly focusing forward. So, write your own story. A true Goddess creates herself into being. What are you conscious of now? What’s next?

S

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The Power of Acceptance, And My Path Out of Depression

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

It is in our acceptance of our flaws that we become flawless. It is in the acceptance of our failures that we release ourselves from the mentality of failing. Acceptance is a very powerful tool that can release us from past trauma, guilt, shame and fear. How?

We all have certain experiences, traumas, personality traits, failures, guilt and aspects of ourselves that we find unacceptable. We are embarrassed that we failed, that we crashed, we feel guilty that we hurt someone or ashamed that we did something unbecoming. And we spent years, even decades hiding those icky feelings from the outside world. Where did we put them? Inside ourselves, where no one could find them. After all, that is the only place where no one can look. For a while it feels safe because no one can make us access that secret data bank of ugly situations and uncomfortable feelings we bottled up inside ourselves. But, life has a way of throwing curve balls, and one of them is bound to hit and send us into a downward spiral.

It all happened a few years ago when my life came to a screeching halt. A few consecutive personal and family disasters threw me into depression. I wrote about this period of my life before, and why I chose to face depression and those buried parts of myself head on, without drugs. That story got me a lot of criticism in the private forum and via this blog, when someone declared that I was advising people to not take medicine for depression. No, I simply stated that it was my personal choice, and I am in no way advising anyone to do that.

So, why did I face depression without drugs? Because I knew that there was something within me that I had to face and deal with. As painful as it was, I knew that I could no longer afford to ignore those aspects of myself. I knew that drugs would dull my senses, and that they could make me feel better, but I also knew that there was a lot within me that I could not unearth with dulled senses. I am a very introspective person. I have been meditating for 15 years, and learned that most of my answers are within. Now I was facing something excruciatingly painful, but having released pain before with my mind, I knew that whatever monster was inside me, I had to face all by myself. It was my own rational decision. No one guided me into rejecting drugs or therapy, I decided to explore my own abyss, to find that person I have been hiding, to deal with those emotions I have been erasing, to get to the bottom of me.

For me, depression was a life altering experience, especially the long, painful crawl out of it. I learned so much about myself in that grueling shadow that I choose to write about it. Looking back, the events that lead to my depression weren’t so important, these things happen to everyone. But those events forced me to face the fact that my current reality does not allow me to hide any longer. Life was exposing my past failures, disappointments, toxic beliefs and I had no say in it. Suddenly my mask was cracking, and that perfectly nice and polite me who loves everyone, now had a bruised and battered ego. It was time for it to go, it could no longer cover me.

I panicked that no one would like that highly flawed version of me. Who could possibly want to be friends with me now? I was embarrassed about my stupidity, recklessness, arrogance, irresponsibility, failures, imbalance- you name it, I had a problem with it. Who could accept this version of me? I certainly could not. It felt awful to look at myself and my own darkness. It was ugly.

Most people pretend they do not have a dark side. But there is no yin without the yang, we all exist in duality. Well, depression was my face off with my dark side. My facade cracked and shattered into a million pieces, and my ego was deeply wounded by what it was now staring at- that highly flawed, unacceptable me. The real me was the most painful thing I ever had to face, I had to look in the mirror and face the monster, and admit that this was the me I was refusing to acknowledge all my life. I was one giant, tarnished, rusty, toxic, deeply flawed mess of a human being who was a disappointment to everyone, most of all to herself.

Unfortunately, there is no quick way to deal with depression. It’s like someone turned off the lights, and you find yourself alone in a musty, dark basement having to face those monsters you feared so much as a child that lived in a shadowy corner. Oh, they’re real. No one ever tells you that the monsters are you. You put them there, and if you want a clean slate, you have to clean up your own mess.

Depression hurts. It really, really hurts. I can’t think of anything in this life that hurts more, so I sympathize with people going through it. It’s a long, dark labyrinth, and all of us are afraid of the dark. Rather than dwell on the pain, I’d rather tell you how I found my way out. Acceptance.

As I battled my own monsters for months and months, I grew weaker and weaker. I reached the point where I was fighting my own shadow and losing. I was so tired. I really wanted to give up. As I laid in bed, exhausted, covered in snot and tears I admitted to myself that there is no way out. There’s no way that can I return to the world as myself. That version of me is expired, and gone forever. My world now was the size of a coffin. And it really felt comfy in there. It’s small and safe, maybe I’ll just stay here. Who would miss this mess of a human being?

I started to feel more comfortable in my dark coffin, in fact that was the place I would mentally go to feel safe and feel some relief from the depression. It felt so good and peaceful to be in there, that I decided I’ll just stay here. In fact, when life was unbearable, I would check out, and go into my mental coffin to find some relief. This isn’t so bad. My world is much darker and smaller, but I am okay here.

In that safe spot I started to look at my ugly face in the mirror. I started to accept that monster isn’t so ugly, she’s alright. She won’t win a beauty contest, but she’s still an okay person. I found acceptance for my ugly, deflated, 20 lb heavier, grey-haired, wrinkled, tired self. I’m okay.

I started taking to my old self, the one who swept all the icky feelings and bad experiences under a rug. I forgave her. I understood why she had to do that at the time to protect her ego, to protect her reality, to survive. She’s okay.

I looked at the hundreds of ways I have failed people, family, coworkers, friends, I didn’t meet anyone’s expectations, not even my own. That’s okay, I forgive myself. I am still an okay person.

As I slowly started to accept the ugliest and the most painful aspects of myself, the more I felt okay. Not just okay, the more I accepted, the more I felt better, and better. I stared at all my flaws, scars, guilt, shame and fear, and said okay to them. I accept. This is me now. Acceptance allowed me to embrace the highly flawed me. As soon as I embraced all my scars, I started to view those scars as meaningful, each had it’s own beauty. As soon as I accepted who I am, the more okay I felt.

I accepted one more thing, which was the true turning point from the depression. I accepted the depression itself. Yes, I accepted my low, my self-hate, that hideous feeling, the darkness, the defeat. I accepted that there may not ever be a way out, so I may as well accept that I’m here. If I have to stay in this dark place forever, I’m still okay. Again, as I accepted the depression, it started to slowly lift. It was a lessening burden. I started to feel more ease, then freedom, and then I let go and I was totally free of it.

Depression was the most painful part of my life, but also the most powerful lesson I ever learned. I am glad I faced it, and that I faced it myself. I witnessed with my own eyes my own abyss and all the stuff I put in there, and finally made peace with each and every burden I have been carrying. I stopped fearing my monsters, even made friends with them. But most of all, I found acceptance, and it was the acceptance of the self and all it’s failures that lifted me out of the darkness. It wasn’t instantaneous, it was a long, painful journey, but acceptance lit up my path.

Once I came out of the darkness, I felt more powerful than ever. How can anyone make me feel ashamed, when I have accepted the most shameful parts of myself? How can anyone make me feel ugly when I have embraced and fallen in love with this ugly face? How can anyone make me feel guilty, when I have found peace in the guilt? How can anyone scare me, when the monster is me? How can anyone make me feel less than, when I have risen out of the darkness alone and on my own merit? How can anyone threaten to expose me, when I have exposed and become okay with all aspects of myself? I willingly allowed myself to feel the agony or my lower self, my darkness, and I mastered myself in there. Who could hurt me now?

I laugh in the face of fear now. Go ahead, expose me as a fraud, ridicule me, threaten me, intimidate me, take away everything I have, I will still have more. I found my power and it was laying at the bottom of an abyss I was afraid to plunge into. I am not afraid to look at myself now, nor am I afraid that some unsightly aspects of myself will be exposed for the world to see. I am okay, I am okay, I am so okay! No matter what anyone does, I will always be okay.

“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”
– – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“The moment that judgement stops through acceptance of what it is, you are free of the mind. You have made room for love, for joy, for peace.”
– – Eckhart Tolle

I embraced my lowest moment, and thus acceptance lifted me up. Acceptance is power.

S

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Is Sex Your Binding Agent To Toxic Men?

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

I started this blog, and the private women’s forum writing a lot about the purpose of casual dating, the fun and joy of having an abundant and glorious sex life, while making your own rules. I still believe that women should enjoy their sex lives unapologetically, but today I want to talk about how if you are inexperienced and unaware, you may be binding yourself to toxic males. Toxic men and women use sex to bind their victims, then hook them into begging for more. This is something that the less experienced women are unaware of, and are less likely to perceive as unhealthy. The sheer strength, craziness and intoxication of such a bond, might even confuse some women into believing this is true love. If it is agonizingly impossible to break this bond, it is likely you are not in love, instead you are in a relationship with a toxic man.

Some of us are just looking to experience many men, learn and grow from the experience, and find our personal power. I support that. But some women are looking for someone stable, a long term love, someone to trust, have a child with. The standards for a man who is marriage material must be much, much higher. But our understanding of what a healthy man and relationship is must be solid. Unfortunately, many women don’t know how to identify unhealthy behavior, confuse that with love, and then bond themselves to that person. If that sounds familiar, this conversation is for you.

Toxic men (and women) are very calculating about relationships. Their goal is not to relate to you, nor is it about the feeling of love, kindness or respect. Instead, their goal is to hook and paralyze you into not leaving, into serving their own needs. Their manipulation technique is to choose the right words, say the right things, play with your emotions, to trigger then train you into behaving in ways that will make you dependent on their artificial “love”.

Have you ever met one of these men? The one with cryptic behavior, hot and cold cycles, sadistic smirk, blatant disrespect, put downs to you or other people, lack of empathy, deception, arrogance, lying, then being offended that you don’t believe him?

The more experience we have dating, the more likely we are able to identify them sooner, and walk away. But my question is, why were we so easily confused in this stage of the relationship, when we could easily detect inconsistency and deception? Why were we starving for his attention when he disappeared? Why did we consciously form a bond to someone who displayed all signs of mistrust? What is it about his irrational, unpredictable, detached, inconsistent behavior that hooked us?

As a female, what was it that actually bonded you to this unstable, inconsistent man? At what point did you want more of him?

Trying to leave a relationship with a toxic and an emotionally imbalanced individual seems impossible. As soon as we have one foot out the door, they wrestle us down and drag us back with love bombing, emotional gestures, whatever it takes. When we do manage to leave a toxic relationship, we leave damaged, drained, scarred, numb. A breakup with a healthy man is very painful, but a breakup with a toxic, cold, detached, compulsive liar, hurts 1000 times more. This kind of love, was calculated.

Having been in many relationships just for the experience in the last ten years, I picked up a few clues and signs that toxic lovers exhibit. Feel free to post your observations below.

You don’t fully meet the man you dated until it is truly over. Sometimes you don’t understand who you were truly dealing with months or years later.

Many of us are allowing people we barely know to come into our lives, rush the relationship, create excitement, take us on an emotional roller coaster, rush into bed. Why? Because for many women, sex seals the deal. Unfortunately, for some women, sex is that binding agent that attaches women to a man. Toxic men know this. Toxic men know weaknesses of women, they count on your brain chemicals making you high on love even when his love is missing. My personal theory is that the more experience a woman has, the more easily she can detach, but for many, many women, this is the point where they become hooked on a man. At this point they lose all reason, and start rationalizing his irrational behavior. If you’ve ever been hooked on a man whose love left you paralyzed, addicted to him, and stupefied without him, you know what I’m talking about. This isn’t love, this is an addiction.

Goddess, know thyself. A self-aware woman knows her strengths and weaknesses. A woman who is aware that she bonds during sex, should know that this is her weakness, so that she can make decisions in her best interest. Rushing into bed does not seal the deal for him, just for you. This is the point that many relationships go crazy, because this is the point where calculated lovers start to condition you, play mind games, go hot and cold, start messing with your emotions.

Rather than repair or negotiate with a toxic man, work on your own self-respect and self-esteem. As a result, your standards will be much higher, and you won’t so easily be taken by a seducer. Dating is an education, and knowledge is power. Never shield yourself from knowledge.

When you respect yourself, and can easily identify confusing behavior, you are a much more difficult target for males who are unhealthy. You will insist on knowing men inside and out, take months to vet them as quality candidates, observe objectively and understand when they are taking you on an emotional roller-coaster ride. You will be able to disengage like a rational, level headed woman, and never doubt your decision. You will trust yourself more than you trust him.

But getting back to sex. As much as I am pro sex, for women having fun, and enjoying a glorious sex life, I am even more for women having an education. You don’t jump into an ocean unless you know how to swim, and you don’t plunge into sex with a man unless you know everything there is to know about him. If the man is toxic, why oh why didn’t you know that before you slept with him?

This is why I am so against dating books and dating rules. Most dating books tell you to time sex to 3 dates, 10 dates, even 36 dates. This is ridiculous, and it plays you straight into a manipulator’s hands. He can be good for three dates, ten dates, even 36, if he is calculated enough to expect you to act when prompted.

The only determinant to sex is YOU. Nobody else. Not a dating rule book, not a dating “expert”, not tradition, not expectations, never the man, and never your fantasy that if you give him sex he will give you love or the relationship he promised. You, your own head and brain are responsible for that decision so know yourself, study that man like you studied your college textbook. Get a degree in all kinds of men, trust me it will serve you better than any university.

I’m writing this because I hear from all of you, and I see first hand, how some smart, amazing, loving, healthy women allow themselves to be taken for a ride. Would you get into a car with a stranger? Most of us wouldn’t, but how many of us have discovered and been absolutely shocked that the man we are in a relationship with is actually unhealthy? Would it have been wiser to determine how healthy he was before we started bonding to him?

I can’t tell you when is the right time to have sex. But for me, now that I have much more experience than a text book, that time is getting longer and longer. My findings is that even textbooks are wrong on that subject.

The correct timing is solely up to you and your own good judgement. But you can’t accurately judge a man when you are bonding yourself to someone you barely know and are trusting long before he has earned your solid trust. Most of us have sex long before we have developed a solid relationship. That’s very fine for those of us who know how to keep it casual and how to keep walking. But that’s a very expensive mistake for women who are looking for a lasting relationship or someone to have a child with. That mistake won’t just hurt you, it will scar the child as well.

S

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Win Friends and Enjoy Relationships With Wu Wei

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

Have you ever watched a performance by a dancer, or an actor, and noticed that the performance was forced, you could tell that the artist wasn’t in the zone? It seems rigid, artificial, unnatural, there was no flow, life, nor enjoyment in his or her work. You knew immediately that the performer wasn’t feeling it.

Have you ever observed a relationship that seemed stiff, forced, controlled? Neither person is truly feeling it, but both are in it because being bound to someone feels safer than not being bound to anyone at all. Both feel secure, as there is no possibility of surprise, disappointment, misbehavior, nor breakup. Each partner knows what is expected, and each conforms to the rules, so their boat never rocks. They exist in unison, even their opinions are in general agreement, how could one diverge from what they have previously agreed on?

I have been reading a lot about Taoism, and like the concept of “Wu Wei”, which is the principle of “No Force” or “Not Forcing” anything in life. Pushing, management, control, rigid rules, persistence, stubbornness are all variations of force that kill any relationship, and obstruct its flow. The minute we start imposing on other’s free will, we start choking off the relationship.

Wu Wei does not mean that we should always be passive. There is a time for action, and the time for using muscle or slight force. When the current is right, gently tap an object or situation into flow. Think of Wu Wei as the art of sailing, and adjusting the sails, to catch the wind.

The concept is as easy as I describe. Life is all about flow. Whatever you have, you want to enjoy. You will find flow in the most mundane activities if you enjoy the current, rather than micromanage you vessel and float against it. Sure, it’s possible to sail upstream, but you’d be forcing life, and life happens anyway.

Our most difficult relationships are the ones we are trying to manage. ‘He won’t give me this, she won’t do that, I don’t think you should say such and such.’ The more we try to adjust the behavior of others, the more obstructions we put in font of them. If they are smart, guess where they will go? They will float to someone else who doesn’t surround them with obstacles. And they should. Good love feels like freedom.

Make a list of your most frustrating relationships, and think objectively. Who is controlling whom? Who is placing the biggest demands, who is paddling against the current, who is boxing you into their own little world, who is not flowing anywhere? The most stubborn people are paddling upstream, getting nowhere. Let them be.

How to handle people who are pushing your buttons, tying you to an anchor, refusing to let you flow? Put your hands in the air, let go of your need to be right, suspend your need to correct them, cut the cord and flow away. You can’t lose them. Trust me, they will come looking for you anyway. This sounds difficult, because we are used to reacting to whatever people say, or put in our way. But, non-reaction (another powerful technique) allows us to not absorb their wrath, to not be jailed by their words or demands., so that we can flow away. We free ourselves by not forcing our will upon theirs, but by detaching and flowing our way. This is much easier than you think, because when you are flowing, nothing they do or say can force you into their situation.

Want beautiful friendships? Allow people into your life, and never stop them from flowing out. Don’t even ask. Make yourself enjoyable. If you learn to enjoy your own company, others will enjoy it too. Make your life beautiful, and people will revel in whatever you do.

If a relationship feels stiff, forced, and it requires your compliance, how much do you enjoy it? Rather than cut people off, practice flowing away, not by rejecting, but by flowing towards people whose company you really love. By doing this I realized that I sometimes prefer the company of strangers, or more superficial acquaintances, even people I meet halfway around the world, than in the company of old friends who are always paddling against the current. By being willing to let go and flow, I may have lost 3 old friends I was bound to, but gained over 40 new ones who are also flowing at my speed.

Never tie people down. We feel sorry for that elephant whose leg is chained to a tree stump and we call that cruel, but that poor chump you are dating, who has to be home before midnight or face your wrath, a “good man”. If you feel like you have to catch men, negotiate terms of relationships, box people into your life, bind them with a contract, you feel wrong to people. Some men will let you force them, but trust me you are merely getting a reluctant participant in your life. How would you enjoy that reluctant participant?

What do you really want? Aren’t you in this world, to laugh, love, enjoy, feel, experience, bliss, flow, thrill? Isn’t life beautiful when you can do that? Why not gift people in your life with the ability to be thrilled in your presence? Why not just let them be, encourage them to flow, inspire them to try something new on their own?

Practice Wu Wei in your daily life. Practice not forcing things at work, merely enjoying the flow. When you come across obstacles, put your hands in the air and let them float around you. Apply a gentle tap only when you need to reorient or find a better current.

I tried this in the last few relationships I had. Here is what happened. One guy was impossible to deal with, threw every punch straight at my heart. Rather than tackle him head on, I threw my hands in the air and at first it looked like I was about to let him do whatever he wants. As I stood there, detached, flowing while he was making threats against me in a public place, and as I enjoyed my peaceful flow, he all of a sudden became self-conscious. Imagine being the only one fighting and no one is fighting you back. The girl you are trying to put down is actually enjoying herself, standing taller, unaware that you are powerful at all. How stupid did he look, red and angry as a bull, while I busy flowing? His fists was punching my wind. That’s flow. When he realized how stupid he looked, he started crying. Yes, a 6’5”, 220 pounder was crying like a baby, begging for forgiveness. Wu Wei quickly and easily allowed me to stay composed, and flow toward somebody much more enjoyable. You don’t have to clash with people, you just have to flow out of that experience.

Wu Wei, no force, or non-resistance is surprisingly easy to learn. When someone starts pushing obstacles in front of me, I simply let them. They get no reaction from me, I detach, and tune into myself. You’d be surprised by how quickly people stop threatening, conspiring, forcing anything when they see how ineffective they are in their own situation.

Relationships have become easier, not because I have some powerful technique to manipulate people with, and you should never think of this as a tool to prod others. I believe that control and manipulation are immoral, and a sign of low consciousness. It is stooping to an ultimate low to get others to act in your interest.

However, relationships are easier because they feel lighter, less bound by rules. Rather than negotiate terms of a relationship with someone whose flow is rigid, or someone who is anchored, I easily flow away from them, and toward someone who feels better to me. I stay for longer periods of time because we are more likely to be in sync, going in the same direction.

Wouldn’t you rather be with people whose presence feels awesome? This question applies to all areas of your life. Wouldn’t you rather work with people who are as free and as non-resistant as you? Or would you rather tie yourself down to someone who is stubborn, occupying your time, making lists of things you should be doing, negotiating how you feel, and deciding when you should commit? They have a whistle, a clipboard and a deadline, and you are not progressing at the pace that suits them. How does that kind of relationship feel?

Wu wei is a concept of Taoism that means “inexertion”, “inaction”, or “effortless action”. It is not about being passive, but about bending with the wind, taking gentle action to adjust our sails. It is about being in alignment with nature, our external world, as well as our inner world and physical bodies. Everything in this world flows in cycles, there’s a natural ebb and flow, and the way to enjoy every moment is to effortlessly surrender to that flow.

Let people flow toward whatever suits them, and they will appreciate you more. All your friendships and relationships will feel healthier if you find your own flow, and catch your own current.

S

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The Monkey Mind- A Powerful Self-Healing Tool You Are Ignoring

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

That negative voice in your head. Do you hear one? No, you are not crazy, it is what some meditation teachers refer to as the Monkey Mind. It talks incessantly, it has a mind of it’s own, it bounces from topic to topic, spinning it’s own truth which often has nothing to do with objective reality. Or does it? Have you ever listened to your Monkey Mind? If people heard what’s in my head, they would definitely think I’m bonkers. But everybody has it to varying degrees.

The Monkey Mind is usually thought of as a hindrance or a handicap because it interferes with focus, limits attention span, distracts us from thinking about what we want and focuses into seeing life’s obstacles, creates problems, sometimes we fight ourselves or other people in our mind.

As someone who has been meditating for 15+ years, I now see some benefits to observing what the Monkey Mind is talking about. Yes, in meditation, we are taught how to mute it, so that we can see beyond it. That is a tremendous power on its own, but after years of suspending it, I now see value in observing it. There is a lot of bad habits that your Monkey Mind has picked up from your daily life, and you might find astounding how those thoughts have become your practiced reality.

Sometimes my Monkey Mind won’t shut up, it keeps me up at night, and at other times it literally gives me a mental slap in the face. Only I am not listening. For years, like everyone else, I believed it to be a negative distraction, something to be shut off. At one point, it drove me crazy so much that meditation would no longer kill it, and I really considered asking for a prescription to dull it’s screaming voice. Then one day, I decided to actually listen to that annoying beast.

Take a pen and paper and keep it nearby as you go throughout your day. I even have a small notepad on my nightstand for those occasions when that Monkey won’t let me sleep at night. Write in as great a detail as you can, even when the thoughts and ideas repeat themselves. Do this for at least a week, a month preferably. Do you see a repeating story, a subject or idea you are stuck on, an anger or a fear that has been there for years, or a story that has actually become a real life problem?

Your mind serves an important purpose, and those seemingly useless thoughts are your body’s way of communicating with you. Spiritually speaking, there’s a higher purpose to mind-body communication, but for the purpose of this post, it is enough to say, Pay Attention! If you have anxiety, you know there are times when you can’t think clearly, if you are dealing with stress or painful circumstances, you may lose awareness, or have a hard time making logical decisions. Trust me, your mind is still operating, it is communicating with you in the best way it possibly can. It is literally screaming. All you have to do is listen.

It is astounding what I have realized about myself, my mistakes, my self-created obstacles, my personal failures, my self-sabotage, those problems I blamed on other people or unfortunate circumstance, once I started actually listening to my Monkey Mind as it keeps warning me on auto-repeat. Wow! Is that really me?

You see, I rely on meditation to ease anxiety, manage stress, but also, after many years of practice, I had some phenomenal experiences meditating that lead to it becoming a regular practice. I even found my personal power in the process. Thus, I always believed that my goal was to suspend the Monkey Mind in order to get into those higher mind states. Higher mental states are life altering experiences. Imagine not needing drugs to get high in less than 30 seconds, touching energy, seeing beyond what is right in front of your eyes. But, the mind still talks on auto-repeat, and don’t be fooled into thinking that those less high mind states are less important.

In fact, they are probably more important because those states are easier for novices to get into, and there is so much value to observing your mind. So, if you don’t like to meditate, you don’t have to. Take a pen and paper and start writing those crazy thoughts that pop into your head every few minutes. I wrote about 15 pages before my jaw dropped and I saw value in those words on paper. After 50 pages, I had some astounding realizations about my self and my own operating system.

At the risk of sounding insane, here is what I discovered. I am angry. I suppressed an anger that stemmed from childhood. I convinced myself that I dealt with it and moved on, but actually I just stomped all over it and suppressed it. Funny, that anger kept coming out and getting stronger after each failed romantic relationship. The Monkey Mind kept reminding me it is still there, I kept ignoring it. I have fear. Deep in the back of my mind, also in the pit of my stomach there is a fear that keeps bubbling up every -10 months. It is a ridiculous fear, but in the last few years that same fear has caused 2 car crashes, accidental physical injuries, etc. I see injustice in everyday situations and I play them over and over in my mind. This has caused me to say some inappropriate things to coworkers. I have had some inexplicable physical symptoms that my physician could not cure. They too made sense, when I started listening to my mind explain what I am doing wrong to my body.

It is amazing how we refuse to listen to our own mind. Why would we, it reminds us every minute of the day what we are doing wrong. It’s like that nagging mother we learn to tune out in our childhood. But the Monkey Mind is a beautifully designed mechanism that fits compactly into our head. Don’t you wish you had an app that could help you decipher yourself, waive a red flag when you are doing something stupid, warn you for the 150,000th time not to stick your finger into the electric socket?

I write about meditation a lot because I am in awe of the fantastical, mind-boggling, and empowering experiences I have had with it. But I do understand that it is not easy, and that some people don’t like to look within. If you have trouble mediating, you can still listen to your mind, by writing down your thoughts, in fact, go a step further, and write out your dreams too. They are even more powerful tools that allow you to witness your subconscious. If you live alone, talk to yourself out loud. You might hear yourself criticize or beat up on yourself, fight imaginary bad guys. Those mental fights and internal anger are just your attacks on your self. Don’t believe me?

When you are angry at a boss, a traffic cop, or your ex, where does the anger reside? Is the anger inside you, or is it inside the cop? It is yours. No matter how angry you get, you cannot put that feeling of anger inside another person. It resides firmly inside you. So who is it hurting? Only you. Who is your fear scaring? Only you. Who is your hate killing? Only you. Allow all these negative emotions to come out, don’t retaliate against your own thoughts. By allowing your monkey mind to speak, by releasing pent up emotions, you can now identify them.

The good news is that once you understand how you are hurting yourself, how your body responds to its own mind, how you create your own negative patterns, how you sabotage you own progress, it is very easy to change course. Don’t believe that it’s that easy to reverse years of negative self talk?

Imagine you are an athlete, a runner, and you noticed a very light, dull ache in your knee after each run. Of course that is normal for an athlete, so you quickly dismiss it. Only the ache persists. You keep ignoring it as long as you can still run. It takes moths, or years for the pain to get worse, but you are so used to it you can’t remember life without that annoying ache. Until one day, you hear a crunch, your knee freezes, and now you can no longer move. If you are paying attention to your own body, you know you caused the pain by yourself by running. At this point, will you stubbornly keep running? You can’t, it’s impossible, your brain knows any attempt to run will do more harm. Even if you took a painkiller, your understanding of how you have caused your body pain would stop you from running and seek medical attention. By that same token, awareness of what you are doing wrong with your thoughts, helps you to easily pause, then change your thoughts. Could you now go to your physician and tell her that the knee hurts because someone made you run too much? Could you convince yourself that the pain is caused by something else? You wouldn’t be able to once you become aware of how you created your own injury.

Awareness of your own thoughts is an extremely powerful self monitoring tool. It allows you to objectively see how you create your own issues, precipitate your own problems, project your negativity onto others, how you are sabotaging yourself. The beauty of this is that it allows you to make changes to your own behavior before that behavior turns into a permanent injury, a crime, an addiction or something that could cause lifelong problems.

The best part is that seeing your own Self as it truly is, allows you to make adjustments. You can now refocus, manage your thoughts, stop certain habits, and create new ones that will drive your life into a different direction.

Your Monkey Mind is like your personal GPS system. It warns you when you are about to derail yourself, and no matter how many wrong moves you make, it will always keep talking. “Course correction, make a U turn”, “Your wheel fell off because you kept driving into that pot hole over and over again. Didn’t you see the pothole you silly goose?”

Don’t fight your Monkey Mind, and don’t force it to shut off. Just, listen. Life’s most important realizations come from within.

S

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Who Determines A Woman’s Value?

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Travel Clubs International

A friend who is also in the private “Goddess” forum said something that truly resonated. “Women have to understand that they are they are the only ones who can determine their own value”. What did she mean? Often women derive their value by how men or the outside world treats them. Those women who get everything, or those girls who are treated like princesses must be valuable, but those who get kicked to the curb, must not be. That isn’t true at all. Often those are the same women. When a man needs a woman he treats her very well, and when she is spent or when he is done, he tosses the same woman aside. But women who derive their value from how others treat them will never have any value at all. Their self worth is based upon the behavior and opinions of others.

For most people it takes a lifetime to learn that we build our own self-worth. Most of us weren’t born with it, most of us had to learn the hard way that we have to value ourselves. For most women, these are just nice words that are rarely and often reluctantly put into practice. But, how people treat you is a reflection of how much you value yourself, so doesn’t it make sense to invest your time, money, your spirituality and your growth into yourself?

When I was young, I rebelled against my parents because they thought that their words should have a greater impact on what I do and how I feel about myself, which I knew was demeaning. But, later when I was married, yes I derived much of my self-worth from how my ex treated me (luckily he treated me very well), and how happy he was with the marriage. (eeew, but yes, that was me). Later, as I experimented with many men for almost a decade, I realized that the only ones who valued me were the ones who admired my boundaries, my ease of saying No, my willingness to stand up to them, even lose them. The ones who did not respect me were the ones who crossed my boundaries easily, without me putting up much of a fight.

So, while there may be low quality men in this world, you can’t blame your low value on how they treat you. You have to take responsibility for finding worth within yourself. When the only way you can feel loved is when the man shows you his love, you will always fall short. No human could possibly love you the way you should love yourself.

Building self worth is a long and painful process. It takes years. But, it is the best investment I ever made. When your level of worth is much higher than any person could give you, relationships become much easier. A lot of low value people will not even bother to approach you. A high value woman is “too much effort” and low value men like them nice and easy. A lot of mediocre men will try you for their own amusement, and give up when they see you don’t give attention to what doesn’t meet your personal standards. Those people will fall out of your life easily too. And a lot of high value men, will first test you. All healthy humans value character, integrity, truth, honesty and authenticity, so don’t be surprised nor offended when people test that. When you are all that, you don’t need to prove yourself to anyone except the few you are interested in. Trust me, they will easily recognize you.

I now see myself as Teflon. All greasy, slimy men fall off me 🙂 There’s nothing they could say to hold my attention nor stick to me. But all the value I posses is my own. I built it, so I own it. No one can take my value away by offending me, making me distrust myself, making me feel insecure, questioning my judgment. I know myself, I trust myself, I respect myself, I own myself. How can anyone take away that Self that I created?

Today, all this seems very easy. But, like everyone else who earned value, I had to earn it through blood, sweat and tears. But, that friend who said that we are the determining factor of our own value wasn’t exaggerating. You have no value at all, unless you build it all by yourself. Otherwise, your value is dependent on others, and that can easily be taken away.

S

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Why You Can’t Walk Away

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

That one limiting factor that scares women from walking away is having no place to go. Having no destination is that difficult circumstance that blocks women from leaving controlling lovers, toxic friends, dead-end jobs. Here is how to walk away purposefully, powerfully, and confidently.

Walking away is the most powerful move any human can make. It is a well known fact, that in any relationship, whether romantic, friendship or work situation, it is the person who cares the least who has the most power, and the person who cares or needs the situation the most has the least power. Healthy relationships should not be a power struggle, but often we find ourselves in situations with people for whom control is the definition of a relationship. They simply cannot relate to another, nor feel safe in a situation unless they have complete control. And rather than relate, they manipulate people and situations until those people and situation conform to their needs and wants. Is that healthy?

Walking away is a practical life skill no one should ever feel insecure about. Walking away is a choice, you are choosing yourself as opposed to that toxic situation, and there is nothing more honorable than to honor the self. It seems cold, callous, unsympathetic. We have discussed the cost of catering to other people’s needs and sympathies countless times. But a lot of women fear walking away. Yes, they fear it. Why?

“How will I live without friends?”, “What will people think of me?” “I am not an uncaring person, I’ll just give this toxic person another chance”. How about that toxic work environment, or that parent who drains the life out of you? Our livelihood and our parents are keys to our survival, but sometimes our devotion to something that isn’t bettering our existence, is a devotion to self-sabotage.

The concept of walking away is misrespresented. Women who walk away easily are referred to by all kinds of names, yet for men walking away easily is a sign of manhood. Why? Shouldn’t a woman respect herself enough? Shouldn’t a woman make choices that honor her? Why is a woman expected to whine, cry, or have a hard time leaving? Are we really supposed to be devoted to difficult people, disserving situations, dead-end relationships, and painstakingly deliberate between choices that honor us and choices that honor other people? Somehow, to a lot of people, service to others makes a woman proper, caring, a real woman, but the other kind, the kind of woman who honors herself first is calculating, shrewd, cold, unfeeling. I have feelings, but I won’t be a victim to those feelings. I have a heart, but when my heart is bleeding, I will honor that heart first, and tend to it rather than destroy my self-respect for the benefit of other people.

Walking away was a skill I picked up at a young age, it was a matter of my own survival. And I learned right away, that when I walk away from people and situations that don’t honor me, I am more powerful, more confident, more respecting of the self. What I wasn’t expecting is that this skill has earned me the respect of a lot of people. Sure, the toxic people you leave behind will resent you forever, but the healthy ones who are watching your every move will take note.

Walking away from difficult, toxic bosses, has earned me career respect. Other executives were watching and noticed that I don’t bow down and submit to disrespectful treatment. I have taken pay cuts, demotions, been called “difficult” for having an opinion, but people were watching. The first thing that happened was that coworkers started asking if they could work for me. Why? They felt safe and honored by me. I won’t throw coworkers under the bus for having the guts to tell me when I am wrong.

The second thing that happened is that those no-nonsense executives who value good work with no drama started inviting me to join their projects. A lot of good managers value honor over politics, they value strong opinions, in fact, they surround themselves with people who don’t bullshit, are capable of validating their opinions with quantifiable facts, and won’t pay to have their egos stroked.

Walking away and choosing your honor first is difficult, but it is valued by honorable people. What kind of people do you want in your life? I didn’t start practicing honoring myself 100% of the time until my 40’s. For decades I felt guilty, I doubted my stubbornness, and like many women out there, I actually believed that there is something wrong with me for leaving toxic people behind. Why can’t I tolerate more? Why can’t I make peace with that manipulator? I must not be a people person, I don’t possess people skills. Wrong.

I do possess people skills, and people do appreciate that. I honor people who act honorably. I don’t honor everybody else. I respect people who have earned my respect, I don’t respect those who demand it. In fact, demanding respect is a red-flag. In my choice to walk away, I am choosing to walk toward healthy friends and relationships, I am always walking toward more happiness, more health, more knowledge, more growth, more experience. Yes, in order to have those better options in life, you do have to walk away from whoever or whatever is keeping you stuck. You can’t earn anything in life unless you are willing to walk in that direction.

What makes walking away easier is 100% devotion to honor. That’s not easy, to many of us that feels selfish. You will get guilted and shamed for choosing your own happiness over others’. Back when I felt guilty for choosing my sanity, my health and me, I struggled to explain why I won’t be loyal to anyone but myself. Somehow, you are supposed to have the loyalty of a dog, and struggle through toxic situations, and remain devoted to them forever. Nope, not me. What made it easier was to say that I am loyal to happiness, health, wealth, positivity, knowledge, growth, expansion, and discovering my own path. No one can argue with that.

Don’t let anyone tell you that walking away is cold, callous or mean. Walking away is your super-power. It demonstrates your self-respect. Anyone who will guilt you for respecting yourself, or try to negotiate a longer stay in what isn’t serving you, does not have your best interest in mind. They have their own.

There are two very important factors to walking away. The word No, and direction. ‘No’ is the most powerful word in the world, and it is a signature word of a woman with strong boundaries. Practice the word No frequently, get comfortable saying it with no other explanation and no apology, start saying it to those people who are the most difficult to say it to. Trust me, it gets easier and easier, until saying No frees you from guilt or their judgment. The second factor to walking away successfully, is direction. You must know what you are walking towards, or people will drag you back to them.

The absence of direction in life is perceived as you having no goals or options, and that makes it easier for people to take up your time, and use your energy toward meeting their needs. You must always have a clear direction to walk to. For example, a man who knows you have no other options can easily keep you bound to him. Where are you going to go? A boss who knows you are not ambitious, knows you are not interviewing and that no other employer is making you any offers. Will she willingly offer you a raise? A friend who knows you are starving for friendships and relationships knows you are not surrounded by better people, and that you will always do whatever it takes to maintain good standing with her.

You will never walk away unless you have a direction to walk in. So, where are you going? When you lack direction, you are easily caught up in the affairs of other people. You start tending to their needs. They won’t value your time, because your time is free and not focused on anything important. They help you be useful by letting you tend to their needs. You become their utility. Why not, you have nothing better to do?

Having direction does not mean that you have to have some high-reaching life goal to change the world. Your goal can be you, and your direction can be your path of self discovery, learning, balance.

People will respect your walking away when they see how easily you maintain your boundaries using the word No, and when they see that you have clear direction when you are walking away.

Think of it this way. When you were a child, did you ever pack your tiny suitcase and try to run away? How far did you get? Chances are that your parents found your plight amusing, maybe they even let you go, because they knew you weren’t going far. With just a dollar of quarters in your pocket, and a few goldfish crackers in your belly, they had nothing to worry about. They knew you’d be back by dinner time. Do you see now why walking away fails for a lot of women who can’t say no, and have no direction?

Controllers, manipulators, toxic bosses, bad lovers and friends know a loyal dog when they see one. Where would the dog go when there are no other neighbors to feed it? The dog will always be loyal to whoever feeds it.

No one will respect your time, friendship, or work when they see how freely you give it away, how few options you have, how easily you can be swayed to participate in their affairs, how you lack a better place to go. And if you find walking away so difficult and painful, perhaps it is because you have no better place to be. Perhaps you haven’t made that better circle of friends, you have not updated your resume or sent in any applications, perhaps your parents know you’re not moving out of their basement and that you won’t move far from their fridge.

Walking away gets easier with time, because it forces you to always have a direction. Walking away is powerful for women with options, and impossible for people with no options. Your walk away from any situation is totally dependent on you having something to walk toward. You won’t go far without a destination.

S

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The Mate To Your Soul Versus Your Teacher

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

How would you recognize your soulmate, or the mate to your soul? What is so different about a relationship with your soulmate or what I call your perfect counterpart, as opposed to a relationship with anybody else?

The difference is in how you reached that person. The difference is in the path. A wise friend said “The perfect counterpart is someone that you can only experience harmonious union with while you are in harmonious union with yourself.” In other, less harmonious and less healthy connections, the relationship crumbles when one person aligns with his or her true self, finds his or her true path, while the other person struggles to adjust and align himself to that.

Those connections don’t last long, but they are still valuable teachers. Those connections teach us balance. As long as we struggle to balance ourselves with the relationship or with the other person, we throw ourselves out of balance. Through years of trial and error with various relationships, we always lose our balance when we try to align ourselves with someone outside ourselves. For many people, this lesson lasts a lifetime. They repeatedly try to align themselves with other people rather than align with their true self. In the process they lose themselves, they lose their identity, they lose their pride, they lose their stability. Those relationships seem like a losing game, and many people eventually throw in the towel, give up on looking for the One completely, and then through some much needed solitude, unintentionally find a connection to themselves.

What happens when we connect with that self? We fall in love with who we are, what we have, our circumstances, our life. After all this is all our creation. In this space, the lucky few begin to appreciate their losses, their failures, all their bruises and scars. The process of connecting to the self is long, most people can’t be bothered with it. But for the few who manage to connect, this is a life altering experience.

It is a time for self-discovery, learning, inner growth, editing, discarding beliefs that no longer serve us. The process cleanses us and lightens our load. There is a dark side to the process, it is much more uncomfortable, yet still an enlightening experience. Make no mistake, this is a long journey, one that most people will give up on. However, it is all worthwhile. In that process, we achieve harmonious union with ourselves. We became unshakably loyal to our inner being, our inner truth, to our selves. Other people cease to be as important to us as we are to ourselves. We understand that others cannot create our happiness, and as we gain balance within ourselves, create our own energy, feed our own soul, we reach a state of self reverence. It is the ideal place to be for a being who has mastered herself.

In this state of self-reverence, we all become more attractive to others. In fact, we become magnets for both balanced and imbalanced people. Balanced people, who are like us, acknowledge us, enjoy our company, but stay balanced on their own. Unfortunately, we become extremely attractive to the imbalanced ones too. Why wouldn’t we, we are the epitome of stability, strength, wisdom, truth and alignment.

At this point it is extremely important to become discerning about friendships and romantic relationships. People see in us what they lack within themselves, and often become attracted to what we can provide. Unfortunately, most of them have not achieved balance or alignment, and often seek to lean on us, or extract from us what they lack within themselves. Having given a few of these relationships a chance, I learned the hard way that there is absolutely nothing that I can do for a person who has not achieved their own balance, or done their own inner work. As well meaning as I am, I fail every time. Those relationships drain me, destabilize me, take away from the quality of my own life. I don’t blame anything on them, my willingness to give energy shows that I too can still lose balance. I need to strengthen my own alignment.

However, I do notice that as time goes by, I am more able to remain aligned despite who is near me. I now determine the health of a relationship by checking in with myself and measuring my balance, asking myself whether I am leaning on someone or is someone leaning on me, how centered am I as the relationship progresses?

I do find that now, after a decade of doing work on myself, I appreciate people who too have done that work. I value their experiences, I can learn from what they have become. I am better able to discern potential relationships by paying attention to the person’s inner world (if they have one), and am more apt to see what they need from me, and what they hope to achieve through the relationship.

But my most valued tool for assessing how balanced the other person is, is remaining in continued alignment with myself. When I can maintain that for short periods of time, I can easily filter out those men who struggle to find their equilibrium and their own power in my presence. What happens most often is that with my awareness locked into myself, they struggle to find my weakness, a need, a crack in my foundation, a way to gain a foothold as they climb up to my tower. They often fall flat on their faces. I don’t help them stand up. Others play feeble mind games, or employ trickery like NLP to control my attention. It doesn’t work, but it helps me identify them.

When I can maintain my alignment for extended periods of time, I am in harmonious union with myself. Some who have achieved this state claim that it is lonely at the top. I think there are fewer people up here who can maintain their alignment for so long. However, here we instantly recognize each other, we resonate with each other, we are among equals. There is nothing to prove to anyone, because we all ARE. There is no asking anything of anyone, because we all HAVE. There is no seeking, because we have all found ourselves. There is no leaning on other people, we are all balanced. Can you imagine how harmonious relationships are among people who aren’t seeking to gain anything from anyone, when no one is feeding off anyone, when all people have completed themselves? There may be fewer people here, but they are all enjoyable.

Relationships should be enjoyable, they should be in independent harmony, they should reflect our highest values. As long as they are not that, relationships are just our teachers. How many excellent teachers have I had? I am grateful for the life lessons, I hope they all found what they were looking for, I wish them nothing but the best that life can offer. But, I am in that place where I can hold on to my own alignment and maintain my own balance, and those who haven’t achieved that are not my equals. I wish them a pleasant journey.

S

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Am I The Toxic One?

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Have you ever thought, hey, maybe it’s me? Maybe, there’s nothing wrong with him, him, nor him. Is it possible that something might be wrong with me? After all, aren’t these negative dating patterns happening to me? Not other people. Very few people can be so self-reflective to ask themselves that difficult question, could this pattern of self-sabotage, chasing the wrong men, allowing crossed boundaries, participating in toxic behavior indicate that I am toxic too? I said that once to a Goddess in training, and she got so angry at me, she turned beet red and screamed how can you say that to me? Well, if you keep finding yourself in toxic situations over and over again, if you keep repeating situationships with toxic men, it is quite likely that the pattern is your own and that you are toxic too.

It takes two to tango. No one can push you into a relationship you don’t want to be in, no one can make you text him at 2am all your frustrations, no one can play a mind game with you unless you willingly play too, you can’t stay in toxic relationships for months then expect to not be toxic too. So, is it possible that you have had many negative dating experiences, accumulated a lot of toxic beliefs and low expectations, and rather than work on yourself to shed those bad habits, you keep projecting them into men, expecting certain kind of treatment, and choosing men who fit a past pattern? They look and act familiar, they match your own level of toxicity, they are willing to meet you in your mutual mind game, and every time the relationship goes wrong, you feel validated that your belief system is true and that your predictions about the connection are quite accurate. It makes no sense to keep repeating the same pattern and blame the pattern on the other person, when the pattern is happening to you. It is YOUR pattern. It’s your own dating script. It is your relationship blueprint. Whom shall we work on?

Yet, a lot of men and women keep chasing the prize, marriage, relationship, a soul-mate, a binding agreement, not realizing that they are not healthy enough to even be in such a situation. What could you possibly bring to that new relationship? Your old self? That same old blueprint you tried and failed with a dozen times?

I have worked with some professional women who themselves are therapists, and they too are incapable of looking within, admitting their own broken love circuits, and who insist that bad relationships are happening to them because men are bad And then, I have met with some who are eager to do work on themselves, they immerse themselves in every latest spiritual and psychology book, they love their new therapist, and then they drop everything the very moment a man asks them out. ‘It’s working! My therapy worked, there’s a healthy man in my life!’ They drop everything and disappear, and a few weeks or months later, they have sunk to an all time low. Why? They never found out what is wrong with themselves.

If you don’t have the answers to the following questions, you really shouldn’t be dating anyone.

1) Can you describe your own toxicity? Many women answer this question with an answer that shifts the blame on the man. “Well, I keep selecting toxic men, so that is my problem”. Nope. What part of YOU is toxic? What are your own toxic habits? What beliefs and toxic thoughts do you keep playing in your head like a broken record? What past patterns do you keep chasing, and repeating again and again? Can you write a chapter on what makes you toxic? Women who have not done any work will have nothing to say about their own toxicity. They are sure that they are victims of flawed men.

2) Am I able to identify red-flags, questionable behavior, personality traits of toxic people, can I monitor my boundaries and successfully act when there is a security breach? Most women can spot the red flags in hindsight. They see questionable behavior up front, make an excuse for it, brush it under the carpet, and then wonder why they are blindsided by that same behavior later in the relationship.

3) Am I capable of exiting a toxic relationship quickly, without willfully being dragged into more drama? Again, most women don’t exit, most will stay in the situation as if it has more power over them than they do. But if you don’t know how to leave, why are you chasing relationships? All the pain in a situation stems from not being able to leave what is hurting you. If you are still not capable of leaving unhealthy people and situations behind, if you are hurt by having to act in your own best interest, then you are not healthy enough to date.

4) Do I have any addictions? Am I codependent? What unrealistic expectations do I have of men that they refuse to deliver? Should I change my expectations, or continue chasing men who refuse to give me what I want? A lot of women are addicted to rejection, addicted to relationships, addicted to mind games, addicted to their own toxic patterns. Many women ARE exactly what they accuse the men of being. The only way they can relate to a human is to control and manipulate, trade feelings for actions or behavior, then they wonder why he wants to escape control.

I will write a longer list of signs that you are not healthy enough to be in a relationship, and please add your own below. But, the healthy thing to do is to begin with yourself. Take a long time-out from men and relationships, and give yourself the time and space to figure yourself out. You are not going to lose out on some opportunity, there’s no shortage of men in the world. As long as women are here, the men are not going anywhere. That’s my guarantee. But if you keep playing with men on some low relationship level, it is because you haven’t graduated from that low level. You are on the same level as they are.

I highly recommend going on a man diet- no men, no relationships, no flirtationships, no dating for 1-2 years until you feel balanced and clear. What can you do right now, today, to reflect upon yourself?

Pretend that you are writing an autobiography about your unhealthy relationship habits. Write a few chapters about your own dating history, what repeated patterns have you identified in your own relationships, where did you learn these patterns, what have you not resolved that makes these patterns repeat. Pinpoint your own toxicity and what toxic habits do you bring into the relationship from day one. If you feel like blaming a man for a bad treatment, look within yourself to answer why you allow that treatment? Why do I keep interacting with abusive men after I have identified the abuse? Why do I open the door and let them in? What am I seeking from that experience? Why do I refuse to leave? Why do I refuse to say No? Don’t criticize yourself or beat yourself up. The purpose of this is to objectively identify your own toxic patterns and habits so that you can face them, understand them, and resolve them.

Bad relationships don’t keep happening to you, they ARE you. You are not ready for a new man, until you have stopped a repeating pattern from the past. And please don’t jump into relationships if you have trouble leaving them. Would you dive into a pool, if you don’t know how to swim? The relationship won’t take care of itself, a man won’t take care of it for you. You have to be able to take good care of yourself, and leaving a bad situation behind swiftly and easily is a sign of a healthy and self-respecting woman. Can you leave easily? Or do you complain when you have to save your life?

S

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Is It Smart To Let Men Take The Lead In Relationships?

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Is it smart to let men take the lead in relationships? Think about it, how is that smart? How is it smart to let him be in charge of the outcome? Is it smart to allow him to think that commitment is totally his decision? Is it smart to be in suspense while he is exploring other options and thinking about whom to keep seeing, whom to eliminate, who is too much trouble to deal with? Is it smart to let him dictate the terms of the connection, then go with his flow, when you are truly after a totally different kind of connection?

I don’t think so. I do believe that you can give him the perceived lead, when that illusion allows you to observe what is he truly after, who is he on the inside, what is his agenda, how much effort he is making, where is he when he is not with you, is he emotionally healthy? Placing him in the perceived lead is your own strategy, that allows you to see his motive. Just watch and learn. Pay attention, ask a few questions, but use his perceived lead to gather pertinent information so that you can make the right decision for yourself.

Ultimately, it is 100% up to you whether he gets to go forward or gets eliminated. However, most women don’t understand that the entire connection is entirely up to her. He may be knocking on your door, but if you are not paying attention to figure out what he wants, you are wasting your time letting him in.

Who is truly in the lead? You are. The woman says Yes or No. The woman allows behaviors, allows treatment, loosens and tightens boundaries, and ultimately decides if and when there will be sex. Do you realize that all those things are totally up to you, and that he has nothing unless you grant him the permission to work towards you.

In their false belief that the man decides exactly what he wants, and that they simply go along with it until he has chosen them, many women disempower themselves, place themselves at his mercy, wait around for him to grace them with his attention, sex or disappearing act. Take control ladies. It is not up to him at all, it is totally up to you what you say yes to. It is not up to him to take you out on three dates then expect sex, if and when you have sex is totally up to you. It is not up to him to state he wants no commitment right now, and for you to accept that, then use sex as a last ditch effort to keep him. It is up to you to say no to that before you feed him what he wants for free. It is not up to him to decide that he can have four women at the same time, it is up to you to decide if you will be one of them. It is not up to him to decide I like you, let’s see where this goes, and for you to stay in suspense indefinitely, it is up to you to refuse to be in suspense. If you have no clear vision of where this is going, trust me it is going nowhere.

If men are truly after one thing, then why give it to him unless he has proven his devotion to you, only you, and no one else but you? Can a man prove that in three dates? How long does it take to build your trust, your confidence, your admiration?

If you and I met for the first time, we had a lot of chemistry, went out for drinks, and I asked you on the first outing to lend me a $1000, would you give it to me? No way, you’d want me to earn your trust and good friendship first. Can I earn it after three dinners? No, you still wouldn’t give me the money. You might wait until we become good friends, you’d vet my credibility, trustworthiness, my history, my ability to repay, you’d ask around, but you would be suspicious why does this woman want a $1000 from me? Either you would do your homework, or you’d be turned off that a new acquaintance with no history of proven friendship is asking for money, and you would walk away. Something is fishy here.

Yet, most women think it is just fine to get emotionally invested when he decides that it is time to get emotional. You’re a grownup, you know men bank on your emotions to get what they want, so why be flattered and excited when he is using emotions? You’re letting him lead you to what he wants, when it is totally up to you to determine what you want. The next step is never his decision. Unfortunately, by waiting around for him to make a decision and declare his next step, most women hand him their power.

So, how to remain always in the lead? By not giving him what he wants the day you meet him. I am not talking about playing games with men, or teasing them. You are not bait. I am talking about deciding in the first 30 seconds of meeting someone, how much attention they are truly worth. It is up to you to decide how much of your smile he gets, how many pleasantries you are willing to exchange, and up to you to determine when is enough for you, then walk away. Practice that. Practice setting time limits on strangers. Practice walking away from men you don’t want anything from.

If he is not sleepable, datable, or of any interest to you, why are you still giving him attention? You are handing him on a silver platter what he is used to, free, unearned, unqualified attention. And you are exposing yourself to negotiating your attention with people you have not deemed worthy of your time. Your time is valuable, but you are sharing it with anyone who keeps talking.

You arrive on your first date, and right away you see something off putting. Do you suffer through the whole date? A nice girl would do that, but how long would a man tolerate a woman’s off putting behavior before he disappears? You don’t owe anyone your time. By giving free time to anyone to has reserved you for an hour, you are compromising your standards. Politely excuse yourself, be honest, no need to be an asshole, but walk away because you don’t need to be there if you already know he is an ass.

It is a few days later, and his level of communication or texting is confusing. It may be gross, lewd, detached, whatever you don’t want, stop giving attention to it. If you want a man who is texting you actively and making concrete plans, those are the texts you should be answering in a timely manner, and if you don’t like his texts, if they don’t indicate a sincere human with genuine interest in you, why play the texting game? It’s not for you. Again, you decide if his texts will continue or get blocked.

Several dates later, he wants to get physical. Okay, but do you want it? Stop and process this question. Do you actually want to get physical, or are you doing to it because it is the third date and that indicates some sort of a milestone. Are you going for it because you think that sex will seal some sort of an unspoken deal? Or are you going for it because you truly want his body? Be honest with yourself.

At this point, you may not be physically attracted to him at all. Tradition says to give him a chance anyway. He might become attractive later. Kiss that frog and it might turn into a prince. Tradition states that a good girl would give an unattractive man a chance to prove himself. It’s not your job to kiss frogs. If you are not attracted to him, it is solely up to you to act in your own best interest. Don’t go beyond this point.

At this point you may have no indication of his future intentions. At this point you may not have the relationship you desire. At this point he may not have convinced you that he is only seeing you. At this point, if you hand him sex on a silver platter in hopes that some day it will lead to a relationship, you have traded your power away. Why have sex with a men you are unsure of? They don’t become princes later. I have a friend with benefits for that purpose, so that I don’t have to give anyone anything that I don’t want to give. Seriously, consider getting one too.

Many women have been lead to believe that only time will tell if he is the one. No girl, only you will tell if he is the one. They have been lead to believe that they need to give men chances. They have been lead to believe not to trust their own gut, but to allow plenty of time and space to turn a frog into a prince. No amount of time or space has turned a frog into a prince. That has never happened. Quit wasting your own time. You know a frog when you see one, why doubt your own eyes?

What could you do instead of sex? You could continue to observe. You could watch his behavior and learn who he is as a person. You could ask questions and wait until all your questions have been answered before you decide you have enough clarity about his motives, his emotional availability, his commitment. This is the time you study whether he is being emotionally available at all, whether he is faking it, whether he even has the capacity to tap into that part of him. Why would you wait for him to disappear to determine he was never emotionally available at all? It’s a bit too late at that point.

Don’t have sex with men who have not given you 100% clarity, then proven it with actions not words, that they are taking actionable steps toward the relationship you want. Do not hand him a blueprint or your checklist, because with that any narcissist will follow your instructions on how to get to you. An honest man, with honest intentions to have an honest relationship doesn’t need an instruction manual on how to connect to you on a human level.

Would you go into business with a partner you don’t know? Would you determine what that potential partner has to bring to the table, or would you give him 50% of your business just for the asking? He asked, so I’ll just give him my business, and hope for the best? You wouldn’t do that. You’d do a ton of due diligence, hire a lawyer to pore over every part of that contract, you’d investigate your partner’s work history, credit worthiness, strengths and weaknesses, you’d interview his past employers and partners, and if things appeared shady, you wouldn’t go forward with the deal.

Unfortunately, to a lot of women, men appear shady up front, but they hand him their power as soon as possible, then accuse of him being shady after he disappears. Your homework was to determine whether 2+2 equals 4 up front, to determine if his stories are true, if he truly is who he claims to be, if he actually is that man of your dreams. Be honest, you knew that he wasn’t long ago, you just let him lead you to this point.

So, I ask again: How smart is it to put a man in the lead of a relationship? Where do you think he will drive this relationship? Go ahead, hand him the keys to the relationship, then guess where he will drive it. Do you think he will steer it where he wants it to go, or where you want it to go? Think long at hard, how ridiculous is it to let him drive in whatever direction he wants to go?

As ridiculous as this sounds, this is how a lot of women end up married to tricksters. Or they end up being dragged for years in relationships going nowhere for no reason than to go for the ride. Be honest, how many times have you been taken for a ride?

How smart is it to put a man in the lead of a relationship? It’s not smart at all. It’s a poor choice, utterly stupid, and you know you are going to regret this later. Would you tell your daughter to passively wait and see what he does, where he wants the connection to go, wait until he decides, and in the mean time smile, be nice, give his some sex to see if he likes it? You’d never allow your daughter to be in that position!

How did women get this idea? This ridiculous notion that a man should be in the lead of relationships has been around for hundreds of years. It sounds like something out of a 1950‘s dating manual. Oh wait, dating and relationship gurus still swear by this tactic! What exactly is he in the lead of? I’m waiting in suspense to find out.

Ladies, you own cars, you have your own keys, start driving wherever you want that car to go. Sure, it takes two willing and equally committed participants to make a relationship, and you can’t drag him tied to the back of your car. But if he is showing you no signs of meeting your needs, if he isn’t attractive enough, if he isn’t going in the direction you are going, why are you waiting for him to decide anything? The last thing he should be receiving from you is sex. He doesn’t even warrant a phone call.

If you are not used to being in charge of relationships, practice. In between relationships, when I am not seeing anyone worth my time, I enjoy saying No with great pleasure. No, is the most powerful word in the universe, so get used to using it to limit people’s unearned access to you. ‘No, I can’t listen to you any more,’ ‘No, I wouldn’t enjoy that drink with you’, ‘No, I have no intention of sleeping with you at all’, ‘No, you misjudged my interest’, ‘No, I really can’t give you a chance’, ‘No, I’d rather dine alone’, ‘No, you can’t increase your offer, my time is not for sale’.

When a man is in charge of the relationship, most women are in a passive wait and see state of mind, which usually amounts to a lot of confusion. Why wouldn’t you be confused if only he knows what’s going on in this relationship? Why wouldn’t you be going crazy, you just handed him your sanity and are waiting to see what he will do with it? Why wouldn’t you be paralyzed and in suspense if you are willingly playing his waiting game?

The only way to put a stop to it is to take the wheel. Who decides where your car is going?

If he isn’t going in your direction, why let him get into your car? That passenger in your car is just wasting your gas and toll money while he decides where he wants to go. Pull over and tell him to get out. Now.

How many men have been a complete waste of your time? Ask yourself this question: In that same time period, have you been a waste of their time? Probably not because you have been giving them a free ride all along. If you gave them a ride, if you waited around to see what they want, if you stroked their ego, if you made him feel like a man, you wasted a ton of premium gas on nothing. Stop giving men free rides. That begins with stopping the free attention, stopping the wait and see game, stopping being nice to every man you don’t know. Most of all, stop following dating rules. They are a road map to nowhere. They are a trap for women who don’t know what they want or how to get there. They are a trap for passive women who like to hand over the keys to whoever wants a ride.

Please be advised that I AM NOT urging you to lead unwilling men into a relationship and start driving. Instead, I am telling you to put the brakes on anything that is confusing, misleading, time wasting, a mind game, disrespectful, unattractive, going nowhere. I wrote many times about what happens when we ignore people’s wants, and assume our way into relationships. The consequences of that are toxic. But, you are 100% in charge if a man can move forward with you. You have to put the brakes on anything that is not moving in your direction.

So, what to do instead? To truly take the power in every relationship, you must begin from day 1, that first moment you give anyone your attention. Do not give attention to anyone you don’t find attractive enough, or anyone who isn’t sleepable, dateable or whatever You need him to be. Don’t agree to the first date unless you truly have an interest in him. Are you going on this date because he asked you out, because you have nothing better to do, or you want to try that latest restaurant? None of those reasons are reason enough to give someone your time. What is? Ask yourself if you would have asked him out? Is he interesting enough for you to want to pursue? If not, you actually don’t have interest, you are dating out of boredom. Don’t be there.

Like Seinfeld said, 99.99% of people in the world are unsleepable. Why would you hand them your time? You disempower yourself the minute you say yes to someone or something you don’t truly want.

On the first date, make sure you are actually enjoying him. Is his company enjoyable or is it a drag? Is he attractive or off putting? This isn’t about whether the restaurant is nice, whether the food is good, it is all about is he attractive enough to you now? Is he showing you something you want, or is he looking like someone you don’t want? Your judgment should be on him, not on the food or the price tag of the meal. Remember, you don’t owe him more time than it takes to figure out if you want him. You don’t owe him a second date, you don’t owe him more chances. If he is absolutely offensive, you don’t have to stay there and wait it out. People say it is unladylike to be impolite, I say take back your power and leave if he is an asshole. Do not let an asshole own your time by paying for your dinner. Pay your share and leave. Old fashioned traditions empower and embolden men, they leave women at their mercy. They call polite women classy. Is enduring unwanted attention your version of class?

In any given moment you have to act in your own best interest and if giving him your time and energy feels unpleasant, you don’t need to drain yourself. Contrary to dating manuals, it isn’t rude to leave an unpleasant date, it is rude for a rude man to expect you to tolerate his rudeness.

Assuming you are still interested, take as many dates as you need to ascertain who he is, what he wants, how committed he is, how likely is he to remain in a relationship, how emotionally available and healthy he is, and feel free to exit any time. It is easier to exit when you are not emotionally invested, so if sex is your weakness don’t have any.

You have to accept the fact that any man will exit the relationship if he isn’t getting what he wants, and it is your prerogative to exit a connection if you are not getting what you want. It is much better that he exits before you have had sex, than after. You are weeding men out, not asking them to stay in the running. If he exits, let him. It is a sign that he has not shown you any qualities that warrant sex, intimacy, or emotion. Save your energy for someone who can give you that.

How long it takes you to ascertain his worthiness is solely up to you. If you are still not convinced after 3, 7 or 10 months, stop him from wasting your time. You don’t owe it to him to keep trying. You lost nothing, you didn’t give him sex or emotions. You remained detached, in observation mode until he shows you qualities you like, want and need.

How many times have you discovered unacceptable qualities in men long after you are emotionally attached to him? Could you have found those qualities before you gave him anything? That is the goal.

If you want a man to prove that he is relationship material, then let him audition as your boyfriend. Most women are the ones auditioning because they are used to giving up everything, placing all their cards on the table, then hope he doesn’t walk away with her cards. That’s what you get for following dating manuals and tradition.

You should be auditioning a few men at a time. That is easy to do when you are not sleeping with any of them. You are not wasting your energy on anyone when they are the ones doing the work to convince you they are worth your time, attention, presence and consideration. Remain detached, observe, do your homework, make judgments. Yes, use your best judgment to judge who is in your best interest. There is nothing wrong with that.

Never waste attention or time on men you have no intention of dating. A lot of insecure men ask for friendship because they know they won’t have to do the hard work, and as a friend they don’t have to pass tough harsh scrutiny. They hope to catch a few breadcrumbs in your weakest moments, maybe you’ll accidentally find yourself in his arms. Don’t let men use your friendship to access your energy. Some men are happy with crumbs.

Also, waste no time on men who have no intention of giving you anything serious. Don’t let them suck you in with the wait and see game, the “I don’t know what I want” game, the “you need to complete with other women” game, the “I have too many options” game. If he is showing you his options, why are you still looking at him? It’s a game. Don’t play it. It is totally up to you whether you decide to stay in suspense. Block it right away, so the game doesn’t drain you.

So, for the last time, is it smart to let men take the lead in relationships? Take the lead woman. You already have what he wants. You don’t have to give it to him until you are fully satisfied.

S

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A Man is Not a Man Unless I Think So

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Don’t let a man negotiate how you feel about him. He showed you he is an asshole, you think he is an asshole, but he doesn’t like that you think he is an asshole. Guess what, he still is an asshole. The worst thing a woman can do is question her own judgment. And that usually happens when we don’t trust ourselves, or don’t feel confident enough to stand up for our own opinion. Often women are made to feel guilty for being judgmental. I see nothing to feel guilty about. Good judgment is a sign of a sound mind. Often women are shamed for their opinion, or for daring to make a man not feel like a man. Well, if his manhood depends on how others feel about him, he’s got no manhood at all.

Assholes often have like-minded friends, and those friends will often jump to his rescue when they see he needs help to preserve his reputation. Friends will stick up for the nice guy automatically, and gang up on whoever dared to make their friend feel less than. It’s no wonder that most women would back out of their own judgment than face a firing squad of other assholes. If you back off, and change your opinion of him to win the approval of assholes, you are stepping on a grenade. You just showed him that he can be an asshole, and that you will change your mind at the first sign of pressure.

A couple was fighting because he said something that was deeply offensive to her, and he was trying to negotiate her opinion of him. She called him an asshole, a chauvinist, and a pig. He laughed, and argued with her for a minute, then changed his tactic. “Okay, I take back what I said, my apologies”, and with a bit of sweet talking, she said “Okay, you’re not an asshole, even though that comment was absolutely offensive”. Wow girl, did you forget he offended you a minute ago?

Does taking back what he said change what he said? If he is allowed to take back what he said, does that mean that his opinion on the subject is now changed? If he takes back something offensive, does the woman owe it to him to not be offended?

When a man doesn’t like how you perceive him, do you let him bully you into perceiving him more favorably? Do you let him buy you something to show you that he is now a nice guy? Come on ladies, honor your own opinion.

A man will never take you seriously when he sees that your opinion of him can be bought. “Let me buy you lunch to make it up to you.” Does that work on you? Is your price tag higher than lunch? If your opinion of him can be bought with an expensive gift, even a Ferrari, how valuable is your opinion, or your company?

Too many women are quick to change their estimation of men as soon as he shows his displeasure at not being treated like a man. Who handed him his manhood on a silver platter? His mother?

A man is not a man unless you think so. And before you state that, make sure that he has earned his reputation by showing you his character, his opinions, his reputation, his willingness to stand by his word, his respect for your judgment and your opinion by accepting that your opinion of him is valid.

A man of character would expect you to have a negative opinion of him when he has done or said something wrong. He would expect you to stand up to him, state your case logically, then prove with actions that your judgment is non-negotiable. He will expect a woman of strong character to leave.

An asshole or a douche bag will start negotiating how you feel. A man of character will not. Your opinion is valid to him, he will not take back what he said if he can substantiate his opinion, and he will not expect you to take back what you said either. You could accept the fact that you are very different and that you don’t have to date each other, and that’s far more respectable than negotiating with assholes.

If men don’t take you seriously, check yourself. Do you let them tell you how you should feel? Do you let them bully you or buy your opinion with a nice gesture? Do you let their friends gang up on you because they expect you to treat him like a nice guy?

Your opinion is the only one that matters. Standing up for it shows that you have self-respect. Not negotiating her mind away is a mark of a Goddess.

Remember, a man is not a man unless you think so.

S

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The Power of Darkness and How to Face Your Own Shadow

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Your darkest place is where your treasure is buried. What do I mean by that? We all have a positive side and a negative side, our light and our darkness. That duality is a force of nature. Look at nature, there is death from which comes rebirth. There is destruction, always followed by rebuilding. The tides go up and down, the poles are positive and negative, what goes up must come down. Neither is better or worse, neither is good or evil. We all live in duality, and to be balanced we all have to accept all of our nature, our positive and negative side, our male and female energies, the lightness and the darkness of our being.

People who can come to terms with their duality are considered to be balanced. Those who cannot accept, or those who reject one aspect of themselves pretending they only have a feminine side, or only a positive side are out of balance. By rejecting their masculine energy, or pretending to be always enlightened, refusing to face the duality of their nature, they are killing an aspect of themselves, or coming out of balance. Balance and imbalance are two states of being we are all always in. When we feel balanced, we feel healthy, we feel flow, things are progressing, we are meshing with other balanced people. And when we are imbalanced, our behavior shows it. Even when we can’t admit it, other people know it, something about that person’s flow appears to be constipated :).

Most of us are taught to reject our opposite side. Women are taught to reject their masculine side to appear more attractive and favorable to men, and males are taught to reject their feminine side, so they don’t get labeled as gay, metrosexual, weak. When each sex has rejected their opposite side, both partners are imbalanced, each person is only a half of their wholeness, and they connect from a place where they now have to complete each other. That woman who cannot take charge of herself, cannot figure out how to pay her bills, will invest heavily into her femininity, become docile, passive, dependent on a man who has rejected his feminine side. He has suppressed his emotions in order to appear dominant, aggressive, a bread-winner, a successful male. They own each other. He owns her livelihood, while she owns his masculinity. They feed each other whatever the other needs, and that is called codependence or a traditional relationship. Each wants to fulfill a role, and they trade based on meeting each other’s needs, playing an appropriate part. As long as they play along perfectly without ever disappointing the other, the relationship appears to be working. They are in a contract: you always make me feel like a real man, and I will give you whatever it takes to make you feel like a real woman. They trade emotions, security, jewelry, assets, narcissistic supply, social standing, flattery etc. Their arrangement can only go on as long as they are pleasing each other.

But how long can one person be at constant service to the other? At a certain point one fails to deliver, one falls a bit short, age happens, one person is more drained than the other, and the whole house of cards falls apart.

People who are in balance do their best to accept both of their sides. It isn’t easy, facing one’s darkness is a very painful process, most people manage to ignore it for a big chunk of their lives. Why explore my darkness when life is treating me well? Why do that painful work, why face my negativity? For most people, they only come face to face with their darkness when they have lost everything, or when mid-life crisis slaps them in the face, or an illness or depression plunges them into that place. No one wants to look at their shadow, no one wants to deal with those aspects of themselves they have suppressed, erased, swept under the rug, until dealing with it is a matter of survival. In that moment you only have three choices: Deal with it by facing it, take drugs to make the bad feelings go away, or end it all, which is unfortunately how a lot of people deal with having to face themselves.

I don’t want to write about depression. I have been in it, faced it, but it is a loaded subject almost always critiqued by those who have never experienced it. Let’s leave the subject on the side and talk about facing our dark side. We all have it, it is that side of us we refuse to acknowledge, we hide from others, it is our negative reactions, our fears, our hate, or jealousy, our rage, our pain, all those blows to our ego, that wounded animal, that icky place no one wants to look at. That is our dark side, and it is responsible for at least half of our reality and the results we get in life. If you don’t deal with it, shit will continue to happen, and you will continue to not be responsible for it. How does that serve you?

There are countless ways to deal with those aspects of us. Choose the method that you believe in the most. If you like therapy, work with a qualified professional. If you are spiritual, you could meditate, talk to a spiritual advisor, or work on yourself. But you must explore your own depths, understand your own patterns, motives, self-destruction, find the source of your rage, who are you really angry at? I’ll give you a clue: the answer is always you. If you come out of your process concluding that other people have hurt you, and that you are the victim of unfortunate circumstances, I assure you, you have not faced yourself, you saw what you wanted to see. You have only found a person or a circumstance to blame. When life starts to go on, your pattern will repeat itself, you will still sabotage your own life, the cycle will go on and on until there is no one left to blame.

What treasure lies in your darkness? You buried it there decades ago. It is those aspects of yourself you couldn’t face, your ego would not allow you to admit, your guilt, your shame, your lies, your mask, and all those things have been stuffed carefully and locked in your mental abyss. Why would you want to open that ugly Pandora’s box?

I found that answer a few years ago, when I got triggered into a situation with a man, and I couldn’t understand my own automatic behavior. I was responding to his toxic trigger by self sabotage, rage, self-deprecation, approval seeking- all those things I warn women never to do, I was doing to myself. I was on auto-pilot acting out feelings I had buried thirty years ago. It took repeated patters with this man to make me realize that I had dug a deep hole decades ago, and buried that experience, those horrible feelings and those memories because I never wanted to look at them again. But, had I faced them, I could have learned how to effectively work with those feelings like an adult today. This man simply made me remember an issue I had refused to deal with in my youth, and our continuing pattern of toxic behavior was calling my attention it.

Thirty years ago I had a very painful experience. I wasn’t mature enough to deal with. It was horrible, agonizing, gross, icky, so I killed it. I pulled the trigger and I was never going to deal with that bad feeling again. What I didn’t realize is that I killed one aspect of myself. Now there was a dead body on the floor, a rotten corpse I didn’t want to acknowledge, so I dug a deep hole in the ground. The hole was deep enough that no one could ever see that version of me, especially not me. In my darkest hour I would still not be able to find it. I filled the hole with dirt, a heavy pile of rocks, and topped it off with a boulder, just to make sure that corpse will never move.

There I was a few years ago, wondering how this man managed to trigger me into seemingly out of character behavior, making me act out my darkest fears. I asked myself in meditation, what is this fear? What am I really afraid of? What part of me hurts? What am I acting out really? What am I trying to prove to this man? The clues lied in that dead version of me I buried years ago. Yes, I buried a version of me that was not okay, that was deeply flawed, that was weak, that was dependant on approval, that was ashamed of being who she is, that was embarrassed of her own feelings, that was not good enough, that was highly imbalanced. I didn’t like that me, so I killed her and hid her in a dark grave. The only way I could learn how to deal with this man and the situation I was in now, was to study my own corpse. I had to go back to that old version of me, understand all her weaknesses, motives, all that pain had to be dug up because I never bothered to deal with it nor understand it before.

It was a painful process, but there is a lot of power in our darkness. All our answers lie in graves we dug for ourselves a long time ago. We have to be willing to go there, to talk to those old versions of ourselves, face the bad feelings we couldn’t deal with before, because our power is becoming okay with that person we rejected. In analyzing that old version of me, I understood that at that age I did the best that I could under the circumstances. Those rotten feelings were natural for an animal that has been wounded. We all have more sympathy for a wounded animal than we have for ourselves. Give yourself some sympathy. I started to understand that past version of me, I started to like her, I saw strength in her.

She was young and inexperienced but she still had courage to do what was necessary to protect herself at the time. She did the best she could. Those icky feelings she buried were a mix of sharp stabbing pain, fear, guilt, shame, self-loathing. I faced all those bad feelings, and became okay with them. They were appropriate for the situation, just left undealt. Now was my time to work with them. I talked to myself the way I would talk to any woman in need: with sympathy, kindness, understanding, encouragement, wisdom, and then empowerment. I sat with her in that darkness for months, it was a hideous place to be, but I held her hand and I knew that she will be okay.

The longer I stayed in that painful, ugly place, the less threatening it seemed. There is nothing here that I haven’t seen before. Darkness is a comfortable place when you start to accept your own flawed company. I also became okay with those rotten feelings. As I worked through them, and gained an understanding, they seemed to dissipate. Over time, I saw the real me, that actual version of me that I refused to look at for years. She was looking more okay each day. In fact there was nothing ugly there at all. She just accepted bad feelings and carried them with her until she could no longer stand under her own weight.

My power came the day I realized that I in all versions of me are totally okay with me. I am actually awesome, intelligent, powerful, logical, balanced, super strong, assertive, dominant, kind, empathic, and I have the ability to see. This is something I hid for many years, but I see beyond what is not there, I read people like an open book, I can smell your cancer. I have been suppressing that most powerful aspect of me, because other people hated my ability to see them as they are, so I felt hideous for mirroring aspects of themselves they refused to look at. I am okay with my opinions of you, I am okay with speaking out, I am okay expressing myself, I am okay with you not liking me for it, I am okay being dominant and bigger than weak people, I won’t apologize for it. I am okay, I am okay, I am okay with all aspects of me. It was like lighting struck me, and light lit up my whole world. This is what I have been hiding? My strength? I will never feel ashamed for it again!

Don’t be fooled. As powerful as this experience was for me, there is always more work to be done. Your work on your darkness is never over. If you are balanced, you will always be in duality. Darkness is not a mess you have to clean up, it is your shadow, it doesn’t go away when you start scrubbing. Accept it, and learn how to work in that place. Your power is at the bottom of that abyss you are so afraid to look into. All your answers are right there for you to uncover. There are many flawed versions that you have buried. There are many graves in your abyss. If you operate from a place of ego, you have an entire graveyard to dig up because you haven’t found acceptance for even one version of yourself. Okay, accept that, roll up your sleeves and start digging.

Treasure is always buried in the darkest place. You want personal power? You have to face your own darkness, conquer your own fears, and slay your own dragons. What you’ll find in that darkest place is that fear doesn’t exist at all, it is just how you feel about your own shadow. And monsters don’t exist, what you have been afraid of is facing yourself. The most powerful lesson I learned in that place is what Machiavelli said: fear nothing. Fear is nothing, there is nothing to fear. Fear doesn’t exist at all.

S

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How Victims of Ghosting Create Their Own Reality

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

No one can give you more closure, than to slam the door right in your face. If you can’t see closure when someone has disappeared out of your life and refuses to communicate, check yourself. You may have trouble facing reality.

Ghosting is when someone disappears from your life without an explanation. We have talked about this topic before. As offensive as ghosting is, we tend to look at ghosting only from our own point of view. We say, ‘I would never do that to someone. I am owed an explanation. I am owed more. It is cowardly to end a relationship without an explanation. I am owed closure. Our relationship was much more special than that’.

All those things may be true. But you are failing to see this from the other person’s perspective. You are looking at this relationship from the perspective of your own connection to the relationship, and failing to look at it from the depth of the connection that the other person felt. Chances are high that if you are confused about their feelings, you have no idea how the other person was truly feeling about you or your relationship. You saw what you wanted to see, and failed to accurately measure the depth of the other person’s feelings. One person was much more attached than the other, one person needed it much more than the other, one person’s feelings were much stronger, one person’s energy was binding the other.

It is a given in any human relationship, one person loves more than the other, and one person needs more than the other. We don’t measure love in milligrams and demand an equal dose in each beaker. So what was the level of the ghoster’s connection to you? Was he equally in need or in love as you? Did he honor the relationship as much as you? How deep were the ghoster’s feelings for you? Did you hear him say the words “I Love you” and assume his kind of love must be equal to yours, or did you witness behavior that demonstrates the ghoster’s level of commitment is the same as yours? What was the level of connection that this person felt towards you? Chances are that you just didn’t know, and if you were diligently building this relationship without their full participation, you kind of knew they weren’t into it.

Ghosting is a bad word, it implies that the actions of this person were criminal. Sure, relationship experts label ghosting as a heinous crime, as criminal as cheating. But let’s pretend for a second that this person is just as human as you, and that he or she acted in a way that demonstrates his or her level of feelings for you. In fact, how we treat others reflects how we feel toward them. If a person truly felt love, would he or she have disappeared?

So what is the truth? When someone ghosts you, they actually don’t feel the connection you do. When someone disappears, it is not because they love you too much. When someone fucks someone else, it is not because they couldn’t handle your level of your mutual love. They do that for the opposite reason, you just keep telling your mind stories that refuse to acknowledge the truth.

Everybody rejects somebody. We all do. And in our digital world, ghosting is easier than ever. Don’t think that ghosting didn’t exist before smart phones and social media. Most of us can remember the days of keeping the phone off the hook until the caller gave up and stopped calling. Rather than label ghosters as evil people, let’s see them for humans they really are. Leaving someone demonstrates I don’t love you, I don’t need you, I don’t feel the way you do, I don’t want what you want, I am not as committed to you as you want me to be, you are not seeing that I don’t want this relationship the way you do. That disappearing act is final confirmation of I don’t want you at all! And if you haven’t heard it during your relationship, this final disappearing act confirms it. Now you have no choice but to face it.

Of course, many victims of ghosting still refuse to face that the other has disappeared. Instead, their monkey mind starts to spin stories, ‘he loves me so much he is just scared’, ‘he wants me so badly that he is afraid of his feelings for me’, ‘he suffers from so much emotional pain from his childhood and his horrible ex…”, No, he just doesn’t want you.

These mind stories force us to keep the door open, when the reality is that the door has been slammed in our face. And it is those mind stories that are responsible for us refusing to get closure, in essence, we are keeping the door open ourselves, and refusing to see that the ghoster has given us closure in one big undeniable way. He is gone. The relationship does not exist. Poof! That is the only provable fact, there is no relationship whatsoever.

What this act proves is that this person did not feel the level of connection with you. It may or may not prove that you refused to see it, hear it, acknowledge it. It is quite possible that the ghoster demonstrated low interest, or verbally said things “I am not ready”, “I am not sure”, “I don’t know what I want”, “Let’s keep it casual” and that your monkey mind found hope in these words. You treated this as a relationship, while the other person was struggling to be understood.

I have no way of knowing whether your mind spun this situation into a relationship, but I can say with 100% certainty, that the other person did not feel the way you do, or want this as badly as you did. And, if you can acknowledge that possibility, you can give closure to yourself. You don’t need the other person to blatantly tell you no. They have disappeared from your life, and that is the only sign you need.

What if the ghoster keeps coming back? Then you are in a situationship with a ghost, not a real partner. If you keep entertaining the ghost, continuing the conversation, and negotiating terms of this fictitious relationship with a person who has pulled the disappearing act, that is 100% your choice. You are equally responsible for being in a situation with a person who keeps trying to disappear from you. This connection accurately reflects your level of self-respect. The fact that you keep striving to build a relationship with a phantom, instead of a person who is really here, shows that you are more committed to fantasy than to healthy and honest relationships. That is also 100% on you.

In my personal opinion, ghosting is a perfectly acceptable form of communication with people who are out of touch with reality. Sorry, I know that ghosters are supposed to be bad meanies with no feelings. True, they have no feelings, but they have no feelings for you. But, you refused to acknowledge their lack of feelings and kept investing in the fantasy anyway. What does that make you? If you can’t recognize or acknowledge when the other person doesn’t feel the same, you are equally responsible for imagining connections that aren’t there. You are seeing ghosts, and demanding that they behave as if they are real, and give you real relationships.

I have written about ghosting before. The last post I made, In Defense of Ghosting was my own experience in pulling the disappearing act, and my justification for doing so. I can only speak for myself, but I disappear when the other person refuses to acknowledge my lack of interest. The very last time I disappeared, was from a guy who has been pursuing me for 10 years, when for 10 years I never said I am interested in him. He then, invited me to meet him on vacation in Europe. This was proof that he really thought that we had a connection that I said I don’t want. Why would I fly to Europe to meet you, when I don’t want you? In his mind, this invitation was proof of his interest, and he assumed that his grandiose act was also mine. I blocked him, because the man is out of touch with reality. He clearly did not notice that I am in no relationship with him, no feeling, no emotional connection to him at all. For ten years he kept communicating with no replies, kept inviting with each invitation being declined, and his interest finally culminated with one grand invitation. To him, this invitation was proof of his love. Did he acknowledge that in 10 years, I never showed interest, I never accepted an invitation, I never said I wanted anything at all?

Humans assume that what they are feeling about a person is proof that the connection is real. They fail to see that it takes a mutual level of interest, mutual desire, mutual feelings to build a true connection. Often people project their own feelings into the other person and they assume that the other must feel the same. You know they have done so, when they continue to build on this connection, while the other keeps pulling away, keeps dating others, keeps being unavailable, etc.

Social media and dating experts claim that the ghoster is a coward. That may be true, but my assertion is that the victim is an even bigger coward. How? The victim refused to face the fact that she may be pushing for a connection too hard, to face that her object of interest doesn’t feel the same, that one-way desire does not equal a deep connection. In ignoring the fact that her object of desire does not feel as deeply for her, she demonstrated her own cowardice to face the truth.

I believe that all people are just mirrors to our own soul, and that if we keep seeing uncomfortable patters in our own reality, those patterns are a reflection of flaws we have to fix within ourselves. If you have been ghosted multiple times, and you keep finding yourself in relationships that were never real or with people who were not equally connected to you, then the only person you can fix is you. How can I see people for who they are more clearly, before I sleep with them? How can I gauge their interest more accurately before I start connecting emotionally? Perhaps I could avoid phantom relationships, by allowing people to tell me they don’t want anything, and being okay with it, then not pursuing a serious connection with the one who doesn’t want this connection to be serious.

Once again, a ghoster is simply a person who did not feel the same way as you. Rather than be angry at a phantom, you would do yourself a greater service by acknowledging that this person demonstrated with 100% accuracy how they truly feel. You can’t get more accurate with your feelings than to disappear from someone’s life. Don’t beg for closure from a ghost, this person just slapped you in the face, and you are refusing to see the closure in that pain.

S

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How Women Broadcast Lack of Respect for the Self

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Boo hoo, I’m sorry you have issues from your past, and I’m sorry you keep suffering because you are stuck on that old story, and sorry to tell you this: no magical hand is going to come down from the sky and hand you a cookie for all your suffering. Suffering is not a badge of honor, there’s no reward for carrying other people’s burdens, nor for suffering longer than all your friends. You’re not a better person because you suffered more, and you don’t get brownie points for being a victim. What do you get in the end? People who are sick of you story, relationships that don’t want to suffer with you, and guess what, more suffering you have earned by staying in that mentality.

The goal in life is not to endure hardships, it is to overcome those hard things. The goal in life is not to remain loyal to those who test your boundaries, and stay in relationships with people who want to break out. The goal in life is not to list all the ways you have grieved and been wronged, you score by learning from each situation, and growing yourself to be a wiser, better, more self-honoring person. That lesson in life is how to choose your honor first over every person and situation who has dared to dishonor you.

Accepting defeat does not mean that you have to remain in that state of defeat, it just means being okay with it long enough to suspend your ego, and learn to stop fighting for what you want, you have to become it. You can’t fight a man into loving you, so stop fighting for love. Be love. You will never be rich, successful, independent, nor respected, when you insist that other people alter their behavior for your benefit. That’s like asking for an emotional handout.

Being a Goddess is a tough job. It means choosing yourself first, honoring yourself first, enforcing your own boundaries, speaking your inner truth at all times, defending your truth even when it means losing everything. You have to be so committed to yourself, that no one can threaten your ego, no one can take away your inner peace, no one can knock you out of balance because your balance is dependent on your self-respect, not on other people’s actions.

Most women agree that they should choose themselves first when it comes to men. But then, they put aside their needs for their child, compromise their truth for the sake of pleasing an aging parent. They’ll say No to the beggar down the street, but say okay to that boundary-crossing friend just to keep the friend. Are you aware of how many times you dishonor yourself when you try to maintain peace? I am not saying that you should be combative about your boundaries, I am saying that you should stop feeling guilty for saying No. Every time you say yes, when you mean no, even in unimportant situation, you swallow a bit of your pride. You swallow a bit of bitterness, you swallow a bit of resentment, you swallow a bit of anger, you say okay because that’s what nice women do.

Each time you do that, you compromise a piece of yourself. A long time ago, you have learned to take it, and it’s no wonder that as an adult, many women have no clue how to get respect. This is sad.

Receiving respect should not be a bloody battle, but it often is when you have taught people that you are willing to swallow your pride. Whose fault is it when they expect you to swallow it again? It is sad when strong, competent, educated, successful women win people over by acquiescing to their demands. They earn a relationship with a man whose ego they now have to stroke, or earn a promotion by saying yes to everyone in the department- she is that employee who works until 2 am, because she has taken on the work of people she didn’t want to reprimand. Is that success? Is that a Goddess? She may have the $2000 handbag and the matching stilettos, but is that a woman who commands respect?

Self-respect begins with the word No. No mom, you cannot guilt me into visiting you on Sunday. No son, you cannot behave dishonorably and demand that I treat you like a man. No honey, I won’t stroke your ego and treat you like a god, when you behave like any mortal. No boss, I won’t work on weekends for no additional pay. No. No, No, No and No. Why? It is not in my best interest to do so.

Many of us have no problems at all, instead most of us suffer from a lack of self-respect. Many of us are looking for techniques about how to change other people, but are refusing to change ourselves. Some of us suffer, yet remain loyal to those who keep us suffering. Who are you really committed to? Those people who ask you to swallow guilt, shame, self-respect, or are you committed to you? Act like it. A Goddess is committed to herself, to her honor, to her dignity, to her boundaries, to her self-respect. A Goddess would not compromise one ounce of her dignity, her boundaries, her self-respect, to keep disrespectful people in her life. Not one ounce.

A Goddess commands respect from others solely because she demonstrates her commitment to her dignity and self-respect for the whole world to see. Those who cannot tolerate her strength and her loyalty to herself will hate her, and obviously disapprove. A Goddess is comfortable and stands confident in the face of their disapproval.

Become comfortable with other people’s disapproval of you. Yes, it is a practice that you must master. You cannot shrink when others demand you bow in front of them. Be comfortable with losing important people, no one should be more important to you than you. Be comfortable with saying No, without an apology or an explanation. No. I’m not interested. No, that is not true. No, you are in fact wrong. No, you do not have my permission to do that. No, it is not okay for you to keep pushing for yes, when I have clearly said No. No, I won’t call you on my day off. No, I will not pick up the phone every time you need something. No, you are not my top priority. No, dinner with you would be no pleasure for me. No, I will not buy more Girl Scout cookies from you, I do not want to feel obligated. No, I will not pay what we haven’t agreed to, No, you did not complete your work to my satisfaction and no, I will not help you complete it. No.

Do you have trouble saying No? Do you have issues that you haven’t put an end to from your past? Do you suffer at the hands of other people? Are you still entertaining bad habits from your past? Are you still relying on victimhood as your excuse in life? I can’t help you until you are willing to stand up for yourself and scream No. I’ve got bad news for you. We all keep ourselves in old holding patterns, in toxic relationships, in deep shit, simply because we refuse to take responsibility for our own grown selves and say No.

One of the things I enjoy now with great pleasure is saying No. In fact, I love the power of saying No so much, I relish hearing myself say it. My no, is never followed by an excuse, an explanation, nor sugar-coated words. Those words only soften my position, and transfer my power to the other person. I also won’t let the other person embellish my truth. I said No, now he is responsible for dealing with rejection, and handling my No like a healthy grownup. If he cannot, my answer remains No, but now his maturity or lack thereof will show. When someone tries to compromise my word by insisting “Oh she really didn’t mean to be so abrupt”, I confidently say “Yes, I clearly intended to say No”. No one gets to correct my feelings, no one gets to sugar-coat the meaning of my word on my behalf. My no, always means No, and I will fight or cause you some unpleasant feelings if you dare to challenge my No. I never say “I’m sorry I have to decline, I say No, I don’t want to”.

Your No does not have to sound positive. Your No does not have to sound like a maybe. Your No does not have to coddle their feelings. In fact, when it doesn’t, it sounds much more powerful and dignified than “I’m sorry, I can’t.” Say No and give yourself permission to enjoy their disapproval afterward.

When people know that they can get you to compromise, they will surely expect you to every time. When people know that you are willing to push aside your dignity so they can feel good, they will expect you to do it again. Demonstrating that you are willing to soften your opinion so they can feel right, broadcasts that you have no respect for your own opinion. Why would anyone respect you when your opinion is negotiable? If I can make you feel guilty for enforcing your boundaries, I hold all the power about how you feel.

Being a Goddess has nothing to do with how you look, whether men chase you, the cost of your wardrobe, nor whether you are able to manipulate people into liking you. You simply cannot fake it. Being a Goddess is 100% respect for the self. Create a Self that you can worship and kneel in front of. How? Imagine that your Self, that Goddess Self is separate from your body, imagine that it is high up in the sky, like God. What aspects of God do you respect? Why does everyone respect and bow down in front of God? Does God compromise when she is offended? Does God acquiesce to guilt, shaming, or demands? Is God afraid of losing people? Is God afraid of your disapproval? Is God afraid to disappoint you? Has God ever felt guilty for saying No? Nope, God stays up in the sky, and stays in full power no matter what is happening down here on earth. Has God ever stopped down to the level of man? Neither should you.

A man is not someone for whom you should compromise your honor. A relationship is not a prize you win by negotiating your dignity away. Success is not something you earn by doing everyone else’s job, and it is certainly not a willingness to do anything for money. If you can’t respect yourself, you have nothing other people can value. An inability to say No, is a sure sign of a doormat.

You have no problems in life. You just haven’t learned how to say No.

S

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How Women Disempower Themselves In Relationships From Day 1

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Do you live in someone else’s head? What is he thinking? I know how he feels, he is so confused, how can I help him with that? Often women are overly concerned about how men feel, that they are likely to ignore how they feel, even neglect their own needs to help someone else feel better. This gets even harder when they are trying to be in, or to secure a relationships. Their “monkey mind” is overly concerned with a man’s head space, causing not just confusion in thinking but also in emotions. We all know what it is like to have out of control thoughts, and feelings and confusing reactions to other people’s inner world, then carry that confusion in our own body. Why do we do that?

What is wrong with being sensitive and supportive of other people’s feelings? It is nice to be kind and caring, but what is wrong with caring for other people’s unchecked feelings is that it comes at a price of neglecting our own feelings. Many of us were taught from childhood by our parents, society and religion, to pay attention at a young age. Pay attention to your elders, pay attention to the most important person in the household, your father. Defer to your brother, let him win. Girls don’t fight, stop crying, stop whining, say you are sorry even when you’re not, don’t talk back, apologize, apologize, apologize.

It is no wonder that most grown women are used to apologizing for feelings other people don’t want to deal with. I’m sorry I heart your feelings, I am sorry if you are offended, I am sorry I misspoke, I am sorry you don’t like your food, I am sorry I acted too bossy even though I am your boss, I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.

The biggest problem with being overly concerned with other people’s feelings and being responsible for their unchecked emotions is that it forces our mind to focus on them and their needs instead of ourselves, our own inner world, and the effect those suppressed feelings and neglected needs have on our own body.

An example. Many years ago, when I first moved in with my now ex husband, I struggled to adjust to co-habitation. I was living with a narcissist whose every need had to be met by me adjusting my own wants and needs so that he could feel good about himself and the relationship. I was too young to recognize this was wrong, I grew up watching my mom put the man first, so I had no clue that I should stand up for myself and ask that my needs be met too.

He wanted to buy an exotic cat. I didn’t like cats at all, in fact, I had a mild phobia, and just didn’t want the work of having a pet. Regardless of how I felt, somehow he convinced me to put a $700 with a breeder. A cat I was uncomfortable with was now coming into our house. We drove two ours to pick up the cat, and as soon as I walked into the breeder’s house, I had my first asthma attack. I started suffocating, choking, my eyes swelled up, I couldn’t breathe. A few days later I was diagnosed with asthma. It came out of nowhere, I had no allergies to cats before that day, and had never had any disease in my life. Yet now I was on steroids, and dealing with the harsh side-effects for years. Though we didn’t buy that cat, a few years later, he convinced me to adopt two cats. How did I ignore the fact that I have asthma and allergies, and how did I allow for this to happen? Simple, I wasn’t paying attention to myself. I easily ignored my health, my feelings, my emotional needs and my fear of animals, because I was paying way too much attention to his emotional needs. The toll that asthma and steroids took on my body drained me. And being in a relationship with someone we are constantly paying attention to is draining. It took years after that marriage to recover the self.

Incidentally, I have been practicing Ayurveda and meditation most of my life. The way Ayurveda describes the emotional cause of asthma, is that it’s suffocation represents the loss of self. How was I losing myself? I was ignoring it, by being focused on his mind, his emotional health, his needs, and placing the relationship and the marriage above my own needs.

It is nice to be sensitive to other people’s needs. Empathy is a positive quality to have until empathy for others costs you empathy for yourself. The vast majority of women I know are overly concerned with men. From the first moments of a relationship, she transfers her attention to him, and becomes overly concerned with who is he, how is he feeling, what is he thinking, where is he taking this relationship? What the vast majority of women in our private forum fail to recognize is that what she thinks of him is far more important than what he is thinking. What she wants from the relationship is far more important than what he wants. From that first meeting, she unwittingly transfers her power to him. This accounts for 99.9% of the frustration women face in relationships. Their concern for his mind and his feelings disempowers them from Day 1.

This is why women have such a hard time getting their own needs met, especially when the relationship is new. She can’t possibly secure stability, security, trust, nor can she watch how she feels about his character or behavior with her mind is focused into him. Most women are not in their own head space. They are usually in the head space of others: their families, their men, their children, their coworkers- let’s focus on making all relationships nice and pleasant, let’s put out all the fires in the world, before we focus on ourselves.

This lack of focus on the self, shows a lack of respect for the self. Many of us have been taught that too much focus on the self is selfish. Why, yes it is! But we are supporting other people’s selfishness at our own expense. This post is mainly about women being overly focused on men and relationships. This focus is a huge drain to her mind and body, but also a huge drain to womanhood in general. How can women respect womanhood, when their prime concern is how men feel? Most women are more concerned about how a man would fit into her life, than how an exercise routine, a vacation, a career advancement, a stock portfolio would fit into her life.

Another problem with being focused on how men feel before they have earned a relationship with us, our time, and attention, is that it causes us to ignore red flags more easily. It’s no secret that narcissists, psycho and sociopaths know how to use emotions to manipulate people. And often, it is the nicest women, the most supportive and caring ones, that end up taking care of feelings of some very unhealthy men. Those women are the most likely to ignore the self, and the least likely to honor how they feel, or notice when they are drained or suffering.

So, what can a woman do? Practice selfishness. Selfishness isn’t shameful, it is honoring thyself. Another thing that I highly recommend is to reconnect with the self by learning how to be in your own company. Not just for a few minutes a day, but for extended periods of time. Walk with yourself, meditate by yourself, enjoy activities all by yourself, care for yourself, travel by yourself, learn to rely on yourself, and by all means date yourself and treat yourself lavishly.

It is amazing to me how many women refuse to be by themselves. They feel lonely in their own company. Feeling lonely in your own company is a clear sign that you don’t like who you are. If you can’t enjoy your self all by yourself, then how could men enjoy your company? They can only enjoy your support, your attention, your ego strokes, your effort, and all that you do to make them feel good about themselves. But, they will not enjoy you, the real you. You don’t even know the real you, so how could they? If you don’t honor yourself first, no one else will either. If you don’t put yourself first, no one will.

I can spot a selfless woman in the first few days of her meeting a man. She is already in his head instead of her own. Guess what? Anyone can spot her, especially a narcissist or an unhealthy man. She is perfect! She is so concerned with what he is thinking and how he feels, and what is going to happen next, that he knows he has no work to do to secure this situationship. All he has to do is nothing. Absolutely nothing. She is already counting the minutes until she receives the next text, even though he has given her no indication that he is honorable, healthy, balanced or a decent human.

Any mental focus on anything that is outside the body or one’s mind is a transfer of energy, or a transfer of power. Giving thought to how others feel means not giving thought to how we feel. Of course we should care about how our friends, family and healthy relationships feel. But, being too concerned with men in general is not healthy at all, and being in their head space from day one is an immediate disempowerment.

Tuning out of his feelings and getting out of his head-space, is a very important tool for understanding who you are dealing with. When you are emotionally detached, you can rationally observe his behavior and watch how he deals with crises and his own negative feelings. Is he throwing a temper tantrum, is he throwing shit around, is he making other people responsible for his feelings, is he bending the truth, is he gaslighting, is he manipulating you into changing your behavior to meet his needs, is he rational, is he an adult or an emotionally stunted child? You’ll never know unless you observe what happens when you are tuned out of him, and tuned into you.

So, when is the right time to consider how he feels? After he has shown you that he has genuine feelings for you. When is the right time to help him with his feelings? When he has demonstrated that he is a grown man, perfectly capable of being responsible for dealing with his own feelings in a healthy way. But I want to know him, so when is the time to get into his head and understand him better? When he has proven that he is in a committed, healthy, exclusive relationship with you that is actually going somewhere. Remember, the purpose of a relationship is to get to know a person better. Don’t try to get inside him before you are in an actual, high-functioning, relationship.

In fact, you should always practice being in connection with yourself, and being in touch with your own emotions first. From day one, when you catch your mind wandering to how he is feeling, shift your focus back, and ask yourself why am I more concerned with him than myself? The answer is that you are probably too eager, too unfulfilled, too bored, and in that moment, you are not standing in your own self, you are outside peering into his.

S

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How much contact is too much contact?

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

How much contact is too much contact? Every human is different. Each of us has different needs, and each of us has her own personal way of interacting with people. We all want more contact with people whose company we enjoy, and less contact with people we don’t actually need or want. Therefore, it makes no sense to follow dating rules, or to go by what dating experts think is right. It does make sense to pay attention to the man, and gauge his level of interest, and how much contact he seems to be comfortable with. That applies to women as well. There is nothing more off putting than a person who is contacting us more than we’d like to hear from them.

Also, timed or measured contact- texting or calling someone to purposely delay a response and appear to be unavailable is a game. You are playing a game with a man who I am sure you wouldn’t want to play games with you. You are appearing to be too busy, when in fact you are not, thus creating false appearances. Would you think he is fake if he did this to you, texted you and then pretended to be too busy to follow up? Games are unattractive. It takes two to tango. If you don’t want him to play texting games with you, then please don’t play texting games with men, even when they are suggested by a dating book like “The Rules”. If you can see through men who are inauthentic, rest assured that men can tell when you are pretending to be unavailable.

So what is an appropriate level of contact? There is no hard answer, it depends on how much the person wants to hear from you. Here’s an example. A few months ago, this guy who I had no intention of dating started texting me. The questions he was asking via text were too personal for someone I had no interest in. I openly told him that I was not interested in dating him, and he seemed amenable to contact as friends. But he still kept texting more than I needed to hear from him, and the questions indicated that his level of interest in me is much higher than just a friendship. So, again, I said “Hey, we are just friends, why so many personal questions?”. More questions later, and I saw that he is still trying to get to know me, when I have no interest in getting to know him on a personal level. I wasn’t initiating contact, wasn’t asking any questions of him at all, I would only reply rarely to indicate no interest. So, this is an example of too much contact. I happen to be blunt and very open about how I feel, so he should have taken my first “I am not interested in dating you” as a signal to back off and stop contact.

If you tend to overtext, ask yourself if you are texting because you are anxious, and need to know where this situation is going to calm your nerves? If you are, then back off. Allow people to show you how much contact they want. If men rarely text you or initiate contact, or if the texts are superficial, then that indicates low interest. When somebody shows you low interest, use that to calm your anxiety. Now is not the time to overthink when you can text him next, now is the time to talk yourself into accepting that low interest indicates you should be taking your attention elsewhere. How often do you text with your girlfriends? Do you have anxiety every time you need to text one of them? Do you time your responses to them? Chances are you don’t overthink it when your girlfriends don’t text you back right away.

When I start to feel a certain level of anxiety about texting back, or start to overthink my responses, I let that anxiety guide me. Anxiety indicates I am not comfortable, I am unsure of the situation, I doubt myself, him or the situationship. Anxiety means that right now this situation is not clear enough for me to engage. Let your anxiety be your red flag that YOU, (not he) is not operating in your highest interest and back off. Rather than use anxiety as your excuse to start thinking about him, what does he want, where is this going, etc., shift your focus elsewhere. If you are doubting whether he would want to hear from you, and how much, be certain that your doubt is accurate. Down girl. It is your own body telling you that you don’t have enough of a connection to start poking and prodding him. If you feel anxiety, it is because at some level you already sense he is not fully into you. If you had a genuine connection, and if you had two-way mutual interest, the channel of communication would be clear, and you wouldn’t feel so uncertain contacting him.

Ask yourself that most important question of all: is there mutual and equal interest? A lot of women confuse their own interest in him, with ‘he must like me too because he is nice to me’. Nice people don’t always have an interest in you personally, nor dating you. Is he interested in getting to know me? Is he interested in dating me? What exactly does he want? What are his intentions? Not sure? That’s because you don’t have enough information about him to move towards him. Your need to get answers before anything has happened between you is your indicator that you are jumping the gun. You are way ahead of him. Niceness does not indicate interest. ‘I am interested in dating you’ is an indication of interest.

If you are overthinking contact, chances are that your monkey mind is telling you that you don’t have enough of an established connection to start communicating. Your mind and your body are always talking to you, you just have to pay attention. Remember that children’s game: Hot and cold? The closer you move in the right direction, the crowd yells “warmer”? Well your anxiety is screaming “colder, colder, don’t go there girl!” That’s not the right move to make.

If the reason you need to start contacting him is to comfort yourself, ease your own tension, feed your hunger, quell your anxiety, that is not a healthy reason. That person of interest is not your medicine. Chances are that you are using him or her to soothe your own discomfort, and that you are establishing a toxic connection already. Any tension or anxiety about this situation is within you. Therefore, in this situation, you are the problem. Deal with yourself. The other person is not the cause of the tension and unease you feel, so resist the temptation to make them responsible for making you feel good about the situation. If you feel discomfort it is because you are anxiously trying to make something happen, while the other person is not there at all.

The appropriate level of contact depends on how much the other person wants to hear from you. You have no way of knowing that until they have shown you. If they are not showing you any clear signs, it is because they are nicely and subtly keeping you at arms length.

Remember, contact is always too much when the other person does not feel the same way about you. Contact is always irritating when one person is not picking up queues about lack of interest. Contact is always uncomfortable when a genuine connection has not been established. Contact is always a source of anxiety and tension when it is not right. Pay attention to your own self. Are you building tension, or are you building mutual interest? Do you feel that you might be intruding on that person’s time? If you doubt whether your texts are welcome, let that doubt be your guide. Back off and go elsewhere, unless that person tells you “Call me”.

S

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How To Deal With Male Rage Effectively

Posted on October 26, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Are you an emotional sponge? Do you absorb other people’s feelings and bad energies? You may call yourself an empath, a victim, a people pleaser, or see yourself as suffering from over-responsibility. It is that guilty feeling of being responsible for other people’s discomfort, dissatisfaction, criticism, judgment and anger. Someone expresses extreme rage and anger at you, but it is you who internalizes and feels the pain of their anguish inside you. Imagine that out of control driver who can’t stay in his own lane, can’t simmer down his own temper, slams on his accelerator, cuts you off, leans on his horn to express his rage at you, nearly causes an accident, screams an expletive at you, before he drives off, but you are the one feeling horrible as if you did something wrong. Why? He may have some reason to be angry within himself, but why are you feeling the ickiness of his rage?

That tightness in the pit of your stomach is making you sick, he is long gone, he doesn’t even know who you are, yet his toxicity is now sitting in the pit of your stomach, making you sick. We all have anger, we all have issues, we all have negativity that we still haven’t released, and we all sometimes, inadvertently share it with others. Some people know how to deflect rage, while others absorb it like a sponge. Learning how to not be affected by other people’s emotions is a skill I had to learn and keep practicing. But, absorbing and feeling responsible for other people’s anger, disappointment, guilt was debilitating. When you allow other people’s judgment to permeate into you, you carry it within you. We all carry residual guilt, shame, and anger inflicted by others.

So what can you do to learn how to deflect bad energy?

1) Practice enforcing your boundaries, verbally, physically, emotionally. “No sir, I am actually not a c*, you are actually feeling inadequate with yourself, and attempting to make me feel smaller than you.” “I see you are angry, you are foaming at the mouth, but whoever pissed you off is not here. Take your temper elsewhere”. “Right now you are creating drama and attempting to get me to jump on your bandwagon. Let’s take a time out, and re-engage when you are acting more stable, and able to communicate clearly and constructively what is bothering you”. By defending yourself and refusing their blame or their anger, you are enforcing your boundaries. As soon as you do that, you will feel the power of honoring yourself.

2) Mirror the offender. Mirroring someone does not mean to act badly as they do. If he is an angry moron, that is no excuse to act just as badly. Being a mirror means allowing that person to see their reflection, their own rage and their anger for themselves . “I see, you are loosing control of your emotions”, “I see that there are years of rage that you haven’t dealt with”, “I see you are attempting to manipulate me”, “I see your own shame, and you are attempting to project it onto me”, “That fear is yours, I am not afraid at all”. Reflecting back whatever they are attempting to throw at you, allows them to see how they are seen by other people, which is probably not how they want to be perceived. If you provide real evidence for what you see (not just empty words), they are more likely to back off. Again, once you have deflected their rage back to them, you have successfully prevented it from absorbing into you.

3) Call them out preferably in front of others, before you have any chance to start processing their emotions for them. Stop them right away and say “No, you won’t succeed in bullying me. Your situation is your own, it is not for me to deal with”, “I see that you are creating drama to distract us from the fact that you are the problem.”, “I am not interested in getting sucked into your chaos, please leave me out of it”. Let them know that you know what they are doing, by calling them out, and back up your assertion with proof.

What is the cost to carrying other people’s feelings with you? I can write a book about that. But generally, it is low self-esteem, high stress, resentment and poor emotional and physical health. We all know what that is like. But most women don’t know how to fight back. We all feel guilty, even inadequate fighting with men. There is a heavy price to pay for talking back to angry men in the workplace, socially, politically and in intimate relationships. But our complacency and our fear of making them feel bad, has hurt us. It has hurt femininity and womanhood, it has hurt each of us emotionally, it has hurt us politically, and it has set our careers and independence back for hundreds of years. It hurts, and allowing people, especially men to inflict their own anger, rage, and judgment onto us, and actually accept it as normal has blinded and handicapped us.

There are generations of women out there who still feel that it is their responsibility to coddle and uphold manhood. There are generations of women who have accepted blame for being the weaker sex. What exactly makes us weak? There are generations of women who believe that femininity means complacency, passivity, dependence, incompetence, aloofness, acquiescence, undying support, agreement, subservience. In their defense, they spent years in fear of judgment, shame and guilt for having too strong of an opinion and for daring to disagree or contradict what manhood thinks femininity should be. That said, it is no wonder that today women are dropping out, saying No, walking away, questioning all aspects of romantic relationships and starting to act in their own best interest.

We have all been taught to act nice, smile kindly, support men in whatever fantasy they have of themselves, coddle them like a fragile golden egg, take responsibility for their well being, admit guilt, accept shame, accept judgment so they can feel like men. But, what is the cost to our health? What is the cost to our emotional well-being when we don’t speak up in that board room when our manager is boasting about an idea he borrowed from one of us. What is the cost of politely listening while some office asshole is pounding his chest like an ape, proclaiming himself to be the man, taking up space, but offering nothing to the bottom line? What is the cost of silently allowing toxicity to seep in?

The cost is your dignity. If you are wondering why people cross your boundaries so easily, it is because you have been cowering in the corner for years, when in fact you should have been defending your honor. If you are wondering why people spew hate and obscenities in you presence and simply expect you to say nothing, it is because you showed them that you can be counted on to sweep those offensive words under the rug. If you are wondering why toxic people assume their way into your life, it is because you are a sponge, willing to soak their feelings in.

The only way to reverse the situation is to start speaking up, defending your boundaries, fighting back, learning to speak logically and reasonably instead of emotionally, holding people accountable for bad behavior even if it costs you that relationship. You have to make yourself and your honor more important than anyone else’s existence. Your ability to exist in a healthy environment and with healthy relationships is your right, but you can only have that if you earn it. You earn that right, when you fight for your own dignity, for your own respect, and your own honor. No one else will honor you, until they see that your boundaries are strictly enforced.

Ten years ago I started to speak up, honestly, bluntly, without sugar coating anything. “No, I am not a bitch for saying no to you, you feel insecure when women tell you no”. “No, I actually don’t feel guilty making choices that are in my best interest, you are attempting to make me feel guilty so that I would act in your interest”, “No, you are not the most productive sales person on this team, Monika’s and Jane’s numbers are consistently higher”, “No, it is not okay for you to keep me company in my hotel room, you are my manager and if you have a problem with that, let’s talk to HR together”, “It is clear you don’t have a strong handle on your emotions, may I suggest anger management so that you can act more balanced during meetings?”, “No, I am not wearing this red dress for your benefit, actually I am wearing it for myself”.

The very first time I spoke my inner truth, and said something difficult bluntly without sugar-coating it, I felt like a boulder had been lifted off my chest. I felt free, lighter, healthy, and so powerful. What was surprising was that the more I started to talk back, challenge men, clearly demonstrate the errors in their thinking, the more they started to think before they talk, consider that I might easily prove them wrong, even expect me to put them in their place. Many men simply do not know how pompous they sound when they assume you will support their assertion of themselves. And many immediately become self-aware when you check them. Yes, assholes will always be assholes, and they will explode in rage when someone challenges them. Let them be angry, as long as you don’t accept their anger and apologize for it. Allowing men to save face, by making you responsible for their feelings is toxic to you.

You don’t need to support men, and it is not your responsibility to make them feel safe, coddled, and comfortable. That is only their responsibility. Allow their tempers to be your red flag and a sign to disengage, move away, you don’t want that in your life. But, resist the temptation to help them manage their feelings. If he is an adult who has made any effort to understand and develop himself, he will take responsibility for his own anger. He won’t attempt to unload it on you. In fact, rescuing men from their own feelings IS that bad habit that gets you sucked into toxic relationships every time. Leave him alone. Watch and observe whether he knows of constructive ways to diffuse his own anger. Kicking a car, a dog or you is not constructive at all. Hitting a punching bag isn’t either. It means he cannot express himself verbally, so he will go punch something instead.

Does he need you to agree with him so that he can feel right about his own assertion? Does he fall apart and lash out when others disagree with him? You don’t have a man on your hands, you have an emotionally unstable brat whose manhood is dependent on others upholding it.

Resist the temptation to help men be men. If he is a man, he will be balanced, he will be in touch with his emotions, he will be able to handle negative feelings without blaming others, or resorting to violence. A real man will not throw a temper like a child, or start hitting his chest like a Neanderthal. A real man can walk upright, speak in coherent sentences, and does not carry a club or make a fist any time someone threatens him. A real man does not need your help to be a man.

You don’t have to walk on eggshells around a real man. You don’t need to keep your opinion to yourself, so that he can feel okay. You can call him out on his bullshit and he won’t start crying or yelling obscenities. He can handle his own mistakes, admit when he has failed, you don’t have to fear repercussions or revenge when you are dealing with a real man. In fact, just start talking back, enforcing your own boundaries, saying No bluntly, then watch to see how the men around you react.

Once I started calling men out on their own bullshit in the office, I realized how valuable this is in my dating life. In fact, long before I start taking a man seriously or dating him, I watch how he deals with accountability for his own words, how he reacts to criticism, can he handle a challenge to his ego? I want to see if he is pretending to be okay, or is he really okay- the difference being is if he is not okay, you will see it as passive aggression, brooding, revenge, back-stabbing later. Men rarely verbalize when their feelings are hurt, instead they punch a wall, throw a tantrum, or do something underhanded when no one is looking. Pay attention to how he diffuses anger.

In the mean time, you need to stop absorbing emotions of men who don’t know how to handle their own inadequacies. Practice enforcing your boundaries unapologetically, mirror their feelings back to them without stooping to their level, and call them out when you see bullshit. Sure, they will be uncomfortable, but there is no reason for you to accept and carry that anger on your back. His anger is his toxicity, not yours. Eventually you will be able to tell the real men apart from the Neanderthals, by observing how they deal with their own emotions.

S

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The Signals Women Send To Attract Toxic Men

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

How do we attract unhealthy, incomplete, disrespectful men? What signal are we sending them to let them know we are their unhealthy match?

There’s the obvious answer- we too are incomplete and lack full respect for ourselves. But, there’s more to this than the obvious. In the past, I have said that these unhealthy relationships serve a purpose- they educate us about who we truly are, and push us to keep trying to honor ourselves. A relationship, good or bad, is never about the other person, it is about who am I now in relation to this situation, can I now make better choices for myself, how can I honor my self and my inner voice more?

We attract unhealthy relationships when we are disconnected from our true self, and when we are using another person as a substitute for finding happiness within. We all know people who cannot be happy or complete, unless the other completes them or unless the other strives to make them happy. Those relationships are obviously doomed. But sometimes, we aren’t conscious that we lack a connection to our true self. It isn’t obvious that we are not devoted to our self, until the other person triggers us to make a choice that dishonors us, and honors him (or her) instead. That moment when we choose the other over our inner truth, or over our true self, is the moment we have dishonored the Goddess within. That is exactly when we fall off our pedestal and become a slave to the relationship.

This is why it is extremely important to always be working on ourselves. There is never really a time when we are finished, when we have shaped ourselves into an ideal self, and can rest knowing that we are now ready for our perfect counterpart. None of us ever reach perfection nor completion. The world is constantly changing, so are life’s circumstances, and the minute we stop working on ourselves someone comes along to show us how we are slacking.

Often women stop working on their inner self, when there is a new relationship to focus on. Somehow, this relationship becomes a goal, and they shift focus from within to another person. But, by shifting our energy from ourselves to someone else, we send a signal to the other person that we are emotionally ready to give, give, give attention. We are demonstrating that he has all our attention, that he is more important than our connection to ourselves, we pour our energy into him or chasing the relationship, long before he has proven himself as worthy. This is the signal an unhealthy man needs from a woman- I will give you, I will honor you, I will earn you, I will chase you, you are more important to me than my self-respect. Her shift in focus from herself to him is that signal, “I am your toxic match”. He is looking for energy, and she is up and ready to pour it into him.

When you are disconnected from your inner goddess, and you are out there dating and relating, you are only going to attract those harsh lessons and relationships that are meant to guide you back to yourself. Have you noticed that after every crash and burn relationship, after the pain has subsided, there is always that period of rediscovery, realignment, reconnecting to the self? For some women it is very brief, they feel empowered finding new meaning to life, and then they question their singleness and start chasing relationships again. And for other women, they relish that heightened connection, and seek more time with themselves because there is power in that realignment with the self.

Those bad relationships are not going to last, they are just indicators that you have to get back into yourself and keep learning. These relationships are showing you that you are neglecting yourself. You have transferred your power to the relationship. You have dishonored yourself. Keep learning girl.

When you refuse to protect your energy, to make yourself important, when you refuse to choose your honor, when you refuse to focus on your health and your self-respect, the world will push you around to show you exactly where your weaknesses lie. Bad men don’t eat good girls for lunch, men have very little power compared to wise women and Goddesses. Women who refuse to make their inner self a top priority are like a ball being kicked around a soccer field. Their focus is on who is pushing them around now, instead of who is on the inside.

Why was my divorce such a powerful experience? Because it forced me back to myself. In my marriage, I was more respectful of my ex than I was of myself, I was more giving to him than to me, and the relationship was a priority. After separation, I became my top priority and started giving myself everything I always wanted. I started to make all my own wishes come true. I became a hedonist, I started to enjoy life like never before. And once I started honoring myself, and get comfortable with being selfish, I started to feel very powerful.

What are some signs that you might be disconnected from yourself? You know something is imbalanced when there is no peace within you without a relationship, or if you are in one, managing the relationship is more important than managing your inner self. Somehow you believe that if you negotiate, communicate, acquiesce, compromise more, you will feel better within the relationship. You won’t, you will only feel more peaceful if you realign with yourself. Another sign is that you are obsessing over a man or a relationship. An obsession is an addiction. An addiction is a deep focus on something outside yourself. When you feel hungry for a man or a relationship it is because there is an emptiness within.

These bad connections with men, family and friends, are simply your indicators that something is wrong within you. These bad connections are not meant to stay in your life, so please don’t focus on keeping them. Instead, look for repeating patters, what toxic situations these people keep bringing to your doorstep, then understand that what needs to change is you and your way of dealing with them. If you constantly keep dealing with selfish people’s demands by sacrificing yourself for their benefit, and waiting for a reward of loyalty or commitment, you are the problem. Stop sacrificing yourself for other people.

You will continue to attract unhealthy people and unsatisfying relationships as long as you refuse to fix yourself. And you will see results and soon as you figure out that you should be choosing you.

I used to be a very bad communicator, I worried that I would hurt people’s feelings, disappoint them, be accused of being mean, so I rarely stood up for myself and expressed my true feelings, instead I bottled them up inside. That turned me into a pressure cooker of anxiety and panic attacks, which would often explode in uncontrollable anger and truly inflict pain on people. I couldn’t effectively communicate to tell them how their behavior was dishonoring me, so I would wait until the explosion shattered them to pieces, then feel bad that I inflicted more pain than necessary. The more I bottled up my feelings and refused to speak my truth, the more I kept attracting people who made me angry but also triggered me into keeping my mouth shut.

I recently traveled with a person who was an energy vampire. At first she was nice, but after a while I noticed that she was making attempts to manipulate me into giving her sympathy, when that didn’t work, she tried kissing my ass, when that didn’t work she pulled stunts to get attention, etc. Finally she asked, what will it take for me to earn your friendship? Don’t you feel sorry for me? I said openly and honestly “No, I will not be your friend. I see that you are unhealthy, and I don’t want to be sucked into a relationship with you”. I didn’t feel guilty for finally speaking my truth, and choosing to honor myself than coddle her feelings. This is how I chose myself. It felt really good to speak clearly, inoffensively and close that door firmly.

I noticed that once I started communicating more directly and more honestly with people, they started to respect me and my time more. The more you honor yourself, the more others will honor you, and the more those pesky relationships will become a thing of the past.

Once you start to bypass those difficult and uncomfortable relationships, you start to see through people because once upon a time you were just like them. They are an old lesson learned, you don’t need to stick your finger into their toxic soup to know their acid burns.

However, if you are finding yourself sucked into bad connections over and over again, then the pull is simply a lesson left unlearned. Your umbilical cord to that toxic situation was never cut, that’s why you feel that relationship so deeply, so strongly, it is like you are drawn to it like a moth to a flame. This is why people go through multiple marriages repeating the same cycle over and over again, they are with a different partner in that same exact pattern. They don’t see how they have laid out the pattern themselves. These cycles never end until you roll up your sleeves and start to do the work on your inner self, not on external relationships.

Unfortunately, effective change usually happens when people are worn out, they are tired and have given up. What happens when they give up trying to fix bad people, and bad relationships? There’s nothing left to focus on outside themselves, so they go within, often against their own will. They fall into depression, they become disenchanted with relationships, they face their inner demons, they have nothing left to face but their inner self.

Hindus and Buddhists believe that depression serves a deep spiritual purpose. It is a lifelong habit of refusing to address the self, triggered by an event or incident that sends us into an deep abyss, a darkness that we have to walk through until we shed the ego, face our inner demons, find acceptance, find peace. It is a natural part of life, but also the most painful period anyone could experience facing themselves. Only the strong survive, and only those who have done the inner work will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Those who walk out of that darkness (without drugs, having worked on themselves) feel more powerful than ever, when they finally surface. They have found their true self and accepted it, flaws and all. There is no more powerful experience than facing your true self, realizing who you were meant to be all along.

Having been through it, and having found my way out of that darkness all by myself, I can truly say that I am grateful for the experience, and that I am much more powerful as a result. I will write about it more later, it has taken me a couple of years to truly process that period and see how it shaped me.

But, if you are wondering what signal you are sending to unhealthy men that attracts them to you, it is your easy shift in focus away from yourself into them. Women are trained to give energy to everybody on demand. We pay attention to whoever is trying to get our attention, good or bad. We pay attention and give energy to men, even when we have no personal interest in that man. If your energy flows to any random man simply because he is asking for it, you have a problem staying focused on yourself.

If I can get you to drop working on yourself, compromise your beliefs, and start paying attention to me just by offering you dinner or a drink, you’re too easy. You just dropped yourself in exchange for a date. Work on yourself. A date should be of no value at all, what is of true value is a man who has done as much inner work on himself and evolved as far as you have. The only way you can recognize him is to always be aware of yourself. When your focus is on your energy, you will easily spot people who are a match to your energy. When your focus is on your peace, you will easily notice whether his inner peace matches your own. You won’t fall so easily for a mere distraction, you will know when the offer is real.

S

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Karma is The Essence of You

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Karma. Many people hope and pray that karma will bite someone else in the ass, as revenge for pain they have suffered at the hands of other people. Karma is not punishment. Karma will not discipline your ex for breaking up with you. Karma will not hurt anyone other than you. Karma is your own, it belongs to only you. Therefore, it is 100% up to you to deal with and clear your own karma. You cannot inflict karma onto other people.

What is karma? Karma is just an energy of our own beliefs, perceptions, judgments, feelings, and limitations. Karma can be positive when we let go of our judgments, tweak our perceptions, forgive those who have hurt us, work on our feelings, change beliefs that don’t serve us, and move on. This is the process of clearing our own karmic debt. It is work that we do on ourselves for a lifetime. It doesn’t matter how you work on it, with the help of a psychologist, priest, spiritual advisor, or alone. What matters is that you accept responsibility for your own karma, and know that it is solely up to you whether and how you want to clear it.

Karma can also be negative. When we hang onto anger, guilt, shame, judgment, fear, resentment, past issues, we are also hanging onto negative energy. That negative energy is ours, 100%. A lot of people are resistant to admitting that bad energy is theirs, and spend lifetimes hating and judging other people. They perceive the problem as outside of themselves. In thinking that it is the other person’s fault, they are failing to release anger and any negative energy associated with their past, and they carry that karmic debt, their negative emotions with them throughout their lives. Eventually that karmic debt grows and compounds like interest on a credit card. They now carry the burden of negative karmic energy of a lifetime of unresolved issues, anger and emotions.

Regardless of your spiritual or non-spiritual background, you have to deal with unresolved issues, false beliefs, and your own bad energy. In eastern philosophies, those negative energies, compounded over many years will cause physical and emotional illness. In the west, we see them as emotional and psychological problems, that again, should be dealt with, not inflicted on other people.

But karma cannot punish your ex boyfriend. If your ex has cleared his own energies, beliefs and issues, then his beliefs about love and healthy relationships will only benefit him. He will go on to find someone who suits him better. He will enjoy his dating life. Karma can only bring you more of what You believe to be true for yourself. Think of karma like a magnet. It will match you up to exactly those things you believe in, and repeat situations over and over again, because you have not resolved them within yourself.

If you are wondering, why am I always being cheated on? Why am I always dating crazy men? Why am I always clashing with people in my work environment or getting fired? Why am I always experiencing repeated financial loss? Why is my body always in pain? Why is my family always against me? Those answers lie within you. Any situation that repeats itself is your clue as to what is going on within you, what issues and feelings you have got to resolve, and always, forgive, forgive, forgive. Forgiveness is the release of any burdens you have carried with you from the past.

Have you ever heard of stories of people forgiving their oppressor? That mother who forgave her daughter’s killer then paid for his education, that rape victim who forgave, that atrocity survivor who realized she doesn’t want to live like a victim for the rest of her life, and went on to help others heal and forgive. Those are people who released their emotional burdens and cleared their own karma. The reason they were later able to live positive and healthy lives is because they found a way to forgive and release, then replace those negative feelings of anger, fear, judgment with positive ones of love, understanding, and peace.

Karma is your own work. No one can clear it for you. You may seek the help of a professional and that is always helpful, But, you must accept the responsibility for your own karmic debt. You can’t expect your therapist to do the work for you, you can’t expect your guru to enlighten you, you can’t expect people in your life to adjust themselves to your state of mind. The work is all on you.

Karma is not punishment from God, the universe, nor whatever philosophy your believe in. Karma is it’s own punishment. If you hold on to negative energy and beliefs, that karma will only hurt you. That karmic pain is not God’s judgment, instead it is your indicator, your mirror, your tool, your signal to change yourself. We all know that living in negative energy feels like hell. That hell is your own creation. You chose to stay stuck on a concept, a situation, or a feeling, and as a result you bring about more of it to yourself. If you have been victimized in any way, without your own work to forgive and let go, you will hang on to that victimhood for years to come. Victimhood then becomes your reality. You are a victim, not because someone did something to you, but because you have chosen to believe in your victimhood, stay in that feeling, and stay in that situation mentally as long as you want.

When we attach ourselves to certain discordant energies and beliefs, hold onto them, refuse to release, they intensify. Have you noticed that emotional pain can increase over time, as you continue to judge, continue to hate, continue to create new beliefs that support your own perception as the victim. Karma is what you bring onto yourself.

The good news is that karma is also what you clear all by yourself. This is why we are taught to forgive. Forgiveness is not saying that the crime doesn’t matter, my pain is not important, it didn’t happen. Forgiveness is not denial. Denial is about ignoring your pain, pretending it didn’t happen. Instead, forgiveness is acceptance, finding peace in the situation, understanding that at your core, you are still that Self you love so much, loving and caring for that Self. Forgiveness is also releasing the other person from the burden of feeling guilt, shame, and fear of your wrath. I am okay, and you are okay. Whatever happened happened, I find peace, and I free you to find your own peace.

All humans get hurt all the time. We cannot make it through a day without facing the opposition of someone else, a boss, a coworker, a lover or a family member. Understand, that people aren’t against you, and they are not hell-bent on making you miserable. They too are just humans who are trying their best to stay true to themselves, and what you want and need sometimes conflicts with what they want and need. How you react to other people is your own choice. You can react, or you can act. I hold the intention that whenever possible, I will not explode the second someone imposes a restriction on me. Instead, I will hear the restriction, determine how best to achieve what I want without condemning them. How I act is totally my choice.

So, how would you deal with a painful breakup, or an unfair loss of a job? It feels like judgment when someone rejects us or tells us that we are not good enough for them. The important thing is to recognize that we cannot possibly know what is inside their mind, they may not be judging us at all. They may simply be letting us go because they found some other situation that brings them happiness. The judgment we feel is the judgment that we create about ourselves. I must not be good enough, it sure feels awful that I am not good enough. That bad feeling is inside your body, therefore you own it, not someone else. No one can release it but you.

With my last two breakups, I made the conscious decision to break up differently. In the past, I would identify that other person as the wrongdoer. I would blame him for how I feel. I would judge him to be what is wrong with my life, judge him to be flawed, and quickly seek to cut off the problem from my life. I would swiftly dump the person, then wallow in what was wrong with the relationship, specifically, what was wrong with him. I would fester in that wrongness for weeks and months, and find more examples of how all men are wrong, they all have the same flaw, and feel like a victim for always attracting the same person in a different body. Life was happening unfairly to me. It is no wonder then that every new man I met, would bring me the same expectations, the same narcissism, the same conceit, the same self-servingness, the same wrongness. I have been seeing this wrongness in men since college. In fact, what is really funny is that I earned a college degree that helped me develop a deep understanding of narcissists. Is it any wonder that my preoccupation with the mind of the narcissist meets my expectations every time?

So, the last two breakups were very different for me. Instead of finding fault in the other person, I decided to refrain from that. I understood that this relationship and this person aren’t bad, instead, they are not what I am looking for right now. Instead of blaming the other for how I feel, I honored how I feel because my feelings are valid. But, the other person is not at fault for being who they are. They are not flawed, they are simply not what I need right now. There was no blame, no harsh words exchanged. I spent a lot of time thinking of how can I break up with loving kindness, and feel good about it? We can’t feel good unless we do our best to also allow the other person to feel good too. Neither of us is the bad guy, we are not committing an evil act by removing ourselves from an unwanted situation. ‘I wish you peace, I wish you happiness, I wish you a good life, I wish you much more love than I could ever give you, I wish you a much kinder, more loving, caring person than I could ever be to you. You deserve it.’

How do those last words feel? Sure, there is a feeling of discomfort or sadness in every good-bye. But, ponder for a second what it feels like to break up with love in your heart for the other person, and to sincerely wish them their best life? Is there anything negative or resentment to hold onto in this situation? In fact, with both men, I accidentally ran into them years later. Each time my words were: ‘I see you are doing very well. You look happy, Life must be treating you well.’ None of my words are fake, I am not acting. I truly believe in their ability to find success, love and happiness in their lives. They are awesome men, quite a catch for some lucky lady. Why not make people feel good about themselves?

But how do I feel about those breakups? Sure, every good-bye feels a little sad. But, the important thing is that I no longer hold resentment for people who I broke up with. They didn’t do anything wrong, there is no wrongness in a breakup. All healthy humans choose the best possible situation for themselves. It is a sign of self-respect. I feel like a woman who always does right by herself. I stand in my own certainty that I am my own creation, that I deserve the best possible situation for myself.

What is my karma now? My love life sure feels different than before. I no longer carry the burden of negativity from past relationships. I forgave everyone because I saw the positive from walking away. Each ending brought on a new beginning. That new beginning was always a new version of me, smarter, kinder, more evolved. Isn’t that what we all strive to be? How do I know that I have released bad karma or that I have released my karmic debt? I see that I no longer attract repeating situations. Instead, I am finding myself in new, fresh situations. Karma will always bring you whatever needs to be resolved. It is never 100% released. As we release old karma, we create new karma, One energy gets released, and we develop a new belief system, a new feeling about a new subject. As long as that new belief or feeling serves us, it feels positive. As soon as it no longer serves us, it starts to feel negative. That is our signal to check our belief system.

As we grow, our belief systems must change. Change is uncomfortable unless you embrace it. Does it serve you to still believe in pain and the awfulness of situations from the past? No. We must adjust to our new reality because we have worked to create that new reality. Therefore, with each change, and each new situation, we have a choice about what we believe to be true, and how we relate to anything that opposes us.

Karma is not punishment for those things done to you by other people. Karma is a very important tool to help you deal with your own life’s path. It is an indicator that shows you whether you are doing right by yourself, or whether you are hurting yourself. If you don’t release your own negative energies and bottled up feelings, then karma can only hurt you. Those negative feelings of anger, rage, jealousy grow within you like hot air in a pressure cooker. If it is not released, it will explode. Do you want to go through life feeling like a pressure cooker? I guarantee when your pressure cooker explodes, it will affect everyone else in it’s surroundings. But worst of all, you will hurt yourself. That is your karma.

Karma can feel like justice. It feels like justice when we are self-aware and understand how we are feeling about a situation, and how those beliefs have brought us into this circumstance. I understand that my preoccupation and frustration with narcissism has brought many friends and lovers into my life who were in fact, narcissists. I earned that. I clear that every day, so that I can clear my karmic debt. Karma can also feel like great injustice. It feels unjust when we lack awareness of our Self, and how that personal belief has brought us the pain we now experience. We bring onto ourselves that which we are. Whether it feels just or unjust is simply our awareness of essence or our karmic burdens and the actions we have taken as a result of those beliefs. Some of us choose not to recognize our own role in our own life.

Learn to transmute energy. You can’t magically turn anger into love. But you can release anger and judgment, let it go, like letting steam out of your pressure cooker. Once enough pressure has been released, there is now plenty of empty space to fill with positive energy. Karma is your own energy. If your creative energy is not bringing the best possible outcomes in your own life, it is because you aren’t actively participating in managing that energy, releasing, letting go, moving on. Life can get better, and better and better, but you have to create space for the better situations by releasing old ones. Karma is the essence of you.

S

Posted in Blog | 6 Comments

Success. I am.

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Success. Do you envision success as something that you will eventually enjoy in the future once you have reached an income level, a professional title, a milestone? Many people who seek success in life do so through struggle, through force, through toil, for them that path to success does not feel good. Many believe that it is a long and arduous journey of blood, sweat and tears, and that eventually at some later date, they will enjoy the fruits of their labor. It may seem so because we all follow that same blueprint: school, degrees, qualifications, practice, experience, rising income levels, savings, promotions, setbacks, more work, more promotions. So, when do we actually feel successful? Later?

I used to know a very successful man, I was married to him. He was probably the most successful person I know, because he became successful at 22, on his first entry level job, when his starting salary in 1995 was $20,000/year. He taught me that you have to have the success mindset before you actually become successful. You all have heard this theory, that you have to feel it before you can be it. It sounds wishy-washy to most of us, but having been married to him for 15 years, I witnessed him promise himself he will be the youngest employee to earn $100K within 6 months, and actually do it, own a BMW within 6 months that he pays for in cash, and he actually did it, become a VP before 30, manage his first merger, earn a million before 35 and he actually did all those things. How did he do it? Hard work? Nope. He never worked hard. I was his office-mate, I worked much harder than he did, put in more hours, was nicer to clients, did more to impress the boss, yet he always received letters of gratitude from clients, customers would send him expensive gifts, he won office contests, got free vacations, etc. He never believed in any wishy-washy theories about success, but he did practice success. When I asked him, how did you do it, he would always claim I practice success every day. What does that mean?

At 22, he just graduated from college with no work experience and everybody already knew he was the most successful new hire in the office. He lived, breathed, embraced success. Though his job was entry level, he was already projecting qualities of a manager. He studied what skills a manager must possess and then practiced those skills every day in the office. He studies what goals our bosses had to meet, and then he exceeded their goals. I feel successful, I know I am successful, I am success.

Looking back, I now understand his mindset because today I practice the same. I AM. He never, ever, ever allowed the possibility of “what if I don’t succeed”. He never allowed doubt, he never allowed my questioning his ability- he would NEVER acknowledge my nay-sayings. Even when shit hit the fan in our office and many people were getting laid off, he never entertained the possibility that this could happen to him. I guess this is what you call single mindedness, focus, certainty, trust in yourself.

Also, he enjoyed his success even when no one could see his success. Yes, he was proud of his $20K salary. I wasn’t, I was annoyed they didn’t offer us more. But he was very proud, and he enjoyed his salary like it was huge. He practiced shopping. He spent weekly lunch hours at the BMW dealership talking to sales people as if he could afford that car. He knew exactly what it would take to earn it, he calculated the numbers he had to achieve, and acted as if it is a piece of cake. That car was already his. I had my doubts about him, is this guy for real? But he was so grateful and so proud of the little he was earning, that he talked about his success when no one else could see it. I used to be embarrassed for him. He acted like a fool. He would even talk to all the executives in our office about the car he was planning to buy as if he could actually afford it. The car was in his driveway 6 month after he got hired, and yes it was fully paid for in cash.

One day he told me “Your problem is that you know what could go wrong, while I only know what could go right”. I was offended, but it was true. We worked in banking, and all I could see are deals falling apart, closings canceled, time running out to meet our goals, stress, stress, stress. I knew I was smarter than him, had a better degree, I was much more diligent, but yes, all I could focus on are those things that could go wrong- and they often did. Some of our clients were facing bankruptcy and foreclosure, and I carried all their emotional burdens on my own back.

When I asked my ex, don’t you feel sorry for the clients you can’t help? He said no, I only feel happy for the people I can help, think how lucky they are to have me help them reach their financial goals? Those clients would write him letters of gratitude, call our manager to tell him what an awesome employee he was, refer more business to him.

He could see success in every situation, even when the entire industry was crashing, there was still a lot to feel proud of, and a lot to feel successful about. It took me 20 years to reach the same mindset, but it definitely came with a struggle to remove all my mental blocks.

It was much easier for me to feel successful about other things. I learned how to feel unconditional with love years ago, how to be unconditional about inner peace, how to be unconditional about my self, and once I learned how to never consider the possibility of hardship or failure (hard to do when you have anxiety and panic attacks), I saw success just pour in for me. I meditate to clear my obstacles, and reset my mind. It helps a lot. But once I stopped allowing any other possibilities to come into my awareness, the money just started to pour in. I lost everything I own 10 years ago, and spent many years in anxiety worried whether I would ever earn it all back. That worry was my self-doubt that was getting in the way.

I never actually realized how quickly I regained all the money I lost, how few years it took me to earn much, much more, how many impressive titles I’ve been promoted to since then, how easily money comes to me now, because I stayed focused on the financial disaster of 10 years ago. I swept all my successes under the rug, and allowed that past disaster to become me. It was my identity, and that belief that I am that past misfortune was my one and only obstacle. I am sorry I believed it.

I no longer worry about anything. Instead I only feel success. But I had to realize that I already am successful and appreciate it. It never occurred to me that when 18 months ago I decided to take 2 years off from work to travel that was proof of success. Not many people can afford to do it, I should be proud of it. Now I am appreciating all those trappings of success I never acknowledged, but always had. They truly are meaningful if you take the time to be grateful. There is no meaning in buying a mansion, unless you know how to be grateful for your mansion. There is no meaning in buying a diamond tiara, unless you know how to be absolutely proud of your tiara. It will look ridiculous, unless you know you truly deserve it. There is no meaning to money. It is just paper, But you give it meaning with how you feel about it. It could be paper, but it could also be pride, accomplishment, charity, noble deeds, helping others- it is whatever meaning you assign to it.

Sometimes it is those people who have hurt you the most that teach you the best lessons. That ex husband is long gone, an old memory I never think of. But, to this day I realize that this person handed me the blueprint to success. I never knew that success is about how I feel about myself and my own abilities. That’s not a lesson you learn in school. It should be.

Do you realize that you already are who you intended to be? We all have much, much more than we acknowledge. Look around you. Some of you ladies went to the best schools in the world, some of you have crisscrossed the world multiple times, many of you are community leaders, CEOs, entertainers, stars. Buy something nice for yourself that feels like success. Wear something that shows pride in who you are right now, not who you will be later. I am a doctor, I am an attorney, I am a VP, I am a CEO, I am a celebrity, I am a leader. I AM.

S

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments

Why Your Life Isn’t Moving Forward

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

You are working on yourself, investing in your inner being, developing a sense of purpose and a strong identity. Everything is going well, except you cannot seem to reach that thing you want most. That job is in a far off city, that man is married, the bank won’t qualify you for that new home. What is happening when you are growing, expanding, creating peace within, but everything around you seems to be saying No? I know I am bigger, better, wiser, but those things I am striving for always seem out of my reach. I often get asked by women, “I know I have put in the work on myself, I just traveled around the world in 80 days and competed my MBA at the same time, but that job I want, and that man I want are nowhere to be seen”.

Well, what’s happening on your inside? What are you fixated upon, what are you attached to, what situations, people, or beliefs are you refusing to let go of? That powerful job you always wanted won’t be yours if your roots are firmly planted in your small town, and you are codependently still attached to your mother with an umbilical cord. You won’t leave her. You won’t have that amazing, giving, loving man, if you are attached to feelings of pain of an old lover. You might think that your high flying lifestyle and that new degree make you a match for success and a bigger paycheck, but you are not. You are very much on the level of whatever you are attached to.

We are all attached to something or someone. Many of us are not aware that we are attached to painful situations, that we carry other people’s burdens, that we are stuck on beliefs we acquired in childhood that do not serve us at all. Why are we so surprised when years later, we are still surrounded by same stuff, same people, repeating patterns? We want to race forward, but something is dragging us behind, like an anchor. That anchor is all your attachments.

I have recently been working on my attachments. I wrote about this a few times- the art of non-attachment as a meditational practice, but also a daily practice of not emotionally attaching myself to people, objects of value, old beliefs. I noticed in my meditation that some old ideas are playing like a broken record in my head. These are like background noises that have always been there, that I kept ignoring. Then it dawned on me, these repetitive old thoughts are my attachments. Attachments are just energetic blockages, the obstacles that prevent us from receiving whatever we are reaching for.

Yes, it is very important to cultivate a Self, to practice inner balance, to continuously expand our knowledge of ourselves as we relate to the world, but none of those efforts will guide us down our path if we are anchored into place by attachments.

Here’s an attachment: I always wanted to go back to Europe for a couple of years, but always believed that I can’t because of my elderly parents. Once dad died, that became obvious. I had to back out of a romantic relationship that was leading me back to Europe, and refuse a prestigious job offer for that same reason. That firm belief prevented me from seeing that I could rework both situations, the job offer and the relationship so that I could still have them, but still be able to take care of mom. Imagine my surprise when a couple of years later I found out that the person who got that job commutes between NYC and Geneva. I was attached to my home situation, I believed in my obstacle more than I believed in my belief that I could enjoy this job. I firmly believed I’d have to choose between mom and the job, when nothing could have been further from the truth. There are successful VP’s all over the world who have moms and they still manage to take care of them and get the job done.

What happens when you let go of someone or something you are emotionally attached to? No, you don’t ruin that relationship. You simply liberate yourself from being obligated to them. You become more free to honor yourself and your own needs, and in that freedom you can love and care for other people better. What feels better? Taking care of your mother because you love her, or taking care of an elderly parent because it is an obligation? Love is a much better motivator than an obligation.

When you cut emotional and energetic ties, you don’t lose those people. Instead, you make relationships better, healthier. The other person then has a choice to go down that better path with you, or completely opt out.

Our attachments are our blinders. We can’t see beyond them. It’s no wonder then, that we cannot create beyond our own belief system. Our attachments are more real than those goals and dreams we fantasize about. Doesn’t it make sense to break them?

Usually, when I start cutting cords, breaking out of whatever chains I am attached to, change happens very quickly. All those things that were out of my reach suddenly present themselves to me. I couldn’t see them before, or I perceived opportunities as obstacles.

Whenever I feel stuck, like life is not moving forward, nothing is happening for me, I check my attachments. What am I still attached to? In meditation I can see that nasty thought that keeps popping up in my head. There is something in that thought. It is usually some old, ugly belief I have no use for, but I am still playing that broken record. What are your nightmares about? That should tell you something about the fears you are attached to. A few of my friends know that I had repeating nightmares of car crashes, accidents, road hazards, and how debilitating they were when they actually became reality. This wasn’t just a nightmare, it was a fear in real life. And then, I actually had 2 car accidents that left me even more scared than ever. When I analyzed my fear, I realized that it was at least 10 years old. That fear became a belief system. I believed in it so firmly, that I actually started living it. I was so attached to that fear, that I made all decisions for two years out of fear. No wonder my life wouldn’t budge forward. Yes, at the same time, I was working on some big things in my life, but it wasn’t until I released that fear that things started to progress forward.

If you are not manifesting whatever you want, check what is holding you back? Your helium balloon cannot float upward and reach for the sky, when it is anchored to a weight. Chances are that there is a lot holding you back that you aren’t aware of.

In any given moment, there is a lot holding me back- my entire belief system. I want that guy over there, but this nasty one keeps texting me over and over again. I want that job that feels like freedom, power, and immense success, but I feel an obligation to this tiny project that I have to deliver. I know I can always do better, so why am I still here? Your obstacles are your ‘Yes but’. Yes, I want that job in Europe, but my mom requires care here, I cannot leave her. Yes, I want that man who matches my level of inner development and enlightenment, but I am still obsessing about that ex who made me so angry. Yes, I want to be my own boss, but I have bills to pay so I settle for steadier streams of income. That ‘Yes but’ is your false belief system, your obstacle, and your anchor. Release it.

If you can’t meditate, then consciously change your belief around that situation. That angry ex who is constantly on my mind is holding me back from a healthy new relationship. He is not on my mind because I need him, but because I am stuck on his pain and the injustice he caused me like a broken record. What if I could shift my perspective? We all know we are supposed to forgive, but we can’t truly forgive until we have some sympathy and love for the person who caused the anguish. So, I now see that ex as someone who gave me a new direction in life. His anger and control opened my eyes to what I do not want in my life, so now I am able to select better. His control taught me how to release myself from the grasp of very unhealthy people. I am so much better today thanks to that ex. I actually appreciate that ex now, and speak very highly of him. I changed my story, so my reality shifted. The ex is no longer a painful burden I carry on my shoulders, I tossed that boulder and started sprinting forward. As soon as I did that, dozens of new men came into my life.

We are all constantly working on improving ourselves on an internal level. The speed at which we travel through life, receive what we want, and then get more, depends on how much of a burden we carry with us. What can move faster? That heavy Mack truck designed to carry tons of weight, or that light, weightless sports car that can barely fit a load of groceries?

Lighten your burdens. We are all burdened by something, and it is our job to cut off old ties, say goodbye to people who are holding us back, and open our hands so we can receive more.

S

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Why Every Woman Needs A Roster & A Dating Strategy Sheet

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

The Roster. What is the Roster? It is a man’s “Little Black Book” of available women. Think of it as a menu of delicious items readily available to him. These delicious items are categorized by portion size, ladies who are just appetizers, hearty meals, a sweet desert. Every man dreams of having a roster. Some men do, some men don’t. They guys who don’t, wish they did, but not every guy is slick, has skills, or knows how to get women to follow him or want to be available to him. Not every guy has the ability to text a woman, and have her show up in a sparkly outfit, hair and makeup, a 10+. Are guys who don’t have a roster better men? Not necessarily. It is nice to talk to a guy who doesn’t do that, the one who gets to know women one by one, and pays time and attention to each. But, a lot of guys who have no roster are resentful of men who do, and resentful of women who don’t show them the same attention they show to more attractive men. That resentment can be deep, and often shapes how he perceives women. So be careful, and always get to know men well, before adding them to your roster. The roster is not necessarily a physical book. It can be Tinder, Bumble, and most often Facebook. If you are engaging with men on any social or dating apps, they think you are on their roster even if you don’t want them.

I learned to date from men. 10 yrs ago when I was going through a divorce, I enlisted the help of several male friends to help me date better and teach me some skills. I learned a lot and am very, very grateful for that. In fact, I used to have a roster too. What I learned about the roster is that it is a man’s security blanket. He feels more secure when his roster is full. Men survive off the attention of women, so they protect their rosters because their entire self-worth is attached to how women perceive them. I used to feel very powerful knowing I have a roster too. I also learned that the roster is a mirror to a man’s soul. Remember those guys who have no roster at all? Often they feel unappreciated, non-masculine, unworthy, and lack of female attention makes them very angry on the inside.

At a certain point I felt very powerful and confident about myself and I didn’t need a roster any more. I realized it was full of cheap candy, attention whores, men who are starving for female energy, but most of all men who gain their manhood from being seen or photographed in the company of women. This is why you no longer see photos of me with any men on FB. You will never see me hanging off the arm of any man unless he is The One.

To make sure I am not on any man’s roster, I always say clearly No. No to hanging out with men I don’t want, no to giving FB attention to guys looking for online attention, no to Bumble or Tinder, because I am not a downloadable girlfriend available at the click of a button, no to phone numbers and certainly no to having his picture taken with me when he is not anything to me.

It was good to have a roster of my own while I was learning about dating. It taught me a lot about my personal power, attraction points, and how to juggle. This is something I believe all women should know. It is powerful knowledge and it really did give me a huge confidence boost when I was going through a divorce and feeling unattractive and unwanted. If you are confused about where you stand with men, get overly emotional and attached to each and every one, if you get emotional when a guy you barely know won’t call you back, I highly recommend you get a roster of your own. It is just a tool to help you learn how to date more powerfully, and how to stay non-attached and level headed. Juggling men is something most women find distasteful, most would rather look for one. But being over focused on every One who passes by can feel disheartening. Seeing how men respond to you once they see they are just an option to you is priceless. I’m not telling you to become a player, I am telling you to learn how the game is played so that you stop playing defense and learn to strategize. A smart woman is a powerful woman!

Here are some powerful lessons I learned from managing my roster. My most powerful lesson of all time was #1.

1) How to be selective with men. Just because you have a guy on your roster does not make him a valued player at all. His interest is of no value to me whatsoever. A lot of men who are unattractive, unsleepable, are asking for my attention. Paying attention and being nice to them is a huge mistake. Listing them on your roster is like adding handicapped men to your team. They cannot do anything for you at all. Adding them to your roster will make you lose the game. Most women do not know how to be selective with men. They think that male attention is valuable and that they should just accept what they can get. Then they wonder why they are stuck dating men who have no skills, no stamina, no personal power, low psychological strength. Entertaining men whom you have not selected with your own criteria is a losing game.

2) I cannot afford to play “nice” to all men. Let me explain. When I announced to my social circle that I was filing for divorce, I was not looking to date at all. However, within weeks, 73 men asked me out. (I run a large social circle on the east coast). This was my first experience navigating the dating filed, and I did not want attention from most of those men. Yet, 73 men were pestering me for time, attention and a date. Being a nice girl did not work in my favor, because being nice came with the expectation that I will give them a chance and the kind of attention they were asking for. A lot of males take a woman’s niceness as proof of their manhood, if she is nice and smiling they conclude she wants him. That is of course not true for any woman I know, so I quickly had to learn how to remove men from my roster, kick them off the field without bruising their ego. Being nice to everybody is a huge handicap for women. We are expected to be nice, and when we are not we get called all kinds of names. But not all men are equal, they don’t all deserve your attention, so treating all men like Mother Teresa has negative consequences. I learned to treat men differently, to say No with full confidence, to never apologize, to never pander to them, to never stroke their ego, to stop validating them. Men who need validation are invalid without female attention. Yes, they are like invalids, you will waste time making them feel valid, when you should only engage men who are valid on their own merit. Never be the nice girl. You have a team to manage, men to screen and test, and you must be selective. That means saying No most of the time.

3) I am the most valuable player in my life. It’s true. My roster taught me that I create my own life, I manage my own dating strategy by making my own rules, and that all that matters in my life is whether I am happy, living to my own fullest potential, and weather I am pleasing Me. Kicking men off the field when they do nothing of value to me felt bad at first, but over time I learned that being selective and raising my standards was healthy, and that kicking time wasters of my field was very empowering. All these men are vying for a chance to play on my team. I am not applying for their time, they are applying for mine. Holding that roster in my hand changed my focus away from what men want, onto what I want. What I want became the object of the game. What they want is none of my business. Another powerful lesson!

4) Without a roster you don’t know how men stack up. It doesn’t take much intelligence to know that not all men are equal. Most men cannot do anything for themselves, let alone for you. Yet women are taught to treat all men nicely and equally. This is a huge mistake! You are giving your attention to men who do not qualify for your team. You must be aware at all times what your needs are, how men stack up in their ability to meet them, which ones are lagging behind, which ones are ripe for getting kicked off the team. More importantly, you will learn to refine your needs. As you grow, you will see that certain male characteristics you once found valuable are now of no value to you at all. You will learn that most of his valuable characteristics are on his insides, and the inner world of his heart and his mind and his psychological health is something most men protect with their life. They don’t want to reveal that. You will learn how to effectively prod with words or attention to get him to spill what’s on the inside. You must know how he stacks up compared to others inside and out before you give him anything at all.

5) You have nothing unless you have players applying for your team. Lots of men have no rosters because women simply don’t want to play with them. You will figure out through strategy how to put together a valuable team. Dating is a numbers game. I know, most women hate the numbers game, but if you make your own dating rules, you can get numbers to work in your favor. You can’t evaluate a man unless you have plenty of men to compare him too. For that you must have lot’s of experience. Don’t let anyone tell you that having too many men will spoil you. It won’t. In fact, having tons of men will teach you how to wield your own power, and how to put them in their place. Never be afraid of knowledge.

6) Never show them your roster! Men disintegrate very fast once they see that you know yourself, you have an effective strategy, and that they are simply one applicant for your team. In fact, don’t show your roster to women either. No one ever won a game by showing the opposing team their strategy sheet. Keep it to yourself and guard it with your life!

Before you start whining that having a roster is mean, unladylike, shallow, ask yourself how it feels to be on a man’s roster, vying for his attention? It is disheartening, disempowering, an empty place to be. At any minute you could get kicked off the field for not pleasing him better than another player. The reason I encourage all women to create a roster and learn to strategize is to help you shift your focus away from what you must do to get a man, to what should men be doing for me? The roster shows you the losing proposition of waiting for men, chasing them, engaging men who have no inner strength or useful skills, and the winning proposition of setting your own standards, evaluating men by whether they can meet your needs, by rotating them on and off your field.

Your dating life is totally your own creation. If you aren’t happy with your selections it is because you are passively waiting for men to add you to their rosters, and sitting passively through their selection process. You may not realize but your name is listed on a lot of male rosters that you don’t even want to be on. If you want to know how not to be someone’s option, you have to learn how to disengage men swiftly and with ease. Being the nice girl will keep you stuck in a holding pattern.

I no longer have a roster. I no longer need it. It was an extremely valuable lesson, and I am grateful to my male friends who helped me learn how to strategize my dating game. I now have a mental roster. I have learned how to test male character, engage with words, disengage swiftly and clearly, prod and find their insecurities, maintain objective awareness of his insecurities, maintain my state of non-attachment, shut off energy flowing to random men. I feel powerful, confident, self-aware. My life is my candy store. I have had so much candy that I can afford to spit it out. All I want for women is to know how to be more selective, find their power and use it in their own favor. Stop giving your power away to men, you are empowering them, you should be using your own power to propel yourself.

S

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Triangulation and Delusions of Insecure Men

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

This scenario is all too familiar for a lot of grown women. Your friend is in a frustrationship with a douchebag who isn’t stepping up for her. The douche is messaging, trying to get some alone time with you. He knows you two are close, so why would he contact her friend? Why not target a woman not known to her? Why would any male specifically target his partner’s good friend?

Men are insecure, we all know that. My personal theory is that with age women become more confident, while men grow more unsure of themselves. This becomes more apparent at middle age when all humans come in touch with their own mortality, hormonal changes, challenges to the ego, body changes, and loss of attractiveness to the opposite sex. It is a difficult period for both men and women, and we all have to face ourselves in the mirror. A funny thing happens to men at this time. One morning they wake up and look down to notice that their tiny little Jimmy did not rise to greet them. Wtf does this mean? It happens again a few weeks later. He walks into the bathroom, looks down, and there’s more hair than ever on the bathroom floor. The hairline is receding, and months afterward he notices the ladies are no longer chasing, suddenly no one sees him as a catch, girls compare him to dad, and fewer and fewer women are seeking his attention.

It is a difficult time for most men, but emotionally insecure men have a harder time dealing with this. If his manhood was derived from the attention he previously got from the opposite sex, and if that attention is now declining, then where is his manhood? If women aren’t willing to validate him, admire him, or worse, if they now challenge his perception of himself, an aging man can become hostile, bitter, vengeful. We have all seen that aspect of manhood. I could write chapters on this subject, but for the purpose of this post, it is enough to say that when men try to pit two women against each other, target their partner’s friend, or seek the attention of inappropriate women, they are operating from a place of deep insecurity.

As a grown woman I know that any attention he could pay me is a waste of my time, no one wants attention like that. This has happened to me more times than I care to remember, and it has always resulted in the loss of a very good friend. Most women cannot handle the truth, but what happens more often is that the douchebag twists the situation around to cover his ass, making it look like two women are fighting over him, and he gets to pound his fists on his chest, playing the part of a wanted man.

Knowing my friend’s situation, I know that he fails to step up to her level. To be clear, she isn’t seeking commitment from him at all, nor is she angling to get his attention. My friend exceeds him in personal character, career, social standing. She simply wants him to communicate like a grown-up, state what he wants, instead of playing guessing games. She doesn’t see herself getting serious with him at all, she has downgraded him a long time ago to a summer fling.

Has this ever happened to you? If I was a brainless twit, I might be flattered by a douchebag’s attention. But I know he isn’t worth a cheap drink in a plastic cup. Thus far I have ignored his requests to hang out. I simply do not answer his messages. I don’t want to answer him because any attention paid to an attention seeker is still attention, and I want to show him that this door is closed.

This is not the first time this has happened. I have had friends’ husbands contact me during their divorce declaring they are serious about me. What are men thinking? That I would date a friend’s used goods? That their wife’s friend would jump at an opportunity to date a man being disposed? In the past when I have questioned their motives, all men declared that I should see them as an opportunity. And when I have challenged their delusion, they used my disinterest against me by going back to the wife claiming her friend wants him. This sounds like a ridiculous scenario but I have seen it personally at least a dozen times. This topic has come up in the Goddess private forum, and many women have experienced being placed into a triangle with a good friend and a man they absolutely do not want.

So what are men thinking when they seek the attention of their partner’s friend? I think that men often target friends to make their partner feel insecure, but also to get two women to fight over him, or at least create drama over him. He creates the delusion that two women want him, when in fact neither is taking him seriously. What a way for a man to feel like a man.

Why would this particular douche want my friend to feel insecure? Because he can’t do anything for her except provide a little company that she could easily get from anyone else. Because she has always insisted on an open relationship, as she is serious about finding a more satisfying relationship with someone else. Because she is open and honest, has told him where she stands, and that she isn’t looking for anything more. Is his attempt at triangulation working? I am not falling for it at all. At this age I know that an insecure male can’t do anything for either of us.

But when I was much younger I used to fall in this trap as do many less experienced women. No, I never pursued a friend’s mate. But I was inexperienced enough to engage with the douchebag or narcissist, to communicate my lack of interest. I falsely believed that if I expressed why his attention was wrong, he would understand and back off. This is always a big mistake, because any communication at all will be used against you. The insecure male would always twist the story around, act as if I had initiated something with him, and his partner would get hurt, which is all part of his plan to extract attention from her. And in every case, the douche would then cause drama between two friends and get off on the fact that there are two women causing a ruckus over him which was never the case.

Psychologists call this behavior triangulation. I won’t go into it here, it is a widely known concept used by narcissists and emotional manipulators to make women vie for them. Even when women are too mature to fight over him, he will still extract a little boost for himself, knowing that he at least emotionally wounded one of them. Any display of pain or grief over the situation strokes his ego.

The situation with my friend has not gone that far, but the unwanted attention I have gotten in the past from friends’ spouses and significant others has taught me how to deal with them. These are not men. I call them emotional midgets. We all get insecure sometime, but these people seek to build their manhood from attention they get from women. This can work when he is young, sexually relevant, and a viable candidate. But after a certain age, women stop pursuing men. When men are psychologically healthy, they learn to cope, accept and adapt to their new reality. When men are not healthy, they seek to trigger women into extracting attention from them. Creating competition or conflict between two friends is a sure way to extract a bit of manhood from a situation.

There are thousands of ways that both sexes manipulate each other to validate themselves. Triangulation is just one of them. Unfortunately, many women unwittingly fall for this, and end up serving only his ego. If you are in a situation where you are receiving inappropriate attention from a friend’s partner, understand that you are not dealing with a genuine man. Any attention you get from him is just bait.

If you find yourself triangulated, the worst thing that you can do is engage him in conversation. He wants your engagement, he wants your attention regardless if it is positive or negative. His weak ego feeds off attention, so it doesn’t matter whether you eagerly pursue him or express disgust- he just got your attention. The best thing to do is no engagement at all. Do not answer texts, do not respond to invitations at all.

Whether you tell your friend depends on her level of maturity and her level of emotional involvement with him. That’s your call. But know that a lot of women protect insecure men rather than expose them, and there is a high likelihood she will choose him. She might even choose to protect her own ego rather than face the emotional discomfort of facing the friend her partner pretends to prefer.

Emotional manipulation is a trademark of an unevolved person. This is something children do as they learn to relate and find their place in the world. This is not the level that healthy grownups relate to each other. Unfortunately, it takes many uncomfortable situations and losses of friendships to learn that this is not a man by any stretch of the imagination. That attention is toxic and accepting it will only harm you. Extract yourself from the situation quietly and without drama. Remember, he is just waiting for the drama to start. Don’t feed his ego.

S

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Do You Accept Half-Assed Relationships?

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Do you accept half-assed relationships? Do you accept non-committal, let’s see what happens kind of situations that leave you hanging? Be honest, why do you accept offers of nothing? Why do you go along for the ride? To see what happens? To see if he changes, or offers more of a relationship later? No man has the power to put you in a relationship you don’t want to be in. It is up to you to say yes or no, and only you. If he is dragging, why are you allowing yourself to be dragged? If he is not saying anything, why are you still waiting for him to say something? By waiting, you are becoming passively committed to the wait. You are transferring power to him, so he can decide what he wants.

In reality, men have very little power, we hold most of it. But most women have been lead to believe that they have to patiently wait for his offer, to patiently go along with his flow, so that he can sample different relationships, never feel burdened by your needs, and to always let him decide. Girl, the decision is yours, not his. Only a Goddess knows that right from the start. If you are sick of being taken for a ride, it is totally your responsibility, and within your power to not go on any rides until you know exactly where that ride is going. Would you get into a taxi if you didn’t know where the driver is going?

Dating has become an opportunity for men to take many shiny objects for a ride, and women to patiently wait for him to decide what he wants. This is ridiculous! You already know what you want, so there’s no need to entertain men who don’t know exactly what they want. YOU. Yes, unless he is totally interested in dating you and only you, then he is wasting your time. If his offer is “no pressure, let’s see what happens”, or “let’s hang out”, then he is not expressing interest in only you. He is giving you an opportunity to be in his circle or on his roster. How good is that offer? It’s useless.

You know what kind of a man you want and what kind of a relationship you want already. Admit it, you have a pretty clear idea of what that would look like. A man must demonstrate that he is ready, willing and able to be in that kind of relationship, and only with you, before you begin to give him your company. Plenty of men are willing to do that when they are ready. So don’t give chances or hang out with fuck boys who are not ready, don’t know what they want, who are just hanging out, or have multiple women on their roster. You are not a sample, so don’t give him a sample of your company, nor anything at all until he has clearly committed himself to dating only you. It is very easy to say no thanks to half-assed offers of half-assed relationships. Yes, sometimes you have to say No Thank you to that dream man, who doesn’t see you as his dream woman. Just say no. At the very least, if you don’t get him, he will respect you for not accepting a pile of Nothing. Her are a few examples of half-assed offers, and how to disengage from them.

Do you want to hang out sometime? “I hang out with platonic friends, so if you want to be just friends, we can hang out.”

My job is stressful, I travel a lot, I just got out of a crazy relationship- means I am not ready for anything. You reply “Sounds like you are going through a very rough time. I’d rather date a man who can fully contribute to a healthy relationship right now.”

I don’t want anything serious right now. “It doesn’t sound like you are ready for anything serious. I date men who are ready for something serious”.

So, can I call you some time? “It depends on what you want. Do you know exactly what you want?” Sure, I’d like to get to know you, and see what happens. “I’ve dated a lot of “let’s see what happens’. Those men usually don’t amount to much”. But, can’t we still get to know each other? “We’ll start getting to know each other once you know exactly what you want with me”.

In all instances, a woman is being offered a half-assed opportunity to hang, to get to know, a hope of some future scenario he isn’t entirely sure of. Now do you see why saying yes to such nonsense gets you taken for a ride, and amounts to nothing? Your responsibility is to determine exactly what he wants, not in general, but what he wants from you. In general, he might want to get married some day. Don’t fall for it, he hasn’t said he would like to marry you. Your responsibility is to know what his current dating status is and if he has other women on his roster. You don’t want to be on anyone’s roster, so you are not going to negotiate anything with him at all. The mistake most women make is they start to negotiate with a man who has no specific interest in just her. You are opening that can of worms all by yourself.

Half-assed relationships go both ways. I know plenty of men who don’t know how they got themselves into relationships with women they didn’t want. It all started with ‘hanging’ and not knowing what he wants, and not being serious. A year later, it is the lack of his own clarity and his own unwillingness to ask uncomfortable questions that gets him onto a path that she has already laid out before him. That’s what we all get from giving time to people who don’t know what they want, and negotiating with people we haven’t determined are right for us.

People who don’t know what they want, people who are not looking for anything serious, people who just want to hang out, people who are sampling the goods, have absolutely no ability to be what someone who is looking for commitment needs them to be. I admit, I am often the one who is non-committal, and only interested in some fun. There’s nothing wrong with wanting fun and non-monogamy. But, I never take people for a ride. I don’t bread-crumb men, I always state 100% honestly where I stand so there’s no confusion later. Often, men want more time than I want to give them. In my attempt to be perfectly clear, I often state “Just so you know, I have no intention of sleeping with you”. I let him decide if he still wants to keep hanging after he has processed that info.

Being taken for a ride goes both ways. You can’t claim men take you for a ride, unless you are willing to get into the car with no clear destination with them. Accepting half-assed offers from men who are not focused on you but on everyone else, is a sign of a woman who is willing to accept much less than what she wants just for an opportunity to build something with someone, some day. Why would you accept an offer that is deferred to amount to something later?

Your job is not to give chances to men who are merely asking for your time, your job is to not negotiate anything with them at all. Even though I go through periods when I am non-committal, when I am interested in dating, I only date men who 1) I have identified as men I want 2) they have clearly stated that they are interested in dating only me and 3) their idea of a proposed relationship matches what I want. Yes, I have drastically reduced my dating pool of time wasters, dawdlers, I don’t know what I wanters, wishy washies, and pesky fleas. They are never worth anyone’s consideration at all. Quit talking to them.

But, accepting a half-assed relationship is your own doing. No man can put you in a relationship or a situation you don’t want to be in. You entertained a feeble offer based on hope, a fantasy, a possible future outcome, an offer that was not based on facts, clear intent, proven character, or truth. When we enter situations with people who just want to wait and see what happens, we usually enter the state of waiting. That is the wrong situation to be in.

S

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Malignant Love and Narcissistic Relationships: How You Create Them Yourself

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Magical Thinking: My love is enough. I will love him so much, that I am going to get him to love me.

Both men and women believe that their own desire for the other person makes the connection valid. Both men and women believe that the one-sided desire (that non-reciprocated desire), makes the connection real. Both falsely believe that they can “get” somebody to love them.

What can you “get” from that other person when you love them one-sidedly? You can get them to take whatever you give. You can get them to accept or tolerate your time and your attention. You can get them to revel in your adoration, affection, physical pleasure. You can get them to enjoy the ego-boost you have created for them. You can get them to display your adoration of them, your affection for them, your devotion to them in public. In essence, you are creating an egoic “love”, a narcissistic “love” where you give adoration and devotion to the other, while he simply enjoys it, and displays it for others to see as proof of his validity.

The truth is, that authentic, fully reciprocated love is not about trading affection for love, relationship, or commitment. There is no earning one’s approval, by creating so much love that the other will magically fall in love in equal measure. There is no “getting “ anything. When love is authentic and pure, there is absolutely nothing to be gotten. We love for the feeling of love. Not many people can accept that. They are over-focused on getting something, earning something, qualifying for something, and later, when that object of their affection does not feel the same, they realize that they have poured themselves into the other person, while the other simply drank from their full cup.

When you create such a dynamic, you hurt yourself. When you believe that your one-sided interest is enough, you too are demonstrating ego-based love, and your own narcissism. How dare you assume that your self-interest is enough to qualify for the other person? One-sided interest is the shallowest offering of love a human could create. In fact, that narcissistic love is a social perversion causing a lot of social problems and a huge rift in gender relations. What you are watching in the news today is malignant, narcissistic, one-sided desire to satisfy the self. I have said this many times before, the entire romance and relationship industry is built on “getting” people who don’t want you to want you. There is nothing more low, than relating to others based on what you can get, or on feeding your ego.

Yet, most relationships between givers and takers are based on this formula. One person is hungry to satisfy the emptiness within, they seek to satisfy that hunger by pursuing a relationship. They believe that to achieve validation, the must act, earn, chase, pour all of themselves into the other person, to “get” them. They falsely believe that once they get that person, they will be satisfied, they too will feel validated. No one can own another person. Owning a person is called slavery. Have you ever noticed that lovers who own the other, are slaves to the relationship? Why? They have nothing, just an illusion that they have gotten a person who had low interest in them. The slavery to the relationship and the other person is a never ending cycle of giving to get, giving to get, and more giving. They must keep working, giving, trying, standing on their heads, because no amount of work is ever enough to own the affection and loyalty of the other person. The other person is just as hungry. Their emptiness will always be unsatisfied, so they will go wherever there are givers willing to fulfill them. This is your basic codependent relationship.

If you are wondering why you always seem to fall into relationships with narcissists, it is because you are a big piece of the puzzle, you are choosing to ignore. You are responsible for the relationships you get into, and your own actions are a signal to beasts who are looking to feed off your attention and affection. Your magical thinking that my love will be enough for him, that your interest in him makes the connection valid, and your willingness to earn him, please him, teach him, protect him, guide him, repair him, support him, feed him, prove loyalty to him, shower him with unconditional love will be enough to create a mutual good feeling, and enough love for both.

Think of dating as a round table filled with people who are ready, willing, and able to date you. Each person holds a cup of love in front of them. Each cup holds 2 dl (8 oz) of love. Imagine that you have some love to give, and now you are looking around the table to see who is a good match for you. People who are healthy are looking for an equal. Love in equal measure, is love that can be equally reciprocated. They are likely to choose a person whose love offer is equal to their own level of interest and commitment. Codependents and narcissist are not attracted to equality at all. Women who are attracted to narcissists are often not looking for an equal cup of love because they can’t do anything to fill a full cup. Instead, they are looking to pour themselves into the other person, to throw themselves into the challenge of filling his cup. A full cup and an empty cup are codependents seeking validation from what they can do for the other. I can fill your cup, and in exchange I will gain validation from being yours. It is no wonder that the starving are most attracted to those who have the most to give.

We have all been in relationships with a narcissist more often than we care to remember. Yet, very few people are willing to look within to discover what role am I playing in creating these kinds of relationships. Yes, you too are responsible for the toxicity you bring into your own life, so what are you doing wrong?

At the core of your own toxic belief system is the idea that my interest, and my own desire qualify me for the object of my desire. I like him, I love him, I want him, therefore I am the only one who deserves him. That doesn’t sound so toxic when we think of it from the perspective of fulfilling our own needs. There’s nothing wrong with getting what I want, that’s harmless. Now, turn the tables. Most women have been pursued by men they do not want. Most women know what it is like to say no, and have that word quickly dismissed by a hungry, relentless man. Most women know what it is like to have a man they don’t want pursue them so much that they are immediately turned off, frightened, disgusted. Yet, the hungry always believe that their own interest is enough. Malignant love is when the recipient decides to take what the other is willing to give. You want to earn my attention? You want to feed me love? You want to strive for me? You want to die for me? Show me. How far are you willing to go for me? How badly do you want it? Most women who are in this vicious cycle will shower men with endless support and adoration. And a lot men who are in the same cycle are willing to buy love, pay for every moment, buy every kiss with cash. None of these relationships are true. Yet, this is how society teaches us to love. Do something valiant, throw yourself into the ring, give yourself fully, and then you will earn a reward. In the end, there is no villain. Both people are to blame, both are equally responsible. Where there are buyers, there are sellers, and opportunists, and traders of love that is always available for sale.

If you find yourself in repeating patterns with narcissists, understand that you are at the core of the problem. Your own beliefs about love are a perfect match to theirs. You must meet, you are drawn to each other like magnets. There is no way out until you learn to de-magnetize yourself, and that takes years of introspection, learning about your own self, breaking your own patterns, and changing your entire belief system about relationships, redefining manhood, weaning yourself off codependency, and establishing your own definition of what a healthy relationship is. That is all your own work. Most humans aren’t willing to do that, because they believe that the next relationship, the next person, the next opportunity will satisfy them. It won’t. Next is just an opportunity for you to drink more of your own poison.

Every relationship is a mirror to your inner self. We all refuse to look in that mirror, because we refuse to believe that we are our own creation. If I truly created myself, I would not be so ugly, I would not have such a toxic belief system, I would not be so needy, I would no be so codependent. That mirror is not me! It is you. The other is always the villain, I am always a giver while the other always a taker, he is the narcissist, I’m just a victim. Please, grow up. Until you are willing to study the person in the mirror, you will never understand the self. True power is being able to study your own darkness, go within and face the ugly, accept that this is me, I AM THE PROBLEM that I see in others.

Remember, healthy people aren’t seeking to love someone greater than them, someone more than they are, someone who has more to give, someone to rescue them, nor someone they can look up to. Healthy people know their self worth, they know what they can give and what they can’t, so we are always looking for an equal of the same self-knowledge, experience, and level of consciousness. Equality has nothing to do with money, service, or status, equality is of the self. Those of us who are very conscious of who we are on the inside, can easily spot when the other is not our equal, and simply on our doorstep to feed. But people who lack awareness of their own inner world, their true self, have no basis to make an accurate comparison. One partner will always seek someone to fill his empty cup, while the other will seek to pour all herself into that empty, leaking cup. There will never be enough love in their equation.

At the core of all your relationships is just you and your own belief system. If you want better relationships, you have to operate from a higher perspective. Love is not what you can do for someone else, nor what they can do for you. You will never get someone using games and mindless tactics. You will never give enough to satisfy the other person. Take a step back, and look in the mirror. What void are you attempting to fill in yourself?

S

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Wait To See What He Delivers

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

“I am waiting to see what you deliver”.

I was seeing this guy on and off in the last few years. It was never serious, always causal. We recently reconnected, had a few drinks and without warning he poured his heart out. It all sounded genuine and sincere, unfortunately for him, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I have seen this before. Yes girls, men know how to cry on command to get what they want too. Never fall for crocodile tears. After that chat, he called a few days later and asked “So, do you think we should try again? You don’t seem that thrilled to reconnect”. I said “Your words sounded poetic, I’m waiting to see what you deliver”.

My own words made me realize, why don’t women wait for the delivery before they start believing in the sales pitch? Many of us fall for the sales pitch each and every time, we think we bought a Ferrari until he delivers a used clunker to our doorstep. He talked a good talk, he said all the right things, totally got her hopes up, then he stood on the sidelines, and waited for her to create the relationship by herself, push the relationship forward, while he observed what she is willing to do to get it.

That’s not how things work for a Goddess. We don’t believe in the sales pitch. If he is pretending to be a Ferrari, he better deliver a masterpiece of a relationship into your driveway BEFORE you start building anything with him, BEFORE you invest emotionally, BEFORE you even take him for a test drive. Some men take women for a test drive, and some dimwits willingly go along. And after the test drive, he is nowhere to be found. Why? If you were a car sales woman, would you hand the keys to a Ferrari to someone who doesn’t qualify for it? No, you would qualify the customer before you hand him the keys.

But really, all women should be taking men for a relationship test drive. After all, most men will say anything they think women want to hear, and they will spin tall tales until they get that free test drive. Before you give him anything at all, see what he delivers. If you want a relationship, why not test his relationship skills before you give him anything at all? If you want something long term, or if you want commitment, why not get commitment first before you start committing yourself? We make it too easy on men by letting them earn us just by going through the motions of a few dates. Why not test drive him in a relationship, and demand to see what he delivers in terms of a healthy relationship before you even consider making any effort at all?

Take it from someone who has been around the block a few times. 99.99% of nice guys are not who they claim to be. They may be nice, but they’ve got nothing a real woman wants. The vast majority cannot meet your needs even if they did their absolute best. The smart thing to do is to see what they can actually do, before making any effort at all.

You’ve heard the phrase ‘Show me the money’, well every woman should be asking “Show me the relationship” and taking careful notes about what he delivers, weather his delivery pleases you, weather it is enough for you, could you find someone who could do it better. All those questions should be answered with a crystal clear demonstration, before you enter this relationship at all.

If what you want is a 100% committed relationship, then test him on his commitment. If he is demonstrating that he is 100% committed, then he has no time to test drive any other women. You will know it the minute he goes missing. Why do women give men what they want on the 3rd date, if they have not yet received what they asked for?

You should only be dating what I call the 100%-ers, the men who are 100% ready to demonstrate their genuineness and sincerity. But, please don’t make this the basis for your selection. ALL men will offer 100% commitment up front when you are out of their league, if they can’t get anyone better, if they haven’t much success in dating, if women ignore them, if they are too old to be relevant to women. You do NOT want to select from any of these. If they are not worth any woman’s time, they are not worth yours. So don’t be fooled by commitment. Any old dog will be loyal when no one else is willing to feed him.

You want 100% commitment only from the men you have identified yourself as sleepable, datable, relatable, and qualified to be with you. That is a very small percentage of the population. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to give every guy asking for your attention any time at all. You should spend most of your time NOT dating, but sifting and sorting through the males who are strong candidates. This takes a lot of self-awareness and an understanding of who you are on the inside. You cannot properly assess who complements you unless you know your personal strengths and weaknesses, your emotions, and your own psyche. If you don’t know that, every man will disappoint you.

It does not serve you to date traditionally at all. I will write more on this later, but for now let’s say that rather than going out on dates and seeing who is willing to go through the motions with you, stop dating completely. Instead, spend most of your time getting to know vast circles of men socially. You don’t need a date, what you need are males you have qualified with your own senses, attraction points and desires to merely be in your company. You don’t need dinner and a drink, what you need is to assess how relatable they are, how genuine or phony they are, who they are at their core, how do they relate to other women, what is their m.o.?

You will gather more relevant information about men if you get to know them on a social level without any promise of dating involved. And you can easily filter out 99% of the phonies or people who don’t meet your needs without going through the motion of dating. Traditional dating is exhausting, and by following the blueprint of traditional dating, you will always fall into that trap where you have to deliver the test drive long before he has proven himself as a man. Don’t fall into that trap.

Make your own rules, follow them, honor them, and never apologize for them. Spend years identifying, then sharpening what you want. Never be in a hurry to select a man at all. There is no shortage of men in the universe, you were only taught to believe in the scarcity.

Once you have a pool of sleepable, datable, relatable men, this is the time to see what they can deliver. You can test all of them at the same time, as long as you want, because you are not sleeping with any of them, until they have demonstrated they are adept at healthy relationships. You want them to communicate clearly, show up on time each and every time, be exactly who they claimed to be, demonstrate longevity, prove relatability, show their humanity, vulnerability, a healthy and an open heart and mind. You need to know his dating history and to understand whether he has satisfied any other women at all. If he couldn’t satisfy them, what makes you think he will be enough for you? If he spent most of his dating life running away from women, why do you think he will stop running for you? Yes, that’s a tall order, but these are basic traits of a human you want to give your attention to.

As mentioned earlier, it is very important that you do not select from the lowest common denominator. A lot of men will commit to a 100% up front, because they have run out of options. Contrary to what most males are willing to admit, women aren’t chasing them, no one is demanding to marry them, and they will offer 100% to whoever is willing to give them a chance. Don’t be a bottom feeder, you will regret eating from the floor.

Instead, create your own pool of datable men that you have selected by your own standards. Do NOT allow non-datable men into your clean pool. Not even as a friend. They will quickly piss in your pool. Develop your own dating rules, and screen them long before you go on the first date. You should be test-driving every man’s relationship abilities and measuring his performance. He doesn’t have a date until he has proven he can deliver. There is no reason to hurry, there’s plenty of time to sift and sort through who suits you and who is falling short.

A girl will list herself on Tinder, and show up on a date as soon as he clicks her button. A woman will ask tough questions, and state what she wants clearly. She won’t play games. A Goddess will not validate any man at all. He is either on her level, or he gets no attention at all.

S

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Why People Ignore And Blow You Off

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

A question came from a male reader: “Why do women ignore me? Why do people ignore me, disconnect, or blow me off?” I get asked this same question from women all the time, and I give them the same answer. I firmly believe that men and women have exactly the same needs, we are human after all. We are simply conditioned to express our needs and satisfy them via different culturally accepted methods. Much of my advice applies to both sexes, as we all seek to be understood, respected and valued.

There are people out there who are often ignored, especially by the opposite sex. I am sure they are all nice people, both the ignored and the ignorer are simply seeking something other than what is being offered. I don’t think that the ignored are victims of cold heartless people, I do see them as humans who often ignore themselves.

We all seek what we don’t have. The needy, seek to have their needs met by others. The insecure, seek security through others, and neglect to work on themselves to become more secure on the inside. The lonely, seek company from others when they fail to recognize the self as their source of true friendship.

You can’t ignore a person who isn’t ignoring themselves. It is impossible. So what is happening when a person is constantly being ignored? They are ignoring their Self. How?

I asked my reader, let’s call him Robert, to describe the most recent situation in which he was being ignored. He is a nurse who works in a big hospital and is very well liked by others. Though his friends and colleagues adore him, appreciate his kindness and endless positive energy, they often dismiss him, turn their backs, or decline offers to hang out after work. So this kind, nice guy often feels like he is constantly giving, and receiving nothing but cold shoulders in return. Recently, two pretty nurses joined his team and naturally Robert was eager to get to know them. He made them feel welcome by baking his special banana bread, bringing in coffee, and helping them out during their first week. That’s all very nice. Most of us would appreciate such gestures from our coworkers.

He then asked one of the nurses out on a date, she seemed very uncomfortable and changed the subject. A few hours later, he caught her when she was less busy, and asked her again. She said something polite, turned around and walked away. He then caught her at the end of her shift to tell her he didn’t mean anything by it, sorry if he offended her, and asked if they could hang out sometime. He got a “sorry I can’t” which didn’t quite satisfy him. The next day, he baked his grandmother’s zucchini bread, brought it to work, the nurses said Thank You, but this time they were less eager to chat with him. This continued for a couple of weeks, and he noticed that each time he tried to organize a lunch with the new nurses, invite them to a social gathering, his daughter’s soccer game, they grew colder and less interested in giving him any attention at all. What did Robert do to turn them off?

Before I explain how he is ignoring himself, it is more important to state that he ignored the nurse the very first time she turned away, changed the subject and walked out of the room. Though she may not have been blunt and said No to his face, her actions clearly implied No. When people are interested in engaging you, they don’t turn their backs to you, when they are interested in spending time, they don’t change the subject at the mere suggestion of going out, and they don’t walk away. Robert ignored her ‘No’ multiple times. The more she kept ignoring him, the more he started pursuing her with repeated invitations and gifts of baked goods. This is a guy who doesn’t believe what his eyes and ears see and hear: No. His brain processed none of this, so he continued to pursue. People who easily dismiss what their senses pick up, are willingly ignoring reality, and creating a delusion that the other person must want to be chased, that the ‘No’ is an invitation to play a cat and mouse game, or a con to get more gifts or baked goods out of them. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lack of interest is always lack of interest.

So, how is Robert ignoring himself? Let’s go back to that first moment, when he asked the nurse out on a date. Her first response was to change the subject, turn around and walk away. Stop! In this moment, most of us would have felt discomfort. It does not feel good to be dismissed, it does not feel good to be walked away from. Most healthy humans would at this point realize this is not a pleasant situation to be in, and our self-respect would restrain us from pursuing them more. Yes, healthy people have a very strong sense of self-respect and personal pride which prevent us from doing things that are demeaning, embarrassing, and make us look desperate. Healthy people accept the word No, the very first time they see and hear it. Healthy people respect No. Healthy people don’t run after what doesn’t want them. Unhealthy people will turn No into a delusion that makes them think: She didn’t mean that, she doesn’t know what she wants, let me go ask her again, she will change her mind if I keep asking. They lose sight of how this delusion makes them look: desperate. They don’t even care that by following someone who is seeking to disconnect, they are embarrassing themselves. Their pride, and self-respect switch is turned off.

In that first moment when Robert decided to ignore the nurse’s lack of interest, he ignored his self-respect, he ignored his pride, and started chasing a person who clearly did not want him. The more he continued to pursue her interest, approval, and a date, the more he dismissed his own pride and his self-worth. He felt bad being dismissed, so rather than acknowledge his own negative feelings, he ignored them. He thought he will feel better if he can just get her to say yes to something, anything at all. So, rather than tend to his own self-esteem, he ignored it and continued to show lack of self-worth by bringing gifts and asking for her time and attention over and over again. People with low self-esteem cannot accept evidence that the object of their desire is not interested. So when someone tells them No, they either label that person a villain or they dismiss them.

To be clear, women do this too. Many women will become fixated only on that man who is ignoring them, and pursue a relationship even if there isn’t one, even if the logical side of her brain tells her that he is not the kind of man she wants, even if deep down she knows she doesn’t want him at all. What sickens me is that the dating industry encourages this behavior. We are all sold this idea that the disinterested could become interested if just the right technique is applied, we all believe that perseverance against the word No will win us that object of our desire, and that chasing and persistence will eventually pay off with a big reward. No, you will come off as a stalker and completely turn off the person who never valued you to begin with.

Self-respect is the most attractive characteristic any human can have. It shows that we are healthy, that we like ourselves, that we have pride. It prevents us from doing things which dishonor ourselves. It helps us stand up straight, look people in the eye, demonstrate confidence, but most of all, it shows that I do not grovel, I do not submit, I do not demean myself for your approval.

When we don’t cultivate the Self, when we don’t know our Self, make friends with it, respect or honor it, we are ignoring the most important aspect of who we are. If there is no Self, the person is just an empty shell seeking an identity, approval, or worth from other people. They don’t just ignore what is missing within them, they break people’s boundaries, do demeaning stuff like chase those who do not want to be pursued, and persist in maintaining their own delusions.

At the very core of this is a human who refuses to hear the word No. When you tell a dog No, if it is well trained, it will back off and sit down. That is what is expected the first time we hear No. If the dog is rabid, it will attack and pursue anything that moves, regardless of whether it is appropriate to chase. That rabid dog is a threat to our health. Often rabid animals are put down. Most experts will tell you that rabid dog is better off dead. It sounds cruel, but it is true. A person who ignores the word No, is a threat to our personal safety. Everyone (not just women) will seek to separate in that situation.

Think about that. Of what value is a human who cannot honor the boundaries of others? Of what value is a lover who exists solely to consume you? Of what value is a partner who doesn’t respect him or herself? Of what value are people who consistently ignore their pride, their honor and their own self-respect? Do you see why healthy humans seek to avoid them?

When I pointed out to Robert how he is ignoring himself, he became uncomfortably silent. He really didn’t see that he was broadcasting to the whole world that he did not value himself. No one will value you unless you find within yourself that which is most valuable. You must first satisfy yourself with your own company, your own self-love, build your pride and your dignity to such high levels that chasing others feels undignified. Only then will your attention be welcomed by others, and only then will you qualify for healthy relationships.

So what should you do if people are ignoring you, dismissing you, and blowing you off? The first thing to do is to stop yourself from pursuing, seeking their attention, or asking for more of their time. Understand that in those very first moments that you are being rejected, your mind and body are telling you something that you have been ignoring for a very long time. Rejection hurts, but groveling, begging for time and attention, and chasing those who do not want us is demeaning. You have been ignoring your self-worth for a very long time, so you are probably used to seeking justice for yourself, or seeking the approval of others to mask this pain. You falsely believe that once you get them to like you, the pain will stop. It won’t.

No one’s love nor attention can cure your missing self-esteem. That is your own work. If you find yourself in this situation, now is not a good time to be in relationships with anyone. People are nice, and they may try to compensate, even overlook your missing self, but sooner or later they will realize that there is nothing they can do for you, and that as a half-person, there is nothing you can do for them. You will continue to be dismissed and disregarded as a mere nuisance until you develop your own self. Without a self, there is nothing for anyone to regard. Don’t blame other people for that, fix you.

If you don’t believe me that all of this work is on you, take a look at other people around you who are also missing their self-esteem. Sometimes, it is easier to see flaws in other people. Have you noticed that people who have no self-respect will often do desperate things to catch other people. Others often refer to them as “desperate”, as they act without any thought of how their actions make them look. Sometimes they are ridiculed, but most often people seek to get away from them.

Often, these are very nice people. Robert is the epitome of the nice guy. He is bursting with positive energy, he gives encouragement to all his friends, he is supportive, he listens, he bakes banana bread for his co-workers. Being nice is not enough to earn respect from people, and it never will be. Robert is broadcasting “I have no self-respect. I don’t care that you don’t want me, I don’t care that you don’t need me, I will continue to follow you, asking for your time and approval, until you give it to me”. Don’t be a Robert.

When people are dismissing or ignoring you, they are showing you how you are treating yourself. You may be over-focused on others, paying no attention to your Self. You may view their attention and their approval as medicine for whatever ails you. It’s true, you may get a temporary high from the attention of others, but then you need more, and more, and more, and it’s not their job to feed you. At a certain point, your needs will drain them, and they will blow you off.

There are countless articles out there about the toxic prevalence of ghosting, but none of them point out to the victim, “hey, maybe it’s your fault that you are consistently being ghosted”. Maybe you have an off-putting habit that other people seek to get away from. Maybe you feed off other people’s attention, maybe you seek justice for yourself by chasing their approval. Maybe you feel like you are not enough, so you drain people by expecting them to fulfill you. Maybe you can’t accept No for an answer. Just maybe, the problem is you.

I am a big fan of self-responsibility and seeking answers within ourselves rather than demanding that other people be what we need them to be. Life is all about learning about ourselves, learning from our own mistakes, and shaping ourselves into the kind of people others can find value in. If you are consistently being dismissed, the solution is entirely within you.

S

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How To Win The Mind Game

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Create confusion. Keep him guessing. Make him wonder. Be hot and cold. Sure, play mind games with men, but then don’t complain when they pull one on you. Juvenile games lead to juvenile relationships. If you participate in texting games, mind games, and if you study techniques on how to get uninterested people to chase you, then you are a part of the problem. Let’s call that problem toxic dating.

Do you realize that as you are scheming how to get him addicted to you, you are the one becoming addicted? Do you see that when you mess with someone’s mind trying to get someone uninterested to fall head over heels for you, it is your mind that is left spinning in the end? Sorry, but we all deserve it. Intelligent people fall for emotional manipulation, but it is rarely the one you intend to manipulate, it is almost always you. I guess you can call that karma.

Games begin the very first time we try to participate in the game. What’s the harm in replying to that cryptic text? Maybe I should give him a chance to clarify? Maybe if I just send one mysterious text, he will know that he has met his match. We all get sucked into the craziness, then blame the other for playing games, and not being an adult.

I always thought that dating techniques were simple manipulation for emotionally stunted people who can’t state clearly ‘Yes, I like you’, ‘No, I am not interested in dating you’, ‘Yes, I would like to see you again’, ‘No, I don’t think we have enough chemistry’. We all crave honesty, clarity, and people who are healthy and respectful of our time. So, if we want that from others, shouldn’t the only technique we practice be honesty? Isn’t that clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’, ‘I like you very much’, ”I’m not into you’ the only the only thing we owe the other person?

Not everybody likes being as blunt as I am, I respect that. But everybody is capable of giving the other person clarity up front, and acting as honestly as possible. Ghosting, or timing texts so they pop up in Morse code is just plain juvenile. I text with men exactly the way I exchange messages with good friends. “I’m free, tell me when and where’. Needless to say, if I show up it means that I am interested, and that I want to be there. There’s no mind game involved. And if I am not into somebody, he gets one clear No, without any mixed signals added to that No. I would never meet a man for any reason if I am not interested in dating him. I would never “explore the possibility” of something if I am interested in nothing. I would never lead someone on and allow him to take me out, when I know he has no chance. Many women do that, but later they wonder why men lead them on. It takes two to tango. If you want honesty, be honest. If you don’t want people who want nothing serious to lead you on, you have the responsibility to not let men take you out if you don’t want them. Don’t leave things ambiguous.

A man can’t play a game, unless you play with him. If you want people to stop playing games with you, stop participating. It is amazing how serious people with clear intentions start speaking in complete sentences when they are truly serious about you. When a person can’t state what their intentions are, it is because they don’t want anything serious, or they want to see if you will accept a half-assed offer.

Understand that both men and women who relate to others by playing games aren’t healthy. They don’t do so to win a quality relationship, they play the game because they are addicted to the game. Any person who will rope you into a relationship with silence is a manipulator. No exceptions. And if you start playing, you can’t claim to be an innocent victim. Having crashed multiple times at the game, it dawned on me that I have never gotten a healthy man out of a mind game player. I also realized that every time I met a healthy, honest man, he approached me with clear intentions, honest communication, and follow through. His words always matched his actions. He was not offended by my blunt honesty, he appreciated it. Boring, I know. But, that’s how humans of sound mind communicate.

Your job is to clearly state what you want, then to wait for the other person to either confirm exactly that, or show you they are a douche with a cryptic, dubious reply. The very first time you receive a nonsensical text, or a response after ten days that said “my appendix burst, I couldn’t call you”, is the time you stop playing. Conversation over.

Imagine if you are the hiring manager and you received a resume, but your attempts to schedule an interview were a cat and mouse game, and the applicant was making you chase him. Would you give that person the job? A man is applying for your time. If he is wasting your time while texting, he is showing you that he IS a waste of time. You don’t need to outsmart him at his mind game, you just have to stop texting. Application denied. This applicant is not qualified. Next.

If you want to win at mind-games, you don’t need to buy the latest texting manual.You simply have to go cold turkey and stop communicating with the lunatics.

S

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The Power of Failing at Love, Again and Again

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

How many times have you been married or divorced? How many times have you experienced a “failed” relationship? Do you feel “unsuccessful” at relationships? Why do other people have their forever love, but you keep failing over and over and over?

Actually, you are not failing at all. You are doing great! You are an explorer of life, men, and of yourself. There is nothing wrong with you, you are a woman capable of walking away from people and relationships that don’t work. You know that when something isn’t working out for you, you are not going to settle for it, acquiesce. The fact that you keep marching forward means that you are seeking people and situations that will help you evolve, discover yourself, heal yourself, teach you new lessons. Is that why you feel so guilty?

Ending relationships is not failure. Staying stuck in them is. Knowing how to disengage from situations that are harmful, or not in your best interest is one of the most important lessons a Goddess can learn in her life. It is not a disgrace, it is a power. How powerless people feel when their best efforts to topple you and bring you down to their level fail? Or, how powerless does a woman feel when she cannot afford to leave? Power, is mastery over the self. You know when you have learned your lesson, you know when you have discovered a past toxic pattern and released it, you know when someone can’t measure up to the work you have done on yourself, you know when someone is not your equal, and you move on quickly, easily and with no regret.

If you are feeling guilty about acting in your own self interest, please don’t. You should only feel guilty when your decisions are keeping you stuck, or hurting the self. Sure, people will try to make you feel guilty for having your freedom, self-possession, a strong head on your shoulders and the power to say No. There is no one more feared than a woman who feels no need to explain herself, apologize or feel guilty. Most people who can’t do that for themselves will tell you that there is something wrong with you. It’s not normal for a woman to be so free, so self-assured, so unapologetic. Experts will tell you that a real woman cries, pleads, begs, is a slave to her emotions, a real woman would do anything to keep her man. Nope. Not me. If that’s a real woman, I want no part of that.

I am free, I am proud of that. My freedom and my desire for self-mastery have always been my power. Even when I was a little kid, my dad commented “She doesn’t need me. If I left that child out in the street, she would do fine without me”. I was fine, no matter how many people I lost in my life. I was fine post-divorce, and I was finer after the next 20 men failed to please me:) I don’t look at endings as relationship failures, I see them as my winning streak! I am huge at scoring points for always choosing myself. Do you think that I should feel guilty for that? That will never happen.

Call me callous, call me cold, call me unfeeling, call me whatever you want, but I came to this planet to experience life and myself in all my glory. No one will stop me from choosing the best moments that life gifts me. Sure, I love men, I love love, and I am always experiencing life from the perspective of love. But love isn’t a binding contract with damning escape clauses, and penalties for failing to give disgruntled lovers compensation every time their ego gets bruised. If I am not a real woman because I can easily move on, make choices that serve me, and don’t chase people, nor crawl on my hands and knees begging to keep them, so be it. I’ll be a Goddess instead.

Ladies, don’t feel guilty, don’t feel shame, and never feel bad for choosing you. Every failed relationship is just a situation that didn’t serve you. You moved on, and as a result you found something better each and every time. The fact that you have not found a husband to rope into a contract means that you have not made your selection yet. None of the men I have met post divorce could make me happier than I already was. Even when I was down and out, and my mother insisted that I needed a husband to “rescue me”, I always knew that I can do better for myself.

I have dated some very powerful men in my life. The lesson I learned is that I was always much more powerful than they. I always knew that I could do better for myself than they could do for me. So I walked. So what! Is there something wrong with me for saying no thanks to a McMansion, a CEO, a shipping tycoon, a brilliant scientist or anyone society labels as a “real man”? In each and every situation, what I learned is that I am more powerful than all of them, and that none of them could be or do anything for me. I don’t want what “powerful men” offer, I want Me. I also learned that men offer things like money, houses, shiny rocks to buy themselves security, respect, admiration and validation from women. I won’t validate you. So, bye.

But, the most important lesson I learned from walking away from so many “powerful” men is that I am worth more than all of them. How many women understand that? Should I feel like a failure for that?

Some psychologists call that crazy, reckless, boredom, a woman on a self-destructive mission. Any woman would kill for things like husband, home, and security but she keeps walking away. I assure you I have no intention of destroying this awesome life I have built for myself. I do have an intention to enjoy this. Some day, I will be with The One, and I will be crazy in love with him, in fact I have been crazy in love many times, and only That One could have my commitment. But why commit to a mere mortal who buys women? And why feel guilty because your friends have tied the knot, signed a contract, while you are still moving on, and moving on, and moving on? Be very proud of all your endings. If you have accumulated a huge pile of wounded knights and bleeding princes, it means that in each and every situation you chose You. That’s the only real woman that there is.

There is no such thing as a failed relationship. There is only failure to honor yourself, and failure to choose You.

No apologies, no regrets.

S

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When He Doubts He Could Be The Man You Need Him To Be, Believe Him

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

If he doubts that he is good enough for you, believe him. He knows himself better than you possibly could. He is aware of his own shortcomings, and more likely to know he will disappoint you. If he is reluctant, he has a good reason to be. Leave him alone.

Have you ever tried to empower a guy to approach you? Have you tried to make yourself appear normal, easy, less of a threat so that he could finally muster up the confidence to ask you out on a real date? He needs a clearer signal, or he needs a confidence boost, so you do whatever it takes to show him it’s okay, you’re safe, you won’t hurt him.

Your support is kind and your time is generous, but there is nothing you can do to make someone become anything at a core level. You might boost his confidence temporarily, you might even succeed in helping him approach you by making yourself seem less “threatening” and showing him how easy and approachable you truly are. But coming down to his level, and making yourself available when he doubts what he could possibly be for you will only topple you off your Goddess pedestal.

Rather than empower him to believe you are really not as grand and mighty as he thinks you are, and that you are just the girl next door, let him be nervous. The more he thinks you are out of his reach the easier it is to remain in your power. He might never step forward. It is okay, a man who does not fear you will. He might never make a move because what ever doubt he holds in his mind is valid. A man should doubt whether he could have you. If he were certain of what a sure thing you are, he’d be done with you in a minute. It is always better to be unapproachable, unattainable and out of his reach, because other men will notice you not bending down to his level. Everybody notices the unaffected woman, the one who won’t bend every time the wind blows past. The vast majority of them may not have the courage- be okay with that.

Who do powerful women want? I don’t want the easy guy, I don’t want the one every woman has had, I don’t want the guy who works hard on proving he is a ladies man, and I don’t want the one who doesn’t know what he wants. I don’t want the guy who is insecure, I don’t want the one no woman wants, I don’t want the guy whose ego is boosted by how many women he can have, and I don’t want the one who doubts he can be the man I need him to be. What women want is that One whom everybody wants but no one else can have. Goddesses want that one strong, unshakeable, self-knowing, unbreakable, honorable, clean, dignified, centered, God who isn’t flailing, but is 100% focused on her.

I can afford to let a few doubtful men slide out of my sphere of consciousness. What could they possibly do for me? That doubter who doesn’t know what he wants can only bring me his problems: his insecurities, his exes, his child support battles, his neurotic mother, his self-doubt, his inconsistencies, his mind games to my table. I have no use for such things.

I have proved to myself that I can create that spectacular life I always dreamed of all by myself. It doesn’t take much money, it doesn’t take a rich husband, it doesn’t take other people’s support, all it takes is confidence, self-appreciation, and knowing that I am totally worth everything I am currently enjoying. So, if he can’t step up, why would you want him? That guy who is flailing should be with a girl his own size. Leave the apprehensive ones to the amateurs.

The amazing thing that happens when you leave the undecideds alone, is that they get bored very easily with women on their own level. They are easy, uninspiring, pliable, childish, empty. A mindless twit can only satisfy a male whose ego depends on her validation. He could never be enough for you.

So if a man is reluctant, don’t take it personally. It does not mean that you are not enough at all. It means he doesn’t think he could be as big, strong and powerful as a woman of your stature would want. Believe him.

S

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Ego Based Relationships & Low Conscious Love

Posted on May 30, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

“He should choose me, instead of that bitch”. How many times have you heard a similar statement? “She should be mine, but she doesn’t know what a real man is”. How many times have you believed that you are the only right choice for your love interest? Are you really? Is that person of interest so ignorant and so incapable of choosing what is best for him? He must be, because he is consistently choosing someone else.

It is painful to be the one not chosen. But when we look at the situation objectively, we realize that the only thing that hurts is our own ego. It is immature and quite egotistical to assume that we are in the best interest of the other person, that they are making a mistake choosing someone else, that we are the only right choice, and that there must be something wrong with the guy for not realizing we are the one. It seems laughable when we are looking at someone else express those feelings of resentment toward a man who doesn’t want her, but we have all been there and we have all felt that ego pain.

Choosing her is not the wrong choice. He is choosing who suits him and we have to respect other people’s choices. It is quite narcissistic to see ourselves as the only right choice.

Ego. We all have one, and sometimes it gets in the way of us realizing our dreams. Often, when we lose something we really, really want, it is because we act on our ego, instead of pure desire and pure love. If we love purely and unconditionally, we would love regardless of what he is doing, regardless of whether people give us what we want, regardless of whether they are willing to fulfill our needs, we would be love.

Unconditional love is something we all want, yet very few people are willing to be unconditional about love. Our attachment to what we want turns into a stubborn obsession and insistence that it must be. And often we place ourselves and our ego at the center of the universe, and insist that for something to be right or good, it must feed our ego. “The only way I could be in love and complete is if he realizes that I am the one. But he is blind, his eyes are closed, and that ugly bitch has my man.”

Everything is as it should be, even when you are not getting what you want. It is their choice to be together, they are two willing participants, they have chosen to be with each other, therefore it is right. What is wrong is your insistence that this should all be yours.

We all know how unpleasant it is to have some angry dude obsessed with us, a persistent creep who won’t take no for an answer. But he too is operating from his ego, and wanting something that isn’t reciprocated. Don’t be that creep.

When you have identified a situation that feels wrong to you, your job is to understand your own place in it. If you are stuck on a man who is making no moves towards you, or if someone else has got what you think is rightfully yours, it is time to step away from the situation. Wanting something or someone that doesn’t want you back is a vicious cycle and you are creating it all by yourself. It is time to get off the rat wheel, so that you can start moving in a healthier direction. If you stay on that wheel, you will stay in a state of wanting and wanting and wanting and wanting. Staying focused on what you don’t have will definitely create an obsession, an emotionally toxic mess.

It isn’t your place to push your way into situations where you are not wanted. That is your ego starving for validation. It is your place to create healthy relationships with people who are just as willing to connect and relate to you as you are to them. A relationship is when two people express equal interest in each other, and participate in it equally. When one person is short on interest, it is not a relationship. It is your responsibility to know when you are in one, and pull yourself away from people who have no interest in you.

Sorry, but you cannot force a relationship. You cannot talk your way into one. You will never argue someone into loving you or respecting you. And you will never be The One to a man who doesn’t see you as such. Your work, if you choose a path towards reaching Goddess status is to master your ego. You will always have the ego, but knowing how to separate from it is one of the basic steps to mastery.

The purpose to all suffering is to temporarily separate ourselves from the ego. Ego death, the most painful state there is, is also one of the first steps to enlightenment. One of the reasons I encourage meditation is that in order to enter that state, two things must happen. You must separate yourself from your intellect and enter the no-thought state, and you must separate yourself from your ego. When both fall away, you are meditating. Over time, you master the state of meditation, it becomes comfortable and natural to you, and you learn to make decisions and choices from that higher state of mind. You will no longer react to people or situations. Instead you will observe, and act in a way that is in your best interest. A woman who is aligned with her higher self, and acts in her on highest interest is a Goddess. The one who compromises herself, controls or manipulates, operates from the ego. She is totally helpless against herself.

I will write more about ego death, and the value of suffering or experiencing pain. But for now it is important to understand that we all have an ego, and that it serves a purpose. Not knowing how to master the ego or keep it in check is a sign of emotional ignorance, the person operating from that state hasn’t even taken her first step.

If your ego rules your relationships, you are probably experiencing the same patterns and negative situations over and over again. Your life is playing a broken record, and you are wondering why am I spinning around and around in circles, unable to produce a healthier situation.

If this is you, your goal shouldn’t be how to enter new relationships and stay attached to them, it is to learn how to become an observer of yourself in relationships, how to detach yourself from transactional or codependent situations, how to meet your own needs, and not perceive others as your medicine. Your daily practice should be separating yourself from your ego, loving people who refuse to give you what you want, finding acceptance for situations you cannot change, and understanding that this situation is your own creation. You must first change yourself before your life can change for the better.

A lot of women in the private Goddess forum insist they want unconditional love. Yet, when I question them, each one is stuck on a dozen conditions. You can’t experience unconditional love if you believe in conditions. You simply cannot love with your ego. Hate, jealousy, resentment are all ego based expressions of unrequited love. If your ego was in check, you would be able to feel love for that person who refuses to love you back- that is what unconditional love is all about.

It is hard to separate yourself from your ego, it took years of meditation for me to start to see results. Don’t beat yourself up if the process doesn’t come easily. The goal is simply to start the process and accept that you won’t master it immediately. To motivate you into taking the first step, I urge you to look at relationships, codependency, transactional people and the dramas that ego based love creates, and ask yourself if you want that. Mind games, ghosting, manipulation, control, jealousy, lack and scarcity are all sign of people transacting and attempting to relate on a lower emotional level. You will never find a higher person if you are operating from your ego. You will only find your match.

To divorce yourself from toxic relationships and unhealthy patterns, you must do the work only on yourself. You must recognize that it is you that is participating in unhealthy relationships and that it is your work to become a match to someone who loves on a higher level.

Buddha suffered for decades until his ego died. Often, the most painful of life’s situations will lead us to slowly drop the ego, and those situations must be welcomed with open arms and understood before we can progress. But, Buddha also meditated for many years in order to connect with his higher self. No, you cannot strike a yoga pose and claim to be enlightened J Life isn’t as easy as that.

In my life I have suffered two absolute disasters of complete loss and devastation. I have plunged into the abyss, was on the brink of death three times and emerged better and stronger than ever. As I sat there in the darkness, I realized that I am not those things that once belonged to me. I am not that marriage, nor that person I signed a love contract with. They were just my egoic representations of what I believed was love. Everything about that life was false. It was a contractual, transactional situation we all refer to as “love”. But it was not pure, nor unconditional at all. The conditions had to fall away so that I could learn that. When the conditions were gone, I had absolutely nothing at all. I had to face myself as I really am. That was the death of my ego. That self that I had created by acquiring conditions and validating myself through other people and objects was a false mask. Yes, it is the most painful thing in the world to face yourself as you really are, and then learn to find acceptance for that nothingness that is you.

But that is your work. You must find a way to separate yourself from your ego so that you can learn to consistently choose yourself, make decisions that are in your own best interest, and master your inner being.

S

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How To Release The Stigma Of Your Choice

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

STIGMA. We all get stigmatized for our choices, and in the last few weeks since the new abortion laws were passed, I have been hearing a lot from women who have been stigmatized for having an abortion, considering one, not having any children, having them outside of marriage, not having them on time, or having them “too late”, past her prime. We all know the ugly feeling of judgment, like we can’t do right when the world says we are wrong. But, stigma is just judgment that we are willing to accept.

The way I have dealt with all my “wrong” and difficult choices is to be proud of them, not hide them, even flaunt them in the face of people who try to inflict guilt. Why? It releases me from the stigma. It is my way of saying no to their judgment, not accepting it, not internalizing it, and remaining free from carrying that stigma around.

When you argue or have a vicious fight with someone who is judging you, the more you argue for your choices, the more you validate them and their judgment about you. Why should I argue with a mental midget that I am an equal to that mental midget? Why should I argue with an ignorant buffoon, that I should be able to make choices in my best interest without his/her approval? That drops me down to the buffoon’s psychological level.

Instead, I openly talk about the benefits of the choices I have made, how guilt free I feel, I revel in my freedom, I gloat about how I have never felt wrong, only absolutely right. Basically, I am demonstrating how great I feel, and how powerless their words of judgment are compared to my happiness. It really shuts people up.

Last summer I was at a social gathering, when two men whose egos I refused to stroke, tried to shame me in front of other guests. They agreed that at my age, my chances of scoring a “real man” like they were are nil, how at my age and my inability to bear a child made me absolutely useless to successful and powerful men, and that they were willing to introduce me to some guys would be willing to give me a chance. I’m not kidding, this was a very upscale social gathering, with seemingly educated people. I was the only female in the room who was refusing to validate both of them, the one refusing to be in awe of their bloated self-aggrandizing personalities, so they decided to talk about me in front of all the men in the room and the wives who believe in them.

Sure judgment feels awful, however I was not willing to accept it from them. Had I started to cry, I would have confirmed my insecurity to them, and they would have puffed up even more. Had I taken my boxing gloves out (I am an excellent verbal fighter) and argued for my choices, my words would have fallen on deaf ears, the douche bags only wanted to hear what they wanted to hear. And had I fought viciously, they would have used my anger as proof that they are right, and I am some angry, disgruntled woman.

So, I took a gulp of champagne, sparkled myself up, closed my eyes and took a very deep breath in and a giant orgasmic smile lit up my face. Without any acknowledgement of their judgment, I started to tell my own story to everyone in the living room. I started to revel in my singleness, shamelessly announced how much I enjoy having multiple men at the same time, how virile younger men are, and the deliciousness of enjoying a vibrant sex life. They also criticized my global travels and tried to say that I was a bored, lonely spinster for traveling so much. So, I gloated about what it is like to get on a plane, fly to an island in Thailand, and get f*cked for a long weekend by an international friend with benefits. I also exclaimed that none of this would be possible if I had children. As I stood there in that living room surrounded by judgmental strangers, I was totally lit, very much at ease with myself, almost boasting about having multiple-orgasms, and how not being married is advantageous to a woman in her prime. I could not shut up, I just went on and on for ten minutes, while there was total silence in the room.

When I was finished, I took a very deep breath and released, as if I just had a massive orgasm. Then I asked the ladies if any of them have ever had a real orgasm or if they fake it with their old men?

After that, not one person in the room dared to challenge me. I just described the awesomeness and the rightness of every choice I had made without stooping to their level. When they went low, I went super high J

My point is that we all have a choice whether to accept judgment, or not be affected by it. Judgment is only a powerful manipulation tool IF we accept it. When we demonstrate that it has no power over our emotions nor our self-worth, we also demonstrate the power we have over ourselves. No one will dare to rub your actions in your face when they see how powerful you feel for having made that choice.

Stigma is just judgment we have accepted. When you feel stigmatized, a part of you has accepted the wrongness of a choice you made, even when you made it in your best interest. Release all stigma, it isn’t yours, it belongs to the ones who attempted to control you by manipulating you with guilt. Focus on the rightness of each choice you made. Never explain why you made that choice, you owe no one your excuses. Instead, focus only on all the best things that happened as a result of you doing what is best for yourself. Never display guilt, shame, second-thoughts- all these feelings may be valid to you, but sharing your personal doubts with shamers will only amplify them, and give them a tool to beat you up with.

Many of you know that I have been volunteering for Planned Parenthood since college. Imagine how beat up women feel for making a difficult choice, and what it is like to face a crowd of angry mobs who will spit, shame, assault so that you would make a choice in their interest. Seven years ago a woman did something I thought was absolutely genius. She decided to go live on Youtube, and demonstrate using the Morning After pill, show to the public what it is like to miscarry or abort live, and openly talk about the side-effects, what is happening to her body by the hour, in full confidence of the choice she made. That one video completely demystified and destigmatized the process.

She took questions from her viewers live, addressed critics and haters with confidence, but also took questions from women who were terrified of the scary side effects they heard about. They watched her go through the process live and she was perfectly calm, and rational about it.

The reason I bring up this story is that I think she did more for the cause than anybody else. She stood on live camera fearlessly and brought down the argument that the morning after pill is dangerous, permanently damaging, painful, etc. Since her, many other women have done the same, documenting their choice, pre and post abortion to educate.

We destigmatize things by openly talking about them, not hiding as if they are shameful. Stigma is just a bad feeling we all carry. It was inflicted on us by someone who manipulated us to choose what is right for them, not for us. It is your choice to accept stigma, and totally within your power to release it.

Rather than complain about how the world makes you feel bad because you are unmarried, your biological clock is ticking, you are having sex too freely, you can just as easily not feel bad about those things. All these things are my choice and I revel in the rightness of each and every choice I made for myself. Rather than feel bad, I choose to feel great. Rather than argue with someone for my freedom to do what is best for me, I demonstrate with great passion how awesome I feel.

Judgment is an ugly feeling that is inflicted upon women to make them feel bad for daring to act for themselves. Stigma is our acceptance that what we have chosen requires their approval. But power is a magnificent thing. Power is our ability to remain unaffected by whatever they inflict upon us. There is nothing more powerful than a woman who is 100% sure of her self, 100% unaffected, and 100% willing to act in her own self-interest.

No apologies, no regrets.

S

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How To Select Your Soulmate

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

How to choose your soulmate? Choose you.

By definition, your soulmate, is you. It is that person whose soul matches yours. It is that person whose personal development and all the work that went into it, matches your own work. It is that person who is as evolved, as awake, as enlightened as you. If you are all of those things, then you must be very self-aware. And if you are as self-aware as you should be, then anyone who does not match you, anyone who does not match your personal value system, your level of consciousness, your level of self-love will be a glaring contrast to you. Your soulmate is someone you do not have to compensate for. If you have reached that level of self-awareness, you are complete, you are full, you stand in perfection. There would be no need to bend down, make excuses for, or compensate for a person’s shortcomings if he or she matched your soul.

What is the purpose of all our failed relationships? None of those past relationships are failures, they were simply lessons in you. Many people fail to see that. The purpose of every relationship regardless of whether it was romantic, familial, or social is to gain awareness of who you are at the core level, and how to gain and maintain respect for yourself. Going back to your earliest relationships, you had to learn to relate to others, develop empathy, treat people respectfully, then evaluate whether they respect you enough to make the relationship worthy of you. The only way you could receive respect is to respect yourself first, and that is a lesson that takes the longest to master.

As you got older, and time progressed, you learned what behaviors and belief systems did not honor you, and you learned how to move faster, walking away from relationships which are not in your best interest. Some people believe that this walking away is a bad thing, that somehow ending relationships sooner, represents a lack of effort, lack of persistence, that there is something wrong with people or you. I disagree. Walking away sooner is simply proof that you are learning how to choose you, how to honor yourself first, how to choose situations which are healthy for you, and how to choose people whose inner self matches your own. The more self-aware you are, the more obvious it will be when someone has not reached that level of awareness. A mortal will never be your equal.

A Goddess is a woman who has put in a lot of work into building herself. She has a strong foundation, an unshakeable personal belief system, she knows exactly who she is. She is self-reliant, capable, she has faced and conquered her inner demons, she has repaired her own cracks, she has healed her heart many times and still allowed it to remain wide open. She does not see herself as a victim of men, she is a student of life, and her place in it. She works on mastering herself, building her own character, strengthening her own weaknesses, pursuing her own goals. A Goddess is not concerned with pleasing mortals, or bending down to make smaller men feel equal. She knows what she deserves.

A Goddess’s equal is God himself. Her soul’s mate can only be that one whose reflection matches her level of completion, her level of self-awareness, her self-esteem. And a God won’t settle for a mortal woman who will admire and look up to him, nor would he be satisfied by a woman who can only stroke his ego. Such women hold no value at all. A God is a man who has created himself, and can only be satisfied by a worthy counterpart. The two are whole and complete people, neither having to compensate or bend down for the other.

All of life’s relationships are a lesson in you. When you failed a lesson, it always repeated itself with similar relationships, until you gained an understanding of your own patterns, and learned how to choose you. Maybe you still haven’t learned it. If you are still not consistently choosing you, your self-respect, your honor, and your being, you are not standing on your pedestal, and you are not going to be worshiped until you do. No one will worship a mortal, but masses and masses will worship you when you are a Goddess. Keep working on you.

If you are directing your frustration and anger at men who have not met you on your level of completion, you are wasting your time. It is not their job to step up and be who you need them to be. It is your job to keep rising, evolving, perfecting your own being. Your work is none of their business, and their path is none of yours. In the course of your lifetime, you will encounter many road-blocks, suffer many setbacks, battle your own demons, you will bleed. Don’t be fooled. Your soulmate is not the one who stitches your heart up, it is the one who has bled just as you, has as many wounds and bruises as you do, and has learned an equal number of life’s lessons. Your soulmate is the one who knows how to choose himself too. He has an equal level of self-respect, and can just as easily spot a woman who has not reached his own level of personal development. Your soulmate will keep walking until he meets his equal. Don’t chase people who are walking, they are not for you.

Finding a soulmate is a journey within the self. It is a journey of consistently choosing you, over any relationship, and always being true to your own self. It is a journey of developing honor for the self, and consistently honoring it.

When you choose you, you continue to evolve. As you are growing, you matches will be people who are temporarily on your level, but the goal is to self-actualize, not to settle for what is available. When you reach that level of completion, when you feel whole without anybody else, when you notice that others see in you what you see in yourself, you will notice that people value you to a much greater degree than ever before. People will compete for your time and your attention because it is valuable to them. They will respect your beliefs, honor your time and space, value your opinions. You won’t have to ask for respect, you will command it easily. You won’t have to chase people, they will willingly be in your presence. That is the time to choose your soul mate. Your soul mate will never be a beggar starving for your attention, nor a demander of your respect. He will be your equal. You will easily recognize God when you see him. But until then, keep choosing you.

S

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Has He Triggered You Into Chasing Him?

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Just because you have emotions and feelings for a guy, does not mean that you have love. A true love connection goes both ways, the feeling is always mutual. And just because you have feelings, does not make the relationship or situation valid. Remember, for any situation to be real, it must be of benefit, of interest, and equally enjoyable for both people. So, what to do if you have feelings, but he doesn’t?

Simmer yourself down. You can’t negotiate feelings out of people. You can’t state your case, then argue your way into a relationship. Despite what relationship manuals say, you cannot create genuine feelings by applying magic tricks. Anything that interferes with a person’s free will is cheap manipulation and it cannot end well. Often those feelings we feel for a person are not rational. Have you ever actually analyzed your feelings for a person who does not want you?

Often, those feelings are something else. Often, those are feeling of rejection. His reluctance or disinterest has triggered something within you, and now you confuse that feeling of rejection, that heart throb, for having feelings of love for him. No, he triggered you. We all know how rejection feels, and we often want that object of our affection even more after we have felt that twinge of heart ache. But don’t confuse that aching heart for love. It is the ache of rejection. We all want the ones we can’t have.

Haven’t you noticed that the people who want us badly, so, so badly, often come across as creeps, but people who blow us off, trigger something within us and we want to prove to ourselves that we can have them. An emotion is just that, an emotional reaction. And when we have been slighted, forgotten or dismissed, some of us turn into rabid dogs chasing, wanting, pleading, manipulating.

Your power is always in knowing yourself. Be aware of your emotional triggers, and know that it is just your mind/body reaction to an uncomfortable situation, and not to be confused with love, nor sexual attraction. Yes, we often feel twice as attracted to the man who can easily turn his back on us. Do you remember the story of Pavlov’s dog and what made the dog salivate? It wasn’t the meat that made the dog salivate. The dog would drool every time it heard Pavlov ring a bell. The bell is just a trigger, and the drool is just a reaction. Don’t confuse an emotional reaction with the emotion of love. They are drastically different feelings some of us have been conditioned to confuse. But there is a very clear difference between the sound of the bell, and the smell of tasty meat.

If you understand yourself, you will understand how men operate. Most of them simply know how to trigger us. There are tricks that work on most women all the time. I can’t blame men for using them. Your choice is whether to be a slave to your own emotional triggers, or learn to recognize them. An interesting thing I observed recently. My 6 year old nephew was triggering my sister by rejecting her, then showing her love, then rejecting her again, and my highly intelligent, super successful sister fell for it each and every time. If we can be outsmarted and outmaneuvered by a 6 year old boy, what does that say about our personal power?

Most men have been practicing how to pull that trigger since childhood. And each and every dating manual for rejects with low emotional intelligence teach tricks like NLP that can easily be deployed to manipulate anyone into submission. If you find yourself falling for cheap tricks each an every time, and being extremely attracted to anyone who knows how to push your emotional buttons, it is in your best interest to admit that you are easily played. No, it’s not anyone’s fault that you drool every time the bell rings. It is your fault that as a grown-ass woman you don’t know enough about yourself. Women who don’t know themselves have no power at all.

Pay attention to your own emotions, and how easily you get triggered into chasing something that isn’t wanting you. Then, pay attention how nervous men get when they see they have no effect on you at all. You are as cool as a cucumber, and you are playing no games.

Knowing myself and being aware when someone is trying to trigger me, allows me the luxury to sit back and observe. It is exactly when some pushes my emotional buttons that I open my eyes and ears and watch his performance. Usually, when there is no reaction from me at all, that is exactly when the slick little dolt will try even harder. What I have discovered by observing people do their best to push my emotional buttons is just how emotionally impotent they are.

Observe an adult male who has reached the age of maturity, and the only power he feels is when he can trigger an emotional response from a dimwit. Yet, for a lot of grown men that is the only way they can gain any interest from a woman. A lot of dolts and douche-bags actually feel empowered when they have pulled a trigger and gotten a reaction. I am sure that Pavlov too thought he was absolutely brilliant when he got a dog to drool with a bell instead of real meat. Most men would beat their chests and congratulate themselves for being a real male. And really, that is all there is to manhood. Just that. I pulled a trigger, she reacted, and now I feel like a real man. They go around a bar, collecting phone numbers simply by pulling emotional triggers, and the dimwit who gave it to him felt a true emotional connection. Yes, she felt something but it wasn’t attraction at all.

Often when I talk to women in our private forum, they describe being attracted to someone for inexplicable reasons. They assume he has some magical power that she has no control over. Men describe the same situations too when they are being triggered by an expert manipulator. Women know how to pull the trigger too.

But this is an asinine way to attract people. Knowing how to pull an emotional trigger is something a three year old can do. And relating to people by pushing buttons is a sign of low emotional intelligence for both parties. It takes an emotional midget to trigger another emotional midget. It takes an action and a reaction to make a relationship between two emotional Neanderthals. We cannot blame men for this, nor can we make women the only victims. They are both operating on the same wave-length. They are equals in every sense of the word.

Observation is a very powerful tool that can help you assess who you are dealing with. And one of the best things you can do for yourself is to analyze your own emotions and understand how those emotions influence your behavior. You will see that they are often irrational. For example, if you find yourself physically attracted to someone you typically would never been turned on by, you are probably being triggered.

While you are observing yourself, you must observe the person you are dealing with. If you feel very strong emotions or reactions, pay attention to what he is doing to trigger you. Is he subtly rejecting you? Is he playing hot and cold? Is he ignoring you? Is he offending you or making you feel self-conscious? Are feeling unusually inadequate around this person? If it seems that your emotions are too strong, or if you are acting out of character, chances are that the guy is trying his best to incite a reaction out of you.

The most desperate humans on earth subsist on other people’s energy. And this is exactly what happens when two people meet and one has triggered the other into a cat and mouse game. He has no skills, no emotional intelligence, nor any intent in connecting on a human level, instead he measures his own value as a man by what kind of reaction he can get out of her. If he can trigger a few women in a night into handing over their phone number, he feels like a real man, and if he cannot, he concludes that there is something wrong with the women.

One of the best skills I learned in life is how to observe objectively without confusing my emotions with a genuine connection. Just because a man can trigger an emotion, it does not mean that it is a healthy one. In the past I could get triggered into being attracted to a guy I was not attracted to at all before we spoke. He says something and hmmm, suddenly I am changing my mind. If I look at my own behavior in those past situations I now recognize that there was no genuine attraction, that I was simply being triggered by an emotion I hadn’t resolved since childhood and the person could turn me on and turn me off like a remote control. Looking back at those men I see them now as a complete waste of any woman’s time. They all lack the IQ and the emotional intelligence to be of value to humanity. But, I don’t see myself as a victim of anybody. I was old enough to have known better.

If you are a grown-ass woman, and you still fall for every trick in the book, stop blaming men. Instead, do something which is likely to make you feel very uncomfortable. Look at him as your own emotional equal. It is very easy for us to blame the other. But, to understand how manipulation happens, we have to understand ourselves. You have to write your own operations manual and understand how your own emotional mind and body operate, before you can reprogram yourself.

This person IS for now your emotional equal. I don’t care how smart you are, how educated you are, nor how successful you are. The fact is that this mental midget was able to incite a response from you, and you fell for it like Pavlov’s dog. Admit it. It hurts.

His intelligence might seem laughable to you, but if you are falling for his emotional triggers, you are playing on his level. So, the question is, why is a grown-ass woman still playing mind games? It is amazing to me how highly educated women in their 30’s, 50’s, even 60’s are trying to decode texting mind games. If the game feels mind-numbing it is because he is numbing your mind. Do you need a relationship manual to understand how your mind is being played? Yet, most grown-ass women with highly impressive degrees will try to rationalize his two-syllable texts. Why? It is plain to see that you are communicating with a dolt, and you are looking for ways to make yourself comprehensible to a Neanderthal. If a grown-ass man has reached adulthood and the only way he knows how to get what he wants is by mystifying your text screen, then pulling a disappearing act, are you looking at a man who is your equal? Be honest. If you are participating in this idiocy, you must be just as emotionally inept as he is. But, admit it, you do own a copy of the Text Messaging Survival Guide under your bed.

These emotional mind games are food for the emotionally inept. Don’t blame this on social media, social trends, the disconnectedness of our society. That’s not fair. The world is changing, and you cannot afford to bark at the moon.

There are plenty of highly intelligent people in this world who truly are capable of connecting on a deep level. Many of us simply do not want to. I see that the vast majority of people I know are a waste of my time, and I now pay attention only to what I want. That’s a story for another post. But, real men do exist, and you will never meet them paying attention to men who subsist on mind games, trickery, NLP, and emotional vampirism.

It is in your own interest to learn how to screen them out. The best way to do that is to observe. Observe what emotions he is able to trigger within you, how those reactions cause you to act. Observe if his highest level of communication is via text, and whether he is able to form full sentences or if he gets a kick out of leaving you hanging. This is really all you need to know. Don’t try to rationalize his behavior, don’t make excuses for it, do not try to adjust your expectations to his puzzling behavior, and do not psychoanalyze him. Everything you need to know about this person is on full display right now.

But most of all, observe on what level is this man relating to you? Is he relating on a superficial level? Did he get your number before you established any connection at all? Be smart. Why would you give someone your number if you were not satisfied with the initial interaction? Were you triggered into believing that there will be better conversations and more magic later? There won’t. You are likely to get a lot of glitter and dust when he comes back for more.

My point is that emotions are nothing to get excited about. Just because someone can trigger emotions and feelings from you, does not mean that the attraction is real. It means that like Pavlov’s dog you are hungry.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that your emotions are enough reason to get involved with someone. Emotions can easily be triggered. I have a degree in how to push people’s emotions, thousands of books have been written on the subject. These are very low-level connections that a Goddess doesn’t have time for. We all agree that these connections are a complete waste of time. No woman who has invested in herself, her career, her security and her development wants to connect to a Neanderthal, yet many who have no clue how their own emotions operate are easily fooled into following their feelings.

Use your feelings as a barometer, not as an excuse to chase people. My feelings are simply indicators of what kind of pressure the other person is applying. In any given moment, I am aware of what emotion is being triggered inside me, and I do not react. I simply observe that one douche is trying to manipulate me, the other is trying out the latest trick in the book, and the most desperate of all is simply looking for face time. They all just want a number, who says you have to give it to them?

When you spend quality time observing men, you can easily spot the ones with low emotional intelligence. They play to win, they seek validation, they take up time, they collect phone numbers like they collect scratch-off lottery tickets, and the ones who boast are usually starving.

But, always pay close attention to your own emotions first, and when you find yourself being irrationally attracted to someone who is driving you crazy, know that you are being played. Has someone triggered you into chasing them?

S

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Confusing Emotions With Love

Posted on April 13, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Just because a man wants your heart, doesn’t mean that he wants to give you his. Women assume that if he is pushing and pulling her emotional buttons that he must be asking for love. Why else would she feel this way? If you have a child, ask yourself why is a child pushing your emotional buttons? Why is he or she making me so emotional? The kid wants something. We all want something, and when it is out of reach, we appeal to a person’s sense of emotion. Marketers know this very well, that is why every expensive purchase must stir you from the inside. But just because a man is making your head spin, your heart flutter, and is asking for your heart, does not mean that he is intending to give you his. Asking for a woman’s heart is a big deal for a woman, and many women confuse his asking for a sincerity and good intention.

The best way to get a woman on the hook is to ask for her heart, The best way to string someone along is to make them believe in the possibility of a deep bond. Haven’t you noticed how when you are hooked on someone, there’s a lot of hope but very little delivery? The best flirts know how to stir the emotions, and talking about a woman’s favorite subject like commitment, forever, and bonding is enough to get women hooked, long before a relationship has been discussed.

Quality men who are serious about relationships don’t mess with women’s emotions. Sure, every relationship will stir your emotions eventually, but these men don’t want to be played with, so they don’t play women. The also rarely or never date more than one woman at a time. They invest time, just like you would. They build relationships slowly and from the ground up, lay solid foundations by asking healthy questions, they will show you that they are filtering for quality women.

Many women aren’t turned on by quality men because they are not exciting, but quality men are not trying to excite you at all. They are trying to know you. You might notice that quality men are often present, and that’s not always exciting to women who are used to chasing bait. Let’s face it, many of us are addicted to the chase. Men might let us eventually catch them, but what we have caught is always empty of genuine emotion.

One of the first signs of an empty vessel is a man who is messing with your emotions, your self-perception, your center. He is poking and prodding to see what makes you tick. He might say you are beautiful, but just a little too round for him. He might say he likes your confidence, but tone it down with your anger issues. A master manipulator wants your emotions up front. He will either have you gushing with excitement or seething in a silent rage of self-hate long before a relationship has been established. Your emotions are bursting out of you like a volcano, long before you have any concrete evidence that he is a real man.

When you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster long before any friendship or relationship has been established, you are dealing with a master manipulator. Your head is spinning, your heart is pounding over a stranger you don’t even know. When he has given you no proof of who he is, not declared truthfully what he wants, nor established himself as an honest, healthy human being, and you find yourself emotionally imbalanced because of him, you are being played. Still want to play?

A lot of women confuse this rush of emotional excitement for a bond. An honest, quality man who works to establish a connection is never as exciting as this. He isn’t triggering any emotions up front, so women ignore him, he just isn’t sexy. A lot of women, don’t know what a good man is.

Think of the time you met a quality woman, and that other time you met a crazy-woman. The quality friendship was a slow and steady growth, there was no emotional drama, blackmail, manipulation up front. The person respected you as a human, asked important question to establish your validity, and then started giving you more time accordingly. That long and steady friendship is based on mutual respect. That’s not sexy, I know.

But, we all have met that emotional drama queen who over-shared her crazy life, spilled all her feelings about every ex she ever dated, dished on all her friends, and then told you whatever you wanted to hear just to hang out with you. Men are the same way. The ones who haven’t much to offer will always stir your emotions long before there is anything concrete to be emotional about.

And yes, a lot of women are simply addicted to the chase, or to whoever is running away. At a certain point in our lives we have to stop blaming “bad men” for being bad, and admit to ourselves that we are the addict. We are all junkies looking to score emotion out of the other. The men are too. We are starving for that emotional high all humans get from having their hearts simmered over a slow burn, then scorched into dust. And some never learn, we chase that emotional high, over and over again.

One of the things I learned looking at my dating history, is that all the unhealthiest people I dated were experts at pulling emotional heart strings. And they all did it long before any relationship began. They were able to do it on the first meeting.

The quality men I dated didn’t try to do that. They were careful with my heart as they wanted me to be considerate of their own. I admit, that rarely turned me on. Often I was just looking to get high, but the man was trying to build something solid. So I’d yawn and move onto someone else more exciting.

We have all been in relationships with a narc, and we all know how exciting that is. It’s as thrilling as a roller coaster ride, or a sky dive. Dangerous, reckless, but so exhilarating. I remember how many decades I believed that a true emotional bond had to feel like a thrill, or it couldn’t be love.

People who actually have a heart, won’t play with yours. People who are capable of feeling deeply, will not try to bond too quickly, instead they will take time to build trust. People who actually have a soul, will not mess with you on a soul level, they will give you plenty of time and space to reveal yours. People who are empty will try to incite emotions from you right away. Emotions are like food, they feed an empty vessel.

At a certain point in our lives we get tired of playing with the empties. It’s just a game of who can drain the other of emotions sooner without sharing a drop of their own.

I think most of us learn how to spot the difference between a real human and a zombie once we are totally drained. Until we are laying lifeless with barely a drop of blood to sustain us, most of us are still dreaming of that emotional roller coaster. But when we have nothing left to give, when we are ready to completely check out, we find that there are real people out there who are like us. They too are tired, they too have given all they can, and their hearts are barely beating. That’s when we learn to respect people’s hearts.

A quality person will never play with your emotions or mess with your heart. They are keeping a safe distance and they approach relationships by building a solid foundation of respect, trust and dignity. They know that all those things must be earned, so they demonstrate their sincerity, show proof, they deliver. Yes, that is very boring when you are just a junkie looking to score.

When I first came to this realization, and the prospect of only dating boring men, I was totally turned off. I no longer wanted to date anyone at all. What’s the point if it isn’t exciting? What’s the point if I’m not getting high? I gave up dating all together, until I stumbled onto a decent human being who seemed unexciting, he just happened to be very good eye-candy. The superficial me went for his looks, prepared to waste a little time with a man easy on the eyes.

What I learned by dating someone who did not mess with my emotions is that it is possible to be in a relationship with a solid human, who is perfectly capable of having a good time without me feeling drained. Real men and women do exist, but we walk past them because they usually aren’t making us feel anything. They don’t trigger anything within us, so we assume they are not the one. We feel nothing upon meeting them, they don’t stir anything within us, so we walk away.

They also won’t give us their emotions up-front. They understand that a two-way connection must be established and both people have to see something real in each other for genuine emotions to come out. Healthy people expect us to earn their trust and respect. They filter, they screen, they have boundaries. That takes time to establish. Healthy relationships don’t feel like a free fall.

I admit I still get excited when someone has stirred some emotions up front. But now I actually study men. I often find that the ones who have no substance will resent being questioned, studied, and filtered. They want emotions and emotional reactions from me so that they can feel valid. When it comes time to prove themselves, they are nowhere to be found, so I am grateful that my radar is finally working. I can usually spot them right away.

Don’t get so turned on by emotions. They exist to protect you. If you are feeling something too much, too soon, before any trust or respect has been established, you are being played. Lot’s of people know how to stir emotion, very few know how to love.

S

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Integrity, The Goddess Pedestal

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

in·teg·ri·ty –/inˈteɡrədē/

the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

2. the state of being whole and undivided.

3. being true to oneself.

A woman of no integrity has no principle to live by. She is a mere mortal.

Integrity is the #1 factor separating mortals from Goddesses. We all talk about having strong values, but we all identify with being mistreated by others. It is exactly in those times of mistreatment that some of us fail to have integrity, and either teach the offender that it is okay to cross our boundary because we’d rather have him or the relationship, or we begin to negotiate our integrity away for the chance to maintain peace. Is peace in a relationship more important than your integrity? It shouldn’t be. A Goddesses dignity always comes first.

Believe it or not, this is the toughest thing I deal with when training Goddesses, because many will throw integrity right out the window as soon as a man starts pushing their buttons. “It’s okay, he really didn’t mean to upset me”, “It’s okay, he lied to protect my feelings”, “He didn’t mean that, he was in front of his friends and it’s just male bravado”. I am always dismayed when I see how quickly women throw their values and their self-respect out the window as soon as it is time to protect the connection.

I am not the only one who finds this problematic. Did you know that men often complain about this, and will test your integrity constantly to determine whether you are worthy of respect. I don’t blame men at all. Integrity is my number one qualification for a friend or a lover, and I have always invested more in people who show me their standards, those who keep their word, those who pull through in the most difficult situations. The older I get, the faster I move away from flakes. No man is looking for a flake to make her his Mrs. Right. The kind of men who prefer flakes are the men who have no respect for women, and would like them easy, pliable, and malleable. Yes, those relationships work because they are relationships between two equals. A flaky woman will always end up with a spineless douche bag.

When men write to me, they never ask where they can meet beautiful, sexy, gorgeous, feminine women. That is because they are a dime a dozen. Look around you, most women are 10 times better looking and in better physical shape than their male counterparts. It is so easy for an unattractive man to date a gorgeous woman. What is not easy is to find is a Goddess, a woman who respects herself so much, that she could easily drop a man to maintain her dignity. Where is she? Do you know one?

Looks are fine, but looks fon’t get you far in terms of respect. There will always be someone who is more beautiful than you, and the harder you compete on looks, the more respect you loose from men and other women. They see how hard you are trying and you validate them immediately. Brains and degrees are also easy to buy. I don’t know a single woman who does not have an impressive degree. Paper. If you want to be more than just paper, you need to possess that one quality that will ensure you command respect for the rest of your life. INTEGRITY.

Times are changing, and women are no longer chasing husbands. Most of my female friends don’t take men seriously at all. But in the workplace, in your social circle, in your community and romantic relationships your integrity is the one thing that will set you apart. How easily do you walk away? How hard is it for you to say No? Do you struggle with being unapologetic? Can you look them in the eye and mean every word you say? Do you flinch? Are you unshakeable?

Above all things a Goddess must know herself, and know exactly what she stands for. If you collect your feelings and opinions from the most popular media, then change those opinions every time the wind blows, you do not have much integrity at all. Example, I had a friend whose belief systems would change every time she met a new man. When she was in college, being politically correct was the most enlightened thing one could be, so she spent her 4 years judging everyone for not being PC enough. She then met a guy who ridiculed the PC movement, so she quickly discarded her standards, and started to identify with his views. In college she was ultra liberal, but when she met a potential husband, she traded her politics for a 3 carat diamond ring. Over night she became a Republican. He also asked her to change her religion, and she did so on command. When I asked her why she did that, she said that it is very important to meet your partner half-way, otherwise how could they have a healthy relationship? In one week she changed her entire belief system for a man.

This case may sound ridiculous, obviously she has no backbone. But, this is what a lot of women do in order to get along. In the work environment it is still more important for women to get along, than stand up for what they truly believe. The Goddess is always the one who knows what her opinion is, knows exactly why she believes it, is armed with verifiable facts, and is not afraid to speak her mind, nor rock the boat when her opinion must be heard. How will people respect your authority if they see how easily you bend with the wind? You have no authority at all if you are perceived as pliable. If you want people to treat you with respect, you first have to prove that you are worthy, that your word is golden, that you can be trusted, that you don’t flake out.

The Goddess is unshakable. Why I admire Goddesses so much? I know very few people I can actually lean on in tough times, very few people I can trust with my own life, very few I know who will not bend or flake out. If you want to stand on a pedestal, your pedestal must be harder than a mountain, otherwise anyone could shake you off. If you find that people are easily crossing your boundaries, dismissing your opinions, or negotiating your feelings, you need to strengthen your integrity. I think of myself as a solid person. What I look for in all relationships (business, friendship, or romantic) is integrity. The only people I respect are the ones who have earned my respect, and once they prove that I will fight like a lion for them. But no flake is worth the fight.

Often women are too concerned about how they are perceived. I understand. The workplace is tough because we work with a lot of different personalities with changing expectations and we have to balance all of them. What’s harder is that women cannot afford to be seen as too cold, selfish, nor power-grabbing, but if they do not stand their ground they often get pushed aside. We have to be nice in order to be a team-player, and it is always the nice girl who is the first to sweep aside her own needs or opinions for the sake of others. Having been at the opposite ends of the spectrum, I can honestly tell you that the nice girl never wins. She doesn’t win at relationships, she gets no respect at the office, and she certainly doesn’t get to stand on a pedestal.

I’ll be honest. I am very nice. If you ask my closest friends, I am the type of person who’d give you the shirt off her back, her last dime, and all the advice and shoulder-crying time a good friend needs. For friends who have been fully vetted, I am that one person they can always count on. My word is always golden, I always show up, I won’t let people I value down.

But I used to be too nice, and easily get taken advantage of until I realized that my integrity is more important to me than anything else I own. I realized from many collapsed relationships that it isn’t worth it to protect the integrity of others at my own expense. I learned to judge people’s value systems, before I offered them my friendship or respect.

You absolutely must become discerning about who people are and what their value systems look like. You simply cannot afford to respect everyone. If you do, you will compromise your own self-respect. The people who I respect are the ones who value me for being unshakable. They don’t ridicule my resolve, they don’t demand I negotiate how I feel so they could feel better, they respect my boundaries, and my reprimands when those boundaries are tested. People who value respect and those who respect themselves have integrity and will value you for being their equal.

Be careful who you associate with and who your friends are. The flakiest people in the world will call on your integrity when needed, but will disappear the moment you challenge theirs. Their friendship or loyalty is worthless. Cultivate a quality circle of friends, business associates, and lovers, and be happy with fewer people in your life. Quality is better that quantity, and personal integrity is key to living life on your own terms and being a Goddess.

You must be unshakable. I too test people’s integrity because I have no time to waste on people with no spine. They are a dime a dozen, and their loyalty is for sale. They shift the minute someone offers them more. Over the years I have narrowed my circle of friends. I still know everyone in town, but no longer pay attention nor swear loyalty to big egos with no substance. I can now afford to give quality time to people who have no problem proving themselves or earning my respect.

As you already know, no one will respect you until they see how much you respect yourself. I wouldn’t either. I meet a lot of “big men” who are full of hot air. A ton of men out there have no respect for themselves either. They are easy to spot, because their words are just words. Challenge their self-perception, and most will become indignant or enraged when you ask for proof of life and substance.

Integrity is the pedestal on which the Goddess is worshiped. If you have no integrity, you have no respect, you have no subjects, and you have no foundation. Don’t you dare call yourself a Goddess until you have earned that respect from others. The day other’s bow down to you of their own free will, they day they fight for your friendship, for your time, for your approval and express gratitude for it is the day you have earned the title.

S

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The Man of The Season

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

My taste in men is always changing. I used to think I was fickle and that I don’t know what I want. But that’s not true. I am constantly learning about myself, and constantly growing. The men who used to amuse me in my 30’s were only slightly more evolved from the men of my 20’s. In those years, life pampered and coddled me, I really had no reason to ask for better experiences, nor to know that there are more evolved men out there.

Then life threw me a few curveballs, major disasters and I crashed. I had no choice but to grow. Each year as I was experiencing growth, my taste in men changed too. The last 10 years have been an unbelievable process of self-reflection, self-development, inner work and awakening. This is when I experienced the widest variety of men. It’s not that I didn’t know what I want, it’s that each new and improved version of me was looking for a new equal.

There is nothing wrong with experiencing a lot, changing tastes, and learning from what different kinds of people bring to your table. There is something wrong with being married to the past version of you, and being over-focused on maintaining the old when a new version of you already exists. In my 40’s I have earned a much, much better man than I could have had in my 20s. Should I feel guilty because I couldn’t stay married to my ex past the 12 year mark? Should I feel guilty for having sampled all the chocolate in my candy sampler? Should I let people tell me I am too fickle for not staying committed to just one man? Nope. I am 46, and who would I be today if I felt guilty for exploring, growing, experiencing all kinds of men?

I often get criticized for moving on too soon, but today I know myself better than ever. In fact, I know myself so well that I know how well I am treating myself by the men I am choosing to entertain me. Some people are just not good enough for my company. At 46, I feel entitled to say that and not apologize for it.

That doesn’t make me superficial, it means that I am discerning. Do I owe every man who is applying for my time an opportunity with me? Nope. The 20 year old me, smiled at all men out of kindness and gave every opportunist her time. The 30 year old, knew a few things about personal integrity, enforcing her boundaries, and saying exactly what she means. The 40 year old version is already a force to be reckoned with. I already know with utmost confidence that not every man is my equal. Very few qualify for a few minutes of my time. I walk away from boredom, lack of intellectual stimulation, emotional underdevelopment, narcissism and egotism with ease. It took decades of my life to develop that kind of discernment about men through nothing but personal experience. Should I apologize for having a clear idea of what doesn’t serve me?

The reason for this post is that women are still apologizing for exploring all their choices. Not being able to stick to one relationship is labeled as lack of commitment. What makes commitment to mediocrity such an honorable feat? The media bombards us with horror stories about dating too freely, experiencing too much for our own good, being “spoiled and soiled” by bad men and unfortunate circumstances, when in fact true wisdom can only be earned from experiencing failure and much, much, much experience. Never be afraid of experience. Good or bad, and no matter how ugly, experience is the best teacher, and we simply can’t grow ourselves when we coddle our feelings and protect ourselves from life’s ups and downs.

Women whose experience is limited by propriety, religion, social boundaries and self-protection have a very limited view of themselves and their relation to men. With such limited exposure to the realities of physical and emotional relationships, their only experience in suffering is from a deep wantingness or neediness to attach herself to anyone who can coddle her into a feeling of emotional security. That need is childish and immature and will always land her into a relationship with a pseudo-parent who will lead her through life while she keeps her emotional blinders on. Is that a healthy adult?

We learn from suffering of all types. We learn from every crash, from every disaster, from every single breakup. The lesson is never about our partner. If you think that the lesson is about how rotten people are, and how you need to choose better men, you have missed the point of the lesson. The lesson will repeat itself for years, until you learn that the lesson is not about other people, it is totally about you. The lesson is about your self-respect, the strength and weakness of your personal boundaries, and where you stand in relation to the inner you, the Goddess. Your psychological health is always mirrored by the person you are faced with, and your personal strength and integrity are always measured by how often you choose you. How loyal are you to yourself when life presents you with the most painful relationships? That is the test of true character and awakening- how easily do you choose You?

Still have a hard time choosing yourself over the other person or the relationship? You have a lot to experience as a mortal before you can call yourself a Goddess. The good news is that there is no such thing as too much experience. And there is nothing wrong with trying on different men until you find one who suits you. Don’t be so married to the idea of commitment. The more you grow, the more you’ll find that men cannot suit you longer than a season. At times in your life you will slow down, you will stop to smell the roses, and you will enjoy men for longer periods of time. But you will never stop growing. As long as you don’t lower your standards and stop growing just to stay attached to one person or one experience, you will maintain long term relationships with quality people who have taken as much self-care and as much responsibility for their growth as you.

My 40’s have been all about quality. What I like about this point in my life is my confidence in being able to say that very few people qualify for my attention. That’s not because there is a shortage of good men, in fact, quality men are everywhere. I am more choosy because I enjoy my own time, my own space and my own company more than ever. Today, less is more. I no longer need to marathon date to continuously meet people, I spend much more time filtering people out. I have fewer friends of greater quality, and fewer romantic relationships with greater men. My relationship with myself is always far more important than any relationship a man can produce. I feel very content in my life.

I am curious what I will be like in my 50’s. I am not narcissistic enough to declare that I have learned all there is, nor that I am the ultimate authority on enlightenment. For sure, I will keep growing, and I will keep pausing to enjoy the men along my path. But, I have no way of predicting who I will bump into, nor how long we will enjoy each other. I am okay with not knowing everything.

The ultimate Goddess I met was in her 70’s. She was a good friend who gave me a solid primer on how to sample all the chocolate in my box, and inspired me to live life to the fullest. She was the fist woman I met who juggled multiple men, relished every moment, and taught me to never apologize for being experienced. She ultimately did meet Joey, her one true love. They are now in a long-term care facility together. But she admits that she couldn’t have met her equal, the man who is just as enlightened and full of life as she is, had she not sampled the best men that life has to offer.

So ladies, if you find that your taste in men is continuously changing, do not apologize. Know that you are always growing, and that the men must be quicker and wiser to keep up with your evolution. There is nothing wrong with having a fresh new man for each season. You don’t feel guilty acquiring shoes for each new season, so why feel guilty experiencing better and better men? Have you noticed that as you grow, the new men are always a better match to who you are than the men of previous seasons? Don’t be reluctant to grow yourself. When you meet a man who is as awake and as enlightened as you are, there will be no doubt, you will recognize each other in an instant. In fact, the recognition will be so glaring, you’ll both be blinded by each other’s glow. That moment when you recognize yourself in the other person is the moment you have truly found your equal.

You don’t stop for every mortal. A true Goddess can only be with a God. Until then, keep moving. Life will continue to give you better, and better, and better as long as you know that you are worth it.

S

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How Satisfying Is He?

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Are you satisfied with his performance? What an odd question, but it is something most women can’t answer. They don’t evaluate relationships based on their own personal satisfaction, instead they evaluate them based on what he says, what he wants, and whether it is moving forward. But how silly it is to be moving forward when you don’t know if you are satisfied? Most women get into “something” not called a relationship, and because they are eager to move forward, completely forget to evaluate his performance as her man. They are just grateful that the relationship is moving forward, so they don’t want to rock the boat and evaluate what kind of a human he is, how much of what he claims about himself is true, whether his words match his actions, an most importantly, how well does he keep me satisfied?

Instead of asking a man how he feels about you, I think it is more important to determine for yourself what his actions and behavior add up to, and decide for yourself whether that is enough. We are often looking towards others to tell us how they feel, and then we take their word for it. We often get hung up on their words, and forget that their behavior towards us is much more important. After all, what value is a guy who says he is really into you, if he is also into someone else? What really matters much more than words is his performance. Yep, without telling him that you are evaluating him, evaluate his performance as if he is applying for position of your boyfriend. Don’t tell him what to do, don’t ask him to behave a certain way, that would be like the interviewer giving away all the correct answers to the applicant- just observe whether his performance makes him the kind of man you have in mind.

The only opinion that matters about how the relationship is going is your own. Are you satisfied? I know this sounds unfair, but very often we get into relationships with people who say one thing, then act completely differently. Often people describe themselves one way, and want you to believe them, and when their actions don’t match their words, they accuse you of misunderstanding, having unreasonable expectations, or that you should believe in the person they think they are, rather than the person you see for yourself.

Women have a tendency to believe others more than they believe their own judgment, and feel very guilty when their rational estimation of a man differs from what he claims to be. Trust yourself. Words are useless. Ask me who I am, and I will mouth off the best description of myself I can think of. But meet me in person, and you’ll notice I am quite ordinary. Ask my best friend, and you will get one truth, ask a friend who I broke up with a few months ago, and you will hear I am a monster. We all believe we are far greater, much more honorable, and much more conscious and self-developed than our neighbor. So, never take a man’s word that he’s good. Decide for yourself.

But, the reality is, our relationships will only work if we are truly satisfied with the relationship. So, what difference does it make if he tells you, Some day I’d like to have a family. Is he trying to build a family with you now? No? Then he is not your man. What difference does it make when he says I love ambitious, hard-working women like you. Is he still dating other ambitious, hard-working women other than you? What difference does it make if he says I really like you, I hope you feel the same, if he only replies to texts once a week? Regardless of what his reasoning is (he could be working 24 hrs a day), all that matters is how does he please you? Are you happy with his performance as a boyfriend, or are you still negotiating to have more time with him? If you are begging for more time, you are not satisfied.

All too often women are negotiating with men who are not on the same page with them. He said he loves you, but you only Netflix and chill. It does not matter if his mother said that she would like you as her daughter-in-law, what matters is IS THE GODDESS SATISFIED? Is the Goddess happy? Does the Goddess want more than what he is offering? If you think that this sounds selfish, ask yourself how men evaluate relationships. Would men get flattered by a woman’s words, or do they have expectations she must meet? How long would a man put up with being just an option? Do men negotiate for or beg for more time with women? Rarely. They know what they want, and if they aren’t getting it, they keep looking. Men keep dating until they are fully satisfied. Actions speak louder than words, so always observe the actions, and observe your own feelings and satisfaction levels. Words make a frog sound like a prince, but his performance is the only thing that can make him real. You are not in a relationship until you are fully satisfied, and no man is a real man unless he is real to you.

I recently started dating someone unimpressive, which makes it easier to be detached and observant. He seems fairly decent, but he is doing a lot of talking. You’d be amazed what you learn about people if you simply let them talk. I see that he is talking a lot about himself, and that he keeps repeating things that he thinks will impress me. Okay, we all boast about things that are important to us. But he is repeating words like penthouse, speedboat, fund-manager, and Bugatti, and while I keep changing the subject, he keeps dropping those words over and over again. Conclusion: He is too insecure and too superficial for me. And this conclusion is very important because most women would still continue dating the guy even if they observe his conceit.

Most women accept whatever he says, thinking that he is a nice guy, trying really hard, treating them really nice, and best of all, he is pushing the relationship forward. But why would you want to go forward with someone who can’t acknowledge anything but his own possessions? Eventually, far into the relationship they will realize that he is not very honest, nor impressive as he made himself out to be, but whatever, for some it is better to be in a relationship. And this is how a lot of people get into situations they had no intention of being in. They went along with whatever was presented without evaluating how they truly feel with this person.

Since I wasn’t seeing anyone more interesting, I decided to keep observing to see what kind of a situationship he is going to build. I observed that he is pushing this situation forward even without my participation. I told him honestly that I am not that into him. I am a big believer in telling people the truth, because the truth is that one thing that we are all owed in relationships. Despite that, he kept planning dates, sending flowers and actually using the phone. I was starting to get uncomfortable because he seemed to be ignoring that I am not that interested, that I was asking for less time, less flowers, not such elaborate dinners. My actions always reflect the level of my interest. I would never lead someone into believing that I am really into them when I am not, nor would I go with the flow, when I want things to slow down. We all have a responsibility to act honestly and not take advantage of people. So, I was asking for more time and distance and he was ignoring my requests. Here is a person who hasn’t heard one word I said the entire month. A very important observation. My lack of interest wasn’t even acknowledged. To most women this should be a huge red flag, but many would be flattered by his eagerness. He then offered to take me away for a long weekend, and I declined. I explained that I was uncomfortable with him planning a getaway when I told him several times that I am not feeling this relationship, and he was flabbergasted. He was astonished, offended, blown away that I am not into him. I won’t go into details, but quite often we women get into situations with people simply because a relationship is offered, giving little thought to our evaluation of this human being.

But who this person is on the inside, and what kind of a relationship he is capable of creating is the most important factor you absolutely must evaluate. And the only way to get people to show their true colors is to let them be who they truly are. That means not spelling out how you expect them to act, what you want them to do for you, and what rewards they will get for good behavior. Anyone who wants you for even fifteen minutes will deliver exactly what you asked for to get a little action. And when they deliver what you asked for, thy will demand a reward. A dog will do that too.

Most women I know are after a quality, deeply satisfying bond with a true person. Yet their dating strategy does not allow them to determine whether he is all that. Before you start pushing the relationship forward, before you even use the word relationship, you must know who this person is on the inside and what his definition of a good relationship is. His definition could be great sex, yours could be an intimate pillow talk. That’s not a great match, so why go along with it?

It is amazing to me how many women cannot answer the question Are you truly satisfied? Most of the time, it takes some prodding on my behalf to get them to admit that they are actually satisfied with nothing at all. This person they are in a situationship with is just some willing participant who does not possess the qualities they want, is only halfway a decent human being, is only truthful some of the time, has a very flexible spine, but he means well and he has feelings. Come on, we all know what a waste of time it is to be in a situation with an amoeba. The delusion that he could some day turn into a lion is all yours.

Spend more time observing and evaluating your own feelings, your own level of happiness and satisfaction in your daily interactions with this person, and be very honest with yourself. You should be much more concerned with whether you are satisfied than whether he is. You should be much more cognizant of who this person is morally, politically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually than you usually are. You should be impressed by the real person, not by his fictitious estimation of himself. And you absolutely should be turned on, not just meh and going through the motions with him because he wants a relationship.

So sit back and relax. There’s nothing for you to do. Watch him create the kind of relationship he is capable of, and accept that this is the best relationship he has to offer. Yes, you should participate in the relationship, meet him half-way, pay for some dates, and go with the flow. But, always stay in observation mode. Rather than make demands, or manage him like a project, adopt a hands-off policy. There is nothing to be done, nothing to be asked for, no behavior to be corrected. Your only job is to evaluate: How am I feeling with him now? How does the relationship with him feel? Am I satisfied or is something missing? Do I feel like I am in a healthy relationship? Any decent human who truly wants to be in a fully functioning relationship will make it so. Any human who doesn’t know what he wants will act like a flake. Any human being who is still playing the field will be inattentive, aloof, missing for some periods of time. All you have to do is observe what kind of relationship is he creating for us right now? Is he creating a friendship with benefits? Is that for you?

Never try to negotiate with someone who wants something you don’t. You are wasting your time. No one has ever argued anyone successfully into love. No one fell in love because they lost an argument. If he wants something casual, acknowledge it, don’t twist it into something it is not, and if a causal relationship, or a friendship with benefits isn’t for you, don’t waste your time here.

I learned a long time ago that a vast majority of people who cross my path aren’t worth slowing down for. Some of them are very lovely people, but they are not going my way. When I meet someone who meets my personal requirements, I am actually attracted to, and who is 100% available to me, I gladly slow down and get to know him. The 100%ers, the men who know what they want, are actually doing the work, and totally serious, are the only ones worth slowing down for. But you will never know if he is worth your time, unless you are true to yourself and determine AM I SATISFIED?

S

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How To Kill Jealousy

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Here is a question for you to consider: Is it possible to be jealous if you are utterly in love with yourself? If you are in love with every aspect of you, then anything out there that could be making you feel jealous must be less important, or less than you.

What is jealousy? It is a want, a need, a feeling of unfairness toward a person who has something or who has accomplished something that you want. It is an awareness that they are in possession of what you lack. Think of jealousy as a scale of underappreciation of yourself compared to your appreciation of what someone else has.

Your friend has the car, the house, the money and that gorgeous man. Healthy people can appreciate the possessions of others, congratulate them on their accomplishments, and honestly wish them the best outcome. That is because healthy people are always confident in themselves, content and appreciative of what they have, and in love with their own choices, their own timing, their own path. When we are in love with ourselves and our own life, we can then be happy for people who have achieved everything they desire. Our self-appreciation allows us to be happy for them, even though that big pile of money is theirs and not ours. Healthy people do not covet what others have got, nor do they feel any resentment toward anything that is outside themselves.

Healthy people know how to focus inward, appreciate the self to such an extent that anything that is happening outside themselves does not compare to the state within. We are okay, even when someone else seems more okay than us.

So what is jealousy? It is an indicator of discontent with the self. It is the appreciation of everything that is outside the self, and the realization that the self is not enough. In a state of jealousy, the scale is tipped in the favor of the other person, and we remain in the state of awareness that we are less. It is an ugly feeling, a negative energy that seems to possess the being, and is almost impossible to hide. If it is allowed to fester, it will consume the entire being. Have you ever met a person who is totally silent, but green with envy? Without a single word uttered, we smell the resentment oozing out of their pores.

In general, jealousy is a sign of weakness, a lack of emotional-development, an insecurity, but at times we have all felt it. Jealousy is also a weapon that insecure people wield to push our emotional buttons to incite a response. It makes the weak feel powerful when they can create an uglier response from us than they currently feel within themselves. An insecure person may feel like crap about themselves, so they are hell-bent on making you feel like a pile of diarrhea. Why give them the desired response?

The way to overcome jealousy in any situation is to feel in love with yourself, with whatever you’ve got, with all your choices, even if you have less than your neighbor. That practice has to become a permanent part of your existence. Only when you are absolutely appreciative of every ounce of your being, can you be thrilled for others when they accomplish something you haven’t.

I am usually in a permanent state of appreciation for what others have. I have graduated from solely appreciating myself and all my flaws, to now being genuinely thrilled when a friend receives ten times more. I can also encourage friends to try harder, give them more heartfelt advice, because their accomplishments do not dwarf mine.

I no longer feel like I have to do anything in order to feel good about myself. In fact, I am now happy with less. Before, I used to strive to achieve, now I can rest. I can give myself a break, because if I earn less this year, I am still very much in appreciation of whatever I’ve got.

This skill of self-appreciation comes in very handy when dealing with toxic people. A few years ago, I broke up with a guy, who didn’t take it so well. I had legitimate reasons for the breakup, and tried to do it thoughtfully and kindly. Nevertheless, he exploded in rage, screamed obscenities and swore immediate revenge. He was going to make me sorry.

That same night I went to the neighborhood bar to get a drink. The bar was my usual hangout, so he knew I would be there. Mere hours after our breakup, he walked into the bar with another woman. He made sure I notice them. He walked up to me, introduced her as his girlfriend, made sure to seat her right next to me, and they both stayed by my side the entire night gloating about how happy they were. Sure, it was a cheap shot, no one could be more insecure than that ex. But, I think I took it very well.

You see, I really like myself very much. I am not exaggerating, I truly have genuine feelings for myself. Even when life isn’t giving me what I want, I can still be in love with life, in love with myself, and be fully confident that the scale is tipped in my favor. So, when he approached me at the bar, he was staring at my face searching for pain. No such thing happened.

I never fake my emotions. Most of my friends know that they are always getting the uncensored me, regardless of whether it is appropriate. So, as he approached me with another woman, I turned to them and smiled. I opened my heart chakra, I gave them both a hug and said how happy I am for them. Then I bought them a round of drinks. But that’s not all, I stayed there talking to her for hours, as I truly thought she was a special person. There wasn’t an ounce of jealousy or regret to be felt in my body, because I was totally aware that their 2+2 was still less than my 5. Together, they still didn’t add up to me.

That situation taught me a lot about myself, and I am proud of how I handled it. But it also showed me the person I had broken up with. This man I suspected of being too insecure for an adult relationship proved to be so much smaller than I realized before. I was grateful to see this behavior, because his smallness made recovery from the breakup a breeze. He proved to me in 15 minutes that my decision to leave him was right. And I felt very empowered by that breakup ever since. The fifteen minutes of pain he tried to inflict upon me, turned into three years of me feeling like a super-hero. It was totally worth it.

But this momentary strength would have never manifested had I not been self-aware from the beginning of that relationship. Being in a constant state of self-appreciation allows me to always be in a more stable position than anyone else. When life throws insecure people in my path who are determined take me down I rarely flinch. I can remain composed in tough situations because my focus is on me, not on what they are doing. Their anger, their rage, their jealousy is always theirs, and remains at the opposite end of the spectrum of how I feel about myself. Others don’t have the power to move me.

If jealousy and insecurity are destroying your relationships, regardless of who is doing what to whom, it is still only your responsibility to improve yourself. If you get jealous easily, your life and the results of all your efforts will be affected. And if other people inflict jealousy on you, you are still the one to get hurt. It makes sense to work on yourself because self-love will only lead to a better life.

Today, I appreciate myself much more than anyone else. I love everyone in my life, and show it easily. My heart is always open, because I no longer fear what others can do to me. What they do is a reflection of who they are on the inside, it has nothing to do with me.

I feel so strongly about myself that I am now aware of what other people bring to the table. I compare their level of openness, their genuineness, their perception of themselves to how I feel with them and without them. I leave dysfunctional relationships sooner, because my inner world is always richer than the disfunction they bring to my doorstep. Self-appreciation has allowed me to be more discerning, so I simply flow away from whatever or whoever does not appreciate me as much as I appreciate myself.

I see that the exercise of self-appreciation has noticeable effects in only fifteen minutes. Choose something you feel jealous or insecure about. It can be a person, an object, or an achievement. Allow yourself to feel the jealousy, let it fester for a bit, then get in touch with that energy. Do you notice that the rage is yours, and that the other person feels no effects of your emotions? Do you notice that the feeling of jealousy is just you feeling less than the other? That feeling was created by you, not him or her. The other person has nothing to do with it. Understanding that jealousy is just your mind’s and body’s response to how you feel about yourself in any situation, allows you to control the rage. All you have to do is feel better about who you are.

Now, I am not talking about pumping yourself up on ego, narcissism, or creating a false self. We all know when someone has created a false persona and is demanding that others pander to his delusions. I am talking about investing in yourself, whether through self-help, introspection, or therapy, and embarking on a long process of shifting your attention inward. This process is a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it. Study yourself and all your weaknesses. Become okay with them. Forgive yourself for not accomplishing everything you wanted- it really isn’t necessary to achieve true happiness. Fall in love with your body, your mind, your life and all the obstacles you encounter. Treat yourself very well. Always put your needs above others’ and honor them, do not apologize for them. Find bliss and happiness in the little that you’ve got. You will see that very that object or person that was making you jealous seems like a lesser threat right now. He or she was just a blow to your ego, and with a lot of self-love an appreciation, your ego won’t crack so easily. The real you will emerge and you won’t try to hide it any more. You will become okay with everything exactly as it is, and your state of being will always remain unaffected by what others have or do. Fall in love with you.

S

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Find Your Path And Stay On It

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Are you on your path? How would you know? A lot of my friends are seekers, explorers, inquisitive about the nature of their reality. Most people intuitively know that there’s more to reality than this. And in their process of discovery, they sometimes get turned around, get off their path, not knowing that they were on it all along. It is easy to get lost and get disoriented. After all, some of us get on the right course blindly, simply by following an inner guidance system we aren’t completely aware of.

When we follow that inner voice, that gut feeling, that moment of true inspiration we stand firmly on our path. You have heard the expression “Follow your bliss”. What does that truly mean? Some people follow their bliss, while others demand that bliss follows them. Bliss is not that idea, action, or item that you believe will put you in a state of bliss. Let’s say that you assume that quitting your job, and spending the next few years roaming the globe will put you in a state of bliss, you are wrong. You will quickly discover that being jobless, and without a source of income in this big crazy world can be daunting. Sure, that’s how some people discover themselves. That is exactly how Buddha discovered his self. But Buddha did not set out to follow an idea, nor an experience, instead he started walking, discovering and accepting whatever came his way, hunger, starvation, exposure to harsh elements. Most people who are faced with hose conditions would become miserable.

Following your bliss means following your higher self. We have all been high. Regardless of how we induce that state, the state is a connection to an energy that aligns us with out true selves, and essentially places us in a state of openness, trust that whatever we are open to is in our highest good, a state of allowing and flow. If you can train yourself into that state and recall it on demand through meditation, you are what Buddha called God. That is the God-state.

Most people who don’t meditate, and don’t use illegal substances, sometimes get into that state accidentally. You hear your favorite song, you light up, you let loose, start moving, start dancing and for a few minutes, as long as the song lasts, you feel free, you flow. And then the song ends, and your connection with the flow of that energy gets cut off. Or you are jumping on a trampoline, allow yourself to jump higher, and higher, allow yourself to fall freely, and in that freefall you connect with that energy that flows. Naturally you feel high when you allow yourself to enjoy the trampoline, or a fast car, an amazing song, or a spectacular sunrise.

What is actually happening in that high state is that you are totally connected to your higher self, the You that is the true you. That version of you that is completely unedited, unembellished, free and fearless, not wearing a false mask. When you operate from that higher state that is when your feet are planted firmly on your path. This is where you have utmost confidence that there is nothing to seek, it feels right, you know it is right, and every decision you make, every word you utter in this state is your absolute truth.

Naturally, no one stays in this state forever, so don’t beat yourself up for coming back down to earth. It is a law of nature that what goes up must come down. Tides ebb and flow. The earth tilts so the seasons can change. Existence is a constant state of change and flow, so you must change and flow with it. Both mental states, connection with the self (high), and lack of connection (low) are natural. Notice how your mind, and your decision making abilities change in each state. In a high, connected state, you to operate on a higher level. Each word you utter reflects the true you, it feels good, it feels right, you might even achieve resonance because it reflects who you actually are. This is what it means to follow one’s bliss- you are operating from a state of bliss in your highest interest. Decisions made here feel like inspiration and making those decisions feels like being propelled forward. Making a decision from the state of bliss is that decision that is on your course, a decision that allows you to stay on your path.

Unlike the person who quit her job to travel the world thinking she will find her bliss somewhere out there, you made the decision from within you. First you entered that state all by yourself, then you allowed your higher self to show you what decision will bring you more bliss, and then you got inspired to move in that direction. Do you see how the two decisions are very different and will have very different results in reality?

How does the opposite mental state feel? Choosing what course to take, when operating from that low mind state, feels like a painful decision. It feels hard because you might be choosing something that is opposite of what is truly in your highest good, perhaps it is in someone else’s best interest. It feels like a duty to something or someone outside your self. It feels like an obligation, a chain, a mental prison. Regardless, that feeling is that sign on the road that tells you that you are going the wrong way.

Years ago I was in a relationship with an amazing man. As always, I spoke my truth and informed him up front that I never want to have children and that marriage is something that I am not so sure about. He said he was okay with that, and was willing to see what happens. A year into the relationship he started hinting about marriage. How did his hints feel to me? Like a kick in the gut. The more he kept bringing up the subject, the tighter the knots in my belly felt. The more I thought about what he wants, the harder it was for me to get into that high mental state I so easily get myself into. Even meditation was kicking me out of my own mind. It felt like I was going to have to make a hard decision, and I kept avoiding this conversation for months. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, I didn’t want to break up, but every time I thought about where he was heading I felt paralysis.

Then finally one day he said that he was ready to buy house, invest in our future and make a big move. When I asked why he wanted to buy the big house, he said that naturally there will be children. This hit me like a ton of bricks. Didn’t he know I don’t want kids? How did we get down this path when I told him many times this is not something I want? How is it possible for me to be standing on this road with him, when this is the absolute opposite situation I want to be in? The reason this felt awful for me is because I was not standing on my own path, I was standing on his. I was going along with something that didn’t feel quite right from the start. I knew in the back of my mind that he had an agenda that was different from mine, but his words reassured me that I must be imagining something. My intuition was telling me all along that I am going down the wrong, very wrong path with this person. I had a harder time connecting to myself, getting into that high state, meditation was becoming more challenging, and just going with the flow of his relationship didn’t feel right. I was making one wrong decision after another, allowing him to lead me to what was right for him. I found myself standing at the edge of a cliff. On one hand I really loved and cared for this person, on the other hand what he was asking for felt like death to me. I knew that if I went through with this I would die inside.

All humans get off their path, and we do it frequently. The purpose of life is to get lost, disoriented, so that we can learn how to re-connect with our higher self, and allow it to guide us towards the life we always wanted to create. Obstacles and problems are just signs on our road. I now know that the decisions I make in that high mental state are in my own best interest, not in someone else’s. The words I speak from that state are my ultimate truth. Sometimes my words resonate with other people who are usually right for me in some capacity, and they are offputting to others who are not in my energetic vicinity. I have learned to distinguish between people who operate from a high state of inspiration and those who operate from a low state of control, neediness, lack of center or validation. I no longer try to create relationships with people who are on another plane. I don’t judge them, I simply do not connect.

Once you are off course, it may be tricky to get back on. We all have an inner GPS system that is constantly calling us towards our own path. Sometimes, when we are not feeling so good, are going through a rough time, or even anxious or depressed, our ability to hear it’s guidance is numbed. It’s signals shoot through a much higher frequency than a sad or depressed person is operating from.

The best way to reconnect with the self is to be alone for an extended period of time. You might be tempted to seek advice from outside yourself, but that will only lead you to someone else’s path. Be alone. The most powerful people on earth are perfectly comfortable with their self. In silence, when we are free from other people’s input we receive brief moments of clarity. What do I truly want to say? How do I actually feel? If I speak words that soothe others, what I truly feel is rage inside. You realize that you are doing it to yourself, you are depressing yourself- no one else is doing it for you. Your inner self knows how it feels, but your logical self edits those feelings and arranges it into words that are easier for others to swallow. I just uttered something that isn’t entirely true to me, but is the more appropriate thing to say. How does that feel? Do you feel the wrongness in that energy? You are lying to your self, you are beating your inner truth out of your self, then you are wondering who is this self that I am trying to get in touch with?

I was recently chatting with a friend whose admirer was twisting her arm into going on a date and possibly hooking up with her later. She did not feel good about this. She wasn’t attracted to him at all. The harder he tried to make plans, the worse she felt. She started avoiding him, then cancelled plans, then told him a white lie, and then started to consider how to spin the truth of how she actually feels into words that are going to be acceptable for him to hear. Meanwhile her body was talking to her by showing her exactly what she was doing wrong. On Thursday her throat was a bid coarse, by Friday she had a tight lump in her throat. The longer she considered how to craft an appropriate message for him, the tighter her throat felt. Meanwhile, there was no sign of illness, just a tight lump. That is her throat chakra signaling her that she is not speaking her truth. In reality, she as quite upset by his advances. He is a close friend of a guy she previously dated and she felt dismayed that he would be twisting her arm into spending the weekend with him despite the fact that she is his best friend’s ex. So much about their interaction felt wrong to her, but she was trying to be nice, be polite, and the nicer she was the more he sought to have his way, which was definitely not in her best interest. When we are not listening to our GPS, the body will scream that there is something wrong. The more you keep ignoring it, the more painful and obvious the signal is.

In order to correct our course, we have to reconnect with our inner truth. We have to honor how we truly feel in a situation, and use our words to correctly describe that feeling. Sit in that bad feeling and allow it. Your body is talking to you through that energy, so pay attention to it. Take a pen and paper and start writing words that describe that tightness in the pit of your stomach. Does it feel gross, does it feel like fear, does it feel like control and manipulation, or does it feel like anger rage, imprisonment? That feeling and those words are the true nature of the situation. Those are your true feelings on the subject.

Write a letter and address it to the person whose behavior matches how you feel. You don’t actually have to mail it, but you have to write it. Get in touch with how you truly feel about him, her or the situation, and only write the truth and nothing but the truth. Resist the temptation to “reinterpret” your feelings, embellish words, or write what that person wants to hear. You are honoring your feelings here, not theirs. Write as long as you have to. Write for an hour or two, keep writing throughout the day, purge all your feelings onto that paper. If you have to cry, let it out. If you have to release more emotions, keep writing well into the night. Write as long as that feeling in the pit of your stomach or that lump in your throat hurts. The goal is to first get in touch with your true feelings, expel them, then direct them in the appropriate direction.

Is there someone in your life to whom you have never been able to accurately convey how you truly feel? Regardless of whether they are open to listening, whether they are willing to accept your truth, you are responsible only for your part- to get those pent up feelings out of your gut, and either symbolically release them, or deliver them to the person (if you feel they can appropriately deal with them). Often people don’t want your true feelings. Understand, that is their right. My father never wanted my feelings, he only wanted me to honor him with actions and behavior that supported how he wanted to feel about himself. My mother will only listen when my words make her feel coddled. That is fine. Allow people to accept or reject your feelings. After all, your feelings are not theirs.

If you are in a solid relationship with a person who actually wants to know how you feel, and is interested in your truth, it is a good idea to share those feelings accurately and without embellishment. Explaining to my ex that I felt cheated and deceived by his leading me down a path he knew I didn’t want to go would have been very helpful to him, but more helpful to me. Speaking that truth would have released me from the agony of deceit I kept feeling for years and bringing into every future relationship with me.

Once the letter is written, and your truth is spoken, pay attention to how you feel now both physically and mentally. Does your body feel like a heavy burden has been lifted off it’s shoulders? Does your mind feel clearer or lighter? That lightness of energy is your GPS slowly guiding you back onto your course. You can burn the letter forever releasing that energy from your awareness, or you can use it as an outline of the exact words you must convey to the person you have to speak to. You may not want to mail a 10 pager to a person who might be overwhelmed by your emotions, but you can condense it into a one page letter that accurately reflects how you truly feel. If the person is willing to deal with your feelings, send the letter. You must honor people’s choice and unwillingness to process your feelings, never force your feelings on others.

The act of writing the letter helps you get in touch with your truth, so it serves your own higher purpose. It cleanses you of energies that you don’t want to carry. You cannot expect others to want to carry your negative feelings for you. If they don’t want it, don’t give it to them.

You will notice how speaking your truth re-connects you to your higher self. You will also notice how your body and mind feel once the truth has set you free. You actually will feel free, and will easily flow back towards your center or your path. Your path is nothing more than an energetic connection to your inner self, to source, to the universe, or what some people refer to as God. Whatever you want to call it (I simply see it as energy), this is the place to find your GPS and allow it to lead you to your next destination.

I reconnect with this energy twice a day in meditation. Over the years that I have been in this practice, I have learned to enter the state of bliss or ecstasy on demand. I stay in it as long as it feels good. I make no decisions, nor moves unless I am in that state. In that state, I will easily know what to do. Outside of that state, I often don’t.

Many of my friends experiment with drugs to achieve certain mental states. I am okay with that. I don’t blame people for trying that, because it is the desire to find a higher state that is actually a step on our path. So far, I have not encountered a person who has benefited from a drug permanently, nor a person whose experience did not hit a threshold. There is always a limit to how high any drug will take you, and there is always a finale. In meditation there are no limits because the universe is infinite. We experience as much or as little as we are open to. When I am totally open, I see, hear, know, feel, smell, taste and experience infinity with more senses than science has ever identified. I perceive the universe with senses I cannot describe in words. And when I am only partially open, yes, my meditation experience is limited though still beneficial. It all depends on me.

But, your path is just an energetic guidance system, nothing else. You know when you are in those higher states when decisions seem inspired, like no-brainers. And you know when you are totally disconnected, when every experience feels like dense energy in your physical body. Practice letting go, releasing energy, and connecting yourself to flow. How you connect is totally up to you. If you enjoy loud dance music, allow yourself to dance your way into nirvana. Many of my friends experience a runner’s high- that is their state of perfection. And for me, I close my eyes, become still and my mind lights up like a light bulb. My reality is absolutely blinding. Your state of flow, your lightness of being is your path.

S

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How To Date On Your Own Terms

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

The number one quality I look for in a man is my own interest in him. This really should be the top requirement in getting to know a person, going on a date, and pursuing a relationship. My interest precludes all other qualities he could possibly possess. It precludes his niceness, his willingness, his academic and work qualifications, his psychological profile, his physical attractiveness. If I personally have no interest, there is nothing he can do about it. This sounds cold, and I get a lot of disapproval from both men and women. So, I often ask women why do you date men you have little to no interest in?

Most women will tell you that they give nice guys a chance. They date for the opportunity to meet someone. They date to get to know someone. But, later, when they get into situationships with people that are pointless, fruitless, or dissatisfying, they have no concrete understanding how they ended up in this situation. That’s obvious, you are dating people you don’t necessarily want, people who don’t truly turn you on, even people who asked you out, simply because no one else did. All those reasons are ridiculous. You are choosing from the lowest hanging fruit.

We all date for different reasons, and all reasons are valid. Some women date to hook up. That’s perfectly fine, except when they are hooking up with men who don’t actually turn them on. The next day they wonder why the whole experience was so empty. They took a willing participant, not someone they actually felt physically attracted to.

A lot of women want a real relationship. That’s nice, but why are you dating men who you don’t know qualify as relationship material? Why are you trying to get to know a person on superficial levels (does he pay for dinner? Does he open doors? How quickly does he respond to texts?”), and ignoring important qualities you want in a relationship: the ability to connect on an emotional level, a clean history of solid long-term relationships, inner character, a spine would be nice. A man whose word is important to himself is far more valuable than a man whose words change depending on the situation. Wouldn’t you rather know if he has balls or even self-esteem before you get invested in him?

Some women want to get married and start families, yet they consistently date men who dangle those things in front of their faces like a carrot on a stick. Then they wonder why they have to chase him and his carrot stick for years, and still don’t have the relationship they want. Women in this situation often admit that he isn’t that great, that they are actually just chasing marriage. They could have marriage easily, if they only dated men who qualified first. Do you see what a waste of time it is to start dating someone with the wait and see what happens attitude? Maybe one day he will be ready, maybe one day he will be serious, maybe one day he will decide for her that it is time to get married. Sorry ladies, but no Goddess I know has the wait and see attitude.

A lot of my friends, both male and female are reaching middle-age, and acknowledge a history of negative dating patterns, and psychological profiles of people they dated. The vast majority of women I know are repeating patterns with narcissists, pathological liars, men with egos so bloated, they only see it when it explodes in their face. Yet, in all their experience dating they have never questioned their own tastes, their own attraction points, their own preferences, and their own psychological issues that make them chase exactly those toxic qualities they despise so much.

I believe that the entire culture of dating, and our belief that we must keep connecting with people, and giving the wrong people a chance simply because they chose us, is exactly why every interaction with the opposite sex turns into a situationship rather than a relationship. The entire process of traditional dating stinks. I have been criticizing the dating culture, dating media and the dating industry for years, and still can’t understand why people (both men and women) buy into it. Do you really think that a dating manual will teach you how to apply the latest texting trick successfully and lead you to everlasting peace with someone? No, it will lead you into another bogus situation. If you are a grown up, and have experienced a lifetime of bogus dating situations, repeated patterns with people who have no ability to connect to you on your level, why are you dating at all? Why? Do you have an answer to that?

Is dating, and the race to score a mate really that important? Is it more important to you than your dignity? Is it more important than your inner peace? Is being alone such a deep seated fear that you must keep putting yourself out there over and over again for the bleak opportunity to secure someone mediocre? Much of the dating industry is just irrational fear mongering for women, and an ego trip for men who need it. Real people don’t connect using techniques. Real people connect on a deeper level, and that never happens by following a relationship manual.

When you met your closest friends, did you study a course outline? Did you take your friendships step by step, from a handshake, to drinks, to a phone call, to exchanging mindless texts, to building an actual friendship? No, you followed your instincts, hung out with people whose vibe you like, found your tribe, then opened up and allowed them time and space to open up to you too. Did you have a goal or an agenda when you met your best friend? Were you hoping from day one that it turns into a friendship of a lifetime? No, you weren’t that desperate, nor foolish. You allowed people whose company you enjoy to get to know you and vice versa.

You certainly did not attempt to build a friendship with a person you don’t like, a person whose views don’t necessarily mesh with yours, nor did you attempt to bond with the friend who demanded that you tell them where this relationship is going after three outings. You find your tribe based on your own personal interest, mutual attractiveness, and interest that is always equal. For some odd reason, it is very common for a woman to feel nothing for a man at all on the first date, then find herself still dating him months later, hoping that she will find something in him that she didn’t see on the first date.

I see women going on dates with men they actually have no interest in at all. Some women do this because no one better has asked them out. That is just a demonstration that she is willing to settle for less than great. Some women date to possibly make a friend. Some date for the sheer numbers, they believe the more men they meet the greater their chances are in meeting someone they could actually be with. Unfortunately, most women allow the man to first decide whether he wants her, and what he actually wants from her, and they go along with it, even when she has made no such decision for herself at all. Did you actually choose him, or did you allow him to choose you? “Umm, well, he asked me out, so I went” is usually the answer. But why did you spend an hour of your valuable time, having dinner and giving a chance to a person you aren’t actually interested in?” “Because he invited me to dinner and that is a nice gesture”. Many women are simply responding to a kind gesture, so a lot of women have absolutely no idea how to choose.

I really believe that women should stop dating. Period. Disconnect form the dating industry, burn all your dating books so that no one else suffers the misfortune of subscribing to the insanity that dating culture exposes us to. Just stop. Take a time out, go on a man-diet, re-connect with yourself, find yourself, take a long time to think about who do you want. You should have a clear idea of the psychological and emotional profile of the person you would like to spend time with. Then take some time to understand how to spot those qualities, how to screen for narcissism, bloated egos, superficiality and deep insecurities. Read, study people, observe. Most of all, study yourself in all these situations.

If you have a lifelong habit of picking out narcissists, you have to fix yourself first. List all the grandiose or false qualities you were attracted to that later turned out to be a mask. Above all things, you must know yourself, your strengths and fatal weaknesses if you want to become a sharp observer and screener of people.

Never date a man unless you actually have a strong interest in him. If you don’t know him, there is no reason to give a stranger a chance at all. If you know nothing about a person, rather than start dating him and following dating rules and patterns, try not dating him at all.

How do I date? By not dating. I absolutely hate giving time to people who I am not attracted to, who I find unattractive on a physical, personal or a social level. I make no apologies for that. Next, I am usually getting to know a lot of people at the same time. I get to know them socially through friends, I observe them in a group setting, and try to determine who in my social circle respects them, and who they show respect to. Are they surrounded by drama, are they surrounded by phonies, or are they shrouded in mystery? Mysterious people who give off no signals and deflect direct questions are red-flags to me.

I look for non-date opportunities to get to know a person. At this point he probably has no clue that I am interested. I organize a hike with a few people, so I can gauge the topic of our conversations and how he feels about important subjects. Recently, on a three hour drive to a retreat with a bunch of friends, I got to know two guys on a deeper level, simply by listening carefully to the topic of conversation on a long car ride. One was anti-choice and revealed himself to be a pro-lifer. Now I know I won’t be hooking up with that. The other, who I was less interested in looks like he would either be a good friend with benefits, or someone to get to know better. Both of these guys asked me out on a date, and I am glad I did not participate in a traditional date with either of them. The pro-lifer admitted to hiding his political status on Tinder and from most of his dates simply because women tend to dump him up front. That means that he would have hidden that fact from me too.

When I meet someone I am interested in dating, I actually ask him out myself. I know that a lot of women are not comfortable doing this, but I think that remaining passive and only dating men who ask you out, leaves you at the mercy of the dating traditions and social norms. You won’t meet a soulmate when you are choosing from what’s available to you. I know how I feel about someone, I trust my own instinct, so why remain passive and give only chances to men I know I don’t want?

I get asked out a lot. My job is such that I meet a ton of people, and I am grateful for that. But I ignore 99.9% of people out there because I have learned that dating traditionally, and dating only men who ask me out is a complete waste of my life. He gets to date who he wants, but I have to choose from among those who tried their chances with me? No. Some guys will ask you out because they truly want you, while others are just playing the numbers game and asking every woman out. They get lucky, because a lot of high quality women give chances to men simply because they asked.

By dating on my own terms, I have freed myself from the dating game, or the actual rat race. I refuse to waste one hour of my time drinking wine and making eye contact with a man I find unattractive. I won’t dishonor myself that way. I refuse to then make nice, and say all those appropriately polite things, and lead him on to the next date when I really didn’t enjoy the first one at all. It is disrespectful to the man, it creates a false impression, and worst of all, the dishonesty makes me feel icky. Entertaining the possibility of someone I really am not interested in feels gross to me. I like myself too much for that.

There are times when I am not interested in any men at all. I make absolutely no effort to date then. The last place you will see my face is on a dating app. Why should any random schmuck have access to me and believe that he could have me at the click of a button? Personally, I wouldn’t place much value on men who are on Tinder either. They are playing the numbers game, they are available to all my girlfriends who screenshot their profiles then trade “look who I found on Tinder” in group chats. If everyone in the tri-state area can have access to a man, there’s no way he will be mine.

Now that I am no longer in the ugly rat race of dating, I am much more relaxed and unconcerned with men in general. My inbox is full of offers I don’t even read any more. I organize events, I attend parties and I only talk to men who I have identified as interesting. I don’t even acknowledge the men who are not dateable. I will approach someone and start a conversation, I will ask an acquaintance for an introduction, and I only give my phone number to people I actually want to talk to. I openly say no to men I don’t want to connect with, I don’t say it rudely but I make sure that I am clear. I have a card without a phone number for the persistent buggers, but I find that I no longer need to use it when I clearly state no.

Now, when I show up to a date, it is because I truly want to be there. The person who invited me has my genuine attention. I am not feigning interest, nor am I just going through the motions. If they don’t convince me on that one date that they are 100% available to me and only me, if they hint they may have better options, or are entertaining other women, I have no reason to be there again. I am there to enjoy myself, and I’m gone as soon as it is no longer pure joy to see that person.

The ball is in my court. I used to go on too many dates, then wonder why the experience always made me feel gross. That was because I was trying to get to know people I really didn’t want to know. Now I only go on a few dates, but they are quality time. If a person doesn’t seem to want to connect on anything but a superficial level, I bow out long before the dating process even started. I don’t need anything superficial. Sometimes I do, most of the time I don’t.

So, how do we get to the first date? Like I said, I have to be truly interested. After I have gotten to know him by not dating him at all, I then determine what if anything I want from him? Do I want a fling, is he truly relationship material? Is he grown up enough, and genuine enough for me? If yes, there are three additional things I must know before we get to the first date: Is he 100% available to me, is he 100% percent interested in me, is he 100% free and clear of past relationships? If he is dawdling, still looking or still attached to an ex, these are things I must know. I only date 100%-ers, and it is not enough that they are 100% interested in me. I first and foremost must be interested in him. There’s no interest if I smell an ex or if I think he is dating other people. This may sound like a tall order for you, but the only men I interact with are the ones who are 100% interested and available. You might think they don’t exist, but I say there are armies of them who are willing to be 100% to a quality person. You won’t meet the 100%-ers if you are giving chances to men you don’t want, and paying an ounce of attention to men who are just kicking the tires.

Do not date men who have shown you they have other options. They are not qualified. How much time and aggravation have you wasted dating people who are dating other people? By now you know they are not worth any effort. Only consider those who have openly stated their full interest and full availability. If you are not sure you believe him, it is because he isn’t believable. Don’t go there.

I perceive not dating as a super power. It is amazing how men up their game when they realize they don’t have your interest. It is my time to observe from a place of detachment. A lot of men and women feel like losers when they are not dating, so they quickly jump into the race only to find they actually don’t enjoy a single person. I have learned through self observation that I only feel like a loser when I am participating in dating just for the sake of dating. It feels awful to be on a date with someone I feel no interest in at all. It feels even worse to then go through the appropriate post-date motions of exchanging dull texts, making plans or politely and without hurting his feelings look for a way out. I’d rather not be there in the first place.

I also found that my time with men is of greater quality. By only meeting with people I actually am interested in, I find that I am more present on a date. I am enjoying myself more when I am truly interested in what he has to say. I ask better questions when I am curious whether the person relates to me. I am much more likely to make an effort to actually know someone if I am happy to be in his presence. I feel no pressure to do anything at all. I am simply there for my own pleasure, and if he is not enjoying himself, or if I don’t meet his agenda, nothing has to happen.

Depending on my interest, something can happen but only when I want it to happen. That can be after a few dates, after a few weeks, or after a few months. It all depends on whether I want a hookup, a summer fling or a relationship. Everything happens on my own time, and I go no further if for any reason I feel uncomfortable.

No one has to invest in a relationship with me, I don’t prod people into giving me more time than they want. I relax and see what happens. If nothing is happening I don’t feel like I failed at some dating technique, I understand that there was no magic in that connection. It takes two people to create a spark. If only one of us lights up, there’s no magic. You don’t need three dates to see for yourself that there isn’t a mutual spark. If there is a spark, the whole relationship will power up right away.

I do date several people at the same time, or no people at all. Regardless, I am always getting to know someone on some level, whether they know it or not. By getting to know men by hanging out and not dating, I meet them with their guard down. You’d be surprised what you can learn when you are not dating him. A lot of men discount women who are not in their dating pool. This is the perfect time to get to know him. When you are not dating him, he won’t be on his best behavior, and if he thinks he has no chance with you, he is more likely to be his true self.

I almost started dating someone six months ago, then backed out once I saw him in a group setting. My first instinct was that this guy has issues that my eyes don’t see. So I observed. Hanging out with a bunch of friends I learned that his last ex filed a lawsuit. His previous one pressed charges against him, and his relationships tend to be with the most inappropriate people (coworkers, friend’s exes, even bosses). After a few hours of drinking, he made a fist and punched the table then turned it into a joke about the effect he has on women. I observed and I learned everything I needed to know about him that night. Would I have learned this had I actually started dating him when he asked me out? Chances are he would have been on his best behavior and after three dates I would have done something I regret, had I followed the ridiculous three date rule.

I suggest that you devise your own personal way for getting to know people. Following tradition will lead you nowhere, and force you to choose from the lowest hanging fruit. So many intelligent, successful, ambitious women I know are entertaining men who don’t qualify for a minute of their time. But they are only choosing from the men who asked them out. Following your own instinct even when your instincts are wrong, will allow you to see yourself, discover your own deeper issues, your own flaws and readjust. Inside the private Goddess forum, I advise women to date less, not more. You don’t owe everyone your attention or time. Learn how to spot the characteristics of men who are toxic or just plain wrong for you up front.

I can now ask a few prodding questions as soon as I meet someone that allow me to see how he sees himself, how he perceives me, and what his agenda is. I don’t have to meet him for a drink to know he isn’t for me. I use my intuition and I trust it. I’d rather be wrong and lose a few people, than get into icky situations just because I ignored that first gut feeling. The moral of the story is to make your own dating rules, become more in touch with your own self, figure out what kind of connection you want and screen for whether the person is even capable of that before you go down the dating path. I won’t date some schmuck simply because he wants me, and neither should you. And I certainly won’t choose from the lowest hanging fruit. The number one quality I look for in a man is my own interest in him.

S

Posted in Blog | 3 Comments

When Love Isn’t Happening

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

If it’s not happening, you are giving air time to contradiction. You want love. But, that’s not good enough. Self-love gets stale, so you’d rather have someone else to love. Okay. You get into your center, align, open your chakras, and you get into the right frequency. Very cool for you. Only later you look at Facebook, click on an article about how most singletons your age are lonely, and how dissatisfied they are with their six figure, meaningful jobs, and boom! You identify with that. Or, boom, you get angry about that. Whether you identify with the sentiment or you rally against it doesn’t matter. You went boom, and crashed down to earth. There goes your love. A minute before you were in the right place. But now, you allowed the contradiction, acknowledged it as real, and as soon as you gave it airtime, crashed down to earth. Heart chakra, solar plexus, sacral and root chakras just slammed shut. What’s the point?

Let’s try this again. What is love? It is just an energy you produce all by yourself. I don’t care whether I love that one, or that one, or that one. Does it matter if one man isn’t participating in what I’m creating right now? Every human has the power to create the feeling of love. Don’t believe me? Scroll down to the video of the girl blissing in her moment, look at your dog’s face light up the second it sees you, or your own heart melt like butter when your baby calls you mom. Love happens on demand. You have the power to turn it on like a power switch. It shuts off in a split second, the minute you see or feel contradiction. Your power is in holding your energy still in exactly the place you choose to put it in, No Matter What your eyes see or your ears hear, your energy should be exactly where you want it. This takes practice.

Let’s try this again. Get aligned, tune into the energy of love, then practice staying there no matter what. Once you feel stable, log onto Facebook, and set your intention on reading a negative article or responding to a negative post, while mindfully holding your energy in the state of love. If you feel yourself getting wobbly, slowly shift your focus back into yourself and realign with love. Again, slowly turn your attention onto something you don’t like, and see how long you can hold love in your consciousness, while that moron you dislike so much is allowed to be who he wants to be.

I recently went through a mini breakup. No biggie, but it made me cranky for a few days. I didn’t miss him, I just hated that I gave air-time to who I don’t want. I was feeling the contradiction of what I truly think I deserve. You cannot stuff your negative feelings, fighting to keep a balloon under water only makes it explode. Rather than dwell on all that went wrong, I decided to slowly direct my energy (not my crazy thoughts and whacked feelings) somewhere else. What made me feel better is a long, scenic drive, an overnight in my favorite cabin, an awesome bottle of wine, and a fireplace. I borrowed a dog because having an animal nearby always makes me happy. In the morning I went to a wolf sanctuary because I love petting wild animals. The whole weekend I was practicing shifting my energy toward something that feels better. Often an animal feels better than a human. Each time I felt bliss, I practiced holding my energy there as long as I can. It took 3 hrs to re-center and find my power again.

The power of love has nothing to do with men, nor whether you’ve had one today. They can’t make you happy. Love is a power because it is your own personal center, it is the core of who you are as a being. Love can make you happy when you learn that you alone possess it, you alone operate it, you alone choose whether you are tuned in or tuned out. Think of love energy as your magic wand. Practice using your wand by first changing your frequency, shifting how you feel in any given moment, becoming bulletproof when people hurl insults, remaining unaffected because the only thing you are receiving in their moment of anger is your own stream of love. Here is a negative condition that is happening to everyone else, it is making everyone angry, but it is not affecting you. You are tuned into something else.

Some people need drugs to tune into ecstasy. I do it on command with my own mind. When I do, I am power, I am God.

S

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments

Love vs. Commitment vs. Codependency vs. Sex vs. Friendship vs. Romance

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Love vs. Commitment vs. Codependency vs. Sex vs. Friendship vs. Romance

We have all been taught that true love is marriage and is all of the above concepts combined. But is it? Have you ever been in love but reluctant to commit? Have you ever had a spectacular sexual connection, but not felt romantic? Have you ever wanted to marry someone, but confused that desire with neediness or codependency? Have you ever been in a commitment, but felt physically attracted to someone else?

Does the traditional concept of love even make sense? Is it possible to write love into a marriage contract? Is it possible to bring love to a halt with the help of an attorney? Do people confuse their feelings of love with feelings of ‘He Will Answer All My Prayers’, then wake up one day to realize, he makes a good father, but a horrible lover? Love isn’t simple, yet we all want it to be more accessible, more equitable, more safe, and when it leads to emotional disaster, we wonder what was wrong with our formula. It all added up in the beginning, but when the relationship ended none of the pieces added up any more.

Is it possible to compartmentalize our emotional desires from our physical desires from our safety and security needs from our desire to connect on a spiritual level? Experts used to claim that this is only possible for men, real men, and that women were not designed to be able to handle that kind of compartmentalization. In fact, until recently, women who were able to have sex without needing love nor the man himself, were taught to be loose, pitiable, psychologically damaged. Much has changed in the last few years. Not only are we finding that it is possible to have love without commitment without codependency without friendship without romance, we are finding out that it is absolutely necessary to experience it all separately and in various combinations because what love means to you is very different from what it means to me.

When two people say I love you, they are actually speaking two different languages. To me love is a blissful feeling, an open heart chakra, vulnerability, fearlessness, complete willingness to be destroyed and knowingness that I will rebuild myself stronger and even more fearless. To most humans love is a measured dose of trading emotions for evidence of a firm commitment. If you asked my last ex, love is complete control of the other so they cannot leave you. If you asked the previous ex, love is how he would feel only if he could parade me as a trophy, but since I refused, it was not true love. To me, my refusal was proof of the purity of my love.

One thing is for sure love is not a fairy tale, but unfortunately most women grew up raised on a strict diet of Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and the Beast. In each story the delicate beauty submitted to her savior, and they lived happily ever after. Is it any wonder that to this day most women dream of walking down the aisle wearing a princess gown, and that many insecure men think that a real woman is the one who submits?

So, the traditional concept of love isn’t working. If it was, we wouldn’t be so obsessed with decoding it. While the rise in divorce rates makes traditionalists panic, personally I think it is a positive sign. It means that people are starting to question what love truly means to them, and what types of love would best suit their needs. That isn’t always a marriage contract. Sometimes true love is the freedom to explore. And our definition of love isn’t permanently fixed. I see that with every new relationship, I redefine love and what it does for me.

I have never met someone whose idea of love matched mine. Sure, many claimed to be my perfect match, but we all know how to mimic feelings and parrot words the other wants to hear. They were all a wonderful match while the love lasted. As true as my love was, it has always faded. There are several exes whom I will always love, but am glad are no longer in my life. To some, that makes me a very scary woman.

Love ended for many reasons. Often our love was a house of cards with no mortar and no foundation. Most often it ended because I lost respect, deep insecurities, and the ugliest factor of all, control. Love is the direct opposite of control, but to many people control is the only form of love.

How do we unboggle love? I don’t think we are meant to. For centuries we thrived in marriage, or what I refer to as codependence. Religions instructed that marriage was the only form of love, and it worked as long as women had no other options. As soon as a few opportunities opened up we grabbed them. We grabbed birth control pills, we grabbed college and diplomas, we grabbed low-paying jobs just to afford ourselves delayed marriage, sexual experience, and an opportunity to live beyond what was deemed advisable for us. We learned that love doesn’t have to be the first boy we kissed, that love doesn’t have to be a husband, that love doesn’t have to be a shiny rock mounted onto a wedding ring, and contrary to what science claimed about the female brain, sex does not mean we will automatically attach and fall in love. Now we see that we don’t have to marry the father of our children. He can still be a good father, and we can still have a life. We learned that a man is not safety, children are not security, and no matter how much life’s meaning we are supposed to squeeze out of marriage and motherhood, it will never be meaningful enough. We want more.

Now what? The only thing that I can say with 100% certainty is that I don’t know what love is, and neither does any academic, moral authority, nor expert. That is why the institution of marriage has collapsed. We made love into the only thing it was never meant to me, an institution, and we killed it.

Very few can argue that animals have no emotions, and that animals are not capable of love. They are, only they experience it simply, more honestly and more purely. Animals can experience emotional loss and pain. Do they seek to protect themselves from love? Do they attempt to bind or chain one another? Do animals thrive in institutions or do they thrive in freedom? Maybe what they experience is more natural, certainly less contrived.

Humanity, with its egotism, thirst for power and control over one another, is the only entity that has succeeded in killing love. We have degraded the concept into a mere transaction. Outside of the human construct, love very much exists. We can’t even see it because we assume that anything that isn’t human cannot be conscious.

But look at the kind of love our moral authorities have created. Priests are raping children, politicians are masking their impotence by parading prostitutes and strippers in front of the masses, celebrities are trading two years of love for a ten carat diamond ring, CEOs are making headlines with dick pics, but it is still not okay for most of us who are skeptical to say, No, I do not believe in the institution of marriage.

It seems that the only way to remain sane and actually taste love is to break it down into little pieces and experience the easily digestible bits that make sense to us right now. Recently a friend got chastised by our social circle for admitting that she is in love and in a relationship with a married man. All hell broke loose, and she got called all kinds of names. No one accepted that what she felt could be true love. It was impossible they said, because he is under contract. Have you ever been in love with someone who belonged to someone else? I have, and I allowed myself to remain in love. Speaking with my friend I realized that she is happier than ever. She was very respectful of his marriage, and did not want to break it. She would not even ask him to leave his wife. She was thrilled to simply be in love with this human, despite the judgment, despite the insults, despite the fact that she understood she will one day get hurt. How is that not love?

I prefer to compartmentalize love. I have openly stated that I have friends with benefits. In fact, the reason I have experienced so much is because those friends empowered me to explore various types of relationships with different people. There are times when I miss romance, and I find someone to experience it with, even briefly. Currently, marriage is impossible for me to fathom, so I am leaving that out of my equation, and codependency is totally out of the question.

We each have to define love for ourselves, understand that as long as we are growing, our concept of love will keep evolving, always for the better. In fact, learning how to love in new and greater ways is the expansion of consciousness. With each new reincarnation of love comes a new revelation, a new cycle, a rebirth, a new enlightenment. Out of that crash of agonizing pain and suffering, comes a new version of you, always greater. Do you really want to stop this beautiful process so that you can get married?

Keep experiencing, keep growing, keep evolving and keep loving. Love never gets smaller unless you try to capture it. As you keep opening yourself more fearlessly, you will experience love in its highest forms. You will crash, you will burn, and you will survive. Each time love will get bigger and bigger and bigger. Guaranteed.

S

in·ti·ma·cy- Into Me I See

Posted in Blog | 2 Comments

Dating The Big Shot vs. Dating An Equal

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

This morning there was a debate in the Goddess Private Forum about what turns women on. As you can imagine, the conversation got a little racy. Some posts were funny, others explicit, some women love brains, others love brains of a different kind. These days more women appreciate youth and physical prowess, and more women discount wisdom, financial status, and dominance. Today women are acquiring higher degrees and financial stability, so while most are looking for their equal, very few women are asking for a man who possesses traits of dominance or superiority.

Yesterday morning I was speaking to a Goddess in training. She was complaining that there aren’t enough excellent men. She said that she would like to meet men whom she can look up to. I immediately downloaded a message for her, and asked: “If you are looking up at a man, doesn’t that logically mean that he is looking down at you?” She was shocked, that statement blew her away. It totally resonated. Then I asked her if she had a history of dating men who treated her as if she is nothing to them? Her only answer was “Holy, f**king sh*it!”.

This scenario probably resonates with a lot of women, and men. A lot of my male friends complain that women are only chasing men who are no good, lack character, or possess traits of an alpha male. I think that this is how women have been raised, most of us have been taught by our fathers to look for men who are excellent providers, highly intelligent, superior. Even culture and media glorify big shots, worship hyper-successful males to the point where they can do no wrong, and respect men of supreme knowledge, leadership, and dominance. Today especially, the younger generation of males are labeled by media as lazy, passive, and are ridiculed for being in touch with their feminine side. Let’s face it, we are all raised like that.

I’ll be very honest, and at the risk of sounding egotistical, I have never met a man who I thought was above me. Yes, I too admired big shots, their high intelligence and dominance. But I never actually met a man who I thought was more intelligent, nor more dominant than me. I am an alpha, and let’s just leave it at that. I always ended up in relationships with men who were less smart, less confident, more insecure than me, so they all pretended to be more than they actually were. These men too were raised to believe that they should be in the lead, and that women should support their egos. So, in order to make him feel bigger, I would always try to make myself look smaller. I have a history of putting men on a pedestal, so that I can admire them from down here. I thought that once he is bigger than me, I will feel like he is a real man. Is it surprising then that our culture promotes the idea that a real man is bigger, better, stronger than a real woman?

My first husband was less intelligent and less educated than me. I wanted to make him feel like a real man, so when the company we both worked for went public, and all executives were being vetted for it’s IPO, he asked me to remove MBA from my resume, so that he could feel like a Vice President. I did so gladly to make him feel like a man. I loved him, and at the time I thought that is what a supporting wife should do. But looking back, I spent the entire marriage boosting his confidence, placing him in the lead, putting him in the spotlight. I remember sending press releases to financial media, to get him interviewed by CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg and Forbes. I glorified all his successes, and swept mine under the rug. It is no surprise then, that when we were going through the divorce, he openly said that I am too small for him. You might think that I learned my lesson, but I still believed that a man should be bigger, in fact, I could only be turned on by someone who appeared to be bigger even when he was obviously faking his success. I simply admired men who perceived themselves to be great.

A lot of my male friends complain that women are “programmed” to look for fake signs of success, dominance and superiority. I agree with them. I was raised in two cultures that valued machismo, dominance and male superiority. A lot of my female friends and clients complain about dating brutes, narcissists, and phonies who treat them as if they are inferior, but they have never made a connection between the traits that they find attractive, and how the men who possess those traits behave and treat them.

It is almost impossible for a woman to be turned on by a man she does not find attractive. So when the women try to date men with milder manners, they find that “he is nice, but he can’t turn me on”. I know how that feels. I was in the same predicament for many years. I tried giving the nice guy a chance, but no matter how hard I tried to accept him, I never thought of him as Wow. But it is strange to realize that we all want to be wowed by the object of our affection. The men who I initially thought of as impressive always turned out to be putting on an act.

It was by sheer luck and probably boredom that I once started dating a guy who is not an alpha, not a brute, not an egotistical narcissist, just a regular guy. Lucky for me he was hot, which is the only reason I noticed him. If he wasn’t I would have dismissed him easily. But that one relationship with a non-dominant male, totally crashed my program. I admit, I only gave him a chance for his looks, which is superficial. But the more I got to know him, the more I found his humbleness refreshingly charming. Slowly I started to notice that he had nothing to prove, wasn’t trying to lord over me, wasn’t asking that I diminish myself so that he can feel like a man. He was actually proud of me for being in the lead. I never met a guy like that. I had heard that they exist, but never thought I could be attracted to one.

But this one relationship was enough to change my view about masculinity and what it actually means. I realized that rather than look up at a man, I’d rather be looking at him straight in his eyes. Men who are our equals happen to have healthy views about women and femininity. They are actually capable of relating to us. Logically speaking, if he isn’t looking down on you, he won’t be treating you as such either.

Though many women in the forum found this revelation to truly resonate with them, many admitted that it will be hard to change old habits. I agree, we all live the way we have been programmed. And if we want better life experiences, we have to step out of the matrix.

Breaking my program was a painful experience, but I fully intended to change my habits and my reality. The good news is that I stopped being attracted to dominant, macho men, and I am now turned off by egotism. I now have a lot more respect for what culture refers to as beta males, the men who don’t seek to dominate, but are perfectly comfortable with themselves.

But I think that socially this country is experiencing a shift. Turn on the news, and the headlines are filled with accusations of masculinity being under attack. Initially, it was just a few critics who openly ridiculed the president’s narcissism and phony masculinity, but then other politicians with bloated egos and very little character got lumped into the same category. Then came the #metoo movement, when the country’s top executives were exposed for harassment, rape and misogyny. And finally, the nation’s religious leaders were exposed for pedophilia, sexual abuse and a long history of silencing victims.

So, is masculinity under attack? Definitely not. Fake masculinity is being exposed, and criminal behavior is under attack. and that is clearly making a lot of men and women uncomfortable. Delusion, perversion, bullying are under attack and rightfully so. But, as we watch the masks of a lot of powerful men crack and fall to the ground, many of us are realizing that those traits we were taught to be masculine: aggression, dominance, superiority have nothing to do with real manhood at all. A lot of women are recognizing their own personal patterns in the stories that play out in the media. We can all relate to submitting to a man so he won’t lose his temper, won’t retaliate, won’t seek revenge. We all know what it is like to keep our mouths shut so that his opinion could be valid. We have all been taught to pander to a man’s ego, and if we have an opinion that invalidates his, make him believe that he came up with it himself.

In many ways we women are guilty of supporting fake masculinity, respecting the patriarchy and bowing down to Big Men. In fact we made them, we raised them, and we pandered to their egos for generations. Why are we so dismayed that so many men still don’t see us as equals? We put them on those pedestals ourselves.

But, getting back to dating and women’s attraction to big, powerful men, I think that this is something that is slowly shifting here in America. Now that women comprise 47% of the work force, we no longer need men to lead us, support us, be superior to us. As our needs change, many women are starting to realize that we don’t need a traditional husband, we now want a partner and an equal.

Dating that hypermasculine brute with a bloated ego who seeks to dominate is no longer attractive to a growing number of women. Personally, I want a man I can respect. I see myself possessing a very strong character, so I would like someone whose character matches mine. I still want someone whose strengths compensate for my weaknesses and vice versa, but overall I want my equal. I don’t need someone whose life I have to build, nor someone whose ego I have to stroke. I am ready to build my own life. He can join me, or not.

If one person in the relationship is looking up, obviously the other is looking down.

S

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Chivalry Vs. Opportunism Explained

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Is chivalry dead? I think chivalry definitely exists, but how it is being used has definitely changed. In modern times, our social interactions have also changed, and so have our expectations of fellow humans.

Let’s start with the definition of chivalry and the word’s origin. According to the dictionary:

chivalry

Men behaving courteously— holding the door open, offering women their jackets when it’s cold — is called chivalry.

Medieval principles governing knighthood and knightly conduct

A rule or standard especially of good behavior – courtesy towards women

Synonyms: gallantry, politesse. Type of: courtesy, good manners

As you can see, times have changed and medieval knights have evolved into gentlemen, and further evolved into everyday humans, or men. Traditionally, chivalrous gestures were simply good manners taught to nobility, but as times changed, so did our social expectations. In modern times, chivalry no longer refers to men only. As gender roles are becoming blurred, most men and women strive to treat our fellow humans with dignity and kindness regardless of gender.

In this day and age, it is common for women to be chivalrous as well. Today, women open doors for men, for other women, and for strangers. I tend to open doors for whoever is near me, I even open the door for the janitor in my building simply because he is human.

There seems to be much confusion about chivalry and its failures. Apparently, a lot of people are upset because their so-called chivalry isn’t being met with adequate praise or reward. And some women complain against chivalry, because it is archaic, because they too partake in chivalry, but mainly because some ‘chivalrous’ men, expect a reward for gestures which are supposed to be free of charge to all humans.

What no one has considered is that chivalry isn’t dead, instead it is being misused and its intentions are often confused with another concept called opportunism. What is an opportunist?

op·por·tun·ist

noun: opportunist; plural noun: opportunists

a person who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans.

Reading this definition, can you see how opportunism can be a turn-off for many women?

Personally, I am always impressed by good manners. It is a sign of a respectful person who has consideration for those around him or her. Good manners are a sign of fine breeding, a reflection of one’s values, and how a person perceives themselves. Naturally, a person who values others will act in a way to demonstrate that. And a person who respects fellow man will not demand repayment, nor accolades for an act of courtesy.

Chivalry is given freely with no reward, nor further expectations. Opportunism takes advantage of the recipient of that gesture. What critics of chivalry find offensive is the false belief that a kind gesture comes with a price tag. There are many different kinds of men out there. Some will open a door without a second thought. For them the gesture is a matter-of-course, it comes naturally, and is a reflection of their character. I would like to think that when I open a door for anyone, I do it out of politeness and good intentions even though I am female.

As a woman I always notice good manners, and am always grateful to a person who performs chivalrous acts free of charge. But, I understand that most women have experienced “toxic chivalry” or what I refer to as opportunism, and this is something that we all complain about.

There is a type of man out there who uses so-called chivalry to take advantage. He rushes to open the door, he hears Thank You, but follows her to see just how grateful she really is. As she keeps walking, he keeps reminding her that he is just being a gentleman and that she is rude because she won’t give him time of day in exchange for that open door. He takes a woman out on a date, picks her up in his car, opens the door each time, orders her wine, orders her dinner, insists on paying for everything then insists on driving her home. Only, once he has performed all these tricks like a ‘real gentleman’ he awaits his reward. Some men treat chivalrous gestures like a punch card. “I did 10 gentlemanly things for you, therefore I am a real man”, or “I got dinner so you owe me”. An opportunist is always looking to be rewarded for a gesture a person could have done for themselves.

Several years ago, I received flowers twice on a New York City street from complete strangers. One was a heart-melting act of chivalry, the other a stomach churning act of opportunism. I was living in Manhattan, and commuting home from work. A guy standing in the crowded subway car was holding a big bunch of roses, clearly intended for someone else. I paid no attention to him at all and had my face buried in my phone. As the train came to a stop we both exited, he stopped me, took one rose out of the bouquet and handed it to me. He said, “I don’t mean to be creepy, but I saw you on the train and really felt like you should have this rose. Please accept it”. I was stunned, and speechless, and tongue tied, so all I could nervously stutter is ‘Thank You’. He walked away and said ‘Have a beautiful day”. Needless to say, my heart melted, I felt grateful for the kind gesture, and smiled just thinking about that for days.

A few weeks later, I was sitting in an outdoor cafe, waiting for a friend. A guy walking down the street saw me, then stopped at the corner grocery and picked up a nice bouquet. He walked over to my table to hand me the bouquet, and he said ” You are beautiful and I just want to give a pretty lady these flowers to brighten up her day”. Once again I said thank you, that is very nice of you. I was so touched by the nice gesture of the guy from the subway, that my guard was down. Only this guy, wasn’t going anywhere. “So, are you here alone?” “No, actually, I am waiting for a friend”. “Mind if I keep you company until your friend gets here?” Red flag, shivers down my spine, this one is going to be a creep. This guy was not being genuine, and honestly, I really didn’t want his company at all. But he acted as if I owed him my company because he gave me some flowers. Things turned unpleasant, and the waiter asked him to leave me alone. A lot of bickering and few insults later, the manager came out and threatened to call the police. How much did I appreciate his act of fake chivalry and being called a bitch? His flowers were revolting. They were not a gift, they were bait. I couldn’t look at them, and asked the waiter to take them away.

Chivalry versus opportunism. Please know the difference. To be fair, we all should be allowed an opportunity to decide for ourselves whether we want to engage or take part in a gesture that may cost us later. Had I known that he was giving the flowers to earn the reward of my company, or to get a date, I would have rejected them outright. No one wants to feel obligated to reward an unnecessary gesture with their dignity.

And this is the reason a lot of women aren’t comfortable with today’s chivalry. Chivalry used to be free, but in modern times some men are taking advantage and expecting a reward or validation. He demands to hear that an act of common courtesy makes him a real man.

Because today it is very important to begin every assertion with “Not all men”, I will give you that. Not all men are opportunistic assholes. The vast majority of men and women make kind gestures because it is a reflection of who they are, and they understand that human kindness goes a long way. Both sexes are becoming comfortable with opening the doors for each other, for saying Thank You, and for thinking nothing of it.

So, the few men who are opportunists when it comes to using manners to gain favor with women are the ones who give chivalry a bad name. Chivalry isn’t dead, and women have not been corrupted by raging feminism. We are not determined to destroy manhood, in fact we appreciate true and healthy masculinity. What has changed is that we refuse to reward opportunists with our attention, our affection, our respect, nor the validation they crave so badly.

What makes a man a gentleman is that he acts with true character and honor every single day, and he does not require validation from others to be who he is. His value and his humanity speak for themselves. An opportunist is the opposite of that. Only an opportunist will use a gesture such as opening a door, then demand gratitude or the title of “real man” for performing a task a monkey can do.

My five year old nephew is learning his manners, so he has started opening doors for everyone, for mom, for dad, for his teacher and all his classmates. Is he a man? He has a long way to go to earn that honor. What I hope to teach him is that we all do kind gestures for everyone out of love for humanity, and not because we expect to earn a gold star.

So, the next time a woman complains about chivalry, take some time to consider why. A lot of women are tired of fake chivalry and opportunism. We have spent lifetimes fending off goons who claim to be ‘just a nice guy’, but expect a little something in return. We are tired of promised job interviews that turn into an unwanted date. We are tired for having to pay for that open door with validating a man’s machismo. We simply are tired. This is why many of us would rather open our own door, pay for our own drink, and go home in peace, rather than worry that we owe you something. Please consider that we live in an age when most women will routinely open a door for a man and ask for absolutely nothing in return.

Are we taking over manhood? No. We simply want to be left in peace.

S

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Our Protective Walls Are Blocking Our Ability To Love

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

“The walls you put up to protect yourself, are the same walls that are blocking your blessings”. Stephen S.

You can’t walk in fear of getting hurt, and expect to attract the highest possible love, the most amazing career, or the ultimate life experiences. Like everyone, I do have fears. And to protect myself, I created a belief system- as long as I stick to my strong beliefs, and I allow people with certain stringent qualifications into my sphere, I will ensure I am safe from harmful relationships. So I built an energetic wall, a wall of high standards and high morality. If you meet those super high standards, you get to be in my life. So, I eliminated a ton of toxic people. Guess what. The safe, non-toxic ones in my life, still manage to disappoint me, hurt me, prove to be fake friends or feeble lovers.

I can put up as many walls as I want, but I still block the good as well as the bad from my life. In doing so, I am restricting my ability to love and be loved because I walk in fear. If I say to someone, sorry I cannot love you because you are of the wrong political party, or you are the wrong religion, or you aren’t as educated as I am, I am placing conditions under which I can love, and placing conditions means I am participating in very conditional love. Each condition you have is a brick in your protective wall. The more conditions, the harder it is to meet people who are your energetic equal.

The real me truly believes in unconditional love, I have written about that many times, therefore I must drop my conditions. That’s not easy. We all claim to want unconditional love, yet each one of us has at least a 100 conditions. Go ahead and list all your conditions on a sheet of paper. It will be very good for your eyes and your heart to get in touch with all your conditions. It is an eye-opening experience.

I believe in free, unconditional, pure love, yet I just realized that I have a long list of conditions I have not spoken out loud because I would not admit them to myself. With every breakup I thought I learned something- what I want in a man and what I don’t want. And after my last breakup, I added a whole bunch of conditions I never had before. I think it is normal for our list of conditions to adjust after every relationship. This is how we learn what works and what doesn’t work for us, and how we maintain focus on people we want instead of the ones we don’t want. I have been keeping such a list for years so that I can be aware of my wants.

All humans have their own requirements- people we are naturally attracted to, qualities and personality traits that work well with ours. We also have a long list of negatives, red flags and habits that absolutely do not work for us. Having such a list helps me maintain healthy boundaries, and maintain awareness of what I am doing, when I am dating people who really aren’t good for me.

But, when that list grows to unreasonable expectations, with each new addition, you are adding another brick on that wall around your heart. At a certain point we have to figure out which bricks are sensible, and which serve no purpose at all. I am one of those people who senses energy very well. I read other people like an open book, and when people’s walls are up, I know to leave them alone. There is no sense in crossing someone’s boundaries. That would be a very unhealthy and disrespectful thing to do to someone.

As a meditation practice, I often check on my own energies from time to time. I recently discovered a massive block, about two feet in front of me. I only notice it when I meditate, but it is huge. I have literally been pushing away people for the last couple of years.

I thought of it as cleaning house. Once I decided to clean my life and remove as many toxic people as possible, I started to filter. I like you, I don’t like you. You can come in, you cannot come in. You are on probation until further notice.

Did my house get any cleaner? It may seem that way, but now that I look at this massive wall of bricks around my heart, I see that I am still sweeping the mess, and maybe the mess is getting bigger. When people see a wall, they do one of two things. Obviously, a wall is a massive obstacle, and sensible people walk around it. It really is the more logical thing to do, not to chisel the wall away, but to keep on moving. Healthy people will not see a walled up person and start climbing. Healthy people respect boundaries, so they leave you alone.

So who are the people who try to chisel your wall away? The ones who do not respect boundaries. The ones who resolve to rescue you from your prison. The ones who stubbornly want what they can’t have, and in an effort to obtain what the other won’t give them, they bring in the heavy equipment to bulldoze through your fortification. Do you really want those in your life? Well, that is exactly who snuck past my guards this year.

So how do we break down our own wall, and let our guard down? You don’t necessarily have to take it down brick by brick, it may be easier to create a new belief system. Remember, each belief is just a brick in your wall. Go through your list of requirements, and change your beliefs about them. For example, I do not like dating people who are older than me. I habitually date younger men because I find them uncomplicated, they have more modern attitudes toward women, they are unspoiled and unsoiled by divorce and free from children.

I truly enjoy relationships with younger men so much, that I have come to absolutely fume any time someone older asks me out. And my belief system about older men could definitely use a tune-up. I doubt that I will ever be attracted to older men, because for me physical attraction is important, but at the very least I have to stop blocking and pushing away people who don’t meet my lofty standards. I don’t have to date them, I just have to find them acceptable, see the good in them.

If you meditate, clearing energetic blocks may be a bit easier. When I get centered, I tune into my own body and scan my own energies. I might see an old panic attack I had on a stupid subject. I use knowingness to clear the old energy, by logically knowing that the situation and my feelings about it are now irrelevant. Of what value is it to me to still stop breathing every time I recall that difficult client I had two years ago who threatened to sue me? Is my feeling about a person who is no longer in my life of any value to me now? Thinking about the validity of that past panic attack, and the silliness about my belief, makes the energy disappear. If knowingness is not your meditation tactic, you might move the energy with your hand, and remove it from your body by wiping it away. Energy can be moved physically, mentally, or using any of the greater senses you may be in touch with while you meditate.

If clearing energy is not your thing, you can simply meditate on freedom. What does freedom to love whoever and whatever without fear feel like to you? This is a challenging energy to get into or recall, because ever since we started dating, we have been protecting ourselves from freedom, and free relationships. The thought of freedom might scare you. Rather than recall the energy of freedom as it pertains to past lovers, think of your love for your favorite pet. You had a dog and you loved it very much. What does that love feel like to you? Even if the dog has passed, your love for it feels just as good. Sit there in that energy, and simply feel love for your dog for as long as you can. Now think what it would feel like to have another dog? Could you feel love for that new dog too? Of course you can. Having another dog does not change in any way how you feel about your first dog. Your heart chakra stays just as open when you think of the two animals, then three, then all the animals in the world. Love is truly limitless, so why do we place limits upon it? Now think of that ex who hurt you. Do you feel the energy around your heart tighten up? Your throat or your solar plexus might twist into a knot. Free love, vs. conditional love feel very different inside your body.

Living without barriers or a brick wall feels freeing, so meditate on your own sense of liberation. If you don’t meditate, and you can’t sense energy, please see a therapist. Use whatever method works for you, but the goal is not to continue to make a case for your wall, or argue for your blockages.

We can’t walk in fear and expect wonderful things to happen. We cannot build a protective wall around us, then expect the most dashing lover to break down those walls. If he did, he would be overstepping our boundaries- and that would qualify him as a psycho 🙂 So, my next goal is to tear down my own walls, open my mind to new potentially hurtful experiences, and allow myself to get hurt again. I might be a little wiser than I was last year, so hopefully the lessons won’t be so harsh.

But, unless I take a chance on me, what good could possibly happen?

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The Relationship Scorecard

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Do you keep a love scorecard? Or does someone you are in a relationship with, or a friend keeping score of what you are doing right, what you are doing wrong, what they did for you, and what you didn’t do for them? Are they measuring how much attention you gave them, versus how much affection or time they got in return? Do they demand you repay them for every kind word, or a seemingly thoughtful act? Is that person you?

I am not going to stamp a label on people like that. We all know that kind of loving is wrong, and it’s not love at all. Love is based on freedom, and free expression of our own level of love for all people. It is about allowing the other person to show us how they love. It is feeling free to love on our own terms without pressure to conform to the other person’s expectations.

I bought you an expensive birthday gift, now you owe me some respect. I forgave you last week, so now you owe me some cuddle time. I took care of you when you were sick, now you owe me a get-out-of-jail-free card. Tit for tat. I give you, you pay me back. That kind of arrangement (because it is not a healthy relationship) is a trap. It is about others serving our needs and rewarding them with tokens. Except, how can we measure other people’s attention, affection or time?

You will never have your needs met by a person whose job you think it is to love you how you see fit, and vice versa. Expressions of love are an act of kindness, not a duty or an obligation. The minute you make it the other person’s obligation to relate to you on your terms they will disappoint you. Those kinds of relationships are exhausting for all of us, and they bring misery and very little joy to people who know they can love much better. They are primitive, immature, contrived.

My ex used to measure every one of my transgressions silently, but very methodically. Each time he did something nice for me, like spend time with my friends, he expected that I pay him with a never-agreed-upon sum that only he could accurately calculate in his own head. The sum of what I owe him was always a mystery to me. There was never an agreement that if he spends time with my friends, I would owe him something, if there was such a discussion, I would never have incurred the debt. I would have easily left him at home and enjoyed a night out on my own. I didn’t even know that the night with my friends was unpleasant for him, yet days later, I would find out that I haven’t adequately compensated him for the favor. One day I would get the silent treatment, so I’d leave him alone. The next day, more silent treatment, so I would leave him alone. I know when someone is being passive aggressive and when I am about to be manipulated into something, so I disconnect. I don’t chase, I don’t pester to find out how can I please you? If you want to shut me out, go for it. Finally, five days later he would explode and demand to know why I am not concerned that he is not talking to me. Dude, you are a grown up, you know how to speak up and communicate like an adult. If something is bothering you, it is on you to communicate it. And then the drama would start. You didn’t call me. You didn’t spend time with me. I did everything for you but you did nothing for me. What did you do for me? I spent time with your friends.

Don’t fall into that trap. Doing nice things for people, then demanding emotional compensation is manipulation. We shouldn’t have to compensate people for kindness nor for being in a relationship with us. Kindness comes out of the goodness of our hearts, and willingness to share ourselves with others. There is no price tag for kindness.

If someone is billing you for good behavior, kindness, affection, or time, run! Anyone who is keeping a relationship scorecard is simply weighing every gram of flesh you are willing to sacrifice for them. You shouldn’t have to pay with your soul just to be in a relationship.

Friendships can be just as toxic as love. Since to most people friendships are less urgent, they waste more energy trying to maintain romantic relationships. So when a friend is keeping score, we dismiss it as annoying. Recently, a friend asked within our group if anyone would be willing to lend him a spare car for a couple of weeks. He was moving out of the country, selling off all his stuff, and needed some wheels while he closed out his life. A mutual friend offered him her car and asked for nothing in return. There was no money exchanged. Imagine his surprise to start receiving texts from her a week later, listing all her grievances. You don’t hang out with me, you never call, you could have invited me to that NYE party. Huh? He didn’t realize that borrowing her car meant he would be her escort. He promptly returned the car, not wanting to cause drama. But the drama continued. She kept insisting he could still have the car, all she wanted was some time, and consideration from him. This is how we fall into situational traps where one person does something nice for the other, then demands whatever payback that can temporarily fulfill them.

Relationship scorekeepers are a drain. You will never do enough for them to make them feel warm, fuzzy or satisfied. They are empty people with gaping holes in their lives, and instead of filling those holes themselves they get you to do it for them. The signature phrase all relationship score keepers use is “You owe me”. The sum of what you owe them is never reasonable, it is always above and beyond what you are willing to do for them. Relationships with scorekeepers feel like a burden. They don’t feel good, nor equal, nor loving, because the scorekeeper is always weighing how many grams of flesh you are willing to slice off for them. Eventually, you’ll be missing a limb, there simply will never be enough of you to keep them from starving. Run.

My advice is if you keep a relationship scorecard with anyone, learn to let people off the hook. It is wrong to give for the sake of getting something in return, just give as much as feels good to you. If other people don’t return in equal measure, appreciate them anyway. Allow people to be who they are, and give to you what feels good to them. Honor what they gave you, no matter how little. Treat their time, their attention, and their gifts as a treasure. Cure yourself or train yourself from keeping a love and relationship scorecard. You’ll see, your relationships will be much healthier once you give people a break.

S

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Effort Is The Killer of Realization

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Don’t try too hard. We live in a culture that values hard work, effort, trying, endurance, commitment, resolve, achievement, struggle, and beating the odds. I love America and everything that it stands for. I also love that Americans are self-reliant, and respect good work and a solid work ethic. However, I am going to make a case against trying too hard.

This is something that I learned from meditating for 12+ years. Effort is the killer of realization. You have heard the saying “What you resist, persists”. Whatever you fight against in your life, tends to turn into a bigger problem. Whatever you let go of, tends to diminish or disappear, or comes back in a more harmonious form.

Effort is the expending of energy. When we hit an obstacle in our life, conventional wisdom says to try and try again. Work harder, try harder, make more effort to obliterate this boulder that is right in front of our face. But there is a smarter, easier way to deal with life’s obstacles. Don’t try so hard and simply walk around the obstacle.

Imagine you are trying to get on the road, but your hand brake is still engaged. You step on the accelerator, but the car won’t go. The harder you push the accelerator, the faster your wheels spin, but with that obstacle, the hand-brake still on, you are not going anywhere. It is your effort that is making you try harder against the hand-brake. It is the effort that is burning the rubber off your tires, and it is the effort that is wasting gas in your fuel tank because the harder you try to drive with your handbrake on, the more energy you waste. Instead of trying harder, you should try smarter. Relax and think a little, there’s a good reason why this car, or relationship, or this work project won’t move forward. Your great effort and persistence are probably killing it.

Have you ever been in a relationship with a persistent little bugger who was determined to make the relationship lead to something bigger, but the harder they tried the more you got turned off? Have you ever wanted a job so badly, that you did everything possible, stood on your head, demonstrated your willingness to do anything, and they still gave the job to someone else? In meditation, effort kills the meditation itself. The harder you try to meditate, and achieve a mental state you think you should be in, the more impossible that state is to reach. I always tell people never try to meditate, only relax and get comfy in your own mind.

Working hard is actually not working smart. Have you noticed that there are people out there killing themselves, sacrificing peace for their work, trying so hard but they never earn enough? And then there are people whose work is easy, they make money in their pajamas, and they enjoy their free time as if money grows on trees? They are not working hard, they are working smart. They work when they are in the zone, and take frequent breaks to get inspired. When they hit an obstacle, the last thing they do is try harder.

You want to be VP, but your boss scoffs at the idea, he won’t even give you a chance. You are in a tough relationship, and your partner of 7 years won’t even consider marriage. Of what use is trying to argue someone into wanting you? Has anyone ever won that argument? Have you ever been able to argue your way into someone’s heart? Back off, your effort is killing the situation.

Effort is useful when you are trying to push an inspired idea forward, but only if you have fuel in your tank, and a clear road ahead. A gentle effort or a light tap on the accelerator is enough to move a car forward. But pushing, trying, forcing, is never a good idea in any situation.

Effort kills creativity. To make a beautiful painting one needs inspiration, love, and an idea to express on canvas. All artists know what happens when they try too hard to express themselves- the idea won’t flow out of them. Effort destroys the painting. Pushing yourself to brush paint on a canvas with nothing but effort, makes it look like a paint by the numbers job. But allowing for inspiration to come and then allowing it to flow through, results in a masterpiece. Allowing is the opposite of effort. It is a sure knowing that the right inspiration will come at the right time. It is the confidence that the problem will get solved. It is the knowing that you are worth so much more than this person who is telling you ‘No’ sees in you.

So, don’t try so hard to make everything work. Ease off that accelerator, stop trying to drive with that hand-brake engaged. It is there for a very good reason. It is telling you, this trip is not for you. How do you know to move in a particular direction? The most loving relationships feel effort-LESS. When you are in a state of flow, inspiration and creativity feel effort-LESS. When you have a job you feel passionate about, work is effort-LESS. When things flow to you effortlessly, they are a definite YES!!! Roadblocks, obstacles, rejection and the word NO, exist to give you clarity: This is road is not for you.

S

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How To Get Closure When He Won’t Give It To You

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

Breakups suck. Even when we logically know that the relationship isn’t working and that the person isn’t in our best interest, it can still be difficult to move on. We are all taught to make the best out of every situation, to give people ample chances to be who we need them to be, adjust our own wants and needs for the sake of being in a relationship. I don’t agree with traditional relationship advice because I see it doesn’t serve people, especially not women. When we logically know that he isn’t who we want, and when we emotionally feel like this is inadequate, it is our responsibility to take the steps to free ourselves, and do better next time.

Letting go is hard, but I consider it a spiritual practice. In fact, I have written about it many times because I have discovered its power to heal, to get me unstuck from stagnant situations, and move in a better direction. I won’t describe the process here, but will say that it is crucial to us doing better, and better, and better for ourselves. The less we attach ourselves emotionally to people, the more forgiving we can be, and the more we are willing to allow for a peaceful parting of ways. That is easier said than done, I know, but if we make it a permanent spiritual practice, it does get easier.

Inside The Goddess Principles private forum, there are a lot of women who are finding it hard to move on. These are highly evolved and experienced women who are well qualified to counsel others, but like all humans have a door that wasn’t firmly shut behind them. The typical scenario was a breakup that occurred two years ago, but for the sake of friendship they keep the person in their life. Friendship is important, but being friends with a well-meaning ex is still and always will be an old energy and an old relationship pattern. So this quest to prove we can still be friends, turns into a heavy friendship that hurts just as much as when they were sleeping together. This friendship also becomes a crutch because neither person has to fully face the breakup, as there is still hope in having loyal companionship. Two years later, a woman asks why am I still not in a new relationship? Why am I still oddly stuck on my ex? I know I don’t want him, I see that he is not good for me, but for some reason I am still stuck on him, and only him. Many move on and date, but continue to experience the same relationship over and over again with a different person.

Think of each relationship as a program, and at a certain point in our lives our program becomes corrupt. At some point we start reprogramming our wants, needs and expectations to meet the needs of the other person, because we falsely believe that this relationship is more important than what we truly want and need. We keep editing our program until it starts to behave more like what the other person wants, or whatever it takes to maintain a relationship with a person who is actually not who we want. Logically speaking, no relationship can run on a bad program, and inevitably the program crashes.

If you are like most people, you wake up, get dressed, put on your makeup, revise your Facebook status and actively start seeking a new relationship. And then a new guy comes into your life, and he is just awesome, and he too has a few glitches we think we must adjust to. This one is worth keeping, and maybe investing in a bit more than the other guy, so we tweak our programming even more to make ourselves more compatible with the other guy. The more we edit our program, the more our course veers closer to his path, and we are now totally off-course from our own path. Once again, bad programming results in a crash, and somehow this is all his fault. But who edited the program?

Over the years we keep getting into new relationships with old programming disguised in fresh packaging and we wonder why none of our relationships are working. We blame bad relationships on people’s unwillingness to give us what we want, their selfishness, their self-centeredness, and a thousand other psychological disorders. No one sees that they are running a corrupt program.

But why do we keep the old program running in the background of all our relationships. We are afraid to let go of what we know. Somehow those past traumatic crashes, and painful endings are comforting. It is easier to stick with what we already know. And also, many of us are looking for a human to take us exactly as we are, with all our flaws, all our boo-boos and make it all better. But, if the other person is healthy, they know it’s is not their job to heal you and make you better. So, an old program can only function for a very limited time with another person whose program is just as corrupt.

A part of the reason we keep running corrupt programs is because we have not firmly closed the back door to old viruses. We hit delete, but it is still in the recycle bin. We cleaned the hardware, but it lies stored on an external drive. Sooner or later that old virus will find its way back into your program. It never left, you never fully deleted it, it was always spying on you in the background, in other words, you left the door wide open.

Why is your ex back? Because you left the door unlocked? Why is he still spying on you? Because you gave him your password. Why are you still thinking about him? No, it is not because you were cosmically connected, it is because you never blocked the dude in the first place. This person still has access to you on some level, even if it is through a tiny keyhole, as long as an entry point is not secure, the pesky virus will find you.

There is nothing more disheartening than to listen to a woman, and some of my male friends complain about an ex whom they just can’t shake. And inevitably this is a person they had a lot of compassion for, didn’t want to cut off, and hey, a few months later they have magically fixed whatever made their code corrupt and they are knocking on your door with an offer to install an upgrade. The only reason you are torn between breaking their heart and breaking your own is because you are running the same program in the background, and there is a back door still open for the pesky virus to crawl into.

The crash is even harder when the other person refuses to give us closure. It would be so much easier if he clearly stated I will never see you again, I am marrying someone else, instead of being silent, walking away, but still keeping channels of communication wide open. Will he text me again? Will he like my Facebook post? If he does, you’ll feel hopeful enough to continue being stuck until you receive the next sign, and the next one, and the next one. This is how people linger in hopeless and toxic dramas.

It is not the other person’s responsibility to give you closure. In fact, he cannot because there will never be adequate explanations and clear enough words to soothe you into letting go. And as long as you wait, you are leaving room for more pain, and stagnation. What you can do is take the matter into your own hands, and take responsibility for your own closure.

Yes, you can give yourself closure, in fact that is the only permanent and effective way to guarantee peace of mind. You do have the ability to seal all entry points into your life: social media, e-mail, phone numbers, and change all passwords. A lot of people find this the most painful aspect of the breakup, and see it as the ultimate loss. Well after the relationship is over, they are clinging to the possibility by simply keeping the lines of communication open, just in case, some day he needs a transplant and they are the only viable donor. It would be cruel to seal the door shut, wouldn’t it?

Here is something a few people know. You don’t have to believe me, but some of us can see and feel energy. It flows within us, between all people, and the flow is stronger between people who once had an emotional connection. You can break up with a person, but the reason you are stuck on them is that energetic connection still flows. You can make the physical move away from them, even move to another country, but the connection remains. Why? Sure, you may be still partly obsessed, hopeful, and stubborn about letting go. But the reason you are is because on some level you can still feel the person’s energy. Even if you are not one of those people who can feel energy of others, you are still susceptible to it. You cannot see, hear or smell a radio wave, but when it hits the receiver in your car, you start to sing a long.

Thoughts are just energy. And obsessive thoughts are very strong, stubborn energy. How do you cut them off, when your monkey mind just won’t let go?

After my last breakup, I had to do some serious work on myself. This person’s energy remained even though we promised never to see each other again, even though we live in two different countries, even though we both started dating other people. Logically speaking I was 100% sure I did not want this man, but the thoughts and hurt feelings and the anger remained. I did unfriend him on Facebook, and thought that was enough, but it wasn’t. I could literally still read this person, and was very aware of his whereabouts, feelings, his pain. How??

The energy flow between us remained. We were still thinking about each other, checking on each other via social media, talking to mutual friends. Two years later, and I was asking myself why the hell are all new relationships following this same old program that he brought into my life? I am dating the same person in a different body, over and over again. But the energy between us still flowed because I did not cut it off. And that old virus was still running in the background of my corrupt program.

You don’t have to believe in or feel energy, but I am sure you know what it is like to be stuck on someone while you are trying to move on. Well, there is one guaranteed way to get closure. Close the damn door.

When I say close the door, I mean seal every single entry point. If you are still friends, trust me that virus has replicated a thousand times over, you have a lot more work to do now. But, if you truly want something better for yourself, you have to say good bye to whoever is keeping you stuck, and sometimes it is an old ex who is still your friend. If you think that unfriending someone on Facebook will send them a message about how little you care, you are right. Because unfriending someone still allows both of you to see each other’s profile, so the connection remains, so will your thoughts, your feelings and your obsession over this person you can still check in on from time to time. If they can get the message that you are displeased, then the channel of communication is still open. Block that mofo so you have no way of laying eyes on him again.

But blocking someone is more beneficial to you and your own peace of mind than to him. This is because once you press the block button, you have brought about a finality with your own hand. This is your own decision, and once done, it is firmly implanted in your mind that there is no going back. The bridge has been burned. The decision is yours, the power is yours, and the closure is now yours. You own it, and owning it feels really good.

This is one of the most difficult things to convince people to do, to bring about a finality to an old relationship or an old block, or an old virus that is still eating us alive. So many women think that this last step will be the most painful, when in fact this is the most liberating step of all.

An interesting thing that happens is that many of them feel a sense of overwhelming peace and freedom once it is done. Knowing that I gave myself closure instead of waiting for someone to give it to me is extremely empowering. If you feel energy, you will also feel the added bonus of not being pulled by those obsessive thoughts any longer. Your mind is free and clear and you are open to new situations, and truly ready to take on something better. You now have what you wanted all along, a fresh start.

I consider letting go a spiritual practice. As you all know, I meditate on a regular basis and the habit has given me insight to a lot of personal blocks that I have struggled for years to overcome. Letting go has become so liberating to me that I now do it on a regular basis. I let go of all those old energies, especially people who keep bringing back old patterns, unhealthy obsessions, repeating situations into my life. I no longer feel guilty asking people to leave, distancing myself, even clicking the delete button when necessary. Technology has given us a quicker and more convenient way to make friends, but also a more efficient way to let them go as well. Do not feel guilty. In a lifetime, we will meet exponentially more people than previous generations ever could, and we need more effective ways to keep our paths clean and our minds clear. If you have to remove a stubborn energy or a giant boulder from your path, the less you stress about it the faster you’ll move on.

But letting go is not enough, you also have to close the door and seal it shut. The only way you will move on is when you no longer have the ability to look back, when there is no way to restore a burned bridge, and when it is you who has made the final decision and honored it. You alone have the power to give yourself closure, and you alone are responsible for making sure all entry points are secure. If you believe that the power of closure lies within the other person, you will suffer in pain until they give it to you, which may be never. But if you know that the power is yours, and yours alone, the sooner you close and seal all doors shut, the sooner you feel ready to move on.

S

Only you can give yourself closure, not the other person. When you are struggling to calm your troubled mind and wondering if things could have turned out differently, it is probably because there are a thousand different what if scenarios running through your mind. What if I worded my feelings differently? What if I gave him another chance? What if

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First, I Change. Then Everything Around Me Changes.

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Travel Clubs International

I am a big fan of self-responsibility because it is a major aspect of being a Goddess. I alone am responsible for the healthy and unhealthy situations I am in, and if I am not satisfied with a certain aspect of my life, I alone am responsible for changing the outcome. I do not control people, that is a major violation of being a Goddess and a sign of deep insecurity. But I am in full control of my body, reactions, responses, composure, and charting my own course, filtering people in and out of my life, deciding who to associate with and how much of myself to give.

If I am failing in a particular aspect of my life, I have a lot of work to do on myself (never on the other person). It is the New Year and I have been thinking about how I want to show up in 2019. In December I cleaned out a lot of the old habits, people, negative thoughts, attachments to things that were not getting me anywhere. Yes, I let people go. I never do this in a mean-spirited way, always with kindness, gratitude for their time and whatever they taught me, wishing them the best.

Two days before Christmas I decided to let go of an important connection. It was amazing, but we were diverging, the connection was never fully satisfying, and we both reached that point where we were testing each other on how much the other was willing to give or not give, frustrating to both of us. I could see that control was an important aspect of how he deals with people, and I have no desire to be controlled. I leave all situations as soon as I sense that control is the culprit.

Knowing that this is will never be enough, I let go- my most powerful practice of self-growth. Christmas was a bit of a downer, but it was okay- by now I have let go so many times, that I have come to expect an immediate improvement. Today is 10 days later, and a new person has entered my life, so I know that the faster and easier we let go, the faster we allow and welcome something new. For 2019, I assigned myself the responsibility to take a leap forward in being more open to new opportunities, more social (I have been a hermit through 2018), less judgemental, more accepting and more focused (focus has always been a challenge of mine).

To do this, I have to move past a lot of old people, habits and situations which comfort me in their stability but have no power to change me for the better. All these things are happening because I resolved to change myself first- not ask other people to improve for my benefit. The hard choices and changes in behavior have to come through me. The work is mine, the discomfort is mine, the willingness is mine, if any pain, that is also mine. Don’t look for people to ease your pain or share your pain with- that is cruel to other people. Instead, work on yourself and your own emotions.

In December I changed myself by taking an uncomfortable action. In January I already see positive results. A new person who has healthier qualities has already showed up. What aspect of yourself will you change first?

S

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The Power Of Speaking The Truth

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

How authentic are you? How true are you to yourself? How often do you cheat on yourself? We cheat ourselves every single time we adjust our words and our behavior to meet someone else’s expectations. It seems like a white lie, it is totally acceptable to avoid hurting someone’s feelings by softening our words.

But, the world is full of adults, especially women who are altering their opinions, softening their words, adjusting their positions on very important subjects to fit a role and meet others’ expectations. On the rare occasions we actually say exactly what we think, a person is deeply offended even though our words are absolutely true. The discomfort is felt within us, they may be offended, but we are the ones who feel bad. But the bad feeling isn’t because we offended the other, the bad feeling is that we hurt ourselves not being comfortable with speaking our truth. Should I be true to you, or should I be true to myself?

Do I exist to meet your expectations? Is it my responsibility to make sure you don’t get offended? I didn’t come to this planet to meet other people’s expectations. I am not a fairy, it is not my job to make your wishes come true. Who are you to demand I be who you need me to be? What right do you have to ask that of me? ‘But, I am your father, I am your mother, I am your husband, I am your child, I am your boss, I am your boyfriend, and if you want to be on good terms with me, you should be making me happy’. If you want to get along with others, you must continuously meet their expectations, without complaining and do it with a smile. You must never offend or you are a bully, disagreeable, a bad girl, a bitch, a witch, a scary woman.

Ask any woman how she is doing. The standard reply is: my husband is working too much, my kids are at soccer practice, my dad just had heart surgery. No, how are you? Difficult question, she now really has to consider, how am I? Very often, there is no authentic answer because most women have no idea who they are nor how they are feeling in the moment, and on the rare occasion that they do, the answer is totally unacceptable. Whatever answer she gives, it is quickly corrected by the other who knows better how she feels that she does. I told my mother I feel run down and tired lately and she corrected me and said it is because I don’t come home and spend enough time with her. Really? Is that really why I am tired? No, the truth is I am exhausted because I spent a week with her in ER, multiple doctor’s appointments, did all her grocery shopping, took her to a specialist, picked up multiple prescriptions at the pharmacy, and drove 200 miles in a matter of days to be good to her. Being true to myself, I actually told her the truth, 100% the truth. Can you guess her response? The response was an explosion of emotions, most of them toxic guilt peppered with insults, and a conclusion that none of her children love her and how unlucky she is to have a daughter like me. So what is easier? I can see why the white lie “I’m fine mom” is easier to swallow than the truth.

But, what happens when we swallow the truth? We are the ones who swallow the toxin, not the other person. My response triggered my mom into an emotional outburst, but those were her feelings, her emotions, her guilt, her stunted growth, her limitations. So how did I honestly feel when I spoke my truth? I’ll begin by telling you how I felt before I spoke it.

Mom fell down on Christmas Eve and hurt her arm. I am not a doctor but I tried to feel for a broken bone. She was clearly in pain, but could move her shoulder, elbow and hand. Something was pinching, the elbow was sore, but the entire arm could move. Clearly it was not broken. She is 75 and obviously at that age bones break easily, so I suggested I take her to her primary physician in the morning and gave her an ice pack. She started crying that if dad was alive she would be taken to the emergency room, but since no one cares for her, she may as well deal with the pain quietly. At 11 pm we checked into ER, she was examined at 3am, and we went home at 6 am on Christmas morning. Apparently, my service to her was not good enough, I did not comfort her, instead I fell asleep by her bed while she suffered in pain, and drove home in silence on purpose to make her feel bad. She refused a home aide which I was willing to arrange to make it easier for her to shower and dress. Instead I did that for a week. My services included shopping, cooking, dressing, serving, meds, and cleaning the house, while her arm was NOT broken and still useable. But when I told her I am tired, apparently that was highly inappropriate and ungrateful of me. The reason I said what I said is because I have been practicing saying my truth for years, and truly felt it was honest. What is wrong with admitting you are tired?

For the entire week I was silent, doing what was expected. I was resentful when I received texts from my sister who was admonishing me for doing nothing for mom. I was angry when friends and neighbors called because mom told everyone she has no help at all. I was silent, but every cell in my body was seething with quiet rage. For an entire week I couldn’t sleep. I was either delivering her meds, or waking up in the middle of the night angry. My stomach hurt, my heart hurt, my throat was tight, I was explosive, while doing exactly what she expected. Why did she cancel the home care service? It is included in her health insurance plan. Physically and emotionally I felt like I was dead inside, swallowing my truth to make her feel okay, keep my sister calm, play the good daughter to friends and neighbors who have been hearing for years that I am the cold one. But I am the one who visits her more than anyone, more than any sibling, friend and neighbor combined. Why am I not good?

I felt like shit because I was not being true to myself. I thought that in the last ten years I had learned how to protect my boundaries, say no without an apology, be quite alright disappointing people and not regretting it at all. Over the years my honesty started to feel empowering, and once I learned to own my truth 100% without ever backing down no matter what it costs me (friendships, jobs, approvals) I felt like a Goddess. People noticed me, admired me, commended me, wanted to be like me. Sure some were offended because I was not coddling their feelings, but emotionally healthy, strong, balanced people knew what I was doing and respected me for it.

I knew what I had to do. I had to tell my mom the truth. I corrected her, and I said “No mom, I am not tired because I don’t see you enough, I am exhausted because I spent a week being your daughter, your house keeper, your nurse, and you haven’t said thank you”. Silence. Disbelief, And then an attack. But never mind the blood bath. Getting all these toxic, bottled up emotions off my chest felt like such a relief. A week’s worth of anger, resentment, tension and tears gushed out of me. I didn’t exaggerate a word, I spoke accurately, truthfully and without a personal attack. Yes, she exploded in anger, but she could not argue with a word I said because it was 100% true.

Bottling up emotions hurts- we all know that. But what does adjusting our everyday opinions so we can fit other people’s reality do to us? What is the price of congeniality, of getting along? If we want to fit in, we have to meet other people’s expectations or suffer the consequences.

Who are you? Do you even know? How often do you get in touch with your true feelings, not the appropriate feelings you learned to express on Facebook, but your own feelings? Do you have a quiet rage brewing inside you? When was the last time you allowed that rage to spill out and cleanse your mind and body of that toxicity? Has it been so long that you have forgotten what that tight knot in the pit of your stomach is? That tightness in your chest that has become a permanent part of your existence has been getting tighter and tighter for years. I bet you have forgotten what caused it in the first place.

We are sick. We spend lifetimes editing our true selves. It starts in pre-school when we are taught to sit still, not say anything that could hurt the other kid’s feelings, to not say anything that might embarrass our parents. Women have it harder, because you want to be a good girl, not just to your parents but also to society, your lovers and especially to all those men who cannot have you. Yes, you have to please them too, because their bloated egos are not supposed to get hurt, they are the most dangerous and vengeful of all.

Just who the hell am I supposed to be? Being a good daughter means meeting your parent’s expectations of good grades, clean reputation, polite opinions, appropriate degrees, marriage eligibility and willingness to provide them with grandchildren, taking care of them into their old age and never complaining. Being a good employee means striving to be the best but never better than the weakest male, being ambitions but never so much as to be perceived as non-feminine, wanting to succeed all the while keeping the males feeling like men, never outpacing them, only being as successful as they can handle you being. Being a good wife is mindless oblivion, juggling a house, a child, a job, your own health and of course the man. Oh, I forgot, we still have to function in society and be soft, polite, inoffensive, feminine but not too feminine because then we are just asking for it, intelligent but not too intelligent for our own good, we are supposed to stand up for our own rights but never be called a feminist, that’s just going too far. What gives? How much can one human possibly be? How far can I contort myself into the ridiculous expectations everyone has of me? The minute I say No, I get shock, disbelief, automatically I have disappointed someone who shouldn’t have been disappointed. Being a “good” woman means living with multiple personality disorder, trying to keep track who am I supposed to be to every person. The minute she upsets somebody or refuses to meet their expectations she is cited with judgement and proof that she is not a good whatever. You know how tired I am of being good?

But in my quest to take better care of myself, honor myself and maintain healthy boundaries I started speaking my truth ten years ago. At the office, working in an all male environment, I quickly learned that the blunt unvarnished truth gained me more respect. Men hate to hear the word no, especially anything that could pinch their bloated ego. But I worked with a hundred bloated egos, and saw that when I am nice they take advantage of my niceness. If I am polite they mistake that for my weakness. If I am respectful, they take advantage of that too. So, I started stating the blunt truth. Guess who couldn’t handle that.

As long as my blunt truth was accurate, logical, backed up with evidence, they could whine but they could not do anything about it. I got called into HR several times, but I always spoke with provable facts. It was always the guys leaving HR with their tails between their legs.

In dating, speaking the truth is even more important, especially for women. We all know what it is like to be nice to a guy, only to have him misinterpret our niceness for whatever his wild imagination can conjure up. When I mean No, I back that up with at least a dozen displays of I am not interested. For example, I never let anyone I don’t have an interest in to buy me a drink. Allowing someone to buy you a drink implies, ‘I might be interested, I’ll listen to what you have to say for 15 minutes’. I know as soon as I lay eyes on him that I will never be interested in him, so there is no reason for me to imply Maybe. Guys can be morons, and a lot of women are afraid to say the truth, it is easier to sometimes listen politely than have him get lose his cool. But the cost of tolerating a douche-bag for an hour, and allowing your presence to boost his ego is even more painful. Why should a guy who has no chance with you at all believe that he does? Is it better that he is offended or that I endure the conversation? Which option honors me more? I always choose Me.

My dad once said: “You have disappointed me”. I replied “You don’t say. I didn’t live the way you thought was appropriate?” He said “You didn’t. You could have re-married, you could have given me grandchildren”. “Then I wouldn’t have lived my life the way I wanted to live it, I would have lived for you”. He said “You owed me that”.

Our parents are the main reason we are afraid to speak our truth, and the main reason we learn to bottle up our truth over the course of a lifetime. From a young age we are taught to please them, obey them, take their advice, adjust our behavior according to what suits them. Eventually we become good girls and good boys, we become appropriate. We then get into relationships and walk on egg-shells fearing that we will make the other person unhappy. Fairy tales tell us that happily ever after means making your partner always happy. How could we possibly do that without sacrificing our own happiness, and our own mental health?

You will find that when we speak our own truth, no matter how displeasing it is to the other person, we are living honestly, and are being the best version of ourselves. That is the only way we can be 100% authentically in touch with who we truly are. And there is no better relationship than when we have found a human who is 100% in agreement with our inner truth. My best relationships have been with men who could handle my truth. The admired me for it, respected me for it, and knew that I will always honor my own feelings over theirs. I won’t mince words, when a guy is an asshole I show him the evidence. Believe it or not, a real man can actually handle the truth without falling apart.

I don’t abuse men with tantrums and emotional outbursts, but I do say No, that’s not good enough, I’m not buying that, you are acting like a man-child, I’m not your mother, get over yourself. The person who cannot handle the truth is not your friend, it is an emotional manipulator who will always demand you adjust your opinion to make them feel better. Is that a valuable person to add to your life? Nope.

So I was leaving mom’s house after a long week of her sucking every ounce of energy out of me. I was never physically affectionate with my parents, at a certain age it felt artificial to me. As I was leaving she said ‘So, you don’t want to give your mom a kiss?’ I recoiled. Every muscle in me tightened, I walked over, not breathing and gave her a peck on the cheek. She said ‘You hate me.’

I walked away and said “I don’t care enough to hate you, but I don’t like you at all”.

And walked out. It felt good to be honest, and every single one of those words was my truth. I never told my mom how I truly felt, I am glad I finally got that off my chest. I am sure she did not feel good hearing it, but she never wanted to hear anything that contradicted her self-perception.

We can’t teach people how they should feel, our feelings are our own and theirs belong to them. We also can’t be responsible for their feelings without sacrificing our own stability. At this age it does not matter that I have a disapproving mother. I stopped trying to be who she imagined me to be decades ago. I don’t owe it to her to live in her warped reality, I have a reality of my own. I can only be true to myself, and welcome people who are comfortable with my truth into my life.

As always, no apologies, no regrets.

S

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Phantom Relationships And Neverending Stories

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Do you have a neverending story with someone? An impossible, unattainable man, that overly complicated situation that never turned into a relationship. This story has actually been preventing you from starting to live your life. You cannot start to live unless you write a new story, unfortunately, you are still stuck in the old one. A lot of women mistake that impossibly unattainable man as The One. Fairy tales have told us that that one man is the only one worth waiting for, and that excruciating wait will eventually come with a great reward- everlasting love. Some of us believe that suffering is noble, and the wait is exactly what makes us worthy. Others are simply addicted to rejection, and mistake emotional manipulation for a relationship. He is slippery, impossible, ungraspable, but the fact that he is that consuming, makes you believe he is real.

The impossible man is exactly that- impossible. And that long history with a phantom is just that, a relationship with no one. There is no reward for that. Impossible people don’t one day decide to become good just for you, and they won’t reward you for waiting. The longer you are emotionally available to them (even if they are not aware that you are stuck on them), the longer you are unavailable to real love, the kind that actually exists.
Ten years ago I was in a similar situation. I didn’t know then that I was addicted to a guy like a junkie is addicted to crack. There was nothing special about him, he wasn’t even my type, nor would anyone consider him a catch, nor datable. So what was I addicted to? I was addicted to the impossibility, the hot/cold, one day he loves me, most days he hates me, one day he invites me for a drink, then I don’t hear from him for a month, one day he is pouring his heart out, the next day he is heartless. This man could not be pinned down. He would pour his emotions out one day and I would think what a beautiful, pained soul he is, I must be there for him. Then he would disappear, ignore my calls, lie. One day he exists, most days he does not. This is not a man, this is a phantom. No one can be in a relationship with a phantom.

But the whole story of us is neverending. It is impossible to break up with a phantom because a man who does not exist will not give you closure. And a relationship which does not exist cannot be severed. Try breaking up with an impossible man. The more you tell him to go away the more he will haunt you. Please know this is not the man’s fault, so you will never logically be able to reason with him, nor will you ever be able to get closure from him. The only way out of this rabbit hole is to go cold turkey, and crawl out on your hands and bloody knees.
We all have neverending stories in our lives: the one that got away, an unfinished chapter in our book, the one that has been keeping us stuck for years. Yes, these men are lessons, but the lesson is not what you think. The lesson isn’t in the entanglement with the phantom, the lesson is YOU learning your emotional triggers and weaknesses, understanding that it is YOU who got yourself into this by being interested in an impossible man, staying around, attempting to solve his riddle, and being mesmerized by a ghost who is nowhere to be found. Accepting that it is YOU allows you the power to let go. You got attached, he didn’t strap you to him nor ask you to go on his magic carpet ride. You believed that he was magic.
Lack of closure is that thing that keeps our chapter unfinished, and we remain in the old story waiting and waiting and waiting. To get out of this you will need a lot of help. I didn’t have any, so all I could do is go cold turkey- this phantom was never going to let me go. As cold as he was, he would always reappear just as I began to heal and close my chapter. It has been 9 years, and each year I receive a communication from him, I blocked his number, his FB, his email, and each year he finds a new way to contact me. I have been over him for years, really I don’t feel a pang for him at all. But his desperation to remain in control of my emotions will never end. Phantoms are people whose only goal is your energy, and they will try to keep you stuck on them forever. You might think you need them, but they need you, your attention, your energy more.
I have a lot of lovers whom I don’t want or miss or need for anything. They are forgotten exes, or are they?? I recently realized that a part of me is still stuck on an ex from a long long time ago. That chapter was closed. We broke up with full closure. We moved on, had better relationships. But I just realized that while I don’t miss the man, nor his body, nor his brain, nor the relationship, I still feel the anxieties similar men cause me. He was the one who taught me to mistrust, to be suspicious, to see the hidden desperations in all men, so now I simply project all those old feelings into new men. The man is gone, but the bad habit has stayed.
So what can you do? Stop blaming the man. If you are in an addiction (a relationship with a phantom), you will need a lot of help. Hire a professional. You may have to try different types of help to see what works best for you. A lot of my friends are in therapy with a licensed psychologist. Some are more spiritual, so they are doing energy work. Do whatever it takes. All the women who are still addicted are still open to the men. Though the man has cut them off, they are still mentally focused onto them, some are even keeping channels of communication open just in case. The way you know that you have officially begun the healing process is the day you have the courage to block him.
All my exes are blocked in every way possible. There is no possible way to find me through any social media channel. Yes they still manage to find a new email address- that only tells me that they are more starving for my energy than I am.
Blocking someone we are addicted to hurts a lot. It is like cutting off a limb. We think if I make this final move, there is no going back forever. But you are an addict, do you really need the toxic serum dripping into your vein? You only know you are on your way to serious recovery when you have cut off all flow. If you can’t do this, let your friends, therapists, counselors help you.
Take a look at your life. What is your neverending story? Yes, the one spinning in your head. The man might be long gone, but the music continues to play. That is your block- the very thing keeping you from moving towards something much better. You might think that you have moved on simply because you are in a new relationship. But you haven’t because as long as that same old music keeps playing in your head, you are reliving the neverending story, over and over again. He is just a new face.

S

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Single Bliss For The Holidays

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Holiday stress is not caused by being single. Holiday stress is caused when we force ourselves to honor others and their needs above our own. Holiday stress is about obligation to our families and friends. It is about duty to participate in the version of holidays they envisioned for themselves, and feeling the pressure to participate in it on their terms.

I never liked the holidays. And it is not because I am single. I didn’t like the holidays when I was married, partnered, or deeply in love. What I don’t like about the holidays is the pressure for me to show up and be how other people want me to be.

For years mom and dad wanted to be surrounded by the warmth of their family. For a while, and at different periods in time, we were a warm family. But when the children married, holidays became complicated. Now it was about the painful decision of whose family to spend the holidays with. It became about screaming children. It became about interpersonal dramas, it became about tolerating intolerable spouses just so others would feel like they have the version of Christmas that they wished for themselves. I felt obligated to provide my aging parents a postcard perfect Christmas, that was not so idyllic for me. I felt pressured to ease my sister’s marriage stress by tolerating much more from her husband than I should. I felt drained by the lack of space and personal privacy in my family home during the hectic days, and I became drained by her unruly toddler who somehow became everyone’s top priority,. Sorry sis, I love him, but I do not bow down to your kid.

Once again, the media depicts the holidays for single people as pathetic spinsterhood. I assure you I am a happy, healthy, sexually actively Singleton, almost a hedonist. There is nothing for me to be miserable about. I have built the life that I always wanted for myself. The reason I don’t like the holidays is because they force me to step out of my haven, and deal with family on their terms, not mine.

What would I rather do? Since holidays are meant to be special occasions, celebrations of life, how would I celebrate myself if I had it my way? I started to consider that more in the last few years, and started to steal away from family obligations a.k.a. drudgery to honor myself. A few years ago, I booked a beach vacation with a total hunk. That’s how I honored myself that Thanksgiving . It was a marvelous experience where I showed myself gratitude, bliss and pleasure.

I had to lie to my family to do it, and the lying didn’t feel so good. I wanted to tell them, “No mom and dad, spending Thanksgiving in your home, stuffing myself with carbs and lard and sugar, would not be a pleasure. No, sis, I don’t feel like tolerating your manipulative husband this year, and no I don’t feel like dealing with your stress, just because you have a baby”. But I didn’t.

I did not feel guilty treating myself to a beautiful holiday. I felt bad that I wasn’t speaking my truth. Sugarcoating my unavailability so they could feel okay about my absence felt like I wasn’t honoring myself. And honor thyself is one of the most important Goddess principles. Never one to beat myself up over a human error, I decided to practice honoring myself for the holidays, and accept that I must go through a learning curve, until I get the holidays just right. When I feel awesome about spending the holidays exactly how I want to experience them, I will have achieved a complete and unapologetic celebration of myself.

I resolved to do the holidays better the following year. Once again I told my family that I am taking a break and experiencing Thanksgiving with friends instead of them. I tuned out their complaints, guilt trips, and anger. I told them each the truth. Spending Thanksgiving dinner with friends will be much more fun and pleasurable than driving four hours to be with you, stuff myself like a pig, then pretend I am interested in your personal woes. It was a better holiday. Dinner with friends for two hours is much easier on the waistline, my digestive system and my nervous system than a long weekend with my family. It was definitely more pleasure to go home alone, treat myself to a warm bath, drink that special wine I splurged on all for myself, and then hang out with my friend with benefits the following night.

Where is this pressure to be with our families, and participate in their version of the holidays, and make effort to make them feel good about themselves coming from? Why do single people feel awkward during big celebrations?

Once again, I blame it on media, culture and society. They tell us that if we are single we must be lonely and miserable. None of those things are true for me. They tell us that friends, family and traditions are to be honored. But if we do that, we place the honor on something outside ourselves. If you are single, have you The Singleton ever asked them to honor you?

I firmly believe that the reason most single people are stressed out by the holidays is because they allow themselves to succumb to the pressure of others, rather than honoring themselves. We buy into the idea that not participating in obligatory family functions is bad, and any alternative to being included in something spells doom, loneliness, rejection.

Honestly, the best Thanksgiving I ever had was on that island with that hunk. That was not a shallow experience, in fact it was a very rich experience. I treated myself to an experience designed to my personal tastes, and spent the time in the best way that I knew how. I splurged on an upgraded plane ticket. We split the cost of a luxury hotel room. I bought myself little presents to commemorate my celebration of myself, I came home completely satisfied with the glorious sunshine, amazing sex, and a huge smile on myself. On that island I had an epiphany.

Years ago, when I was married, my holidays were absolutely pathetic. I had to honor my abusive, toxic in-laws, listen to my slimy father-in-law’s critiques of anyone who did not blow smoke up his narcissitic ass, and my histrionic mother-in-law’s desperate attempts to drain energy out of as many family members as possible. When I was married holidays were a series of demeaning experiences that pushed my emotional buttons and drained me. In that moment I gave a genuine expression of gratitude to the universe for providing me with a Thanksgiving of pure joy, ecstasy and bliss. I finally honored myself.

Since I started to practice my own best version of the holidays, I noticed that my family has made a greater effort to honor me. Mom knows I hate giant meals and her heavy Eastern European dishes, so she makes me a few leaner dishes. Sis knows she won’t be seeing much of me If her husband is around, so she sends him to be with his own family. That’s much easier on all of us. And the tiny tot, whom I adore, knows that a scream does not get him my attention. Instead of four days with family, I give them 24 hours, and the rest is for me.

This year, I might enjoy a few holiday parties, perhaps I’ll host one myself. Work doesn’t allow any pleasure trips, so my biggest splurge this year will be on myself- something gold and sparkly.

If you would like to have more pleasant holidays, I urge you to invest some time in yourself. What would be the ideal way for you to honor yourself this year? How would Thanksgiving and Christmas be on your terms? Would you make the holidays about other people, or would you find a way to honor yourself? The key is to have an action plan, and a statement of your own truth so that you can inform others and lay your own ground rules.

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The Power of Emotional Triggers

Posted on November 18, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Feelings are emotion. They are energy in motion. What you feel on the inside represents what is happening on the outside. If you feel uncomfortable with something, if it just doesn’t feel good, it is probably because on some level you already know there is something in this person or situation that isn’t right for you. Sometimes people send us a subtle signal without using words. Other times they give off a vibe that can’t quite be put into words, but the vibe feels wrong because in the past, a person just like that gave off that same vibe. That is our intuition warning us to pay attention.

I ignored my feelings and emotions for decades. I was taught they just aren’t accurate, that a feeling cannot be trusted, to use my brain, use my logic, look for physical evidence. I am probably one of the most logical people I know, I test very high on reasoning skills, so ignoring my intuition seemed easy and quite right for me. That was until I started to notice energy more, and understand how energy “talks”.

Getting in tune with energy came unexpectedly after I started to meditate on a regular basis. Without going into details, meditation taught me how to tune out of my immediate reality, cancel out the noise, and see what was previously unseen, feel what I thought was impossible, perceive with senses I never knew I had. The energy of others became more obvious, then readable, visible, knowable. When it was so obvious that energy “talks”, I noticed how people give off a perceptible vibe and how I can read this vibe to gather important information I had previously ignored.

It turned out that certain signals men gave off were my triggers to be instantly attracted to them but when I paid attention to the signal, I realized that the signal was exactly that characteristic that always caused me so much relationship pain. The relationships kept repeating in my life like patterns, and I wondered how come all men are the same, why am I repeating past hurts, will they ever end? I never realized that I was subconsciously attracted to men who give off signals of untrustworthiness, grandiosity, self-importance, machismo, disrespect, and selfishness- all those qualities we equate with narcissism.

We all meet people and process their signals. We ignore a lot of alarming signals that we should be paying attention to simply because we are not in tune with our feelings and emotions. Many of us come from cultures where we have been taught to suppress emotions entirely. But each signal is like a spark of recognition- I know you, I met a douche like you before, here’s another compulsive liar, etc. You just have to pay attention. No, you don’t have to be into energy, spirituality, nor meditate for years to understand your emotions. You just have to accept that your mind or your higher self will send you a signal when it recognizes a situation or a person who subtly gives off a vibe of something you experienced emotionally before.

Why was I so attracted to narcissists like a magnet? The first narcissist I knew, my dad imprinted me with the energies of instability, irrationality, unbalanced emotions, angry outbursts, unpredictability, emotional manipulation and rollercoasters, then each time I met a man who gave off one of these signals, I was attracted to him like a moth to a flame. I am sure that men are attracted to women who match the energy their mother imprinted them with. Each time there was an emotional response from me to something he said inadvertently, the response felt like a butterfly in my stomach. Except behind the butterfly, there was a slight tightening in my heart, a twinge of pain I once felt before. Recognition.

When you ignore your emotions, you are ignoring that pinch that feels wrong, so you are ignoring a very important clue about this person. But what happens when you tune into that pain? If you are good at reading energy, it is like being able to see through a person in an instant. Imagine being able to see with your x-ray vision what the person is emitting from the inside. You can also read yourself, that pang of negative emotion and tune into that energy field as well. I do this better in a deep meditative state or even asleep. I read others and I read my responses as I relate to them.

I grew up with the knack to instantly see through people, see their motives before anyone else, feel the anger they feel, feel their pain, even understand the source of their pain was something they were actually not in touch with at all. I could see how a person uses his/her condition to extract compassion or caring from other people. I could see when someone’s physical pain was actually pointing to a life problem that seemingly had nothing to do with it. And I always ignored what I saw, I suppressed it so that I could get along, not expose them, give them a chance. I paid a heavy price for ignoring my own feelings and the alarm bells sent to me as warnings by my own brain.

We are all born with intuition and senses we have been ignoring since childhood. Textbooks say they do not exist, so we ignore them. But we can train ourselves to become better tuned into our own warning signals.

About ten years ago I met a guy at a party. At first, I wasn’t attracted to him at all. We later shook hands and in that instant, in his handshake I knew something wasn’t right. Yes, that handshake felt bad to me, but I didn’t know why. Later he texted me, and as we exchanged a few texts I remember wondering what exactly didn’t feel right. He was very handsome, clearly well educated, articulate, polished, well-mannered, respectful. From the outside it was easy to see his parents raised him right. But that handshake made me feel uneasy. I kept thinking about that handshake for days until I got in touch with exactly how it made me feel: manipulated. How? He didn’t actually do anything manipulative. What was it about that handshake that made me feel like he might be a controller?

I ignored this feeling. Eventually he started calling, we hit it off right away, he was a 100%-er in my book, and pretty soon we were in a relationship. Fast forward a year, we are planning to move in together in NYC. I love him, my parents think he is god, my friends are sure he is prince charming, and by every reasonable and logical measure, he ads up to a decent, stable, solid human being, marriage material. Except the thought of this move gives me a mild panic attack. No, it isn’t the logistics of moving, nor looking for a job in a new city. The idea of sharing space and responsibilities with him didn’t feel right. For some odd reason this apartment felt like an airtight bottle and as soon as I entered the door behind me would be permanently shut. I would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, and he would tell me to see a doctor about those panic attacks. I paid no attention at all to the nightmare, nor the repeating feeling of suffocation, entrapment, no way out.

I tried backing out of the move, and that’s when things got really unpleasant. He never tried to get in touch with my feelings, nor understand my hesitance, instead he showed me a side of him I hadn’t seen before. Passive aggression, silent treatment, unexplained disappearances, suggestive posts on social media, not talking to me for days, an emotional roller coaster. Logically, I knew I was being emotionally manipulated, but intuitively I was being triggered by something new every day. He started creating little dramas, tests to see if I would get up and rush to see him, little emergencies, followed by long periods of ignoring me. This went on for months, and I was stuck in a daily stop and go- we are in a relationship, we are not in a relationship. We are moving in, we are not moving in. I love you, I hate you, I love you, I can’t live without you, I never want to see you again. Sounds familiar? Needless to say the relationship ended in disaster, and luckily we never saw each other again.

Years later I thought back to that handshake and realized that the uncomfortable, red flag feeling I got from the handshake, the sense that I was being manipulated, actually matched the feeling of the relationship itself. The entire relationship was about manipulation, and me freeing myself from it. But that’s not all.

ALL my relationships up to a certain point in my life were about me escaping from control and manipulation. The men were different, the situations were different, but they followed the same pattern. I was willfully ignorant of signals that all of these men were emitting because I didn’t believe in feelings and emotions as being important indicators.

What’s more, I realized that if a man did not emit any of those signals, I was not interested in him at all. No trigger, no attraction. How many healthy human beings did I ignore simply because they did not trigger me? I couldn’t explain it, they were just not that attractive. Some of my craziest relationships were with monsters who triggered me the most. And some of the best men were the ones I perceived as useless, unattractive, and unmanly because they had no power to trigger me, so I kept walking.

This is laughable now. I look back at all the buttons emotional manipulators pushed, and I fell for them every time. I believed in those relationships because they felt familiar to me- like dad. Even though I always knew my dad was not healthy relationship material at all, his imprint was there the whole time. And I had to work on myself to erase that imprint.

So, how did I finally become a better perceiver of energy? I wrote about meditation many times, so I won’t repeat it here. You really don’t have to meditate, you just have to honor your feelings and accept that emotions are powerful indicators of what is standing right in front of us. For some intuitive people this comes naturally, but for others, who have been suppressing feelings all their life, we actually have to reconnect and relearn. Pay attention to the physical sensations of each feeling in your body throughout the day and night. Don’t avoid that uncomfortable sensation, get in touch with it. Energy moves throughout the body, and in any given minute you might feel tension in your throat, belly, heart etc. You are being triggerd by what you see on TV, opinions of your friends, even advertisements.

But, energy also moves throughout your body as feelings and those energies get lodged in specific places in your body, to show you what aspect of you isn’t feeling right. If you learn how to mentally tune into each feeling of energy, you might notice with some practice that each energy field communicates with you and clearly describes the feeling that it emits.

I am also a better reader of other people now. If I can’t read a person, I know not to try to get to know him, instead, the fact that he is unreadable tells me that he is blocking his energy, or not wanting to be read. He is wearing a mask he doesn’t want me to look behind. I won’t, I keep walking. People who wear masks are not dating material anymore.

Today I trust my feelings more than I trust facts. We live in an age where we all can make up facts. We invent our entire personas just for Facebook. Sometimes I study people for days, months, sometimes it takes me a whole year. I am good at seeing through people whose outside does not match their inside, or people whose words do not match their energy. They are the easiest to spot, and I don’t engage them at all. I know I will piss them off because once I see his/her ugly insides, I will treat them as such, and neither of us will like the outcome of that interaction.

I am not a perfect reader. I still ignore some subtle cues, but when something isn’t right, I observe in a more detached way. I don’t jump into a relationship to engage this person, I pay attention from a distance.

I hear a lot of dating stories from both men and women. At that first meeting, a lot of subtle information is exchanged. When a relationship goes sour, I always ask what was it in that first meeting that alerted you to what this person would be like? Usually, it is that subtle cue we ignored that proves to be the indicator of exactly what this person ended up being.

If you find yourself constantly triggered by the same cues, you can deprogram yourself. The key to doing this is mapping out your triggers. List each trigger, like a white lie, then pay attention to how someone’s white lie feels to you in this moment. Find that energy in your body then get in touch with it. It will feel uncomfortable at first. Your mind might reject it and you may not be able to focus into it because it is uncomfortable. Ruminate on it anyway until you understand what this feeling means to you. When in your past, did you feel that feeling? You may recall a few similar situations or people whose white lies hurt you. Go back as far as you can remember to your childhood, and remember the very first time you felt this way. For me it was a white lie dad told each week, that he will be back right away, and then he wouldn’t be back for a whole week. Dad worked in another country, and he commuted by plane, not coming home for dinner until Friday. I knew it was a lie, I believed it anyway, it hurt just a little, but I loved dad very much.

Now, every time someone handsome tells a little white lie, there is a tiny reminder of my love for my dad, accompanied by a tiny twinge of discomfort. When I observe myself getting turned on by this, I know my brain is signaling recognition. No it is not love, no it is not healthy attraction, it is just my automatic response to a little white lie from someone undeniably handsome. Down girl.

Like I always say, knowledge is power, and self-knowledge is the most important superpower you can have. Know your triggers, your weakness, your attraction points, and know how bad it feels when you ignore them. Pain is the most powerful teacher, so why not learn from pain?

When you were a kid you put your tiny hand on the hot stove. It burned, you cried, but you never did that again. You got your finger stuck in the kitchen door, you screamed in agony, and you never stuck your finger where it doesn’t belong again. Each pain was an important life lesson. Where would you be as an adult if you kept forgetting not to rest your hand on the hot stove anymore? It sounds stupid, but here we are grown adults who fall for the hot stove every time and we call that love. When it burns every single day, we call that a relationship. And when the body gets used to the pain and is covered in deep scars, we call those scars proof of commitment.

Some people chase pain for a lifetime. Wouldn’t it do you good to get in touch with your feelings?

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Are You Getting Turned On?

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Should I settle for the nice guy? Nah. He can wait. This is every woman’s dilemma, and that nice guy who’s a sure thing can wait anyway. Do I choose the guy who has strong interest in me, but I am not so attracted to, or do I go for the one I feel passionate about, but he is a bit risky because he has other options?

The nice guy may be a sure thing. You know he has no better place to go, and that’s a turn off. Some good guys are just needy and they give, give, give to twist your arm into giving them a chance. That’s not always attractive.

The risky guy can potentially hurt you. You may not have the passion or the stamina to go through the motions of this emotional roller-coaster. Yes, dating is supposed to be a thrill, we are supposed to enjoy the process, and sometimes the ride is as big of a turn on as the potential relationship. While we are all too smart to chase men, we have all been there, and know how tempting it is to want what you shouldn’t have. He is like a piece of cake, and you are circling that thing knowing you shouldn’t eat that. But good life is about pleasure, don’t you want to be tempted by something?

I am that girl who has never given the nice guy a chance. Why not? Because nothing happens until I am turned on. He could be a genius, a hero, a savior of the disenfranchised, an angel, or a tycoon, but unless I am feeling hot and bothered, it ain’t gonna happen. I have said no to good guys, millionaires, older guys, bald guys, short guys, fat guys, intellectuals, socialists, capitalists, douche-bags, macho men, “real men” and every single man I deemed as unsleepable. I have been heavily criticized, accused of being superficial, mean, “not a real woman” for refusing to consider men who I find unattractive. I won’t apologize for that. Dating isn’t charity, and it’s not about granting wishes to people who think they deserve you. Women don’t owe chances to men who don’t turn them on, so why this belief that every guy deserves a chance?

I am not a glutton for punishment. I choose men who can turn me on because I believe in my right to pleasere. I encourage exploration, enjoyment and think all women should absolutely expect to be turned on. I think that many of us are confused between what we personally feel and need, and what society tells us is the proper thing to do. Hurry up, settle down, pick the nice guy, because he is secure and he’ll never leave you. The same women wake up ten years later to realize they were never turned on, he doesn’t give orgasms, he doesn’t even think she need them.

I think all women have to enjoy love, sex and dating, and unless they have reached that point of pure ecstasy and fulfillment in dating, they are not emotionally nor spiritually ready for marriage. A woman who has avoided pain, risk, bad boys, sexual escapades, and heartache, is so sheltered that she is not in touch with her inner self, has not risen to Goddess status, and is not in full possession of herself, her emotions, her strength nor her power. She may be quite ready to settle down, but is approaching marriage from a place of fear, defeat, and lack of fulfillment. She is operating on an ego level, looking for men who can fill gaping holes of her personal needs, and not connecting on a deeper level at all. But then neither are the men whom she is a match to. They too are with a woman who is merely a filler for what is lacking in their manhood.

I wrote a blog post last week about The Higher Purpose of Relationships. I believe that every relationship is a teacher, and that there is a spiritual purpose to the most difficult relationships. No, I in no way believe in tolerating toxic men, but our greatest lesson is in knowing how to overcome toxicity, learning how to make choices that are in our own highest interest, and walking away without looking back- the most powerful move any woman could make. How can a woman take possession of herself without mastering her own body?

And so, we all face that Nice Guy Dilemma. He is waiting, he is available, he brings flowers, you know he wants you, he’ll do anything to keep you, and every dating expert and your mother thinks you need to grow up, and give the sure thing a chance. They say you are crazy, and that science has proven that something is wrong with you if you consistently pursue challenges and pleasure, and keep walking away from all the easy men willing to commit.

But men have no respect for the easy girl who is a sure thing. In fact, they’ll often use her, and abuse her, take whatever she is willing to give until a real woman shows up. Then the sure thing is history. So why are we supposed to fall in love with men who are a sure thing? Why won’t we women take risks with our lovers? What are we afraid of? A broken heart? A few tears? Temporary agony? Most men scoff at the idea of taking the sure thing too seriously or committing to her. She isn’t worth it. So why are women being told that the committed guy is the only real man there is? Bullshit.

It is true, we are all turned on by different characteristics. But damn it, we should be getting turned on! If you aren’t glowing like a 10,000 watt generator, why is he still here? Why are we considering men who are just meh, okay, but committed? Is the fact that he is committed to something more important than our commitment to our selves and our need of pleasure? Commitment is a trap. Women have been taught to chase commitment as if it is the ultimate sign of love, but to ignore their physical needs and pleasure because those things are somehow too superficial to pursue and enjoy. Life for committed women is not about enjoyment at all.

We live in an age when even real men can do very little for us. I, and many other successful and secure women are perfectly okay with that. But, when there is very little a man can do to add value to our lives, why aren’t we asking for more enjoyment, more adventure, exceptional sex and pure ecstasy? This is what men are designed to do. This is something all men dream of doing very well. Why are we downplaying sex, adventure and personal enjoyment as if it isn’t really important, when in fact it is what exceptional living is all about? Many women have completely shut their sexuality down in order to snag a husband. They don’t even know that excellent sex is the most important aspect of our psychological and spiritual development, that without it we are not alive. Don’t tell me you are awake if you are not high on orgasms.

Personally, if a man can’t turn me on, there is nothing he can do for me. He can place a thousand gold bars in front of my feet, I will kick them over. I don’t need them. He can place a dozen impressive degrees on my desk. Sure, intelligence can be sexy, but educated men come in two packages: Hot and Not! Only one can make me smile.

Why are we so afraid to enjoy men? Sure, marriage minded people have other characteristics to evaluate. But exceptional sex, and being turned on should be at the top of all of our lists. They should never be just an afterthought.

Many years ago I met this really good guy who had a tiny dick. He was very nice, caring, giving, and he waited for me to come to my senses for two years. Handsome, smart, successful, offered me a McMansion if I would just take him seriously. I tried. I really tried. But I let him go. Did I miss the nice, needy, eagerness to please? Never. I wished him the best and hoped with all my heart that such a committed guy would find a more committed girl than me. He did. Was I jealous? Nope.

Choosing between the nice guy we all think we should accept, and the riskier guy who actually turns us on shouldn’t be so agonizing. One is like a luscious chocolate cake that we could savor, the other limp broccoli we push to the side of the plate. But there is a good explanation for why the nice guy doesn’t feel right. You are not turned on, and that is your sign that this isn’t going to satisfy you physically, emotionally, spiritually. He might fulfill your need for safety because he can’t leave you, but most of us have reached that level of personal development to expect much more out of life.

It is very rare for me to meet women who are very sexually satisfied. The few who are, have experienced a lot! They found satisfaction by learning who they are, and that their personal needs are far more important that what society thinks, or what he thinks. Most women I know are torn between what they dream of and what they are told they should settle for. They are stuck between their inner wants and needs, and pursuing what society tells them is right. And by far, the vast majority of women approach relationships from a place of fear. For them risk is to be avoided at all costs. “Too much pleasure is unhealthy. Ignore your sexual appetites, but make sure you are able to satisfy his. Avoid the hot guy, but be hot for the guy who is interested. Avoid risky men, but risk everything for the guy who has an interest in you. Pleasure is not something you should crave, but when he craves pleasure, be an expert at satisfying him. Sexual escapades are demeaning for women, but when he has them congratulate him for being a man. And above all things, settle, settle, settle for the guy who is ready to commit”. Sorry, but that’s not okay with me.

The nonsense most women are taught to believe about love, sex and dating is disturbing. A lot of women get into their forties and they still believe that orgasms are just a phantom of a Playboy Bunny’s imagination. “Oh, that’s not for me, I’m in a relationship with a “good guy”. I’ll take the commitment over fantasy any day”. Wake up ladies, if you are not getting turned on, or being sexually satisfied you are wasting your life away. You’ll be on anti-depressants halfway into your marriage, and it won’t be because you’re hormonal or depressed, it will be because you not having orgasms.

Sex is life’s ultimate pleasure, and unless you have mastered it and learned how to enjoy it and receive it, you have not awakened. Sex is a life force, as important as air, food and water, if you are not getting orgasms, you are dying inside. You can settle down, and you can get an iron-clad commitment, but what are you living for? For your husband? For your kids? For the marriage?

I am not surprised to find out that most women I work with are faking orgasms. No they would never admit it openly. To fake an orgasm would be the ultimate fakery of womanhood and femininity, and they were taught that a real woman is supposed to be a screamer, theatrics and all. To admit they are faking would be to admit that this abrasive, unattractive, know-it-all they settled for is not doing it for them, there is no attraction at all, and then the relationship they are so deeply committed to would be a sham. He must feel he is a real man, and she must do whatever it takes to make him believe it.

If you are an enlightened man who believes in living fully, and you find yourself in a relationship, always ask yourself, what exactly is she committed to? Is she committed to commitment, or is she committed to her own life and pleasure? Is she having sex to please you, or does she know how to please herself? A Goddess is a woman who is totally self-aware, and she is committed to no one but herself. She will choose a man who trhills her physically, emotionally, spiritually, and that’s not necessarily the guy who who can buy her a rock.

But let’s not go there. Let’s look at what we all can do. If you want to have good sex, there are armies of soldiers out there willing to give it to you. You don’t have to choose just one. Choose ten if that is your pleasure.

Do they have to be good people, nice guys, committers? No, they just have to be good at one thing. You are not in a race to sign a contract in the shortest amount of time, you are free and you have all the time you want to explore. Out of ten, only one might do the trick. Enjoy it, but keep moving, there is greater pleasure to be had in Ibiza, the Riviera, or a beach in Bali. It’s true, not all men know how to give orgasms. Don’t despair, there’s an app for that. You have a passport, and great orgasms are worth flying to the moon for. If there’s hot stuff in Rio de Janiero who is willing and able to rock your world, then you should be holding a ticket to Rio in your hand.

But “I’m too old, I’m too fat, I’m tired, I really want a husband”. He is too, that’s why he’s so eager to get married. Relax, you don’t have an expiration date, and you won’t become a spinster. A spinster is a married woman who has no orgasms. You won’t miss an opportunity. By now I have learned that no man is an opportunity, they just believe in their worth much more than you believe in your own. It doesn’t matter if you are fifty or sixty or if you don’t know what you are doing. There are seas of men out there who have never given a woman a real orgasm. Consider it a great service to humanity to educate them.

Women were born with the remarkable ability to have multiple orgasms. Does that mean that we should settle for just one, or a slight tingle? If a woman can have twelve orgasms in a night, and a man could have one, then how many men would it take to satisfy her? You get my drift. Don’t settle for one.

If you have recently divorced, get ready for an eye-opening experience. This is especially true if you have been under contract for decades. Yes, sex is much better outside of marriage. Consider it an opportunity to make up for lost time, and live, truly live. Your goal in life should be pursuit of all things meaningful: sex, travel, liberation, affairs, happiness, ecstasy, men, lots and lots of men, but most importantly self-reliance, self-satisfaction, self-possession, self-confidence. The day you realize “I have mastered myself and I have mastered it all” is the day you wake up a Goddess.

S

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To All The #RealMen, Thank You!

Posted on October 24, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

I am always impressed by men who are interested in sitting down with women to have a two-way conversation about changing social constructs, gender roles, and female empowerment, to find a better way to relate to us. They are few, but these men are #RealMen. They can empathize with us. They may not always understand what we want, but are willing to listen. They are not perfect, but they are eager to step up and learn. They know that there is no war on men. Women are growing, stepping into their own power, taking charge of themselves, and these men are not threatened by it at all. They don’t react to our demands for equality, safety and respect with derogatory comments, private jokes, or bashing our experiences, they sit down, open their ears and listen. Some men actually are waking up.

Keep in mind that like women, men too have been conditioned by society, culture and religion, and they too have decades of social programming to unlearn. But, they are willing to engage in conversation to figure out what the humans of the opposite gender need in order to thrive. I see that we give these men very little credit. I see that they are the ones who are the most supportive of women’s empowerment, are the first to be ridiculed and bashed by males who are threatened by anyone who dares to feel equal. No wonder many sympathetic men are quiet. They see what we are going through, but every time they stand up for us, their masculinity is challenged and ridiculed by those who think that empowered women are the death of manhood. They understand that we have no interest in bringing manhood down, that men and women will always need each other, we are simply looking for a healthier partnership. Women don’t exist to serve manhood, or be subordinate to it. We are here to be human, equal, respected, and like all humans, we are here to enjoy life on our own terms, experience freedom, and create the best version of ourselves that we possibly can.

As a woman, I don’t want a man to permit me these things, I want to enjoy what is mine. I don’t want to depend on someone to dole out meager symbols of freedom, and equality when I can out-earn, outpace, and out-grow on my own merit. I am not looking to compete with men, I compete with myself. When I succeed, I don’t want to apologize for it.

Yes, there will be males whose roles are diminished when women take their power and when the open-minded men we deem as real benefit from partnerships with us. That is because their positions were based on our subordination. When we stand up and are their height, they can no longer feel superior. Their manhood was rooted in our passivity and submission all along. But there are #RealMen out there whose positions are not based on ego, but on their own healthy self-worth. They don’t mind us standing next to them and feeling equal. They are not threatened at all. They don’t want women to take a step back so they can be in the lead, they want an healthy, working, thriving partner.

Let’s thank the #RealMen out there. The ones who don’t need us to stay small. I know a few awesome men who have done their parts. Some have marched for us, some have stood up for us, some encourage us, and many are speaking up despite the attacks on their own manhood. Today, let’s find the awesome men, and directly say thank you.

This is really important for women to do. This movement is not just about us. Opponents of women’s equality are counting on our fear that once we step into our power, there will be no men willing to engage us, that if we take charge of ourselves we will obliterate institutions like marriage, kill femininity, hurt children, destroy family life. No, in fact once we are thriving in our own success and competence, we will be better partners, mothers, executives, and leaders.

We have to be willing to engage those men who are striving to understand us and work with us as equals. They possess the level-headedness, empathy and humanity to partner in this movement. These are the men who should be engaged in a two-way conversation. The others, who are threatened by us, cannot be counted on to act in our best interest, only their own.

As the owner of this blog, I receive e-mail from amazing men all the time. In fact, when I first started making these posts, my readers were mostly men. I was writing about subjects that very few women could agree with, and when they could agree, they spoke from a place of self-defeat, as if full empowerment and self-possession would never be possible. It was the men who kept encouraging me to find my voice, to keep writing, to stand my ground and not tone down my words. I had to be heard despite the fact that my views lost me many friends, and personal relationships. I am glad I had their encouragement, and thanks to them I kept speaking anyway.

We all are surrounded by amazing men. Contrary to what the media says, we do have strong, confident, supportive partners. In what the media refers to the war on manhood, they have not backed down in their support of us. Instead of screaming at the toxic males who won’t listen, let us thank, and engage the real men who do. It is the men who are willing too listen, who make the best partners in business, marriage, parenthood, or life.

So, to all the men who supported this blog from it’s first post, Thank You. To all the men who encouraged me to talk about hard subjects that weren’t always easy to address, Thank You. To all my male friends who are not threatened by women in power, Thank You. To the ones who stood up for us with the #metoo movement and believe us, Thank You. To the ones who believe in our choices, voices, and power, Thank You. To the men who freely and unapologetically speak up in our support via social media, in the workplace, or via their own blogs Thank You. To the ones who are often accused of not being real men because you refuse to dominate, have more liberal views about gender, who are shedding your own social programming, please know that you are #RealMen and we will always appreciate you. Let’s talk.

S

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The Higher Purpose Of This Relationship

Posted on October 20, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Why are we in this relationship? Have you ever met someone really nice who qualifies on all levels, yet you already know before he/she utters ‘I like you’, this one is friend material? This person is perfect, but not for me. Sometimes we meet the most wonderful, shiniest, most spotless specimen of humanity, and we set him aside ‘Nah, I don’t need that’. Friend zoned. Automatically.

I’ll start by saying that I don’t believe in giving people chances, not even those nice guys in your friend zone. They are in that zone for a very good reason. They are either unsleepable or we can’t learn anything from them. They may be good people, even beyond our wildest expectations, but we don’t need them.

My theory is that the reason we sometimes put people automatically in the friend zone is because we don’t need them on our path toward personal growth and evolution. I have been accused plenty of times of not giving the nice guy a chance, but being attracted to a moron instead. It’s true, I openly admit it. In my previous post I wrote about my history of dating monsters and the valuable lessons I learned from each. I wasn’t a glutton for punishment, I wasn’t sadistically craving mistreatment, I was on a path to becoming ME, and had to get in touch with every single aspect of me, especially those darkest shadows I’d never show to the world. Who was capable of showing me that deepest, darkest, most vulnerable me, that deeply flawed, self-hating, perpetually failing at life me? The nice guy? No. He could never have taught me that.

Experts claim that some women are conditioned to be attracted to abusers. I can give them that. What no one thought is that there are a lot of self-possessed, free, vulnerable women out there who crave life, self-discovery, experience, rawness, and are deeply committed to discovering themselves. Humans cringe at the thought of getting in touch with their dark side, it is to be avoided at all costs. But light cannot exist without darkness, and to know ourselves means owning both.

This may be a hard pill to swallow by the establishment, but not all women are looking to marry, have babies, settle down, and coddle men. Some of us think, feel, crave freedom, exploration, sex, novelty, not because these experiences will lead us to settling down, but because they won’t. Settling is death, and some of us came here to live.

What was I looking for in relationships for all these years? As humans grow we need different things from different people. It is small-minded to think that one person can satisfy all our needs. At various stages of life I needed different lessons. Each lesson was about myself, and I had to learn it all. In my younger years I had to discover different types of manhood. Some suited me, most didn’t. I had to accept, reject, overcome, defeat, abuse, adore all different kinds of men to find out what manhood really is. I learned that above all, a man must be human, humane and humble to be anything at all.

I learned my toughest lessons from the worst men. My father was one of the most insecure, narcissistic, egotistical, assholes I ever met in my life. Who would I be had I not learned how to make him cry by the time I turned fourteen. The day I realized how small this big-mouth really was, I learned that when it comes to men, I have nothing to fear. He was my first teacher.

Later, when I realized I was getting into repeated patterns with narcissists, I had to discover what is it about me that was available to them? That aspect of me had to change, so one lesson, after another, and then another. I was black and blue, crawling on my hands an knees begging for mercy. Could that nice guy with a halo over his head have taught me how to outmaneuver a narcissist every time? Nope, he had no chance.

It wasn’t enough to know how to spot and avoid narcs, I had to learn how to bring one to his knees, make him run for his life when he sees me. I succeeded during my stint on Wall Street, where I worked with the most bloated bunch of male egos. These Neanderthals were so puffed up on their own gas, grunting and thumping themselves on the chest every time they got a whiff of a female walking by. The younger ones were harmless, too busy putting in the hours to notice me panic every time one of the older starving males wanted to see if I would acknowledge his manhood. Sorry grandpa, I don’t think much of your manhood at all. I can’t tell you how many times I almost got fired because I refused to stroke his ego. I could have worked with so many tame guys, the respectful ones, the upstanding humans. But what would I have learned about myself?

The best lesson I learned is where is the seat of my power. Who am I, what are my most significant qualities? I learned that my ability to put up a good fight was not a weakness that I should hide, it was something for me to use to my best advantage. I learned that my willingness to unmask a narcissist, is that which narcissists fear most. They know I will do it, they no longer come near me. I learned that a nice, educated, classy girl from a good family won’t get far in life if she bows down to manhood. By not being afraid to piss men off, say exactly what I think, and not back down, I learned how to command respect. I had no interest in being a nice guy’s wife, I had an interest in experiencing me.

I know so many wonderful men who any woman would be proud to date. I fix them up with quality women, but I only dated a few. A psychologist might conclude that something must be wrong with me to pass up so many opportunities for love, marriage and relationships. Every woman dreams of getting married, right? I dream of so much more.

Love is easy. I know how to love. While most humans have had only the kind of love they miserly allowed themselves to experience, I experienced it all in the raw. Nice guys love gently. They back down to easily. They don’t put up much of a fight. They call their mom, and their mom tells them what a man they are. It’s true, most of them really are good. Some day I will need that.

I am sure that a lot of men experience the same. Why settle down when life keeps giving me more, and more, and more? Why settle down, when I can still climb higher? Why settle for the good girl, when the bad girl has so much more to teach me? There are no bad girls or bad guys, there are just teachers. We all need them.

While experts claim that a lot of women’s dating instincts point to deep, emotional flaws, I insist that our instincts are just right. Some of us are starving for life and starving to find ourselves. We won’t be satisfied with domesticity, motherhood or matrimony, we want to discover our passions, develop our inner selves, build empires, achieve balance, and we aren’t terrified of being lonely. We never are.

So, in relationships we don’t seek what is stable, what is safe, what is everlasting. People who crave life seek the opposite. We are not empty thrill-seekers looking for fulfillment outside ourselves, blame that on the people who need a spouse. We are whole, we are giving, we are too alive to succumb to tradition. We are looking to grow, experience, experiment, change ourselves over and over again, and keep reinventing ourselves until there is nothing more to learn.

When I am tired and exhausted from learning, I might settle down with a nice guy. I have been in a couple of relationships with angels, and sometimes I wish for a warm, loving, kind, affectionate, uncomplicated human. For now they are all in my friend zone. If they get taken by better women, I’ll love them anyway. But they are not for me now.

S

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Monsters Laying At My Feet

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

MONSTERS. We have all dated one, two, or if you’re a slow learner like me, a few 🙂 I used to ask myself, what is wrong with me if I am always attracting the crazy ones? Am I crazy? The short answer is yes, I was. As difficult as it was to admit at the time, the men I dated were simply a reflection of my own level of emotional development, my own level of self-respect, my own level of understanding of what a good human and a healthy relationship were, my own level of consciousness.

As most of my readers know, my dating experiences were an open project in self-discovery, exploration, figuring out my limits, crashing, growing, and rising. I really was willing to experience it all in order to figure out how low will I stoop, and how high can I rise from this. Though the process was painful, sometimes even degrading, it also came with a lot of international adventures, sexual escapades most women dream of, and a lifetime of experiences I’ll take to my grave with a smile.

Then came a tipping point in my life, when I stopped attracting the monsters. Now, I scare them J It was the point where I developed an understanding of who I am, why I repeat certain emotional programs and behaviors, what I am programmed to react to, how and why those patterns were formed, and the realization that I no longer need them. Once the lessons were learned, the realizations alone were enough to help me clear the programming and move on.

But, could I have resolved these issues without the monsters in my life? No way. Had I been dating angels, I never would have known my own emotional triggers, how easily I could be manipulated, why manipulation and control are a sickness, how to recognize them, how to avoid men who are sick. All those lessons came through experience. I always say that experience is the best teacher, and that women who are totally free of social and cultural programming, are very experienced at love and life. They are no longer affected, they no longer take the bait, they no longer confuse toxicity and codependence with relationships nor love, and once liberated from social constructs are free to create love in ways that suit them.

You can’t learn these lessons from a book. Your well-meaning parents can’t teach you how to battle the monsters or win. And pop-psychology, modern-day dating manuals and media feed women a lot of bullshit about their emotional limitations and handicaps, then spoon-feed them techniques about how to attract those very monsters we are trying to free ourselves from. Life’s greatest lessons have to be learned on our own through failure, self-knowledge, and the only way to sharpen those skills is practice, practice, practice. Don’t protect yourself from experience, embrace it and live it.

Talking to some of the most free-thinking, independent and knowledgeable Goddesses I know, I see that they all have a closet-full of monsters. It is how they sharpened their skills and brought them to their knees. The monsters now sit obediently at their feet. These women were not afraid to learn, no matter how excruciating the lessons.

It is true, I no longer play with monsters. They bore me to tears. I learned that monsters are the most insecure people in the world. When the most self-doubting, self-loathing men are looking for love, they aren’t actually looking to relate to a healthy person who expects an equal energetic exchange, and has clearly defined boundaries. What they are looking for is someone to reflect to them that fictitious person they pretend to be. A healthy woman will hold up a mirror, and expose the insecurity right away. She won’t validate his false self, in fact she will expose it.

A narcissist or the glass man can’t stand that true version of himself so he retaliates with insults, rejection, anger, emotional outbursts and runs. But when he meets a woman who is willing to prop him up by reflecting back the false mask he wishes the world would see, he is immediately attracted. He might hide his level of need for her, because he knows how badly he is starving for the validation only a blind woman could give him. A monster cannot relate, so he is unable to earn any praise or admiration from her. He must extract it from her, ensure a continuous supply of validation, condition her with rewards for the kind of attention he craves, punish her for any violation of challenge to his ego, hence the manipulation and control. For him its an act of extreme desperation to hang onto the woman who reflects back his false self, for her its an addiction to the tiny morsels of affection or attention she earns for holding up his mask.

What I learned from all this is that there isn’t just one monster in this equation. There are two. It would be narcissistic of me to think that I wasn’t complicit in these mind-games. I wasn’t an innocent victim, but always an eager participant, knee-deep in the toxic pool of negative emotions.

The only way out of this unhealthy pattern of toxic relationships is to recognize our role in this. We aren’t victims of monsters and we aren’t entirely innocent. We are their food, we are their sustenance, we give meaning to their empty lives. We bolster their confidence by sweeping their deep emotional insecurities under the rug, so the world could see and so that they can believe in their own false self. We are their security, and we must provide the constant supply of ego, because they know that without the validation we provide, they are totally exposed.

At a certain point in my life I realized how badly the monsters need me. I used to believe that I was powerless against them, always flailing and struggling to regain my footing. I used to run as far as me feet would carry me, because I had no clue how to fight them off. A man starving for his false ego will do anything, give anything, say anything, in order to secure his narcissistic supply. Unfortunately a lot of women are taught to believe that when a man is willing to give anything he is truly in love.

A healthy man wouldn’t trade self-respect for love. I found my power in the realization that it is he who is starving and that it is I who choose whether or not to feed him. I stopped feeding the monsters. I carry no special treats in my pockets that they can smell from across a crowded room.

Monsters don’t enter a room looking for a healthy soul to relate to, they enter a room looking for food. Who is their food? To a monster, the woman who responds to his false self is the only “real woman” there is. He will always select the one who treats him like a real man, responds to subtle queues of his grandiosity, responds positively and with interest to material offers, drinks, vacations, and invitations where he can display his manhood, and who eats up his false stories about his successes, accomplishments and grandstanding.

What kind of women do monsters run away from? The ones who don’t acknowledge them, the ones who cannot be engaged, the ones who won’t feed them with admiration, the ones who question their reality, their fantastical claims, their false self. Monsters don’t stand up well to questioning. In fact they will not be challenged. They are desperate to avoid any situations where their false mask could fall off, their desperation revealed. Monsters always have to be perceived as in charge, on top, having an advantage, they cannot tolerate standing next to an equal. They are friends with followers, admirers, people who are easily impressed. Pretty much anyone who buys into their delusion can be their friend, anyone who challenges it is quickly deleted.

With a little experience, monsters are easy to expose. Treat them like the insecure little weasels that they are, and they’ll run and hide. Their emotional wounds will be all your fault, they might even rally their followers against you. Don’t be afraid. Your goal isn’t to win back the approval of his followers, the goal is to free yourself from the monster. The only food the monster needs is your approval, your attention, your support, your validation. Cut that off, and they’ll find it elsewhere.

Every experienced woman has monsters in her closet. Don’t be ashamed of them, be proud. After all you beat them, exposed them, cut them down to size. Your experience expanded your consciousness, and helped you discover yourself. Without those monsters you wouldn’t be as fierce as you are now.

Remember, naive girls play with monsters. Mortal women run away from them. Goddesses keep them laying at their feet.

S

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Passion Lost and Found

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Did you ever lose your passion or your purpose? Everybody says you have to love what you do, but what if your career no longer turns you on? I always loved every job I took, only to quickly become disenchanted once I faced the reality of dealing with disgruntled customers, backstabbing co-workers, or as soon as I had to face the stress and anxiety which I carried with me from job to job. We have this false belief that we will find our purpose and passion by waiting for something to turn us on. But if we wait for the excitement to fall into our lap, how long can that project remain exciting? Passion lasts only as long as we are in a state of discovery, learning and appreciating.

How many of us have paid for expensive degrees to discover that the actual job is just plain drudgery? A few years ago I discovered that the drudgery is all me. I am the one carrying the stress and anxiety and blaming my coworkers for it. It’s not the job that is wrong, it is my mindset. If I am no longer turned on by my role in a company, it is because I either have not fully stepped into that role, I am not owning it. I am projecting my own dissatisfaction with myself onto the job, and my work situation.

Sixteen years ago I earned the title of Vice President at a mid-sized financial company in Boston. I was 30 and the youngest VP they ever had. The company was about to go public, and they listed me in its first annual report as an officer of the company. I was proud of myself for about 15 minutes. I never expected this, never vied for the title, didn’t even apply for it because I didn’t think I was qualified to be VP, and when my manager offered me a tiny raise to go with the title I took it without negotiating because I really felt the title was too much.

Quickly, my infatuation with my new title faded. My dad joked that I was too young to be VP, they must have made a mistake. My ex said that I don’t have the experience for that title. Though I argued for my position, I was still deflated when I heard his opinion. Pretty soon I started to feel like I am no VP at all. I felt duped by my manager, I thought he only gave me the title so he wouldn’t have to pay me a bigger raise. All I could see is greater and unfair responsibility with very little compensation. My life sucked. After then, I took many jobs in the same field. Some jobs had impressive titles that felt like a big deal, and other jobs had amazing salaries, that should have made me feel like a tycoon. But I never felt like a tycoon.

I read that I need a passion for what I do to become self-actualized, but always my passion faded as soon as I got accustomed to the routine. Is something wrong with my job? My stupid boss? My salary? My co-workers? Nope, something was wrong with my attitude. I killed my own passion every time, and shot myself in my own foot, by not owning my title, by not feeling like I deserve it, by not appreciating and being proud of my big salary. I always swept my accomplishments under the carpet, then wondered why I always feel so unimpressive.

My ex, however, would take any tiny accomplishment and blast to anyone who would listen. He would proudly toot his own horn, act important, congratulate himself, and truly act like the title. No wonder his passion for his job always lasted, while mine quickly faded. I am certifiably smarter than him, better educated, and having worked in 3 companies together, I can state with full confidence that what I brought to the company were quantifiable results, but what he brought was just a big ego. Yet he remained at the top of his industry, while I kept fading and making comebacks. Our passions for our jobs lasted only as our commitment to our individual selves.

There are still times when I lose all my passion and my fire. But the job is not to blame, my attitude toward it is to blame. I have so much to be grateful and proud of yet I never talk about it. Friends who have known me for years are surprised to find out that I have done so much. Nobody knows because I never toot my own horn professionally.

So, what is your passion? If you don’t know it is not because you are not passionate about your career, it is because you are not passionate about yourself. You can change jobs, industries, bosses and titles, and remain dissatisfied. No one can be as passionate about your purpose as you. So why do we wait for others to validate our positions? You could wait for a passion to fall into your lap. Or you can decide to own whatever title you’ve got.

What is the most that you can make out of and enjoy in your current role? Are you sweeping your awards, commendations, and praise under the rug as I have? Many of us come from cultures where accepting praise is considered egotistical and we are conditioned to minimize or dismiss it. We create passion by saying YES I AM! Whatever your job, wear it proudly. Show it off! Talk about it more. Toot your own horn. The most successful people in the world are proud of every penny they earned and make no apologies for it.

Here I am in Cairo, enjoying a life altering vacation with amazing friends and clients. I have the job I always dreamt of. I quit a well paid job in the financial industry so I can enjoy a couple of years exploring myself and traveling around the world. I have everything. Yet, my passion has been fading for a year now and I could not understand why. The job is easy, the travel I exciting, the company is excellent. What’s is wrong now? How did I become so disenchanted with this so quickly? I am doing what most people dream of. As I searched within, it dawned on me. Once again, my passion is fading because I have allowed my appreciation for myself and my life to fade. I receive complements from clients, and friends, all the time. I say thank you, then I sweep it under the rug. When was the last time I commended myself?

Note to self, appreciate myself more often. Write down all the accomplishments I made in the last year, and ruminate on each one. I did it, I changed someone’s life. I made a client very happy and gave them a life altering experience. I’ll read all the letters and compliments people sent me, and truly appreciate every word. I’ve been told multiple times that they never enjoyed themselves as much as they enjoyed their time with me, and how much they love working with me. I need to absorb that. And that tiny little “award” a client recently gave me to show me his appreciation, I have to dig it out of my junk drawer, and hang it on the wall.

When I do things to appreciate myself, my job, my projects, my passion starts flowing back to me. I feel better about who I am, and the choices I make every day. Remember, there is nothing wrong with the job, or the people you work with. We can all adjust our attitudes, and find ways to honor ourselves and appreciate those things that we do.

Our passion comes from our attitude about who we are now, and the work we do now. It is not something we have to wait for until an amazing job is offered to us, it is something that is within us. We have to become turned on by our own existence. We have to own our careers, titles, salaries, and be proud of whatever we have now. This point in your career may be a mere stepping stone, but you have to be passionate about this point now.

It takes just a little work on myself to help me snap out of my passionless doldrums. That work involves appreciating even the tiniest of my accomplishments, saying ‘Thanks for the compliment, I really feel great that I made your day’ and wearing those commendations on my lapel like a badge of honor. On the flight back to USA, while practicing appreciation for who I am and the work I do, I started to feel excited. The ennui was fading and the stronger more passionate me was waking up. I went out and bought fancy thank you notes and sent “love letters” to each of my clients. They were heartfelt thank yous for their appreciation and encouragement. And just like that, my passion was back. Try it!

S

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Lack of Identity Destroys Relationships

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Do love and relationships feel like a drug to you? When you have someone to be with, you feel fulfilled. You’d do anything to keep them happy, even sacrifice your own beliefs, integrity, peace to keep them around. Do you find yourself forgetting your hobbies, ambitions, friends? Are you cancelling solo trips, girls nights out, me time, because now you have someone more interesting to focus on?

One of the signature traits of a Goddess is her strong personal identity. She derives her happiness from her own intellectual, career, and personal pursuits, not from other people. She loves men and relationships, but doesn’t pour all her attention into them, rather she maintains a strong focus on her own interests. She is capable of maintaining her focus on herself, and if she finds herself in relationship or friendship drama, she knows how to disengage, step away, evaluate if the person is healthy, if he propels her forward or brings her down to make himself feel more secure.

A Goddess has healthy boundaries. Her favorite word is No. She makes no apologies for using the word. Contrary to popular myth, a Goddess is never a cold, heartless bitch, instead she is very warm, loving and kind towards people who have earned her respect, her time and her friendship. She has a strong filter on people she allows into her life because the life she has created is valuable and she is committed to cultivating healthy, positive relationships to thrive in, not ones to wallow in.

Because I say no very often, and turn people away from my door, I am often accused of being mean. I assure you I am not- the people in my life have truly earned their place in it, and once they are here, I shower them with love and healthy amounts of attention. I simply enforce my boundaries, so that drama never seeps in.

A lot of unhealthy people would like a piece of this. And if you are positive, self-reliant, self-aware, and cultivate a life that you love, you will find a lot of people knocking on your door. Does that mean you have to let them in? No, always ask who it is, and check their identity. I am very social, so I meet a lot of people everywhere I go. I also project a ton of positive energy, share it with everyone around me freely, and as a result many try to latch onto me. I am often aware of this, but like all people, sometimes I end up with a stalker, a follower, a beggar who just wants my time and energy.

People are attracted to those who have something they want. People are attracted to others who have a beautiful lifestyle. People want to be a part of other people’s lives when they don’t have one of their own. People are constantly seeking, when they should be finding what they want within. People are highly attracted to peace, your peacefulness and serenity looks so good to them, so they want to be in your presence. People who see in others what they can’t find in themselves will too quickly offer you their devotion, commitment and loyalty because they know that your presence gives them much more in return. But are these people healthy?

It took me decades to create the life I want. I didn’t do that by taking from others, demanding they share, stealing their peace. I might not have much in terms of assets, but I am rich in peace, happiness, energy, love, adventure, amazing friendships, I create beautiful experiences for myself and those I love. So, I am a magnet for people, both healthy and unhealthy ones.

I have a very strong identity. I built that by getting in touch with myself, accepting those traits people were insisting were flaws. I became okay with them, and learned how to let them shine, despite what everyone said. We all try to suppress our true nature to be more acceptable to others. But the price we pay for congeniality, is allowing others to test and cross our boundaries. People who are constantly looking to test boundaries to see where and how they will jump the fence tend to be very unhealthy. In fact there are psychiatric terms for that. They derive their identity from yours. They derive their peace and tranquility from yours. They see you as what you have to offer, rather than your soul. And naturally, they want to move in.

These are people who don’t have a strong identity of their own. And because they are looking toward their significant other to let them in so they can share his/her identity, they tend to destroy relationships. Without an identity of their own, they look very unappetizing to the other. There is nothing to look at, no personhood to interact with, no one to learn from, no depths to explore. All of these people are “nice guys” and “nice girls”. They are giving, sacrificing, catering, affectionate, devoted, loyal, but never to themselves, always to the other. They will rarely defend their own honor, but always defend the honor of the object of their desire. They rarely stick their neck out to protect and uphold their own beliefs, but when their loved one is outnumbered by critics, they will protect that person’s belief system. And so, they devote themselves to protecting their relationships with people who can give them an identity, a reason to be, or whatever they lack personally.

It is no wonder that their relationships often fail. While it may appear that they are giving too much, the truth is what they give is of no value at all. Of what value is their time, when they fill our time with mindless chatter, crossing boundaries, neediness, and merely their presence? I’d rather be alone. I value time of friends who think, debate, experience, explore, contribute to society. I value time from friends who have high energy, infectious laughter, strong personalities, unpopular opinions they can actually defend- they are the ones whose presence is highly appreciated.

If you find your self bouncing from relationship to relationship, chasing, people losing interest in you too quickly, it sure is tempting to believe popular media and declare that there is something wrong with people who are constantly moving, not answering phone calls, ignoring your texts. Those ideas only serve those who perceive themselves as victims of modern society. I assure you, there is nothing wrong with the world. People choose to be available to those whose company they prefer, and unavailable to those who bring nothing to their table. Rather than buy into that nonsense, why not embark on a journey of self-development? Yes, you can develop a healthy self-image and a personality of your own. It takes years of work on the self, and much devotion to the self, and is far more rewarding than begging people to give you a relationship.

One positive consequence of having a strong identity is that you become a magnet for people and a magnet for amazing opportunities. There are so many people in my life, that now I have to filter them out, and I am offered so many work and social opportunities that I often get overwhelmed and sidetracked if I am not diligent about saying No. Wouldn’t you rather be in this situation, than constantly knocking on other people’s doors?

So, how to develop a strong identity? You were born with one, you just decided to be a good girl, make nice with everyone, keep your mouth shut to spare other people their feelings, suppressed your emotions to appear congenial, allowed friends to cross your boundaries so they would feel welcome, said yes to lovers so they wouldn’t leave you, and learned that to keep a man you must make him happy. Understand that if you are making other people feel happy, and are accepting responsibility for making them like you, you are sacrificing your identity for their sake. That always ends badly.

How do you get in touch with your true self? How to remember who you were before you gave yourself away? Remember yourself as a little girl? What did you want, what were your demands, what were you fighting for? I was always fighting for my own freedom from suffocating and controlling parents, I was fighting for my sister because she was always afraid to fight for herself, I was fighting my dad who was always trying to train me to be more congenial, I was beating up all the boys in the street because they were picking on the smaller kids, I was fighting, I was fighting, I was fighting. You see, I was born a fighter, but I squashed that.

I was always super logical, and excellent at debate. I won every high school and college debate and oratory contest that ever was. As a child I could out-argue my bully father every time. I was more logical and had better reasoning skills as a child than he ever did as an adult, and he possessed a law degree. Eventually I learned to stay quiet, because at a certain age I began to infuriate him. His rage became uncontrollable and he would threaten my mother, if I did not shut up. So, I gave up my super-logical mind and arguments to keep peace in the family. I remember a college boyfriend asked me why I play chess, and why can’t I look more like a girl? Why is your hair always messy, and why are you running for president of the debate team? Why don’t you join a sorority like the other girls? I don’t blame other people for persuading me to suppress my opinions and my arguments to be more congenial. That was my own fault, but that is how I learned to tone down my true self. I gave that away of my own free will, as do most women. We love to blame society and men, but we are the ones making that decision.

Years later, I married and had to learn to get along in a marriage. I gave up my job multiple times so that he could take a better one in another city. I gave up my opinion of his abusive parents so they can feel more welcome in our home. After 12 years of marriage, I realized I gave up everything. I was a zero in every department of my life and had to figure out a way to find myself. It was a daunting task, but that’s why I am telling you that it can be done.

With zero self, you have no identity, no personality, nothing to give, you can only take. To healthy people, relationships with codependents feel like a burden. They ask for time, they demand attention, they sulk, they are convinced they are giving too much but, what they are giving isn’t wanted- what codependents are giving is empty. People leave, they stop texting, it’s not their fault, they have to preserve their own energy. They have to preserve their own self because unhealthy codependents feed off their time, attention, and identity.

Finding myself involved a ton of introspection- much more than most people are comfortable with. It involved testing myself and my limits in crazy relationships, crashing over and over again, to learn to enforce my own boundaries.

People who lack their own identity destroy their own relationships. They blame the other person for disconnecting, for not trying hard enough, for not giving them what they want, for not sharing his/her life. Without an identity they suck the life and identity out of the other person, they live off their life force. They offer their time, but their time is empty. They offer their devotion, but their devotion is a drain. They offer their loyalty which quickly becomes a burden. When there is nothing left to give them, their lovers disappear. Often, they have to be peeled off the other person, because the more the runner wants to be free, the more the chaser needs them to live.

We all know that neither running nor chasing is healthy. The runners need stronger boundaries, and have to learn how to spot unhealthy partners, say No more often, and not enter those relationships. The chasers need to stop using their “nice guy”, “nice girl” persona to gain sympathy when they want and need more than others are willing to give them. They have to learn that chasing is desperation, pure and simple. What they chase will always run away.

People who have a strong identity are highly attractive to us all. They don’t have to be flashy, nor glamorous, instead they can often be nerdy, intellectual, artsy, highly creative or non-creative at all, they have focus, interests, opinions, charisma, something to stand for, strong reasons to be. They attract attention, followers, devotees, friends, business, criticism, lovers, haters so, to remain sane they absolutely must defend their boundaries.

If you think you might lack an identity, your best bet is to invest in yourself. Find a qualified therapist, learn how to create your own energy, spend time alone, develop interests and hobbies that mean something only to you. Learn to shift your focus away from other people and keep it on your self. Learn to stop leaning on others, seeking counseling from friends, using others as your crutch, instead, answer your own prayers, solve your own problems, become your own best companion. The more you practice, the more others will appreciate you. Everyone loves the company of people who derive happiness from their own life.

S

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Do You Qualify For The One You Desire?

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Are you the person that the person you want is looking for? How do you know if you qualify to be with the person you are interested in? I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t believe that they should have to qualify for anyone, I talk to them every day. Many believe think they should be able to have that one they have their eye on. Almost always, as I talk to them I find out that they have egotistical views of themselves and feel entitled to that one who wants nothing to do with them. Men and women do this to themselves all the time- they set their eyes on that perfect mate, and when he or she has absolutely no interest, they commit themselves to arguing their way into a relationship. “What do you mean you are not attracted to me? Why do you have to be attracted, can’t you see how awesome I am? Don’t you know a real man when you see one? I’m entitled to a chance.”

As far as I know, no one ever succeeded in arguing their way into a relationship. Healthy people can respect that attraction must flow both ways, incomplete people cannot. If only he knew how amazing I am? There must be something wrong with her if she won’t give me a chance.

But, most often we simply do not match the person we are interested in. Our view of ourselves is drastically different from their perception of us. I see myself as the most loving, kind, fair, strong, intelligent, intuitive, empathetic woman of high integrity. Friends who actually know me on a deeper level might agree. But, very often, and this I have verified countless times, people who only know me through social media have a drastically different opinion of me. Yes, The One is not interested in me at all. Painful? Yes. But I have to accept the fact that I probably don’t qualify for him at all. Do I suffer from low self-esteem, that I don’t think I have anything to offer? No. I am a grown up, a healthy person can accept that they may not measure up.

A wise man once said “We don’t get the person we desire, we don’t get the person we want, instead we get the person we already are”. So who am I? I have written about this topic so many times, and by now you know I have always dated people who match me on some level. Externally and superficially, they look drastically different from me. But on a deeper, internal level, this person has always matched me, mirrored me, reflected back who I am on an inner level. I admit, I may not be happy with the people I dated in the past, because they didn’t always meet my lofty expectations, nor did I meet theirs. However, we were a perfect match at the time, because all those issues that I still have with myself, yes, the ones I never reveal to any human being, were always reflected by the other. My ugly, was always their ugly. And once we got close enough to discover that within each other, we started to have a problem. And this is why some relationships combust. A lot of people who are not self-aware explode in anger when they see the other matches them perfectly, just not on a positive level. The other person shows them their inner demons, their own self-loathing, and suddenly this other person is no longer acceptable. But, if we are healthy adults, and have a shred of self-awareness, we can actually learn from studying our reflection in the other person.

Regardless of who we envisioned for ourselves, the person we actually qualify for, the one we perfectly match, is likely to be drastically different than who we have our eye on. Many of us think with our egos, rather than our hearts. And when we fantasize about our perfect human, we egotistically paint a picture of a person who meets our highest ideals. That’s quite lovely, until we actually meet someone who possesses those qualities, and we are shocked when this person sees no value in us at all. I get this all the time. Some man out there has identified me as his perfect wife, and now he is messaging, arguing, demanding to be given a chance. I am watching this scenario play out for the thousandth time and am wondering how in the world this person fathom that I am his match? He doesn’t even know me, and he doesn’t even care. In his head, I look just like the one he picked out for himself, and he is angry that I refuse to see how amazing he is.

I know, the word ‘qualify’ sounds egotistical and arrogant. People are often dismayed when asked how well they qualify for the person they want? How well do they even know that person on an inner level? Most often they know nothing at all, because the person looks and acts like their target mate, but they don’t even accept that this human has a soul, they have a heart, and that their wants and needs are drastically different.

Our relationships, every single one of them, are a reflection of what is right within us, and what is wrong with us. Recall every single ex, and objectively analyze what was right about this person and what was wrong. Every single time you will see that what was wrong, was also wrong within us. Not many people can bear to see this, so they ignore this painful lesson and keep dating the same person over and over again. The same person in a different body.

But I am a big fan of self-reflection, and am constantly working on my inner identity. My goal is not to find someone to settle down with, my goal is to meet the most loving, open, self-aware person of high integrity and strong character, who reflects back all I have learned, and all the work I have done on myself. Yes, I have a high perception of myself. I know the hell I walked through many times, I know who I am inside and out, and can only take seriously a man who has also done the work. It very much helps if he is tall, young and exceptionally handsome 🙂 But I want someone who is deep, emotionally stable and whole, psychologically healthy, an independent thinker with unique perspectives on a wide range of topics. I want someone who understands the inner me, so how can I possibly be a match to that goon who looked me up online, saw what he wanted, and is now knocking on my door demanding consideration. No.

One of my closest male friends is probably one of the hottest men in town. And women are always messaging me, asking for an introduction. He may be impressive on paper, and that is all they see- they see the perfect husband. Each has identified him as The One. Yet not a single woman has a clue who he is on an emotional level. Not one of these women has asked me Who is he on the inside? What is his heart like? Where does he bleed?

One of these ladies is his age, also gorgeous, highly educated, she has the credentials to match. She keeps harping on the fact that she is more qualified to be with him than all the other candidates, if only he would be impressed with her PhD, and notice that she is his equal. He met her, and he walked away. She is confused. Did he hear that she has the same degree that he has? He must not have, because if he did he would know that she is better for him than all the rest. Because she keeps asking me to introduce her to men, I asked her what she is looking for in a mate. And of course she has a list of a dozen superficial qualities and deal breakers, none of which reflect who my friend is at all. Does she qualify to be with him? Not one bit. But she doesn’t care that his heart is much stronger, she doesn’t care about his own battle with his inner demons, and his own fight for survival. She doesn’t consider his wounds, his scars, his fears, his terrors, nor that he is still bleeding, because she is sure she can become whoever he needs her to be. If I set them up on a date, he would leave in 5 minutes and I wouldn’t blame him. She would harp on her credentials as a good girlfriend with an M.R.S degree, and he would be very much turned off.

We have to qualify for the person we desire in our life. If we are truly looking for someone who matches our soul, then how can we evaluate people by their resumes and their degrees? How can we evaluate people by their social media profiles, their hip to waist ratios, their real-estate assets, their social prominence, their job titles? These are all external characteristics that have nothing to do with the actual human.

So how do we qualify for the one we desire? So often, we humans attain MBA’s, we buy fancy degrees, yet we flunk at relationships over and over again. We may be highly accomplished in all areas of life, but are failing at connecting on a deeper level. We make relationship choices prematurely, based on superficial facts, people’s willingness to give us what we want, but have yet to begin to do the inner analysis of ourselves to truly understand how we stack up to the other person. We think because we have reached a certain stage in our lives that we are ready, yet on an emotional level we are still kindergarteners. I can’t tell you how many grown adults who are seeking a spouse seriously, have the emotional intelligence of a child, and simply demand that the person they envisioned for themselves gives them a chance. But they are not a match on an inner level at all.

Very often a pigeon wants to marry an eagle. This is the case for both men and women. We see the other flying very high, we have always wanted to do the same, but we just never got around to doing the work on ourselves. We never got over that fear of heights, never strengthened our wings, never sharpened our talons, never went in for the kill, in fact, we have no clue how to hunt at all because we have been feeding on free bird seed. Very often a pigeon sees an eagle and says to himself, That’s for me! I can be with an eagle. I have wings, I know how to fly, so what if I can’t hunt? When the eagle falls in love with me, he will hunt for me. The eagle will be for me, what I never was for myself. The eagle will take me to new heights, I’ll see the world from a whole new perspective, and people will admire me because I am riding on the back of an eagle.

The pigeon doesn’t see that to the eagle, he is just an unsavory snack. Even rats have more meat on their bones. There’s juicier meat out there, and eagles love to hunt. In fact pigeons are fairly common, so common that most eagles ignore them in favor of wilder prey. The pigeon fails to notice that no high-flyer wants a pigeon on its back.

To be equal to me, you have to be of the same frequency. Intellectually, you must be able to quantify your beliefs. Spiritually, you must have walked through hell and back multiple times, and found your true self in that hell. You must be okay with that. To be my equal, you must know yourself inside and out, so well that when I reflect back your ugly, you must respect that our monsters are the same. You must respect and absolutely match my level of personal development. You can’t claim to understand me, you must actually know and be me. You’ll never fool me, I can smell you a mile away. It’s in your eyes, its in your presence or lack thereof, it’s in your posture, it’s in your frequency.

Many people out there are forcing themselves to enter relationships when they themselves have not even embarked on that painful path of personal development. You cannot assume that just because you are of a certain age, you are wise enough to be my match. Wisdom is a matter of life experience, failure, pain, agony, loss, suffering, freedom, rebellion, brushes with death, elation, developing fearlessness, earth-shattering orgasms, brazenness, multiple crashes. Have you freed yourself from your chains yet? No? Then how can you qualify for someone who has?

You must be complete. You must have a life’s mission, and wanting to find the one is not a mission at all. You have to be happy with yourself. You have to be consistently reaching your goals. If you are still failing at hitting your goals, you should be more focused on that. If you are so hungry for a mate, you are not ready to even look for one. You will repel every complete person in sight. A complete person will not date someone who is starving. People who are emotionally starving for a mate, are like zombies ready to take a bite out of your soul. Been there, done that, and they ate me alive.

A solid match is a person who matches you on the level of work you have done on yourself. Your process must be complete for a healthy person to see something in you. Whatever you don’t like about yourself will be matched by every person you date, over and over again, until you realize that you haven’t done the work, you are still incomplete, and the other person has nothing to do with that.

Qualifications go far beyond a resume. Show me your battle wounds, your scars, your poorly sewn stitches, your hemmorhage. Boo-hoo you had your heart broken multiple times by a mean men. Show me what you learned, how you recovered, how you survived, and then sky-rocketed. ‘Oh, I have yet to sky-rocket, I am waiting for the one, and we will sky-rocket together.’ No you won’t. Unless you have learned how to turbo-boost your way from your inner abyss to exceptionalism, he or she has nothing to learn from you. You can do nothing for a complete person unless you are complete yourself.

I know only a handful of complete people, who I can truly say are exceptional humans. Not one of them is waiting nor looking for The One. They often turn away suitors and infuriate prospects because eagles have no desire for a pigeon. No matter how he fluffs his feathers, the pigeon can do nothing for the eagle. An eagle can only respect someone as fierce, as tough, as prideful, as focused, as fearless, as limitless as he is, and the rest of us must respect that.

So how do you stack up compared to the person you desire? Is he or she an eagle? You will never fool an eagle making him believe you are his equal. If the eagle won’t give you a chance, it’s because from miles away he smells that you are a pigeon.

Life is rough and we all must learn to survive. Beggars can’t be choosers, so if you are unfinished, you have a lot more work do, and much more respect to earn.

The best people in the world are not looking for a wife or a husband. The best people, the ones everyone desires, the eagles, are not looking for anyone at all. Eagles know how high they fly, and that at those heights only a few can survive the cold, thin air. They know what it takes to reach the sky, they are not looking at the earth below to find a mate. They fly high, knowing in full confidence that the one they mate with will fly on their level.

S

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My Walk In The White Light

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Why does religion have a monopoly on the afterlife? What if the death experience is not a religious experience at all? For me death was a natural experience, a physical or energetic transformation, a choice between the physical me and the non-physical me, a space of non-judgment.

Today’s post was inspired by social media hysteria about the suicides of two celebrities. My immediate reaction was this:

Suicide. What if it is not a crisis to be prevented, what if it is not a moral crime, what if it is a perfectly respectable way to go? The way I see it is if a person is in emotional pain and death is the only way to find relief, why not be understanding and wish them the best? And if a person has accomplished whatever they came here to accomplish and have no additional lessons to learn, why not respect that decision? Why the outrage, why the public debate, why the judgment, why the horror? Death is a natural part of life. Religious and spiritual people believe that the other side is better and more peaceful than here. So why not allow our friends to go, wish them a safe journey, and congratulate them on a job well done? Life isn’t easy, but they did the best they could. What’s best is that they faced death on their own terms. They chose not to suffer more, they didn’t struggle through old age, they didn’t leave it to chance. I think that dying with dignity means dying on one’s own terms.

I knew my post would be unacceptable to some, who saw suicide as selfish. I received a lot of hateful comments on that post. Both celebs had children and families and the general sentiment was that because their loved ones will now suffer, it was cruel and immoral of them to leave. Having had a near-death experience of my own, and having stood in that doorway between life and death, I have a drastically different perspective.

It has been ten years since that experience, and I never shared it with anyone. When I came back from the other side, I returned to my 35 year old body. Life was good. I had a happy marriage, a growing business, a beautiful house, I was in love, earning boatloads of money, I had nothing to complain about. I forgot about the experience because as cool as it was, my physical life was even more cool, and I had a lot more to experience.

A decade later, life gave me more extreme experiences. Shortly after my return from the other side, I lost everything I own, my business, my marriage, my money, my home. Not a big deal, it was just one glitch in my matrix, and something to learn from. Like any adult, I got a big slap in the face from the universe, then another one, and then another one. The slaps turned into punches, and ten years later my body is deeply scarred, all black and blue. I have been through it all, life’s ups and downs, incredible highs and crashes into the abyss that were so painful I wished I had died many times over.

From my 46 year old perspective, that near death experience has new meaning. Ten years ago, it was cool, and quite intriguing to stand in that doorway and be able to see the other side. But my perspective was limited, not because I was too young to understand, for I believe that even a young child understands perfectly when faced with the same choice. In the near-death space we all understand. Why is there so much clarity, even for a young child who is crossing over? A child is not as old as his/her physical age, nor as the body we perceive as a 5 year old. His energy, his being, his soul is thousnads of years old. It has lived many many lives, as you have, and so he is making that decision to pass from that greater perspective of who he has been for all eternity.

My perspective about death broadened when I learned how to meditate, and discovered that I can access that same doorway, stand in the white light, and bliss there at will. I don’t have to die to see, I can see it within this physical body, experience it with all my senses, and here that white light is much more blissful than it is over there without the physical sensations our bodies can interpret.

To describe the experience in more detail, and what was happening to my physical body as it went through the process, I’ll take you back to 2007. I had a terrible flu, much stronger than any flu I had ever experienced. My fever was 105F, and my doctor had sent me home and told me to get some rest. I got a second opinion, and the second doctor also told me to go home, drink plenty of fluids and call if anything changes.

It was late afternoon, when physically I started to transform. My fever was rising and I knew this was no flu. I was feeling weaker, but not in the way I had felt weakness before. The weaknes was not of the physical body, it was weakness of presence. This weakness was me fading out of my own body. As I was shuffling around my living room, I noticed that all my physical sensations felt different. My body was still operating, but I was less in it. I was starting to separate from my body. The I that I am, was now shifting from physicality to non-physicality. I said to myself “So this is what it’s like to be dying”. I had always wondered how people feel when they are dying, and how do they know they are about to go. I was always fascinated by the human mind, and it’s awareness, and now I was having the experience I had always been curious about.

For me this was the ultimate moment because all my questions about awareness were being answered. As a kid, long before I was old enough to comprehend, I was fascinated by the human mind. In college, though I had no intention of practicing, I majored in psychology simply because I needed to know what else can the mind do. I was sorely disappointed in the field when I realized there was not a single textbook nor professor who could answer the questions I had about awareness, so I dropped the subject entirely. Here I was standing in my living room, watching myself leave my body, completely aware that I was transforming from life to death, and I was perfectly okay with it. Cool, very cool.

With my fever now at 106, I got dressed and went straight to ER. A few tests later, they confirmed I had viral meningitis, a brain infection, told me that I had waited too long, and that though my chances were slim, they admitted me into the hospital. My ex was with me that night, and he wanted to call my parents to tell them I may not make it through the night. I remember arguing with him that I didn’t want my parents to know, that I did not want them at the hospital. If I am going to die, I wanted to die in peace, alone, without them or their drama. Now, people ask me how could you not call your parents? Didn’t you want to say your final good-bye? No. My death was not about them at all. I was already separate from them.

I however knew I wasn’t going to go. When the doctor told me that I may not make it, I remember thinking ‘you don’t know what you’re talking about’. I just shrugged because I already knew I’m choosing to live. Even though I could feel myself leaving my body, I somehow knew I’m going to be just fine.

Hours later I was laying in my private hospital room. It was 2 am, I was hooked up to an IV, getting tons of drugs pumped into my system. I felt calm, comfortable, peaceful, whatever happens happens. I fell asleep. I woke up and somehow I was at the top of the room, looking down at myself, I was laying in bed, looking like a mess. I think I was drooling. The room was quiet, my ex was sleeping spread across two chairs in my room. Oddly, I was in the room, but somehow I could see and hear the two nurses chatting outside my door. One was annoyed. Her shift was over, she wanted to go home, but now that she had me to deal with, she was going to have to stay longer. The other nurse consoled her “Go home. They said she won’t make it through the night”. Were they talking about me? Here I am hanging out on the ceiling of my hospital room, but I still know I have no intention of dying.

What does it feel like to be dead? Slightly different than being alive. Looking down at my monitor, my heart was still beating and the machine said I have a pulse, so technically I was not dead. But, floating above my body I was just as conscious, just as much as me as I ever was, just not physical.

Without the physical body I had no physical senses like touch or smell, and I had no emotions at all. There I was staring at my ex, who was sleeping by the side of my bed, and I had no feelings for him. Before I floated out of my body, I loved him and felt afraid for him. How would he make it in this world without me? Up here, I had no sadness nor ego at all. I knew that was just my ego imagining he could not do without me. Up there I knew my death would be a part of his life experience, that was all human experience, and he will heal from it. He would experience loss of a loved one whether I died or somebody else did. Like all humans, he is meant to experience loss, and up there I knew he would do well, even succeed without me. And so would my parents, and so would my sister, and so would all my loved ones, I understood they will all be well without me. Life goes on.

As I started to get comfortable in my disembodied self I noticed a white light above me. The white light wasn’t calling me, it was just there as an option. I started to move toward it. As I got close, it got brighter, it was almost blinding. It was peaceful, it was beautiful, in fact, it was gorgeous. I saw my grandmother, or her image. She was smiling. She was not calling me, nor asking me to join her, nor stay. She was a familiar signpost, just there to show me it’s okay. I can come in her direction or I could go back. It was all the same to her.

What else did I see? That life goes on. But I could also see that life is a much richer experience here on earth in 3D. Why? Because we have a physical body which allows us to experience physical sensations. We do not value them much, but they actually help us create our experience, and that’s why we are here to create, to sense, to enjoy, to bliss, to live the reality we choose. Each of us is here to design and live according to our will. Life is whatever we want it to be. The other side seems like a resting place. It’s beautiful, it’s peaceful, it’s calming, and it is assuring that there is such a space for us if we chose to exit. But it is limiting and freeing at the same time. Over there we cannot love or hate, we cannot hurt nor experience life. Life is here. Sorry to disappoint those of you who are hoping your loved ones are agonizing without you. They aren’t hurting at all. They cannot miss you because they are in fact very much here, and because in their experience nothing is missing at all. They are hanging out in all there is, and they are very much content.

The best way to describe this space is like another dimension. I am not religious so I don’t describe this as heaven, even though it is beautiful. We are simply in a different form there with no need of a body. For the brief moment that I was there I knew that this space was just an option to me, but like I said I had no intention of staying. I was 35 and I had a good life to go back to. It’s good to know that if my life sucked, if I had backed myself into a rough corner, if I wanted to escape, death would not be scary.

I’m happy to report that there was no judgment on the other side. I did not meet god, but then again I am not religious so I wasn’t expecting him to greet me. I saw no angels, no golden gates, and there was no spiritual welcoming committee. No one was waiting at the door with a clipboard to evaluate my good deeds, nor judge my life. The judgment was all mine. It was for me to judge whether I was happy with my life and who I had become, and whether I wanted to work on it some more. It was for me to judge myself, and how satisfied I was with my creation of my own life. I was ready to go back and live some more. Somehow my earthly existence seemed richer than this.

I am not sure how I got back down into my body. But I woke up the next morning when my fever broke, a whole team of confused med students came to poke me and confirm that I am very much alive, and then someone concluded “she’s going to live”. I chuckled to myself, who the fuck are you to decide?

I never thought much of that experience until now. A lot has changed in the last ten years and I am a different person. Having gone through heaven and hell multiple times, it is reassuring to know that there is always a safe place to go to. I have no fear of dying.

Since then I have been meditating a lot. It is a part of my daily life. I discovered that in meditation, I have partial access to that space I called the white light. When meditators bliss, that’s exactly the space they access. I visit it frequently. In my physical body, that space feels different. Here I have five physical senses, a full set of emotions, plus a lot of other senses available to me in the meditative state. The experience with all my senses is much richer. I don’t know how to describe it, except that when I meditate in that space (there are millions of other spaces and types of experiences) I feel all powerful, absolutely aligned. I have the ability to see, feel, hear a 1000 times more powerfully then when outside of meditation. But when I crossed over, without the physical body, the space was beautiful, peaceful, yet the richness of the experience was missing. We need the body to experience life fully. In the grand scheme of things, death was a fascinating experience, but in meditation with my physical and non-physical senses, I have seen much bigger things than that. So I choose to stay.

I have compared notes with other people who have had near death experiences. In general, we all saw the same thing. The only differences in perception could be attributed to our religions, personal belief systems and conditioning. We all saw what we expected to see. Friends who had religious expectations claimed that the beings they saw were angels. I, who always believed in science more than religion saw what I saw. I saw beings that I perceived as energies. It seemed that we are all one at their end, while here, we seem separate. Einstein once said that energy never dies, it only changes form. I saw us in energetic form.

Was it a religious experience? Not to me. But my friends who are religious perceived this as spiritually enlightening. For me it was just plain enlightening. Now I know, now I understand, but I don’t feel in any way special or blessed to be here. I decided to remain here with my own free will. Our will is a very important factor in this existence, and we don’t worship it enough. It is the driving force of our lives, except most of us are too afraid to drive. Our will is what takes us from one situation to the next, and most people choose to stay in the same situations over and over again. If you only knew how far your free will can take you, and if you weren’t afraid to drive, life would be an exhilarating experience. In fact, if our civilization was truly conscious, we would worship free will. There is no greater driving force on earth.

I realized that all world religions have claimed the afterlife as their own experience. As if all the world’s religions are the gatekeepers who get to decide if we are good enough to enter the other side. Actually, we decide. We all have equal access and we will all pass through the portal no matter what. There’s nothing to worry about, we are all good enough. We all qualify.

Getting back to the celebrities who committed suicide, I do not fault them for anything nor do I judge them. In fact, recently I lost a friend to suicide, and while others struggled to forgive him for doing something so horrifying and leaving us behind, I totally understood. He found peace. He had a little daughter, and most of the outrage was about leaving the child behind. I understood how he felt. Yes, in his physical body he was able to feel the agony of leaving her behind. In his physical existence I am sure he judged himself, he felt as guilty as they all wished he felt. But in this physical body we also have the ability to corner ourselves into those darkest places of our minds from which there is no escape. Why didn’t he medicate, why didn’t he try to get better? Why didn’t he seek help, counseling, why didn’t he try to live for her? Isn’t he selfish? No. Maybe he just wanted to be free.

We are the ones who are selfish. It is selfish on our part to insist that they live and put up with pain for our benefit, so we wouldn’t have to deal with the loss. He didn’t seek help because he did not want any. I know it’s hard to believe, but some of us don’t want anyone’s help, we don’t want to be talked out of dying. The experience is our own and our own decision. And his daughter will be as fine as any other human who has lost a parent. No human is leaving this earth having not experienced deep loss, and no one can be spared from it. Pain, like any other extreme emotion is part of this existence and it is experienced in equal doses by all of us.

We humans are egotistical beings. We would like others to feel more responsible for our emotional wellbeing, so when an unexpected death happens we get angry. How could he/she do this to me? We like to judge those who left us too soon, wanting to make sure they feel at least a bit guilty, hoping they miss us, wanting to believe they regret leaving us behind. They can have all those regrets while they are still here, but they feel quite good with the decision once they have one foot in the other side. Death is a perfectly rational experience. In fact, there is no greater clarity than at the brink of death. It is that moment when life becomes perfectly clear.

In fact, death begins long before our hearts stop beating. For me the experience started at least six hours before I got admitted to the hospital. I could feel myself leaving my body that afternoon, and it was then that I became totally cool with death. As soon as I accepted that I was dying, pain, terror and emotions disappeared. I decided I will live, so I checked into a hospital. On that brink, some of us, whose time is not up have a choice.

When my father was dying I observed the same changes in him as well. He was dying of both old age and a giant tumor. Yes there is a point where the physical body can no longer function, and we can no longer decide to stay. But even then we are aware that we are going, and that we have some options. In the last six years of his life he had multiple opportunities to go. He had strokes, a heart attack, lots of surgeries when he went under, and though his body was exhausted he kept coming back. He still had work to do here and more things to learn. But on his last day in 3D, I was not anywhere near him. Yet I could definitely feel he was leaving his body from a hundred miles away.

Mom was with him and his day was pretty much routine. He wasn’t feeling great but he wasn’t complaining. The whole day I could feel his energy leave his body, slowly, like he was teetering. He even said in the weeks before his death that he could see his mother, that he could see the other side, and that death was near. Nobody wanted to believe him. He was fully aware and totally okay with it. When the crossover starts to happen, we are totally calm, in a state of acceptance. It no longer hurts. Life’s regrets have already passed at that point. We all know we are leaving loved ones behind, but we now see them from a higher perspective, so we know they will be fine.

At 9:30 pm my mom checked in with him, and he was falling asleep. Roughly around the same time, though a 100 miles away, I felt him hold my hand. I was wearing a glass bracelet, and in the moment he grabbed my wrist the bracelet broke and shattered on the ground. I knew he crossed, and I was happy for him. I knew he was fine.

That’s another side effect of meditation. Our minds are able to filter through this reality which is just energetic noise, and see beyond that. We can see what is beyond this 3D projection, hear, feel, and know much more than this. We have many more senses which we never learned to use. So far, I have experienced dozens of senses which have no name because no one has ever documented them. With those senses, I can still communicate with my father. He is better than ever. While he was alive, he was a mean, old narcissist. He was angry with everyone, quite unpleasant to be around. He couldn’t take those burdensome emotions with him. He left all that behind him on earth, and is now fully in a state of peace. There is more to our senses than we are taught to perceive.

I don’t attribute any of these experiences to any religion, simply because what I see is nature, it is physics, and the universe is nothing but energy. In fact, energy is all there is, we simply interpret energies in many different concepts and forms. All religions describe this space and try to claim the crossover as theirs. They can neither guide us through the process, nor make us feel at ease. In fact they do a good job scaring us, making us fear our entire physical existence, so that we cannot accept the crossing without their help.

There are no answers on the other side. While our 3D existence makes more sense from their higher perspective, our life is still our own interpretation. When you get to the other side, no one explains things to you, informs you how you screwed up, punishes you, nor do they give you a guilt trip. Guilting is an ugly human affliction. You are still you, but a lot more. In the physical world you are your current existence, and what you made of it. On the other side you are that plus all your other physical existences, forms and experiences, and we all had many. Once the energy is released from the body, we join all there is. We are no longer separate beings, we are all one like drops of water in the ocean. Up there, we can see our existence and the lives of others from a higher perspective. We have an understanding of our place in the grand scheme of the universe in respect to other lives that we lead.

But our experience is exponentially richer down here. This is why people who come back from the other side, return exhilarated and more appreciative of this life. Here, energy is more dense. Our experience is more tactile, more visually stimulating, more audible, more everything. This earthly existence is where all creation happens. It is all in our hands, and people who return are exited to take advantage of every single moment, and experience all there is. Our free will (and it really is freer than you believe) is the tool that makes everything happen, so use it.

While the other side is nice, peaceful, safe and accepting, it is just a place to rest. Yes, there are other types of experiences and dimensions, but for the most part life happens here. So if you are doing generally well, or even if your life is unexciting, you are pretty much staring at a blank canvas. Whether you transform your life into an exhilirating experience or just a mediocre one is totally up to you.

And for those friends whose lives were unbearably painful, the other side is a more peaceful place. Is the other side better? That’s a matter of perspective. If you are alive and your life is pretty good, the other side has nothing to offer you. But if your existence is agony, then the other side feels like relief. In fact, the crossing can be a euphoric experience, because as we leave our earthly burdens behind, we experience a lightening of energy.

I believe that everyone deserves the right to die with dignity. That means having the opportunity to die on one’s own terms., without guilt, without shame, without judgement. If we are as conscious as we claim to be, we would take our own egotistic beliefs out of their experience, and allow our loved ones to cross in peace.

S

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Where Are All The Gods?

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Who are the real men? Where are all the Gods? Who are our counterparts?

Being a nice guy does not mean you are owed a date. Being a family man doesn’t mean you are owed discretion when you act inappropriately outside your marriage. Being a real man at age 65, does not mean being surrounded by a bunch of adoring babes who are attracted to your um…wisdom. Insisting you be acknowledged for being a real man,means that you are not. Demanding to be treated like one, makes you a child throwing a temper tantrum for not being viewed as a grown-up. Sorry, but if you have to be pandered to, if you need your ego stroked or if your must be validated so your mask of manhood doesn’t shatter, you are not a man.

There has been a lot of retaliation against narcissistic masculinity lately. The rise against the patriarchy, and more recently the #metoo movement have left a lot of males reeling in anger, while other males welcome the conversation about what masculinity is.

Narcissism has been confused with masculinity since the dawn of mankind. And our concept of maleness has been artificially manipulated by society, religion, culture, and politicians to not only support the power and unlimited freedom of anyone born with a penis, but also to control, manage and diminish the power and freedom of those trained from birth to pander to that narcissism.

The patriarchy, machismo, fake manhood, aggression, dominance, vanity are just attempts to protect the glass mask a huge portion of our population is hiding behind. This is not masculinity, it is narcissism, and the men who are most afraid of being exposed are blaming women, the #metoo movement, beta males, gays, feminists, liberals and pretty much anyone who no longer buys into their false image for destroying it. We aren’t destroying masculinity, we simply refuse to prop it up.

There are plenty of real men out there who have been taking part in the conversation rationally, without taking these arguments as a personal affront. You see, real men aren’t afraid of losing anything. They never had women pander to their manhood, they never depended on validation from others, they never insisted on being made to feel like a man, they never controlled or manipulated women into giving them respect, so now that this kind of support is no longer available, they aren’t losing anything, they are still in fact a man.

We don’t give enough credit to the real men out there. Many of them have been voting pro-choice for years, have been fighting for our rights for decades, speaking up on our behalf when we didn’t have the courage. Real men have joined the conversation, not as angry, belligerent bullies who are offended by women who don’t respect masculinity, but as rational, understanding, empathetic humans who thrive among women who are their equals, and have nothing to gain by suppressing the freedom of another human being.

Real men don’t seek to control the other half of the population to create a safe haven for their bloated egos, they are man enough to accept women as their equals. They value our contributions to science, business, the law and politics. They value our opinions, ask for our counsel, take our advice and give credit where credit is due. They have no problem with equal pay for equal work, because they see that all too often our work is superior yet often diminished and unrecognized.

Real men were not anointed with the crown of manhood the minute the baby was pronounced a male. They were not called a ‘real man’ by the age of 5, instead, they are the boys who had to earn that title. When I speak to men I admire, I see that many of them had to work hard and learn to take care of their own feelings from a young age. Either they grew up sons of a single mother, or they watched their mom juggle a job, children and household while they were growing up. They learned to respect women who work, and witnessed first hand what women do to support them as they grow into adults. The men who demonstrate deep respect for women are the only real men.

Unfortunately, these men are the first to be ridiculed by the patriarchy. Why? Because women prefer them. They are ridiculed for their lack of aggression, dominance, or superiority complex. They are vilified for their liberal ways of dealing with the opposite sex, for their fairness, temperance, tolerance, for their willingness to contribute fairly to a relationship, and for their ability to say “I don’t know”. They “let” their wives exceed them, they “let” their wives lead them, and they take care of their own children. Some are stay-at-home dads, some are in touch with their feminine side, some have no ambition to dominate anything. They are not pretending to be anything more than who they are.

Why do successful, independent women prefer the modern man? I prefer him because I view him as my equal, and not some empty jack-ass whose ego I have to pander to. I prefer him because he creates less drama, he isn’t competing with me, nor does he need me to act like a “little lady” so he can be confident as a man. His ego does not combust when I out-earn him, nor does he feel shattered when I am surrounded by men. The modern man is confident in his humanness, and he doesn’t derive his value from women, but from his own responsibility to himself.

Real women, the ones who work, build careers, own real-estate, own their own businesses have no time for old-fashioned manhood. We simply do not have time to be unflailing supporters of the male ego, nor can we build what we are building while pushing manhood forward. Real women aren’t looking for men to lead them, we aren’t looking for male wisdom or guidance. We are armed with MBAs and many of us have climbed the corporate ladder outmaneuvering the boys club. We are looking for men who are partners, men who can change a diaper and close deals at the same time. Yes, men who contribute to managing the home, inspire their children to be better humans, and aren’t threatened by her paycheck are the real men.

What kind of a woman prefers the old, bloated, narcissist? That woman who holds no value of herself, and derives her self-worth from serving the egos of others. She trades her loyalty to anyone willing to pay for it. She measures her success not by her own work, but by the man she married. She is quite adept at making a man feel like a man, even when he has the emotional intelligence of a six year old. Yes, even then she can convince the man-child that he is a king. That kind of loyalty can only be for sale. Where there are desperate males in need of support for their erectile disfunctions, there will always be workers willing to stroke their limp egos for a sum. In fact, there is an entire profession for that.

The world is changing and the glass mask of narcissistic masculinity has shattered. We no longer believe in the delusion of that kind of masculinity. It hasn’t served women and has not served most healthy males either. We are doing nothing to destroy it, the glass men are destroying themselves. We are just refusing to help them hide, and refusing to support their self-delusions.

But I think that a lot of credit goes to the men who are fighting with us. Though it is hard to stand up to the belligerent, self-aggrandizing males who ridicule their support of women’s issues, the real men are the ones who are pushing back against the patriarchy, and openly speaking out. They are not served by old traditions, nor do they want to fill the traditional male roles expected of them. How does it serve a man that his wife makes less money, when they both contribute to the same household? Does it serve a man to shun child-rearing, or to protest parental leave, when he too would like to experience fatherhood? Does it serve a man to keep his wife in her place, when she clearly possesses a talent or job that could advance them both?

The modern man thinks differently. The modern marriage is a partnership, not an institution. To work, a partnership must benefit both people equally, therefore both must contribute and enjoy the spoils equally. While the traditional marriage institution relied on a sole bread winner, and his legally bound sidekick or wife, in a modern partnership both people have to go to work, both people have to manage the household, both parents have to change the diapers, and both deserve quality time with their children. Is that wrong?

In my opinion this is exactly what masculinity should be. I admire the dads who willingly change diapers, take time off between jobs to watch their children grow, and teach their daughters how to throw a proper punch. I admire single mothers who chose the responsibility of their own free will, without fear of judgment, and I admire men who are now redefining fatherhood as well. I love the breakdown of tradition because it has freed us to experience relationships in healthier ways. There are more ways to be together than a traditional marriage. If my only prospect was to settle for the marriage my parents had, my immediate response would be No Way In Hell! Most of my male peers agree, that that sort of arrangement would be a life of mindless drudgery.

I love the modern men, in fact I prefer them to traditionalists. I love how they are helping us reframe the conversation of gender roles, reshape the workplace so it is more equitable. I love the ones who are voting pro-choice, I love the ones who are supporting the #metoo movement. I love the ones who are standing up to the bullies society formerly worshiped as men. I love the ones who are not threatened by strong, capable, fearless women- they in fact are the real men. When masculinity is so fragile that no amount of Viagra can prop it up, and no amount of pandering to the fragile ego will prevent the veneer from shattering, it is not a man. We need to come up with a new word for that, so as not to confuse the men we admire, with the men who only admire themselves.

I call the old cronies Limp Dicks. Don’t ask me to apologize, I won’t. I realize that the majority of my blog readers are male, but I suspect most of them agree. Regardless, I think that we don’t give enough credit to the males we love and respect, and I wish we thanked them more often for their support. Rather than claim that there are no real men out there, let’s use our voices and our social media presence to spotlight the men who are making a difference to us.

S

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Romeo Must Die

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

There’s a new man on the scene, and I’m apprehensive. Perhaps I am jaded, bored, or tired. It is more likely that I have reached the end of a cycle where I am leaving the past behind, and stepping into a new me. This new me is no longer interested in the old. There is nothing wrong with the man, I feel no need to have him. A beautiful creature, a step up from the last one, and I am staring at him wondering what do I want? As beautiful as Romeo is, I am full, slightly bloated, I can’t even get excited about the next piece of cake on my plate. I think I will pass.

I think all people pass through many cycles in our dating lives to experience the best that life has to offer- that is, if we are willing to view dating as an adventure and an experience, instead of a dreadful exercise in goal setting and approaching it with an agenda. For me, there was never an agenda, the next person was always someone new to mirror me, someone new to learn from, someone new to bliss with. I am not tired of bliss, nor am I tired of men. Remember, if you take full responsibility for your self, and your development process, the problem is never the other person, the problem is always you or me.

Looking at myself, I see that I have completed a cycle, over-explored a region, and now that I have mastered a few aspects of myself, the men I am used to dating no longer pique my interest. One of the things I noticed is that as I rise in my own power, the men look smaller, less interesting, just as insecure and conflicted as we all are. There is no power in masculinity, and as soon as I stopped admiring the synthetic illusion that culture and society have fabricated to depict as manhood, the veil dropped and now I see we are all just human, equal in our uncertainties, equal in our pain, with equal fears, wants and needs. There is no such thing as masculinity nor femininity for that matter, we are all just souls who inhabit different bodies. Human is human. So what does your soul look like?

Most humans are three dimensional beings, and we are trained to observe what is. We evaluate people based on the evidence of facts they present to us. So and so has a degree in rocket science- good, drinks too much beer- not so good, has a beautiful body- good, gives amazing hugs that last longer than most- great, has a weird attachment to his mother- sicko. We evaluate people’s degrees, income, social status, intelligence, hygiene, habits, the observable aspects of their psyche to reach a conclusion of who they are and how well they will fit into our lives. We believe that if we match on a certain number of points, we are compatible, therefore we must then try to pursue or fit better with this person. Our parents taught us to select a person from a good family, whose parents are educated, who follow certain traditions, who are in good social standing, and exhibit positive qualities, and to avoid drunks, drug addicts, people with illegitimate children, venereal diseases, or come from trailer parks or restricted gene pools. But what if that is not enough? What if all those qualities are too superficial to have a genuine, two way connection?

What if we are looking at superficial aspects of a human, selecting people who seemingly match, then try harder to shape them or contort ourselves to fit into their lives? What if no amount of matchiness is enough to guarantee a perfect union? What if the goal is for the union to remain imperfect so that we can continuously grown and learn and master ourselves? If we accepted that relationships are meant to be imperfect so that we can continue this process, and we let go of matching and started to appreciate our differences, if we stopped trying to fix or stabilize relationships, wouldn’t the constant change and shifting terrain promote our evolution?

We humans are constantly trying to control our environments and relationships happen to be huge aspects of our personal world, so we control and manipulate the hell out of our relationships. We tighten our grip on lovers so they cannot escape. We seek to mange their feelings, expectations, emotions so that they don’t surpass our levels of tolerance for discomfort. If he/she grows, they could grow without me. If he/she succeeds, they could exceed me and I won’t feel so stable. I can’t feel like a man, if my woman is more prominent or earns more money than me, so let me tighten the parameters of this relationship. I’ll set stronger boundaries, so I can feel more like a man.

I do my best thinking in nature, so I am constantly appreciating how nature shifts, creates its own disasters to change, adjust, regrow, push evolution forward. Nature never controls nor maintains status quo. Tectonic plates are always shifting to produce little earthquakes, volcanoes are always erupting somewhere, and seeming disasters which kill thousands are always pushing all creatures to move, adjust, adapt to new environments and evolve. Without uncomfortable change, we simply cannot grow. Balance can only come from instability. The ground is always shifting, so we must adapt to every change to become more fit, and that fitness is how we maintain our balance.

So why do we seek stable relationships with non-changing humans, corral them into inescapable pens surrounded with barbed wire, then spend most of our romantic lives managing their discomfort so they could feel good about living in a tight pen? This is how we kill romance, bruise souls, then wonder why they are so eager to escape us. Worse yet, we think there is something wrong with them because they have been plotting their escape all along. Is this how far we have evolved? Is this the level of love we are capable of? Or is there more?

I am staring at this new Romeo, and am knowing with full confidence that this Romeo must die, so I can rethink and reconstruct my world into something that will push my soul forward, and out of this cycle of romances with qualified people with exquisite credentials who mouth the same words, think the same thoughts, follow the same strategies, play the same games. I’ve learned through experience that the mind game is the mark of a highly insecure, constantly testing person who is constructing a new rat-wheel just to keep us occupied in his mindless play pen. No thanks to that.

I do know that now more than ever, I am ready for a meeting of the minds, not on an intellectual level, because how much can we compare textbook knowledge and remain interested in facts and figures we acquired in school? I love people who think outside the parameters of convention, who can entertain thoughts that challenge their egos, even shatter them sometimes. I love people who can explore their wounds, expose the skeletons in their closets, and sit there in pure comfort with their monsters because that is a sure sign that the human has mastered fear and self-loathing. I love deeply flawed people who don’t seek to cosmetically alter those flaws but openly show them to the world. I love people who are crawling through that mess they created of their own life, and instead of blaming others or circumstance, can admit this is their own muck they have to crawl through to reinvent and evolve further. I love people who can see beyond what is, peek into a soul, challenge my self-perception. If I am what I am then I must be able to be that despite the challenge. I love people who are adjusting, failing, crashing, getting up again, simply because they appreciate the growth, and are not seeking to control their lives and relationships into mindless oblivion. I can fall in love with an existential crisis, but not with the mask we all wear to fit in.

Nothing churns my stomach more than the man who tells me what he is. They are just practiced words, and just the mask you want me to see. I guarantee I won’t believe you. But take off that mask, and the other one beneath it, and show me where you hurt as a human, and I can tell whether it’s a lesson I already learned, or an experience I can relate to. Either way, I’ll always be impressed by your soul, not your knowledge of top rated wines in the world.

So Romeo must die, because I am bored with seeing masks, illusions, qualifications, vital stats, degrees, credit scores, political parties, voting records, willingness to commit- they tell nothing. That is a matter of evaluating whether your delusions about yourself, match my delusions about you. If I believe in your delusions I am relationship material, but if I shatter them, then I am an evil bitch. It’s a fun game to play, but I’m bored with that.

Lately I have developed a fondness for people who can see. They peek into souls, feel them out. They practice their truth no matter how unacceptable it is. They are who they are and are comfortable with each of their flaws. They seek nothing because all they need is presented to them. We watch this world and observe that people are just wax figures, soulless cardboard cutouts, veneers and we pass them by. The people are wanting, needing, seeking, always dissatisfied, because there was no work done on the inside. Empty peanut shells looking for a nut to fill them up.

Where are the people who can see? Where are the people who know? Where are the ones who understand? Where are the ones who are looking to escape? Where are the ones who know they are staring at an illusion and know this is not all there is? Where are the ones who have mastered 3D and 4D and are utterly bored out of their minds? Where are the ones who are not afraid to leave this? Lately I am connecting better with the explorers, the ones who are not afraid to shed their skin and step out. Interesting people. Thus far, none have piqued my interest beyond friendship, but I can see they relate to others differently. Relationships are very different out here. I’d like to explore relating on a very different level.

Romeo is dead. I am looking for a beautiful mind and a beautiful soul.

S

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Problems and Fears Serve a Higher Purpose

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

What if your problems were serving a higher purpose? What if those uncomfortable, panic-inducing monsters under your bed were the key to unlocking your life’s potential? We strive to overcome our problems, kill the monsters, in fact, we are taught to do that. But what if the problem is just one scene in this production we call life? Ignore the problem, pay a shrink to analyze it, or hire a lawyer to resolve it for you, and you’ve just spilled ink all over your life story. Your deepest fears, the most frightening skeletons in your closet, your worst nightmares are your story and your life path.

What if you understood the fundamental nature of life’s crises and came to terms with yours? What if you stopped evading problems and start welcoming them? What if you found peace inside the space of your problem?

I believe we create our problems to help us discover our life’s purpose. Everyone is seeking their purpose, and trust me you won’t find it by striking a yoga pose, relating to spiritual memes, nor quitting your job to wander the globe. Your purpose isn’t out there, it is within you. It lies buried deep within your shadow self, those darkest aspects of your own persona, that ugly, uncomfortable part of you that you have bottled up inside, secured it with a steel lock, then poured concrete on top just for good measure. That is who you are, only you are afraid to look at it.

Like everyone else on this planet, I have my own share of gut-wrenching problems. Unlike everyone else, I finally accepted that I created them myself, and sat still in that ugly, terrifying mess for months, in order to come to terms with it. It isn’t pleasant, most people wouldn’t be willing to do it, but the answers to why my life sucks, and why these horrible scenarios play out only for me, why life keeps beating me down to the ground over and over again, are right there where I feared to look.

My perspective on my problems and all my suffering shifted almost ten years ago, when through the long period of meditation I began to see. I have yet to start writing about meditating and all the wondrous side-effects and experiences I have had in the last twelve years. However, I began to perceive my reality with senses I never knew I had, and could see well beyond what is, not just on a global scale, but on a personal level. To avoid sounding too spiritual or insane, I won’t name the experience. Those of you who have entered that space on your own journeys will know exactly what I’m looking at and if you haven’t yet, the name of the space if irrelevant.

To be completely honest I am not a religious person, have no religious beliefs whatsoever, and have shielded myself from religions most of my life. All I describe are my own experiences that learned from meditating for twelve years, and ignoring all media associated with the subject. I taught myself, I saw with my own eyes.

Roughly 10 years ago, as I was practicing sitting comfortably and calmly in the white light, I noticed that after a few months I was able to extend that experience throughout the day and night. When I was supposed to be sleeping I remained fully conscious and was able to access those aspects of my mind I couldn’t access before, and came in contact with what I initially described as a fast-moving stream of energetic data. I had never heard of anyone experiencing this before, but over the years I learned to approach it, access it, slow it down to the point where it is audible, visible, perceptible by every sense of my body. I was in awe of whatever this stream of data was, as it seemed to perfectly reflect to me who I am as a being, who I am wanting to be, who I was before, in every possible version of me. What was even more astounding was that this stream had resonance, therefore all those aspects of me I had buried deep inside, suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. There I was in my entirety, totally exposed. And I understood, that all those monsters under my bed and the skeletons in my closet, weren’t there to scare me, they were here to guide me. The reason they hurt so much is because they were screaming at me to pay attention.

Over the years, I have had some amazing revelations about myself inside that data stream of all-knowingness. I have received some powerful information, that is exponentially more poignant than anything I received through claircognisance or clairsentience. The information was highly personal, relating only to my own experience, but suddenly I understood every relationship, every job, every failure, every car crash, every illness, every disappointment. In that space, each and every of my problems looks like just one step on my journey and each trauma was the key to unlocking more of me.

As overwhelming as they seem in my wakeful state, my problems are mere bread-crumbs I left on a trail, to help me discover my path and my life’s purpose. Problems aren’t here to stop us, to block us, nor are we meant to take out a baseball bat and bash them into tiny little pieces. There is a better way to deal with them. Look at the problem from a detached place, as a mere observant, and see or feel the energy of it. It feels awful doesn’t it? For some it feels like physical pressure in the chest, for others like your guts are twisted into knots. But stay there for a minute and don’t be afraid of it. That uncomfortable feeling is just a feeling and nothing else. Get used to feeling it, allow it, let your guard down and expose yourself to it. Notice it can’t do anything to you, nor will it kill you-it just feels uncomfortable. Practice being okay with it the unpleasant energy of it.

As you practice accepting the problem, and being at peace with the horrible energy in your belly, witness the energy start to shift. The more you are okay with the problem, the more okay the energy feels, and the more the energy shifts toward calmness, your guts slowly start to untwist. The problem isn’t how the scenario is playing out in your life, it is in how you physically and emotionally feel about it. The physical manifestation of the pain is what was torturing you. Once you make the physical symptoms go away, you can look at the practical problem more objectively.

Our problems serve a purpose, that higher purpose we have always been looking for. They are meant to get us one step closer to it, so each problem on your path is just something you have to learn about yourself to get to the next level of your existence. If you see a pattern of having the same problems over and over again, the lesson will keep repeating until you learn your place in the problem, how you created it yourself, and what patterns you have to release to finally let the problem go. The problem is just an exercise in your own perception.

Our problems aren’t happening to us randomly, and they are not a universal punishment for sins we committed. You are always on your path, whether you know it or not, you can’t screw anything up, even if you wrap that shiny Benz around a tree and insurance won’t pay. The car wreck is not the problem, how you perceive the situation exhibits your understanding of life, and the more you learn to accept and let go of those things we find absolutely necessary for our survival, the faster we flow toward our higher purpose.

There are days when I wish I never embarked on this journey, but then ask, did I ever have a choice? Life throws us curve-balls so we learn to walk in the opposite direction. We can’t learn anything holding on tightly to comfort and staying in place.

If you are being pummeled by unfortunate circumstances, I would advise you to meditate. I have yet to write a simple manual on how to effectively get into that head space where everything is still. But, my advice is to avoid learning meditation from other people, or reading instructions from a book. You will confuse yourself more, and not meditate. To do the job, you need absolutely nothing: no books, no instructions, no guru, no yoga instructor. No one owns your mind but you, and no one can guide you into yourself. So sit still, straighten your back, close your eyes. Everything that happens from the moment your eyes are closed is your own experience. You might see nothing, so be okay with that. You are doing this to discover yourself and that could take a lifetime. Simply sit as long as you can, to experience your self.

This was my starting point twelve years ago, and I’ve come a long way in learning how to shape my body, my pain, my life experiences from the inside of the control panel of my mind. One of the biggest lessons I learned in there is that what you resist, persists. If you try to resist heartache, and stop it dead in it’s tracks, you will be killing yourself even more. If you try to push your body to stop an anxiety attack, you’ll explode. I used to force my lungs to breathe during an asthma attack- it only made me more dependant on inhalers. But what you embrace dissolves, what you watch disappears.

So, I have a new problem to keep me up at night. I have been watching this energy fester inside me like an energetic tumor. And of course, my first impulse is to bottle it down, pretend it doesn’t exist, ignore it. By the way, ignoring something is simply forcing it to not be there. Force will push back with greater force. So, once again I was making the problem bigger. How can I embrace this problem? I have to accept it, and allow whatever happens to happen. Of course, if there is anything practical I can do I will do it, but when things are beyond our control, we have to accept them. And now I am making my peace with it. I don’t fight the negative energy in my belly, I relax, accept, allow it to linger until it either tells me what to do next or it dissolves.

Our lesson is never in the problem itself, it is in how we handle and feel about the problem. We all react to problems with terror, stress and fear. The stronger that negative feeling, the more tightly you are holding on to a false belief, refusing to let go of something that you should have released a long time ago. I’ve let go of pretty much everything and everyone so far, so what else can I lose? My ego. I’m pretty sure that when there is nothing left to let go of, we have to let go of that old self that doesn’t serve us any longer.

There are other problems I have learned to let breeze past me, because through practice I allowed them to be, then watch them dissolve. Recently I was in a three car pileup, and my favorite thing I own, my car, got crushed. As the airbag exploded in my face, and grey dusty gas filled the cabin to choke me, I started to laugh. I imagined confetti burst out of the airbag, I giggled, and said to myself Okay, it is what it is.

The other driver observed that I am unusually cheerful for someone who just collided with her. The police officers laughed as I offered to pour them cocktails with all the vodka I had stored in my trunk, I even offered hors d’oeuvres I had prepared for a party that night. When the adjustor called the next day, he informed me that the damage could either be minimal or the car could be totaled. I said to him, if the damage is minimal, at least I’ll get a shiny new hood ornament for my car, and if it’s totaled, insurance will buy me a new one. I love how all those car parts that should have been replaced long ago have now been fixed for free. This situation could have been a serious problem, but I learned that in that split second of impending doom, if I embrace it and treat it light-heartedly, it will not feel like much of a problem.

How we survive a life crisis is simply about our reaction to it. What we resist persists. What we fight, will fight harder. What we struggle to contain will explode, and every single thing we try to grab a hold of to not let go, will seek to run away. I fought hard to keep that car for so many years, and the harder I fought the more it turned into a cancer in my life. The car was becoming a bigger and bigger problem. But, the moment I let it go, and became okay with losing it, the universe gave it back shinier than ever.

Embrace your problems, fall in love with them. Each is simply an opportunity to walk in a different direction. Recently a good friend was torturing herself because she had to face her family to tell them that she failed out of med school. They immigrated to this country just because of her schooling, and their entire future was riding on her. Imagine her terror. Then I asked her, how badly did you want to go to med school? She admitted, she had no interest in it at all. The school was sheer torture she endured for the sake of her family, ignoring her other talents. The longer she resisted informing her family, the faster she was inventing horrible scenarios in her head about her family being deported. She was creating more terror in her head and her body every day. Until one day she told them. And they were quite okay with it. Imagine her surprise when her mother admitted not knowing why she pushed herself to study something she didn’t like, when all along she knew her daughter was meant to be in a more creative field.

The faster you embrace a problem, the sooner you learn to change direction. And changing directions is so much easier when you don’t resist the signal. The problem isn’t torturing you, it is your reaction to the problem that is keeping you up at night and eating you alive. You are the reaction, you choose how to react. Just because you find yourself on the savannah with a lion staring at you, doesn’t mean you have to panic and run. You could stay calm, and pet the big kitty on the head. Been there, done that and it was an empowering experience.

Start with a small problem and decide how you will emotionally act toward it before your mind has a chance to overreact. Practice your reactions. Decide that if you ever encounter a lion you will not run, you will scratch the kitty under its neck. Decide if you ever get kicked out of school you will throw a party for yourself. Decide if you ever lose your home, your loved one, your prized possession you will love something or someone else even more.

Your power is in welcoming problems as each an every one of them serves you. The bigger the problem, and the more ease you embrace it with, the more fearless you become. And yes, each of my problems is me, each is shaping my identity, and helping uncover new trails on my life’s path. People wonder if I’m crazy when I crack jokes at funerals, pour cocktails for police officers at the crash scene, and send all my exes nothing but love energy after a breakup. I’ve simply learned to ease the blow by managing my reactions and balancing my energies through stressful times. And each time, I feel much better for it.

S

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Goddess, Know Thyself

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Why do I do what I do? When we don’t understand our own behavior, it is because we don’t know ourselves. If we have bad habits, obsessions, compulsions, and we allow them to drive us, we are letting them be bigger than we are. Basically, we are saying it is beyond our control, the drive is stronger than we are, it takes over and we have no choice in the matter. Why did I text him a dozen times? Why do I obsess about that man? Why do I refuse to let go? Why do I fall into the mind games? Why am I attracted to men who don’t want me? Believe me, there is a good answer, you are just choosing to ignore it.

It is uncomfortable to look within. We all love to believe in our shine, our power and our light, but looking within forces us to see that not so polished side, the weaknesses, and everything we are lacking. Some of us look anyway, so that we can discover our weaknesses, admit them, then make peace and release. Others cannot bear to look, because those blemishes challenge the ego. The admission that one is weak, dependant, longing, or in desperate need, contradicts this image we have so carefully crafted. What if this veneer of all-knowingness cracks, and they all start to see the real me, the flawed me, the not so peaceful, non-shiny me? Can I stand that?

But a Goddess learns from knowing herself. All those inadequacies must be exposed, brought to light, dealt with and released. A Goddess is not a woman who is absolutely flawless, it is the woman who is deeply flawed, and absolutely at peace with each and every one of her imperfections. Only when we are perfectly comfortable with ourselves and our imperfections, are we able to withstand the pressure, the criticisms, the judgments of others, and be unfazed by them. Perfection is the veneer of a narcissist. Absolute confidence in those imperfections, and owning them is the mark of a Goddess.

People will test your self-perception, and it is their prerogative to do so. We all want to know if the human we are dealing with is who they claim to be. People often test my character, and I have no problem with that. I know who I am, and I’m always sure they’ll break their wrist trying to punch me, and I graciously invite them to give it their best shot. When they blame me because their wrist is broken, I offer sympathy and a bandage.

If we are offended by people who try to test us, it is because we are not that which we claim to be. Recall that old boss who throws a tantrum any time someone challenges his authority? That woman who is offended when asked about her age? That macho male who starts posturing every time he is close to being exposed for having no manhood at all? They are all people who are uncomfortable with their truth.

My advice is to become comfortable with those monsters hiding under your bed. Accept all your flaws, failings, imperfections, because there is no greater power than being perfectly confident in the face of judgment. I am who I am and I love that. I write about my imperfections, failings and share them with anyone who is willing to hear, because that truth people try to use against me, is the source of my power. You will never succeed using it against me. The more anyone rubs them in my face, the more proudly I admit them.

Recently, at a party I openly told a man who was pestering me and who was claiming I am uninterested because I only pay attention to men with money, that the real reason I’m not interested is because he is unsleepable. Yes, I said it in front of his friends. Why? Because it is the truth. He was physically unattractive and his personality objectionable, and I didn’t want to allow him to use my disinterest to create a self-aggrandizing delusion- that the only reason he isn’t wanted is because he isn’t a millionaire. So I chipped his veneer with my manicured finger, and of course he combusted in rage. I didn’t flinch, I stayed calm while he threw a tantrum loud enough to make himself feel like a man.

When his support team gathered around him, he felt comfortable enough to start calling me names. I was called every insult known to woman in front of a bar full of people. Did I object? Nope. Do I crumble just because a little guy with a Napoleon Complex tries hurling insults at me? Nope, in fact I moved in closer to him to make him aware of my height. The angrier he got, the more at peace I felt. I was smiling as he was foaming at the mouth. Pretty soon, other people in the bar picked up on my comfort, and they all started to smile, then chuckle too. There he was flailing his arms, and here I was sipping my Veuve Clicquot enjoying his performance.

Pretty soon he ran out of steam, simply because he had no effect on me. I did not need the physical nor emotional support of anyone in the bar. I never let people defend me, nor speak on my behalf. I am perfectly comfortable with myself, and if you pick a fight I’ll let you, then watch you corner yourself.

But when he got no sympathy from other bar patrons, and when he saw that I wasn’t going anywhere, in fact I was standing closer and more comfortably in his presence, he had nowhere to go. He started to back out of the argument he was having by himself. His wing men were fidgeting and slowly turning away. The dozen four letter words he hurled at me had no effect at all, I was very much at ease with myself.

Now what? Sometimes, when a man isn’t too much of a fool, he can cut his loss and walk away. And other times, he uses that defeat as proof that he is a gentleman, pats himself on the back, and labels himself a ‘real man’. Either way, he is none of my business.

My point is that unless you are 100% comfortable with who you are and with each and every one of your flaws, people will succeed 100% of the time in tearing you down. You will find yourself stepping down from your pedestal to defend yourself, and they will gloat in the satisfaction of seeing that you are no Goddess at all. Why give it to them?

Never complain, never explain. Never apologize for your imperfections, and never demand that critics apologize for their words. Asking people to take back their words so that you can feel okay is defeat. When you ask for them to take back their truth, you are begging for mercy. Let them have their words and their opinions. Make them own their words. You’ll see that most people cannot even uphold the beliefs that they have, they will easily trade them to gain your favor. Your power is in being comfortable with whoever you are.

All women are judged, Goddesses are very much at ease with the judgment. Often we laugh as they hurl insults. How small they look from up here.

S

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Can You Handle Rejection Like A Sane Adult?

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

This pattern of making all the effort, pushing and prodding relationships forward is not leading you toward love, it is you pushing lovers to give you what they have no interest in giving you.

Are you incapable of seeing, or are you ignoring signs that he or she isn’t interested? Is he or she being nice, participating in conversation and smiling, and you are taking their politeness as proof they are into you, while ignoring that they are not making any effort to start a relationship with you? Do you come up with excuses or scenarios in your head for why he or she isn’t making any moves? Chances are that you have come this far in your mental scenario because you refused to accept rejection. Once you have created an entire story in your head for why this person isn’t making any effort to be with you, and you start believing it, you have deleted rejection from being a possible explanation. The relationship is now a fabrication that you have repeated a thousand times in your head, you may have even convinced your friends or your therapist that it is real.

There may have been a little spark during that initial conversation. You may have felt something, the other could have felt it too. But relationships don’t manifest into existence until both parties verbally agree, physically and emotionally start building something together. Your over-focus on the idea that he or she felt the spark too, is helping you grow a delusion. You are ignoring the fact that the other isn’t participating in building a future with you.

The main reason men and women can’t accept rejection is low self esteem. They take rejection very personally, and it feels like a deep emotional wound. They don’t want to feel it. And when rejection does happen, as it happens to every human on the planet, they react to it like a child projecting their anger and frustration onto the other person as if the rejector is somehow evil, malicious, a player, a user, a manipulator. The fault is with the other person, and the rejected is the one who has been wronged.

An emotionally healthy grown up would accept inaction as evidence that there is no interest from the other person. Even when rejection isn’t blatantly obvious, healthy people take the lack of phone calls, the lack of participation, the lack of effort as a clue. Sure, rejection hurts all of us. But healthy people don’t believe that their own interest is enough to create a connection, instead they would gauge whether the other is making an equal effort as well. A healthy person would be able to reason without creating false scenarios in their head, without accusing the rejector of wrongdoing. They don’t believe they are owed interest from anyone, and can accept when they are not wanted. They would rather feel the pain and discomfort, than create a delusion.

Please understand that you are hurting yourself when you create those false scenarios in your head. You are hurting yourself when you start waiting for him or her to respond, when you start waiting for his or her situation to change, when you start waiting for them to participate.

Here is a scenario that I see all the time, which leads to the pursuer getting emotionally pummeled when they realize they have been pushing for something the other person never wanted.

In this case a woman started making advances toward a man who was making no effort at all, and created a physical relationship when no emotional connection existed. From day one, she was sure he was the one because he smiled, because she was sure he was feeling it too, and because she felt some sort of a spiritual, psychic bond. She could read him and felt his energy matched hers, therefore he was the one. So she waited, but he made no effort at all. Months passed and still no effort was made, so she started to pursue him.

He wasn’t calling so she started texting. He wasn’t making effort so she started advancing the situation forward. He was nice, never blatantly rejected her, showed up when she asked him out for coffee, then a drink, then dinner, and each time he was nice and polite, but still disengaged. She started making “we” plans, taking him to BBQs, group dates and introduced him to her friends. Once the relationship got physical, she had all the evidence she needed that he was the one, she only had to push him and prod him a little to remind him that she is owed a text now and then, and that it would be nice if he remembered it’s their one month anniversary, and that it would be nice if he actually took the lead and made a plan to go out too.

If you are the only one advancing, it is because the other is not interested. Some rejectors are nice people with feelings, and we smile, respond to questions, accept invitations, and might even accept free sex if you are offering it. Some people won’t blatantly reject you when they see you cannot handle rejection, instead they will withhold any effort. If you do all the work, and you eventually offer sex, can you blame them for taking it?

I happen to be a big fan of direct, often blatant communication, so I will spell it out for a man when I am not interest. No thanks to the drink because no, I am not interested. No thanks to a date, because I am not interested. No reply to the messages because I am not interested. You would be amazed by how some people continue to push the relationship forward despite my blatant use of the word No. On the other hand, a lot of feelings get hurt, and when the rejected cannot handle it, I get called by all kinds of names for openly stating my disinterest. I am okay with that because I would rather be clear than polite and risk misinterpretation of a reluctant yes for feelings I never expressed.

You can create a false relationship if you force the other to keep responding politely. If you keep pestering them to call you, if you keep demanding their attention or their acknowledgement, if you start accusing them of anything, people will give you polite attention but still remain disinterested. Many people don’t realize that they are pushing the relationship forward and creating a situation where they are giving themselves while the other person is just taking what is given. Is that their fault? No. You demand phone calls and frequent texts, so the other is obliging. You are referring to him as illmanered, cold, rude, for not making effort, so again they are obliging. You are demanding that your needs be met, and since they have empathy, they are doing their best to throw you a bone without entering what you have already deemed as a relationship.

In this scenario, the man was not invested and he was taking what she give him for free, until he met the woman he actually wanted. Guess what happened next. As soon as he met the woman he was interested in, he pursued her actively. It’s like someone turned the power button on in his head and he was in full pursuit mode. Once he found her, he started disengaging from the girl who pursued him rather quickly. His slate needed to be clear in order to accommodate the woman he was truly interested in, otherwise, he knew she would not accept his half-assed advances. He began clearing up his calendar, his social media page, deleting photos, making sure nothing could be misinterpreted by the woman he valued. He was suddenly available, proactive, and was taking initiative. Action means I am interested. Inaction means I have no desire to make effort toward something I don’t want.

Admittedly, I do this too. When I am interested in a man, I clean things up. There are no photos of random men on my profile that could be misinterpreted for an ex or a boy toy. I clearly introduce the males in my life as “friends” to make sure he doesn’t get the wrong idea. My home contains no evidence, you won’t find that spare toothbrush nor a man’s deodorant in my bathroom. I wouldn’t do that to a person I respect and want as my own.

When I am genuinely interested I make effort too. I say Yes, Thank You, I’d Love To! I don’t just show up, I participate actively and return texts promptly. We all have skeletons in our closet, meaningless flings, boys we think of as toys. They get deleted right away. When I truly have an interest in someone, there’s no chance of a stray text from a nobody interrupting my date. I am present, I am available, I am communicating, and I am here.

So, may people both men and women fabricate relationships in their heads, then pursue them without the active participation of the other. Sometimes those imaginary relationships stay in the state of waiting for something to begin, and the waiting period can last for years. Other times, one party keeps pushing, keeps offering sex, attention, home-cooked meals, just to prod this along to the next relationship status.

If you can’t take rejection you are setting yourself up for an emotional meltdown. You can’t force someone to be interested in you. It is absolutely against the laws of nature and the universe. You might persuade them to sleep with you, to keep you around while they look for someone better, but their interest will always remain low. They will always take whatever you are giving, but remain disengaged.

Nice people don’t want to blatantly reject you, instead they stay passive, and demonstrate lack of effort. They don’t want to hurt your feelings, so they show you they are not advancing. If you can’t take those clues as evidence of disinterest, you will end up in either a mental prison constructed all by yourself, or superficial, sex-only relationships where the person is not giving you what you want for a good reason. If a person is passive about a relationship, they are not into the relationship, and they are definitely not into you.

One of the most common arguments I hear from people who are in these imaginary relationships is that grand delusion “I know he has feelings for me. I just know that when we spoke he felt something too. I know he has a heart somewhere in there, but he is bottling up his feelings because he had a hard childhood”. The rejected becomes a psychoanalyst and starts using evidence that the other isn’t interested as a diagnosis. To avoid pain, the rejected devote themselves as a therapist to heal the rejector from the rejection. “If he is incapable of actively participating in this relationship, then I must heal him from that inability”.

This grand delusion that the rejector is somehow sick actually soothes the rejected from facing their own feelings. Rejection hurts and some people would rather avoid any signs of pain than face them head-on. You can spot emotional criples up front, when people talk about their relationships in terms of avoiding pain. Their only motive is always to avoid the painful truth.

But the reality is that rejection is a normal part of life. We all learn about rejection and how to deal with it on the playground. We learn to accept that they are people in this world who do not want us, and they are okay. They are not evil for not wanting us. They are just people who are entitled to their preferences, and entitled to pursuing their own dreams of love. It is okay if we don’t fit into their lives. We accept that and we move on.

No one owes you a relationship, and no one owes you interest. Just because you do all the work, does not mean the other owes you their heart, their body, their soul. If you are pushing forward and investing to create a false sense of interest from the other person, you might delude yourself into thinking you are building a relationship. No, the relationship can only be built on a strong foundation of both people expressing an interest, both making equal effort, and both showing up with evidence.

If you always feel like you are the one making all the effort in relationships, please take a step back. Do yourself a favor and invest in therapy. This pattern of pushing and prodding relationships forward is not leading you toward love, it is you pushing people to give you what they have no interest in giving you. You might be fooling yourself into thinking that this one-way effort is love, because giving can feel loving, when in fact you are clearly expressing a lack of self-love and a lack of self-respect. You are forcing the other into participating in something that isn’t there. And you are making their disinterest into a crime, when they really don’t owe it to you to be interested.

Eventually, the friend whose situation I mentioned above got a harsh slap in her face, when she found out that there was someone else that this man was interested in. She could not understand why he couldn’t be honest with her, when in fact she left him no room for honesty. She blocked any possibility of it not being a genuine relationship, ignored all evidence, made it impossible for him to speak openly, because she created a scenario where she was giving, pushing, prodding, and he could only deliver exactly what was asked of him or risk hurting her feelings.

In my opinion, rejection is a wonderful thing. It is that sign from the universe that this person or a situation is a definite No. I love hearing the word No, because it gives me a different direction to go in. Healthy people don’t force yeses out of nos, instead they make a new start and set a course toward someone who is clearly articulating the word yes.

I also love saying the word No, repeating it, and I exercise clarity and bluntness with men because I am empathic and conscientious, and I hate hurting people. Being polite and feigning interest simply to manage the other person’s feelings is morally wrong to me. Why should I have to feign interest so the other can feel good about themselves? Why should I give myself so the other can feel like they are succeeding with me? It feels awful to me to be a part of someone’s false scenario when I can openly say no thanks to that first drink, and save myself the frustration and discomfort of having to talk them out of continuously offering me more later.

But if you read relationship related media, you might notice that we are all being instructed to coddle people’s feelings, and to in fact, send mixed signals to remain in the game. A lot of women still believe and vehemently defend accepting a drink from a man they are not interested in, because it is the polite thing to do, whereas I will say No upfront so that there is no misinterpretation of my feelings later. And a lot of men are instructed to make women feel good, pay compliments, and gently back off without hurting her feelings. This leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation. You must accept the fact that we all accept phone numbers because it is the polite thing to do. You can’t then make people responsible for calling you.

Of course, the blunt, direct friend that I am, I will always tell you exactly what I think. And most of the time I tell both male and female friends that truth that I think they are refusing to see. I am that person who will point out that you are not in a relationship, that what you believe is a relationship is just a fantasy that you created in your head, and that if you keep living in that fantasy, you will get hurt.

Personally, I am a fan of the truth. I would always rather know exactly where I stand, and when relationships become ambiguous, unclear and confusing, I always take a step back. If the other person isn’t answering my questions as clearly as I am able to comprehend, I take a time-out to get re-centered. Ambiguity means that this relationship equation does not add up. An important factor is wrong or missing.

I tend to gravitate toward people who love full openness and clarity as much as I do. I value the blunt answers, the uncomfortable truths, the direct communication. Clarity is a turn on. To me, 2+2 must always equal 4, and that is the only correct answer in my book. When something doesn’t add up, I am not in a relationship. I’m a big girl, I can accept that. I make no excuses for why the other person can’t do math. If they are not capable of making the equation add up to an even number, I won’t help them with a skill they should have learned in first grade.

Rejection is a good and healthy thing. We should all drink a healthy dose of rejection every day. We must learn to accept the pain so that we can learn how to properly deal with it. It is important for all of us to learn to accept it without combusting into a hot fiery mess every time someone has hurt our feelings. And when it does happen, we have to acknowledge that pain serves an important purpose. It’s your brain warning you as clearly as humanly possible No, No, No, back off, don’t touch the hot stove, don’t put that into your mouth, don’t create that false scenario in your head. If you ignore rejection, it will kill you later. And whose fault will it be? You guessed it.

S

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We Love At Our Own Level Of Consciousness

Posted on April 26, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

We all leave relationships because we are not being loved the way we want to be loved. The kind of love I dream of, is not being given by the other person. It’s not his fault, he has his own paradigm for love. And we all owe it only to ourselves to find exactly the kind of love we want. If we are settling for less, that’s our own choice. Some people are too afraid of what might be out there, and will accept less simply because they have found a sure thing. To each her own.

But the kind of relationships we keep experiencing and the kind of love we receive reflect who we are on our current level of self-development and awareness, and the kind of love we give depends on our current level of consciousness. People with extremely limiting beliefs will experience only relationships that fit within certain parameters. People of lower consciousness will almost certainly choose certainty, and the higher they evolve through life circumstance, experience and their need to survive, the more likely they are to shed ideas which do not serve them. Traditionalists tend to be married to status quo, and are over-focused on preservation of their love-view, rather than experience terrifying change.

The more conscious a person is the less they have a fixed attitude on any subject. Fixations, regardless of whether they are religious, political, or social, tend to keeps us anchored to a place, and a lot of people believe in growing roots deep into the ground and staying fixed permanently in place, rather than giving themselves the freedom to spread their wings and fly. They tend to hang onto things and people, rather than encouraging them to expand, explore, and choose for themselves.

The most conscious people are more ephemeral, flexible, fluid, and intuitive. They have accepted and mastered change, and perceive life’s difficulties as opportunities to grow. In fact, growth is key to ultimate life’s experience, so they embrace uncomfortable change knowing that it will expand them. Conscious people believe in personal freedom, and love without boundaries. They understand that pure love is without condition, and so they don’t impose conditions on their loved ones.

Where an unconscious person might dole out love in equal measure for what is being given to them, a conscious person loves everyone no matter what. An unconscious human might barter love for some peace of mind and security, a conscious person would love even if nothing was being given in return. The unconscious love in order to be provided for, the conscious know that love cannot be traded, and that is absolutely free and unlimited.

How is love free? Each of us is capable of producing the feeling of love in our own hearts on our own. No one owns that feeling. Who or what you love is just an object toward which you direct that feeling. If that person doesn’t love you back, you are still able to produce and maintain that feeling of love, regardless of what they do. It is your prerogative. When less conscious people attempt to trade love for marriage, they assume that they are able to take that feeling of love from their hearts and give that feeling to the other in exchange for a contract. But the other cannot feel their feelings, nor can he/she ever know if that feeling is genuine. In essence they have traded loyalty and a promise in exchange for something tangible.

A conscious person knows that love is not in the object, it is within us. When the object leaves, we are still capable of producing and enjoying that feeling of love as we wish. Just because I give love to one person, doesn’t mean that I have less love for the next. Just because someone is gone, doesn’t mean that I have to rip the feeling of love out of my heart and bleed. I can love anyway. In fact, I love all my exes and am grateful for all the beautiful experiences.

I used to complain that my narcissistic codependent parents could not love me the way I loved them back. Like any child I was ungrateful for what they offered. I didn’t want the boarding schools, my own car, the trips around the world, I wanted them to acknowledge me and my special being, and make me feel as such. They didn’t. All they could do was produce those things that all traditional parents are instructed to do: guidance, lessons, manners, obedience and an education. Did they owe me more? As much as I wished I could get love out of them, I now know they didn’t owe it to me. Each loved on the level of their own consciousness. Their marriage was traditional, stable, codependent, difficult, and they accomplished exactly what they were expected: a home, two children, a business, some nice cars, and a comfortable retirement.

Even as a child I knew I was capable of a greater kind of love, so I practiced it anyway. Regardless of how they treated me or what they did to each other, I knew my love would be greater than that. My first marriage was an example of that. Though at 26 I was not nearly as self-aware nor awake as I am today, I still was able to produce a more conscious love than my parents thought was possible. And since my divorce, I produced even more love with every subsequent person. That’s not because the person is better or that he provides me with more love, it is because I am more conscious of what love is.

I am more capable of staying in that feeling of love regardless of my circumstances, and am able to hold onto it better when my lovers act in ways that do not please me. They don’t have to please me, I am always being pleased anyway.

But there is such a thing as egotistical consciousness, the idea that we are so highly enlightened that anyone who does not obey or follow us, must be far less conscious than we are. Beware of the egos, the narcissists, the far-from-conscious. They all want to teach or sell you something. We all tend to look at our lovers with a critical eye and accuse them of being less conscious than we are if they are not pleasing us in ways we want to be pleased. If he or she is not reflecting back to us the person we think we are, that is not their fault. We are all mirrors, and can only reflect back what we see.

The world is changing, and always for the better. In my lifetime there has been a huge shift in what love and relationships are and I am very pleased with that. The institution of marriage is failing, not because people no longer value love, but because they are less dependant on contracts. We all still love, perhaps even more so. Back when we were allotted one spouse to last us a lifetime we could only love one person. Today, we all love multiple people, and with each lover, if we are able to let go, produce more and more and more love. We are also allowed all different kinds of love that were not acceptable only thirty years ago. Today interracial love is normal, gay love is accepted, and society is adjusting to accommodate all sorts of new ways to love. Sure, there are complainers, but we manage to love anyway.

The fact is that all that consciousness is, is pure love. Can you love your enemy? Can you love that toxic, abusive, good-for-nothing ex? Can you love that person who refuses to love you back? Can you love that politician who is taking away your rights? Can you love that idiot who refuses to see you are correct? Well, then you have a lot of work to do on yourself. The good news is that the work on the self never ends and you have a lifetime to learn how to love purely. The good news is that if you fail, and you sure will a few times, there is no shortage of love nor lovers in this world who will be willing to give you a try. Practice makes perfect, and the world is full of beautiful people who also enjoy the practice.

By the way, how can you claim to love purely when you don’t enjoy they experience of failing at love? Isn’t that a contradiction? We all know people who are afraid of getting hurt, afraid of getting soiled by more experience, afraid of the agony of letting go. Can you imagine what kind of concept of love they hold in their hearts?

It is okay to love people regardless of what kind of love they can give you. It may not be okay to marry them, because marriage is in essence a transaction, a tit for tat. But, if you truly want to expand your consciousness, practice loving all that is unlovable. Yes, even your wretched mother-in-law 🙂 . Sure, it is challenging to love a person of lower consciousness knowing that we will never be able to meet their expectations. They want, they need, they require and they will always be asking for more evidence of what they think is love, when all we can give them is pure love. If loving them is enjoyable, don’t feel guilty for sharing your experience with them at all. Once it starts to feel like a drag, like they are asking for objects, contracts, promises, behavior modification, therapy or various sorts of evidence, you are free to spread your love elsewhere.

Just like god, love is everywhere. In fact, they are synonymous. Can anyone own god? Then how can they own a fully conscious being? A fully conscious being is one with the universe, like an oxygen molecule is part of the atmosphere, it is all there is.

If you want to experience a greater type of love, then free yourself. All that is great is not chained in place, nor bound to you. All that is great is free to grow, welcome to explore, easy to love, sometimes even fleeting. Love is in that moment that you experienced it, not in what you got out of it. Love is never in the other person, it is always inside of you.

We love at our own level of consciousness. How great a love you receive depends on how great a love you are capable of.

S

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Limitless- The Power of My Meditating Mind

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

You came into this world with one purpose only, to experience life beautifully. What is beautiful to you, is yours to decide. What is beautiful to me may be unacceptable to many people, but I pursue life’s ultimate experiences as I desire. I struggled to make my desires acceptable for years.

Yes, when I decided to get out there and experience men in all their glory, I heard a lot of criticism, especially from people with degrees in psychiatry. She is hurting herself, self-sabotaging, disrespecting herself, she needs help. On the contrary, honoring yourself with whatever your heart’s desire is the mark of a Goddess. With that comes the awareness and acceptance that yes, mistakes will be made, unfavorable situations will be experienced, and pain will be felt. In fact, I did it all for the experience to learn about myself, find my missing boundaries, learn how to regrow a heart, assess my mistakes and reposition myself into a wiser, stronger, more powerful woman.

In fact, experience is our only teacher. Good or bad, we need both types of lessons. My inner strength and wisdom came mostly from the painful experiences, less from the good ones. I was willing to hit rock bottom multiple times, to learn how to maintain balance.

Are there experiences in your life you always wished but never felt worthy? Have you been bottling up that curiosity because if they find out, you’d be shamed or judged for it? When I was sad and married, I gave myself permission to have an affair. I desired it, and needed it, and made a conscious effort to attain that. I also set the intention that I would not feel guilty, I will not judge myself, and if it wrecked my marriage I would fully accept the consequences. It didn’t wreck my marriage, it improved it. I am not recommending you go out there and cheat, I do recommend you start honoring your heart’s desires because you came into this world to live fully and exceptionally.

Have you forgotten what it feels like to feel alive? Not just lifelike, but totally wired, in awe of life’s ultimate experiences, that moment when trees start talking, energy starts gushing through your body, and your entire day feels like a giant orgasm. To live in permanent ecstasy is not a drug-induced state. In fact it is the opposite. It can only be a self-induced state, because the power isn’t in the chemical with limited properties and potential, it is in yourself and your awareness of the infinite. When you produce that state at will, with your mind as the only tool, you become one with all there is. When Salvador Dali said “I don’t need drugs, I am drugs” this is exactly what he meant.

We humans live within the boundaries we created in our own heads. Enter any new situation, and we already have a pre-determined paradigm for it. Our idea of What Can I Be? usually falls within the boundaries of what degree do I have? Our idea of what can I have, usually falls within the boundaries of what will they offer me? As if earning more, taking more, and achieving more is dependant on other people.

What do I want to experience in life? Everything outside my ever widening parameters. No matter what area of my life, I want that which is disapproved, illogical, imprudent and always shifting. I learned long ago that life’s ultimate experiences lie on the other side of fear. Machiavelli instructed “Fear Nothing”, and this is a quote I thoroughly live by. Fear is just a feeling we are afraid to feel. Nothing more. Allow yourself to feel it, become okay with the discomfort, then watch fear disappear like magic.

In fact, my ability to master my mind and overcome fear as well as a thousand other disabilities has freed me from what I had become. In my earlier version 2.0, I was a boxed in, people-approved, good daughter, banker and wife. That was all I thought I could be. I feared the life outside this program because everything I had was comfortable. Had you told me that I could become a v.3.0, I would have said no thanks, I’m good, I have everything I need. Had my program not crashed beyond recovery, I never would have had to start recoding myself again, build a new paradigm, and create a new reality.

My v.3.0 was a failure. I programmed it with fear. I experienced doom from the earlier crash, and armed with knowledge of loss, anxiety, panic, fear and hopelessness I made a glitchy program that would abort every time I tried to start it. Did I let it go? Nope, I insisted it would work if I learned to live with it. It was ugly. My mid thirties were a hideous, toxic mess of life’s ultimate mistakes. But is there really such a thing as a mistake? No, just experience.

Here I am staring proudly at me, v.4.0. I am still far from perfect, but very proud of me. I am clear, I am free, I am unlimited, I am constantly changing because I have accepted every version of me. Pain is a thing of the past because I realized it is only a choice. Fear is a foreign concept because whatever I accept and let go, I master.

What I experience now is who I am now. In connection with my beingness, I am everything. Every experience I want to feel is mine without guilt, without fear, without consequence. Once you become okay with all consequence, all potentials of loss disappear. What is loss? Just a feeling, just a perception, just a state of self-judgment.

In that limitless state, am I capable of honoring other people, relationships, and ideas? Absolutely, as long as they all honor me. I am incapable of honoring anything which dishonors me. I am so hyper-aware of all that I am, that all that falls short of the state of permanent bliss is a dishonor. Who or whatever reaches me up at this level can stay, and I will honor it profusely.

But what about people who can’t reach that high? How can you leave them behind? I can aid them better from up here. They don’t have to want to climb, in fact they can stay in a state of whatever suits them. But if and when they decide to climb, I will always guide them up, not through concerted effort, but through resonance. If who I am resonates with you, you will always find me.

So, what state are you in? There are many words for the state. I don’t want to put a label on it because some people will be offended by its size, or confuse the word with a false sense of grandiosity or ego. I call this my Goddess-state because when I first reached it prophetic visions flooded my mind. I began to see with different eyes, eyes I always had but were never open. I began to perceive beyond this projection we call reality. Suddenly energy was readable, my cells could talk, my mind was a receiver and I could see through people, situations and global events. Nothing was as it seemed, everything had a connection to its origin.

There are symbols in world cultures that were meant to be understood by only those whose eyes are open. Suddenly, I could read them, understand them and know that there are no conspiracies, there is just resonance between those who need no language to speak. In fact, I know what level of consciousness a person is on, simply by their attitude toward that which lays hidden from them. Some know their access to it, others will always resent it.

Resonance is how most of us communicate on a deeper, meaningful level. You don’t need to reach your higher self, you will always resonate with those who are exactly on your frequency. Those people you feel a spark with are the ones on your level. So study them, and you will know exactly how far you need to go and in which direction.

Make no mistake, when I am in my Goddess state, I am God, and nothing less. That is what it feels like to be here, utterly limitless. It takes some mastery to stay here for extended periods of time, and there are in fact very few people resonating at this level. It can get pretty lonely here, but I stay because it feels awesome.

What can I do in this state? I easily see through people, their motives, global events. I can sense the stock market and sense how it feels. I feel people’s pain and know the origins of their diseases. I have even been able to cure a few with mere words. When I am up here I understand all there is. In fact, I have perfect clarity.

A reader recently wrote me that she can tell when I am writing from my Goddess state, or when I am communicating as a mortal. My words flow more smoothly, I am in touch with all there is and I deliver exactly what needs to be said, exactly to who needs to hear it. Everyone else sees only words on paper and hears only gibberish.

I have had experiences where I meet a complete stranger, and in a matter of minutes deliver exactly that knowledge that they need to help them with their work. I was at a lecture listening to a researcher speak passionately about a subject I previously knew nothing about. She was beaming with excitement, knowing very well that what she was proposing fell far outside the parameters of what was accepted by her peers. But I knew she was on the right track, her theory was almost complete, if only she could prove it. As she continued talking I could see the missing pieces were directly under her nose. They stood out on the screen like glowing X-rays, she just didn’t see or know the significance of them.

Will she think I’m crazy? My advice has nothing to do with her profession. At the end of the lecture, I asked for her card then told her I’d contact her to invite her to an event I was hosting. Weeks later she was still on my mind, especially her seemingly preposterous idea she was trying to prove. But I had all her answers so I started writing whatever was flowing through me. I must have written a six page letter, and I linked all her missing pieces to information proven in other fields completely unrelated to hers, and I hit send. Somehow I knew that even if she thought it was useless, on some level she will understand how all the pieces fit her theory. I just connected her dots. Then next morning, she called me at 7am to ask for permission to publish my words exactly as they flowed out of me. She claimed there was no other way for her to reconnect the dots in her own words and have them make the same sense. Of course, the words were meant for her.

This state some call limitless, is available to all of us. We all are born from it, and we come to this world perfectly connected to all there is. It isn’t a state available to only a few who know the secret hand shake to get in, and it isn’t meant to be hidden away from you. In fact, this state is right above your nose, so to speak. It resides in your own mind, and your access is only denied if you purposely block yourself from it, with your unwillingness to explore and become comfortable with your mind. You cannot buy a certificate of completion and claim to possess it, and you cannot earn it by following life’s rules. In fact, if you do that, you will be permanently blocked from it.

Aside from meditating and becoming comfortable with my own mind, I was also shedding fears, stepping outside my own boundaries, and learning to do exactly those things I was always warned not to do. It is exactly there that you start to lose your attachment to social constructs. They are just illusions upon illusion of rights and wrongs, false morality that serves others but not you, pressures to conform and join the sleeping masses, be normal.

There are very few people living outside the boundaries they constructed for themselves. You might not recognize them, but they are the ones laughing in the face of extreme danger and doing it anyway. No, they are not addicted to the rush of doing something stupid, they are doing it because they are aware of their limitlessness. Those super achievers, the renegades who stop at nothing until they prove the unprovable, are the ones who are awake, and truly living life. Ideas flow to them with ease because they are in their God-mind, and are totally owning it.

When they are not exceeding their own expectations, they are busy enjoying that chocolate sampler I call life. What they enjoy is totally up to them, they earned the right to shape their own reality through mastery of their own minds, and experience the best that life has to offer on their own terms. Have you noticed that they never apologize for what they have, and never regret a single thing?

In fact, that is the Goddess Principles motto: No apologies, no regrets.

S

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Letting Go Is Easy, If You Are Truly Letting Go

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

What are you still holding on to? Letting go is probably the most powerful lesson I learned in my life, and we are all aware of some things we should be letting go of. What surprised me the most is the discovery of the thousands of life’s circumstances that I have still not released because I was not even aware I was carrying them with me. I discovered those false beliefs, people, issues in meditation and thankfully have been releasing them one by one.

Many of those things I was holding onto, I have been stuck on since childhood, so imagine my surprise when I discovered they are now an accepted part of my life. In the process of letting go, don’t analyze the past problem (that will make it worse), don’t blame other people, simply acknowledge you are stuck on that person, event, or false belief, understand how it no longer serves you, then release. Releasing past energies has been like peeling an onion. In daily meditation, I discover old energies that don’t feel good, and I now understand how holding onto them has been making me sick, but worse, attracting repeated situations and patterns. Releasing them has freed me up, and I actually see movement in my life.

There are things we are aware of, and things we are not aware of that we are holding from the past. Self-awareness is the most important aspect of being a goddess. Regardless of whether you meditate, it is a humbling experience to recognize how we shape our own life, and how we choose to hang onto things. Every time I have let go of something big, I assumed it would be painful. But release actually feels good, empowering, and like a burden has been lifted off. We fear letting go, but fear is only an illusion. Every release was a blessing.

People often criticize me for letting go with ease. It is assumed that if a woman walks away easily, she must be cold, uncaring, heartless. We are expected to suffer through it, and if we don’t, there must be something wrong with us. On the contrary, most friends and people who know me openly say that I am the most caring friend they have ever had. I am not cold, I have had more practice letting go than most people, and have resolved a long time ago to make letting go a lifelong commitment.

One of the toughest blocks to the letting go process is the assumption that it will hurt. And yes, it can hurt if we don’t understand that just because we have broken up with a person, we haven’t actually let go of anything. Often, we remove the person from our experience, but their energy lingers. And the issue that we think we broke up with remains in our life. For example, if the relationship was toxic, we tend to hang onto that toxicity long after the person has walked out the door. Well, the pain is not only in the missing person, it is in the remaining toxicity. The longer you dwell on the toxicity of the failed relationship, the longer that toxic energy will hurt you. So, the pain is in the unresolved conflict, the lingering issue, and the more we focus on what went wrong in the relationship, or what was wrong with him or her, the longer we remain stuck

To release the energy requires some practice. The more you practice letting go and resolve to become committed to it, the easier it becomes. I meditate as a daily practice and have been doing so for twelve years. It is how I have learned to get a grip on my mind, hold it sill and become aware of energy. I now see energy and read it. If you are not aware of energy, you can still make letting go an easier process.

Understand that the value of any relationship is not in the person, it is in the experience. A person is just an entity that is no longer present. The experience of the relationship, how it felt, how it altered your self-perception, the impact it had on your soul and your psyche is very much still present. And how you perceive that impact has everything to do with how you deal with the loss, and whether you allow it to fester. In fact, you decide whether you are going to be the victim or the victor, whether you view the circumstance with a positive or negative outlook, and whether you blame the other person or fully accept the responsibility for being in the situation.

I always accept responsibility for everything that happens, because I alone create my reality. It may seem that certain things are beyond my control. The painful car accident, the death of a family member, or an illness, seem like things we have no control over. We do. I am not going to go into how or why we choose those situations, that is a topic for a future post. We do decide how we perceive those incidents, and we chose how we process those emotions.

Long ago in my self-awareness practice I resolved to become more adept at letting go, and to master it. I learned to let go of all relationships that do not serve me, not just those meaningless flings, but those people I have been bound to since the beginning of my life. Each time I learned that the pain was not in the person, it was in the perceived loss. With practice I realized that the actual person was not the problem, it was my commitment to the toxic issue that was keeping me stuck.

I was committed to many toxic beliefs and circumstances such as fear, victimhood, suffocating in relationships, the horrible feelings of being controlled by others. Those beliefs turned into anxiety and panic attacks to which I became committed to even more. The anxiety continued and my fear of suffocation by overbearing people turned into asthma, an actual disease that feels just like suffocation. Can you see the parallels? I then became committed to asthma, because I was on a quest to beat the shit out of the disease with steroids. Fifteen years later I was a victim of inhalers which I was sure were going to kill me, the horrible side-effects which I became even more aware of, and the panic and desperation of having to deal with new ailments.

Years later, when that suffocating relationship ended, I was meditating, and somehow that past experience popped in my head. I became aware of my lungs and the slow oncoming feeling of wheezing and suffocation. As my lungs became tighter, I became aware of the energy in my chest. Long before the struggle to breathe started, I was already aware of what suffocation would feel like. Hmm? My awareness of suffocation preceded what my lungs were doing. So first came my recollection of the relationship, then my awareness of what suffocation feels like, and only then did my lungs respond. Could it be that simple? My lungs are responding to how I am feeling emotionally every time my brain pulls up the past issues of that relationship.

But when did I have my first asthma attack? The very first time I remember experiencing suffocation was shortly after I moved in with my now ex-husband. I was young, in my early twenties, and living with a man I was very much in love with. We were planning a wedding, and back then I wasn’t nearly as self-aware as I am now, so I had no tools to understand what was really happening. My doctor blamed the asthma on allergies, but prior to that day I was never allergic to anything in my life. Suddenly I was allergic to 12 different things and found myself with a growing dependence on steroids to breathe.

When was the last time I had an asthma attack? It started to disappear when I started to mentally and emotionally let go of people who were suffocating me, like my abusive in-laws, and when I let go of my commitment to maintaining a marriage that no longer served me. I became okay with the marriage not working out, I became okay with letting go of the love of my life, I became okay with moving on and creating a life on my own terms. As soon as I let go of being stuck on people who were killing my spirit, draining my energy, sucking the life out of me, I started to breathe and no longer needed the inhalers. To be fully honest, I was practicing both Ayurveda and meditation at the time, and both definitely helped. But I have never had an asthma attack since 2009, when I finally decided to let go.

Oddly, today I am super sensitive to the energy of control. How do I know when I am talking to a controller, a manipulator, or in a situation where my hands are slowly being tied? I feel it in my chest, my heart chakra tightens up. And if I ignore that warning, I start to wheeze, that feeling of suffocation now alerts me this is not a situation that I should be in. So, I walk away. Today, walking away is easy because I am aware of that release we all feel when something that was blocking us, not letting us breathe, is finally gone.

But what were the consequences of not letting go for all those years? Obviously I developed a disease which mimicked the emotional symptoms I was experiencing. But also, by being attached to the suffering I was experiencing in my relationship, I actually carried that energy with me for years. I was projecting it into other relationships, and wondering why am I always finding myself in situations with other controllers. Every single person in my life from family members, best friends, bosses and lovers was a control freak. By remaining stuck on the issue of control and victimhood, I became a magnet to more situations where I was being controlled. This plagued me for decades.

Though being controlled had plagued me most of my life, I refused to accept it. Instead I became committed to releasing it forever. I became aware of the people and situations that made me feel powerless and said goodbye to all of them. I said good-bye to my own father. Do you think that was easy? As painful as we all know that is, I decided to do it anyway because I am not willing to be controlled by invisible demons for the rest of my life.

But, what happened next was astounding. I was terrified of what might happen when I sever my relationship with him. He threatened me many times. He even threatened to destroy my relationships with other family members I loved the most. I walked away anyway.

But, as soon as I honored that commitment to myself, and walked away from him, I felt release. I felt free, I felt powerful, I felt like I can finally breathe. What I expected was the excruciating pain of loss, instead I felt freedom, immense love, relief.

How did the separation from my ex-husband feel? In the weeks leading up to the separation, I felt depressed, anxiety, nightly panic attacks. But, the day he moved the last box out of our home, I felt clear. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know what a beautiful feeling clarity can be. The home was mine (not legally, but spiritually) and I was now free to decide how my life was going to be.

Each time I focused on the impending doom of loss, I was overcome by fear and panic. But when I got the courage to finally let go, I felt nothing but peace. Once it’s over, we are all free.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is never the other person, it is the experience that we truly must let go of. Just because he or she is gone, doesn’t mean you are now healthy. What you truly must let go of is that energy of the relationship, the stress that it was causing you, and whatever pain you felt while experiencing it. That is the actual disease we often carry with us, which if not released will become real. For me, I had to let go of the feeling of being manipulated by others, the feeling of panic when another controller starts messing with me, the anger I feel when I notice someone else unjustly controlled, the powerlessness I feel when I sense my options are running out. Those feelings are the essence of the toxicity, and if you don’t release that essence of the relationship, you will drag it with you into every future relationship.

If you have ever wondered why relationships and circumstance keep repeating themselves, this is why. You have probably been dragging a lifetime of relationships behind you and laying them on the table of every new person in your life. Your baggage and their baggage combined are a chemical reaction that will just explode and spill toxic sludge all over the new situation. There is no fresh start, when you are still feeling old energies. There is nothing to do but to let go of your baggage. If you don’t let it go, new relationships will be worse than the old ones. This is what it means to release karma- release the energy or the essence of the relationship, release the pain or the suffering, and thus you release the karmic tie.

This is why I never allow exes, old friends, old circumstances back into my life. If you allow an ex to remain as a friend, even if it is a good person, the energy of your relationship stays. Whatever wasn’t working in your relationship as lovers will fester now in your relationship as friends. Let them go. Keeping a controlling ex in my life, only keeps me aware of being controlled, so I will always attract more situations like that. Let him loose!

Energy is more contagious than ebola. Long after the body is dead, the virus lives and invades your future experiences. Rather than worry about the pain of letting go, understand that sometimes you must chop off a limb to survive. In my last relationship, I had to drink poison to kill the virus. It took more time to recover my Self from the energy drain than ever before. Just because I cut the person out of my life, didn’t mean that I was free. I was mentally stuck on every problem we created together. I knew if I don’t disconnect and let go of what killed that relationship, I was going to kill the next one with the same virus. Sometimes you have to burn the body to prevent the virus from spreading.

So, to let go easily, we have to let go of the actual experience of that relationship. Each experience is just an energy. The pain in your heart is an energy. You can soften your heart by focusing on love. If you can’t love your tormentor, love your pet instead. Direct your focus away from the painful situation, to anything that feels like love and your heart will soften. Direct your commitment to pain and suffering onto new experiences that feel like well-being like exercise, travel, meditation, whatever makes you happy. Commit to staying focused on the new, and turn your back on the past. The past never came back to anyone, so what is the value of turning back?

My usual practice is to start every new ending with a new beginning. I delete all physical evidence of the ex. I give away every gift, every article of clothing, every photo. You might think you would like to save the memory, but once that photo has been deleted, the essence of the person and the problem, goes away with it too. I guarantee you will never miss it, you simply expect to miss it.

Next, I block all energy portals between me and that person. Social media is an access point through which a pining lover can still send you energy. You might not think he or she is checking up on you, but any time we look at anyone’s profile, we send them energy. You know how his Like or careless comment on an old post triggers an emotion from you? That emotion is your energetic connection to him. It is alive and well, and if you are struggling to release old energies, you must block all windows to your soul. Again, the thought of doing that is more painful than the actual act.

Whatever was the essence of that relationship, you must not fester in it. If it is a repeating pattern for you, it continues because you have turned that repeating relationship issue into a lifestyle. By experiencing it over and over, you have become it, just as I had once become a victim of controllers. I was angry about being controlled all my life, until I forgave them and decided to not be focused on being a victim of control. I focused my attention on new and better things.

It is perfectly normal to mourn the loss of a relationship. Give yourself a little time, but make sure to set a deadline for ending the mourning period. When my father died, a Hindu pandit conducted the ceremony. He said that depending on a family’s caste, the family is allowed a specific mourning period. The highest castes are assumed to be the most enlightened or most experienced, therefore the shortest mourning time is allowed to them. We had twelve days during which we were allowed privacy and encouraged to have solitude. During this time we were not to share our grief with people outside our home, to avoid spreading bad feelings and energies to others. We were allowed to talk about the deceased, but not in a negative way. Regardless of how I felt about my father, I was not going to spread my negative feelings to other family members. They had different experiences with him, and I respected that.

At the end of the twelve day period, we were to come out of mourning and stay committed only to good memories. The grief was to be replaced by healing. It worked. I allowed myself twelve days of rage, anger, and tears in private. I actually didn’t need the twelve days because on the first night after he passed, my dad was holding my hand and sending me loving energy. In that moment I understood the nature of our relationship and its purpose.

All those horribly painful experiences we had, we created them together. He wasn’t the only monster, we tormented each other- we were each others’ demons. But there was a purpose to this karmic tie. This man was my life’s lesson. Everything I am is because of him. I am resilience, I am a fighter, I am fearless because at a very young age I learned how to stand up to the strongest man I ever knew in my life. My biggest tormentor was my dad, and once I learned how to fight the world’s toughest man, and kill him with my words, I realized that no one can mess with me. After my dad, no one ever has succeeded in keeping me bound. I walk away easily from everything. He was my biggest lesson about letting go, and the day I walked away from him, I acquired my superpower. I owe everything to him.

All relationships are simply lessons. You can learn them or you can repeat them over and over again until you do learn them. If situations keep repeating it is because you haven’t learned your lesson. Want a better lover, a better job, a better life? Learn to release your karmic ties, learn to let go of old beliefs, stale energies, and people who you think you need, but actually are keeping you stuck. It’s not that you can’t live without that old friend or family member, it is that you are not alive with them. The fear of loss is far greater than the actual loss. The release is the most empowering feeling of one’s life.

S

Posted in Blog | 3 Comments

Starving Cowboys and Tired Angels

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

When your heart is in someone else’s plans, they perceive you as that missing piece of their puzzle. You are the solution to their years of searching. You are the key to their completion. They see you as the answer to their prayers, the end of their loneliness, the antidote to their misery. You become their goal. The one thing that must be attained, in order for them to feel sustained.

Society calls this love, but I don’t think it’s true. That cowboy who needs you to become a willing participant in his plan is just a wanter. He is hungry, and knows very well that an angel like you could make many men feel satisfied. If it was love, it would feel different. If it was true love, it would be mutual, if it was pure, there’d be no hunger to satisfy. You, the prize, is wanted by others, so to protect their prize, they must secure a deal. Every wanting human will use the best tools they have to secure you. Ugly old men use money, pretty women use looks, smart humans use their exceptional wits, the sly use their cunningness. Wanting humans manipulate, trade emotions, play mind games, run to make you chase them, disappear to create the illusion of being the wanted. There’s always a ploy, a dance, a mating game.

They teach us to play the game. There are rule books, experts on the subject, even courses you can take to learn how to outwit a shiny angel, stalk them, pounce, bring them down, bite into their neck and suffocate. Once the hunted stops twitching, it can’t run away, so the hungry feel secure. They call it love, and they insist its true. After all, they caught you, surrounded and captured you, they won the prize, and they earned the right to parade the trophy. They have validation, but do they have you?

They say time and attention are all it takes to capture an angel. But only the starving have time and attention galore. They have nothing else. It is the full people, the angels, the ones with a soul and a pulse who won’t trade their life for someone else. We are food for the starving.

So many times, my heart was part of someone else’s plans, and I too blind to see how neatly I fit into their future. They all love my mind, my depth, my soul, and they want a piece of it. As if it is possible to actually own it. As if it is possible for my life to be theirs. They just want to be the possessors of something shinier than the other cowboys can wrestle down to the ground. A bigger prize. Only the biggest prize will prove the dimwitted cowboy is a man.

How many times have I escaped the grip of a starving cowboy? I’ve lost count. How many times have I wished for an angel, fallen for an illusion, only to find I’ve been captured and put on display for other cowboys to see.? Somehow I manage to escape, but It always ends the same.

I’d rather love a dog, than its master. A dog has a soul, the master just feeds off the creature’s undying love and attention. The master can only provide food and basic sustenance to keep it alive. The dog can’t go anywhere. There’s a chain around its neck. They admire its loyalty. They call that love too.

Are there others out there who know how to love? I’m sure. But right now I’m tired, and I need to rest. A empty cowboy tapped into my soul and drained it again. I’m weak and I need to retreat. Only solitude, nature and silence can restore me. Out there in the wilderness, where no one dares to fall asleep is where I find peace. Trees talk, water calms me, and the wild beasts protect me.

By now I have so many scars on my face I no longer look like much of an angel. In front of most cowboys, I refuse to glow. I turn my light switch off, so they can’t see me. I’d rather they think I’m an empty vessel than a warm blooded human. I study people for a long time before I show who I am. Unless they have a soul too, they are not worth standing next to. Dimwitted cowboys, starving cowgirls, the hungry, the zombies, the soulless. Everyone’s the same.

S

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Transactional vs. Intuitive Dating

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Have you ever been frustrated trying to explain to a person why you are not interested in them, or why they just don’t do it for you? Have you been irritated by someone who cannot intuitively tell there is no mutual attraction, because they are overfocused on facts like: they are interested, they are qualified, they are eligible therefore they are owed a chance past the qualifying round? Have you ever been in a relationship with a person who is so goal oriented, that the relationship meets their agenda, and you feel like they are checking off relationship milestones off a progress report?

We met each others’ friends, we were photographed together, both of us posted pics of “us” online, so Yay! We are now a We! One person is beaming with the feeling of accomplishment, while the other is wondering “How did I become a we?” I was nice, invited them out, smiled for the camera, and somehow that earned me a we status. Ugh. This feels so uncomfortable. How do I back out of this?

We’ve all seen the photos, one is beaming with pride, they actually have a person, while the other is looking a bit stiff, uncomfortable, wondering “who might misinterpret this photo, and get the wrong idea”? One person is counting the days until they see the other change their relationship status to something that will make them feel validated, while the other is avoiding social media, acting too aloof to notice the expectation. Been there, done that some many times, that I’ve reached the point of never having my photo taken with anyone, other than a group of friends.

As I listen to friends complain about this emotional mismatch, and their frustration trying to explain to people that just because I check off all the items on your relationship list doesn’t mean I have to be interested, I see there is a huge gap in how people relate to others and how they perceive relationships. For some, a relationship is an exchange of words, agreement, commitment, building of a foundation, while for others, it is a feeling. Some people want to make a relationship, while others feel their way, and gravitate towards others. I tend to gravitate towards people who feel awesome to me, so no matter how great a nice guy is, there is nothing he can do to demonstrate he is the one. As long as I am floating elsewhere, he is not the one.

A lot of my closest friends are intuitive, therefore will not be convinced when someone is trying to make their case for a relationship. Words don’t work, and no matter how much evidence you provide to make your case, I will still ignore it to follow my bliss. I happen to be a highly logical person, so evidence and facts turn me on in business, debate, math and science. But, in relationships, there is no logic. No one has ever managed to talk me into one. Either I am very attracted, or I am not. There is nothing anyone can do to change that.

I observed that there are two types of people with drastically different approaches to relating to others. I call them the transactional daters vs. intuitive relaters. For best results, the two should never mix. When they try, it is always an explosive argument where one is trying to beat a dead horse trying to convince the other why it should be a relationship, while the other is trying to explain “you don’t feel like my person”.

He: How do you know?

Me: I am not sparkling when I’m with you.

He: But I can make you sparkle? Give me a chance!

Me: I can’t. You don’t feel right.

He: WTF, I got what it takes! I have a job, I have hair, I have a luxury car, and assets.

Me: But, I don’t need those things. I just want a person who matches my shine.

It is a waste of time trying to explain to a cardboard cutout, that his eyes will never shine enough. But the good news for him is that the world is full women who aren’t looking for sparkle nor shine. Armed with checklists, agendas, and solid credentials, they totally qualify for others who meet their requirements in terms of seriousness, willingness, and commitment to making something happen.

It’s quite amusing to watch two drastically different people try to relate to each other. It’s like an Excel spreadsheet is trying to work with Photoshop, and no matter how elaborate or impressive the equation, Photoshop will still insist it isn’t pretty enough.

Transactional daters tend to barter feelings for actions and vice versa. They are always looking to quantify a relationship. They are constantly asking “Where is this relationship leading to? What does this mean? What is our current status? What is the goal? They expect to put in effort, hard work, and to demonstrate their intentions in exchange for proof that they are on the right track. “We have been committed to each other for a year, so I have now earned a ring”. They put in the effort, so they are owed a reward. When their effort doesn’t pay off, when there is no return on investment, they have been cheated. They gave X, the other person gave X-Y, and now they are owed the difference. They also perceive dating more traditionally, they follow relationship scripts to a tee, to ensure they are qualifying on all counts, and constantly checking if they missed something. When their partner has the flu, they show up with chicken soup and the meds because that’s what a good partner is expected to do.

Intuitive relaters believe in chemistry, attraction, magnetism, and tend to feel people out. I am more likely to ponder How did I feel talking to him? Did I laugh when I was with him? Did it feel easy? Did he get my stupid joke? He smells like mine, I think he’s for me. He could be an acrobat or a lion tamer, a devil or a complete lunatic, I don’t care. If he is beaming as much as I am, he is for me. Intuitives aren’t looking for a love that can be quantified, they are looking to match on feelings, fun, excitement, nerdiness, dorkiness, laughter and mind-bogglingness.

Once, I failed to provide the expected flu meds to an ailing ex, and I got an earful. I went out while he was sniffly, came home with a pocketful of stolen party hors d’oeuvres, and the sicko was not pleased. I’m not sure what I was guilty of, but there were expectations and I did not meet them. I tried to compensate with my homemade Ayrvedic herbal concoction guaranteed to unclog the stuffiest nose, but he would not have it. I failed to act like a proper girlfriend while he was suffering, and my attempt at showering him with a pocket full of buffet nibbles plus a hundred kisses fell short. Afterwards, during my post sickness evaluation period, I was given a list of expectations that I failed to meet which was proof to him that I did not love him.

So I said: “Okay, since I don’t love you the way you expect to be loved, and am pretty sure I’ll never be able to fill you up with the quantity of love you require, let’s break up.” I really meant it.

“No” he said “I don’t want to break up, I want you to try harder”.

Me: “I can’t try harder. This is who I am. This is who I always be. If this isn’t enough for you, then you owe it to yourself to find someone who will coddle you more”.

He: “No. You are perfect. I will lower my expectations”.

The following week, his expectations plummeted, and he was thrilled, because with low expectations, now I was exceeding them. To transactional people, exceeding expectations means: We are headed down that road toward co-habitating bliss. They perceive everything like an If/Then equation, which is a geometric proof, or inductive reasoning based on examples and on data from previous or similar relationship events. An If/Then equation works like this: If she exceeds my expectations, she must really love me, then we will take the next step and move in together.

Imagine my surprise, when next week he showed up with three even stacks of shirts, pants and underwear to store in my closet. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t quite understand where he was going with this. The following week, there were cosmetics, accessories and leisurewear parked in my closet. Now, I was getting concerned. There was a giant motorcycle competing for space in my cramped parking spot, my walk-in closet was no longer walkable, and he was talking about weddings in the Caribbean, where they are much more casual and affordable. Hmmm?

Baby, what’s happening in your brain? Are you adding things up in your Excel spreadsheet, that I am not picking up? This doesn’t feel sparkly to me.

Two people with drastically different brains trying to make sense of a relationship. To him, it was all starting to add up to a marriage, to me that sparkly feeling was fading, my light was getting more dim, because I didn’t understand why I love him, but feel like the world is flat. Here, most relationship experts would urge you to improve your communication skills, go over expectations and deliverables, evaluate if you’re still on the same relationship page. I’m no good at talking, I’m better at smelling whether it’s a flower or a rat.

My flower was starting to wilt, and having picked dozens of them, I understood there is nothing I can do to revive a flower that was already losing its petals. I could water it, talk to it, give it more sunshine, but it no longer smelled intoxicating. In fact, I was starting to see the other side of this relationship, the equation. He had goals for me, goals I wasn’t aware of. I was just thrilled to be with him, but he had relationship milestones, check lists, and a clipboard full of To-do lists, and items to verify.

Where do I fit in? Item #1, Identify proper girlfriend. Item #2. Assess qualifications. Item #3. Perform Cost-Benefit Analysis. Pass. I was in love with a cardboard cutout. The beautiful person was there, the hugs were warm, there was a ton of affection, so much that I was wondering if this human was real or just an illusion. The heart was ticking, there was a pulse, he made beautiful smiles, but he did not produce authentic feelings. He did everything right, never messed up once. But he had no sparkle, and he carried a clipboard. On it were lists of relationship statuses accomplished, and things yet to do. And suddenly, I had no interest in doing any of them. He did everything right as a boyfriend, the flowers, the romantic dinners, the adventures, fixing my broken cabinets, the daily calls, all the right words, the good-nights. But the feeling was hollow. A beautiful human, making all the right gestures, laying a solid foundation with bricks, to build a fortress.

Where was the love? He said he loved me a thousand times, but what he was loving was how well I fit his equation. I was a perfect match, therefore I was love to him. I met all his needs, checked off all his boxes, therefore no other woman scored higher than me. I was an A+ in his book, a solid Yes, therefore I was The One.

But when a person is adding line items in a spreadsheet, there will always be people who score higher. Someone will always be more agreeable, more compromising, more giving, more productive than me. When someone else scores higher to a transactional dater, will that person then be The One?

Transactional people are always measuring, calculating, projecting, moving toward a goal. Intuitive people like me, refuse to be anyone’s goal, and if you mark me as your target, I will move out of the way to make sure you miss. I don’t want to be gotten, I don’t want to be acquired, and how dare you think you have the right to score. When I sense that I am someone’s relationship target, and I use senses most humans aren’t even aware of, I dim my light so they cannot see me. I tune out, avert eye-contact, turn into a grey-rock, make myself uninteresting. They will go away sooner or later, or just plain give up.

Unfortunately, to most transactionists, this is a clear signal to try even harder. Something has gone wrong, their target has moved, and now they must reassess and reposition, and try even harder. No. No matter what you do, I will still not be your target. If you see me as your prize, the answer is already no.

Transactional people perceive relationships as a goal, something to strive for, achieved, worked hard for, negotiated, and finally bound by a contract. Intuitive people feel various shades of love. Some people’s love is dimmer than others’. Some loves feel heavy, burdensome, slow, while others are light, passionate, electric. Guess where I want to be?

Transactional people fantasize about unconditional love, yet will spell out for you all the conditions you must meet for them to give you love. You must be loyal, timely, committed, and demonstrate determination, compromise, and be willing to put up with their stuff , otherwise called “supporting”. If you walk away from a transactional dater, you are an asshole or a bitch, because they have pre-calculated how much they have put into a relationship, and if you fail to provide ROI, you have somehow cheated them out of their dream.

Intuitive people are can be more unconditional. No matter what you do, no matter where you are, no matter how much you change, and no matter how little you care, and unconditional person will love you anyway. Like a dog, they will give you endless love, regardless of whether you have gone on vacation for 2 weeks. They will give you just as much positive energy, and they tend to not be punishing. You are either with them or you are not. Unconditional people don’t play games. They don’t have to test their partner to see if he or she will disappoint them.

Tell a transactional person, I cannot marry you, and they will kill you with words. What do you mean, you owe me. I did this, this, and that for you. I suffered for you for a year. Tell an unconditional person, I cannot marry you, they’ll say Okay, I will love you anyway. And if you fall in love with someone else, that unconditional lover will love you so much that they will want the best for you, even if you didn’t choose them.

There is nothing that a transactional person can do to win the heart of an intuitive person. Intuitives will feel you out, and want you only if you feel as good as they do. Two people who have genuine chemistry are like an electric spark, the relationship is ON. As hard as they might try, there is nothing that a transactional person can do to turn the other on. They can list all their positive qualities in one column, and match them up to the qualities of the other, but they can never explain why the other person refuses to add up, or give them a relationship.

I met a nice transactional guy back in October. I gave him a pleasant conversation, and he got all excited. I was being nice, and all I wanted was some good conversation, nothing more. When he contacted me I said I wasn’t interested. Let’s be friends. He agreed, but then kept amping up his effort, upgrading the wine, increasing the value of his offers, trying harder, getting more creative, and we are now in April, and he still doesn’t understand that we are always going to be just friends. He is ignoring my words, because some dating manual told him that women want you to try harder, and that if you slay enough dragons, eventually she will see that you are a real prince, a real man, and you will win her over. All I know is that his light is dim, and he does not look or feel like my person. Recently when he found out that I went to a foreign movie screening with friends, he bought a book about Italian filmmakers, read it from cover to cover, and tried to impress me with the word Fellini.

Why do transactional people increase the effort when intuitive people fly away? I’ll never know, and am not trying to figure it out. But it is too much effort, best directed toward other transactional daters. Do I want effort? Sure, but only from that one man who is intoxicating and sparkly. I can’t explain it. No amount of effort will make me see you. I will notice the effort, but not the person.

Transactional people pain me, as I am sure I frustrate them. I simply do not want to be in their equation, and no matter how hard they try to win me over, I am always floating toward a shinier object. That is our nature. It is pointless to try to understand us, we are different programs. One is an .xls, the other a .psd format. We will never get each other.

S

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Relationships As Life’s Optimal Experiences

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Everybody is starving for relationships, or so it seems. Turn on your social media feed, and you’ll be bombarded by a hundred desperate posts about why the world today is so bad because good people can’t find a partner. ‘There must be something wrong with the world, if it is failing to provide me with a relationship. Men are awful because they won’t stay committed. Women are awful because now that have more choices, they refuse to settle for me. Nobody wants to settle down any more”. And so it goes.

A couple of months ago I was talking to a male friend, who expressed the same sentiment. He is probably one of the most amazing men I know, inside an out. If I tried to fix him up with someone, I would be reserved, because I wouldn’t want him to settle for anyone other than the most amazing woman I know. I think so highly of him, that I couldn’t bear seeing him with average.

This is a friend who has come far in life. He has worked hard to create a beautiful life for himself, spent decades evolving, growing, crashing, learning to walk again, and rising higher than ever. This is also one of the most authentic people I know. Though he is giving and generous, he is very respectful of his time, and won’t give it to anyone who drains him. He is extremely caring, open, wears his heart on his sleeve, and in terms of energy, he has more light than anyone I know. That makes him a magnet for people. All people, high and low are attracted to shiny objects, and he has so much positive energy that people compete to be in his company. So, like all of us he has had multiple relationships where he felt derailed, unfulfilled, lacking, and often drained. If a relationship partner is not enough to him or herself, he or she will be a negative drain on the healthier person. How much can a healthy person support and give to the unfulfilled one?

And thus, he has experienced dozens of unhealthy, sub-optimal relationships and experiences with partners who very much needed to be with him, but could not measure up on their own level of self-development. And when one person is unfulfilled, lacks an identity, or a purpose, they will often try to get that from the more complete partner. And thus the mind games begin, the emotional manipulation, the drama. A well meaning partner could destroy the entire relationship by viewing the other as their source of happiness or completion.

We all know the emotional and mental toll of being in an unequal or unfulfilling relationship. Unfortunately, the love industry tells us that it is proper to invest ourselves, work hard to maintain a balance between two emotionally unequal partners, give, build, toil, compromise, cut yourself down to their size, adjust, stand on our heads to make them happy, because according to love experts, that is what true love is. But relationships like that can make us sick. Been there, done that, so, no thanks.

I have been in relationships with angels, the sweetest most affectionate ones, and walked away feeling drained of my own soul. The process to recover your own soul, from the one who fed off it for some time is a long and painful one. How do you ask for your soul back, when the other gets their entire emotional and energetic wellbeing from it? Try to get it back, and they will fight you for it. Try to break up with a lover whose self is a mere reflection of you and they will strike back with a vengeance. They won’t go away until you promise to give them more you. While you are distancing yourself to survive, they are fighting back because they can’t exist without your energy.

So, be careful who you sleep with, be careful who you are in a relationship with, and be careful who you give your energy to, because there are unhealthy consequences to being with someone who hasn’t achieved their own optimal experience.

This brings me back to my friend, and my own circle of friends who are absolutely loving, kind, giving, and complete. When I look at the shiniest most sparkly people I know, I see that they are also the ones who are unwilling to compromise themselves and their souls to be in relationships. That compromise could be deadly, and giving one’s time and personal space to the unworthy can be a toxic and sickening experience. It just isn’t worth it.

Looking at all the relationships I have been in, and all the relationships my more enlightened friends have had, I see now why we cannot afford to compromise to be in a relationship. We all have achieved completion, through a hard process of self-development. How can we hand ourselves over to just anyone who demands to be with us? They may be well-intentioned, but being with anyone who has not found a self, who cannot relate to the process is mind numbing for some, and absolutely deadly for others.

But I also see that we have been sold a load of bullshit by the relationship industry, and experts in psychology. We are told that relationships are supposed to be an investment into the other person, and I strongly disagree. We are told that all that work, toil and compromise are good for the marriage, and I say that if a relationship feels like a drain, get as far away from it. Pretty soon that work will turn into a commitment of you giving yourself to a lost cause. That commitment will lead to a legal contract, to a lifetime of drudgery, when you suspected all along that love is supposed to feel different than this.

What should love be like? Love should feel like bliss, not an investment. Love should feel equal in attention, admiration, happiness, mutual respect, satisfaction. Love should light us up, not dim our glow. Love should be an optimal life experience. But how can it be that?

To live life optimally, each person must be in a state of completion. Of course, life is a process and no matter the situation, we are always expanding from it. But, each individual must reach that state. It happens at different rates for all of us. It happens through a variety of life’s experiences, embracing painful change, crashing and burning multiple times, willingness to be vulnerable and accept the inevitable pain that comes with it. It comes from facing one’s inner demons and making friends with them. It is in the knowingness of who you are as a person, flaws and all. It is in the acceptance that if this is all there is, then this is perfect, and admiring that perfection no matter what it looks like. Have you reached that state of inner knowingness, self-admiration, self-love?

It’s a tall order, and it takes a lifetime. And so my friend who is complete, and stands confidently in a place of self-appreciation feels that relationships with incomplete people are dissatisfying. I agree. Relating to people who have no inner-knowing is like relating to a cardboard cutout. He or she will never be enough.

So, looking at the most complete people I know, I see that people come easily into our lives. There is no shortage of people who want our company. But, there is a certain self awareness that makes us notice when the one standing in front of us is less than we are. This observation is not egotistical at all. It simply is an awareness of how other people’s energy and beingness relates to mine, and whether an interaction would awesome.

Love should never feel like an obligation, it should feel free. Whether you believe in commitment and marriage is besides the point. Do it if you are with a person who fills blissful to you, don’t do it if one can’t live without the other, that’s a sign that one’s being is feeding off the other. A relationship like that will never be fulfilling for both, one will always be giving, while the other taking. I think it was Buddha who said that we should love in such a way, so the other person should feel free. Never seek to capture a person, and tie him down to you. Would you tie a dog in chains, or trap a bird in a cage? We all know how cruel that is, so why do we do it to people we claim to love?

There are many levels of relationships for people at different levels of completion. Some will never understand what living optimally is, nor will they ever seek that experience. Traditional lifestyles where they relate to each other on the basis of who can trade what to whom may satisfy them.

But pure love, the kind that complete people enjoy is never a trap. And so my friend who has spent much of his life in a state of love, is always satisfied regardless of who is with him. I am certain that one day he too will meet a person with an equal radiance to his. Optimal love feels like a union between a drop of water and the sea, a speck of glow reuniting with the entire sun. It is bliss because neither partner takes anything away from the other, two equals are in union where they belong. At that point, there is nothing to negotiate. Those mundane aspects of a relationships; where should we live, what should we buy, how will we relate, are absolutely meaningless. Almost laughable. When light joins light, there is nothing but light. What else could possibly matter?

Seek light, be love, live optimally, and own every moment. It is yours. The person who reflects as much love as you have, is the one for you. That other person you feel obligated to, let them figure it out for themselves.

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Sexually Dissatisfied, But Silent

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

This discussion started among the Goddesses in the private forum, and quickly turned into a heated debate. One of us shared a news article about a woman who divorced a man who didn’t disclose to her he was impotent, then suffered through years of shaming and bullying by his family to remain silent on the issue to spare him the embarrassment. Another woman shared an opinion post about how women often submit to sex with a highly unattractive men for fear of negative repercussions of backing out. Sometimes it’s just easier to grin and bear it, than make a last minute escape.

This is something that has been on my mind for years. When a man is sexually dissatisfied he is perfectly entitled to find pleasure elsewhere. Not only will he seek it, he will make sure everyone is aware of his sexual conquest. Everyone must know that in demanding satisfaction, (no matter what the emotional pain is to his partner), he has just ordained himself a real man.

But what about the women? Are we allowed to voice our dissatisfaction? More often than not, the women stay silent. They might confide in a friend, they might seek therapy discretely, they might cry about it for years, but as soon as she tries to talk about it she is urged to stay quiet for a multitude of idiotic reasons: the marriage or relationship is more important than sex, there are other ways she could please herself, true love is not about sex, and the all too prevalent one, never hurt a man’s ego. In fact, most women are afraid of just that, his ego.

I know very well what happens when a man’s ego is bruised. I have done it all too many times, in the workplace, in my home, with platonic friends, and exes. Sometimes the consequences of bruising a man’s ego are mild, sometimes they are silent and deadly, and other times they are irreversible. Each time I spoke up against some injustice, exposed a coward, demanded fairness or proved him wrong there were consequences to my paycheck, my reputation, my job security. Not one time did my words go unpunished.

But most women are very familiar, some even experts on the subject of making a male feel like a man, even when he doesn’t have an inch of manhood to speak of. In fact most women are very adept at pushing his needs and satisfaction forward, while accepting mediocre sex, and ignoring his ineptitude as something that is just plain normal.

For how many centuries were women instructed that true love is not about sex, and to keep a man happy, she must forego her own needs? As I chat with older men and women, I am shocked that both sides agree that this is normal and how a man should be treated. The older a woman is, the greater the likelihood that she has been faking it since 1969, and the older a man is, the greater the likelihood that he feels entitled to the illusion. I have a lot of foreign friends who simply believe that verbally expressing sexual dissatisfaction, or asking for better sex is something only horrible women do.

Aside from bad relationship sex which comes with its own consequences, there is bad casual sex, which is probably even worse. Imagine discovering for the first time that the guy is too small. What do most women do? Most women are taught that once he is turned on, or his clothes are off, it is too late to back out. There are serious consequences to that. But what if what she sees is a total turn-off for her? What is the appropriate way for a woman to back out of this situation and still preserve her dignity?

At this point most people would blame the woman for being in this situation in the first place. Obviously, she is at fault for not taking more time before sex, leading a guy on, manipulating him in some way, and of course they think she is at fault if she backs out of it. Most women chose the less consequential option, and just close their eyes. At the end, he congratulates himself on a job well done, while her stomach turns.

I swore many years ago that I would never be in a sexually dissatisfying relationship again. I’d rather be single, than fake attraction to a man who can’t do anything for me. I have learned that there are consequences to not speaking up: emotional numbness, resentment, sexual frustration, but most of all, this kind of relationship does not honor me. I refuse to be there. I know many women suffering in silence, and it isn’t for a lack of trying.

Here are some common consequences to voicing dissatisfaction to an insecure man:

Violence, rage, conflict. We all know most women are just plain scared of it, and will do anything to avoid it.
Accusations like: “It’s not me, you are just frigid”. Deflecting blame and not accepting any responsibility for his performance, then convincing her it is her fault.
False rumors and fictitious stories are enough to scare a lot of women into silence.

This last example is all too common. I hear the stories on a regular basis. He was too unattractive for her to sleep with, he took her rejection like a gentleman, then offered her a ride home. The next day there are stories about her, and for some reason her colleagues believe she hooked up with a 300 pounder whom even a prostitute would reject. Everyone saw the nice guy offer her a ride, and everyone saw her get into his car, therefore his story must be true. This is how most women get bullied into silence. If this has ever happened to you, you know exactly how revolting this is. The men take it as a joke, nothing really happened, so what are you complaining about? The woman would rather face a firing squad that look the repulsive looser in the eye.

What’s truly unfortunate is that most men are overly confident about their sexual prowess. There are decent men out there who want to be better lovers, but they’ll never learn because women keep faking it. And there are douche-bags out there who give themselves an A+ for their 4” dick and post photos of every conquest online. How many women could be spared the horror of seeing him naked, if we only talked about it? Men are perfectly comfortable comparing our bra sizes in public, so why can’t they take the same dose of reality?

In my experience, the more boastful a man is about his masculinity, the more he is compensating for. This observation proves true each and every time. That guy, who refers to himself as a real man, pounds his chest and grunts like a gorilla, the one listing all his conquests, whose stories always conclude with him being the winner of a failed relationship, is the one who is overcompensating for something. He is publically patting himself on the back, acting like the man, while she is in silence, hoping he will lose her number sooner rather than later.

The best men I have ever met are the ones who have nothing to prove. Yes, that shy silent one who doesn’t assume he is a gift from god, that guy who politely asks for permission to take you on a date and actually makes an effort is the one who will be the most attentive in bed. The one who isn’t flashing a gold Rolex, the fancy sports car, or telling stories of dating super models, is the one who will assume that you are pleased or tell you to deal with it when you’re not.

But, so many males are confused about why they can’t find a partner. I remained friends with a guy who just couldn’t satisfy me in bed for a few months after the breakup. And I still could not tell him the real reason I had to let him go. Instead, I made up some lame excuse about other responsibilities, work, bullshit. Yes, he had other talents, most small guys have a menu of alternatives. But none of them worked. Yes, I could see he was trying to please me, which made him a really nice guy. And yes he was ready to commit way too soon. But there was absolutely nothing he could do for me, and this guy was totally unaware of how he stacked up compared to other men. He continued to pursue many women, and most would leave after that first interlude. I felt bad about him for years, but I could not bring myself to tell him the truth.

But the fact is that had he known what his actual problem was, he could have had a better estimation of what he could do for women. This was a very handsome, smart man, who like most guys who keep failing at the dating game developed some bad conclusions about women. He thought all women were just using him for sex, when in fact each would leave after the first experience. So, he started boasting about his conquests, even started cheating to be more of a man, making him less attractive to women who would have been willing to overlook his problem. Men get hurt just as much when they are not told the truth.

It isn’t fair. Women’s bodies are judged openly and it is normal to be rejected for being too fat, too skinny, no curves. But when men are unattractive, too small, or just plain repulsive, they are not allowed to know about it. And if we try to communicate it, most men refuse to believe it. Narcissism is all to prevalent among men, and many feel they are entitled to women who don’t find them attractive. One even asked me “Why do you need to be attracted to me?”

Perhaps, this call to be more open and honest with men about our sexual dissatisfaction could be the perfect screen to see whether a man is datable. It’s amazing what we can see in a person if we are willing to be objective and simply observe. Just by listening to him talk, you can hear if he is boasting, exaggerating, over-compensating. How does he truly feel about his ex? Does he proclaim himself to be the winner of that breakup? How does he handle even a hint of dissatisfaction from a woman? Does he think all women are bitches, whores, or out to get him? Trust me, how he sees women tells you exactly who you are dealing with. You don’t need to get to the bedroom to find out who he truly is.

Men are insecure, just like we are. Why give them credit for their manhood before they have actually proven it? Why treat him like a man, when no woman would agree? His exes aren’t crazy, and they’re not all out to get him, chances are most would rather forget about him. We give men way too much credit than most of them are worth.

There are very few men who can have this conversation without getting angry. The few who can, are the healthy men. They deserve applause for being able to approach the subject rationally. They ones who are interested in learning what they can do better are the ones we should treat like real men. They deserve the honor.

Times are changing and tables are slowly turning. I love how our generation has been willing to talk about all those subjects previous generations wouldn’t speak of. We have confronted every taboo topic, exposed it for what it truly is, and of course there are people who cannot handle it. But change is happening anyway, and it will work in the favor of the younger generation, like it or not. The more we talk about those subjects we swept under the carpet, the more likely we are to benefit from the outcomes.

By now I have been called all kinds of things. Where I used to cringe, cry and beat myself up for feeling their judgment, I now stand proudly confident in my own words. Each an every time I have faced a screaming, angry, threatening man, I learned that he is acting up because he can’t handle the truth. My words have hit a nerve, and he is reacting in rage. I let them stand there in their rage. I’d rather other women see for themselves how easy it is to expose a coward, and how much more power they have when they speak their truth.

No I don’t beat up men, judge them, nor shame them. Men are humans too, and most are looking for exactly the same things we are. Love, trust, honesty. But, when an emotionally unstable man tries to prove his masculinity at my expense, I don’t accept that, and I don’t let him get away with that. I know that the only way to prevent a false story, or bullying is to not pretend he is more of a man than he actually is. If you give a bully credit for his power, you empower him ever more. Expose him discreetly, and he wouldn’t bully anyone else. He’ll go crouch in the corner with his tail between his legs. But he won’t risk being exposed.

S

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Respect The Friend Zone

Posted on April 10, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

You are in my friend zone, because you are not sleepable. Yes, I know, I am in your friend zone, because you think I’m sleepable. Maybe you have a girlfriend right now, maybe you are soon to be divorced, but you think if we are hanging, I could be yours in the future. No. I hang out with you, because I see you as a friend. Just a friend.

I have never been interested in dating in my friend zone. In fact, the friend zone is for all those nice guys who 1) I have had a professional relationship with, and they are interesting enough to keep in my network 2) people I have been genuine friends with for a long time, 3) non-creepy men who are in my social circle, and above all 4) not attractive enough to hook up with and 5) not desirable enough to have a relationship with. If you are a nice guy, or if we share an intellectual interest, you are in my friend zone. Why? I like your mind, or I like your personality, I may even like your heart, but I have no interest in anything beyond a platonic connection. As cold as it sounds, you are in my friend zone because you are a No.

Guys always ask me, how do I get out of your friend zone? You don’t. You can stop being my friend, and I’ll always be okay with that, but there is nothing you can do to make yourself sleepable. If you distance yourself, hoping I will somehow find you more attractive outside the friend zone, you are being illogical. If you aren’t attractive here, why would you be more attractive way over there?

It happens often, and it is irritating to most women I know. That guy who has always been a friend is suddenly available, and he thinks his female friends want to be asked out on a date. But how do you think this looks from a woman’s perspective? You have been posing as a genuine friend for years because you thought you’d have a chance some day, but that makes you a fake friend. How do you think it feels to find out that the nice guy you have been sharing all your personal info with, has only been there for you all these years because he had ulterior motives? Was that a true friend?

In the last six weeks, this has happened to me three times. I am not upset to be losing a friend. By now, this has happened so many times, that I won’t shed a tear. In fact, I feel sorry for the guy. Each friend of many years, started dialing his contacts within hours after his breakup. Pathetic, to be calling his friends to see if they would be interested in dating them.

If I think a man is sleepable, or datable, or worthy of a relationship, the last thing I would do is call him a friend, hang out in ambiguity to see what happens, go on group dates, talk business, or ignore his IMs, There would be only one way to start anything, and that is on a clearly defined date.

A clearly defined date is one where one person asks the other person on a D.A.T.E. not an invitation to hang out sometime. If I sense we are hanging, you’re in the friend zone. If the invitation is ambiguous, it is not a date. If you invite me out to talk about potential business, and I actually showed up, it is because I am interested in business, not dating you. Regardless of what your intentions are, if you don’t have the balls to ask me out on an actual date, nor the balls to take rejection, it is not a date. I might suspect you are trying something, but I will not qualify it as a date.

Over the years, I have found myself in many sickening situations that in no way qualified as a date. Most women I know have been in bad situations where she thinks it is a job interview or a business lunch, only to find out he has ulterior motives. Or that old college buddy you have too many drinks with, and after ten years of friendship he decides he is going to take his chances. Gross. Or the friend’s ex, who thinks that now he lost one woman, he can date her friends.

There is nothing worse than thinking you have a friend, only to find out that he is no friend at all. It dishonors our friendship, and reeks of desperation. Over the years a few of my closest male friends had developed feelings for me. Those friendships ended quickly, and not one of those guys won me over. Many of them were friends while I was in other romantic relationships, and were simply waiting for me to be free.

If a man is attractive both physically and intellectually, if I feel genuine chemistry and attraction, the last thing I would do is put him in the friend zone. He may be unavailable, he may be unattainable, he may even be impossible, and I am okay with admiring him from afar or never having him at all. It really doesn’t matter if I think of him as a hookup, a relationship, or marriage material, if he is attractive enough for me to want to date, I’ll make sure there’s no confusion.

I recently took an informal poll on the Goddesses private forum. Only 1 out of 19 women who responded said she would be open to dating a man who previously dated one of her friends. Personally, I wouldn’t touch him. Unless of course he was drop dead gorgeous, young and hot, in which case I’d make sure I am never seen in public with him J

The same goes for dating a close friend. Most women have that guy friend they tell everything to. That friend she goes to when she needs a male perspective on a relationship, the guy she shares all those strories she wouldn’t dare share with anyone else. Yes, that nice guy with a huge heart, is the one she’d like to fix up with a nice girl. He would be a great catch, but not for her. If you are that guy, we truly appreciate your friendship, but if you want more we will never be able to give it to you. It must be a painful position to be in, but you owe it to yourself to remove yourself from it.

All joking aside, accidents and hookups happen. But do you really want to be that person waiting and hoping that one day your friend will see you as anything other than a friend? Personally, I’d rather know clearly where I stand with someone, even if I have to accept rejection. Ambiguity is torture for both parties and almost always leads to confusion and crossed signals.

But there is a logical reason for the friend zone. It means I see you as a friend. It means, you are in the safe zone where I don’t have to worry that you will try anything, and we can hang out, talk, build a genuine friendship with no ulterior motives. Who is in my friend zone? Every nice guy I know whom I don’t feel attracted to. You can stop being my friend, but my disinterest will never change. Like Seinfeld said, 99.9% people on this planet are unsleepable. I have never hooked up with someone I don’t find attractive, so this isn’t something you earn by patiently waiting in the friend zone.

Respect the friend zone.

S

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The Price of Being a Goddess

Posted on April 9, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Being a Goddess is costly. The higher she rises, the more respect a Goddess commands, the more uncomfortable some people are around her. An interesting observation is that my most Goddesslike friends, are the women who totally rule, speak their mind freely, unapologetically, and make no excuses for themselves. These women are the most highly criticized, talked about, rumors are flying everywhere, but when you get to know the actual woman, she is deeply loving, caring, fair, and just. What is it about them that makes some people uncomfortable? It’s not just that some are uncomfortable, I have seen men and women combust in rage, when her light exposes their darkness.

Men know instinctively, she is not to be messed with, and they also know instinctively whether they measure up. That causes some to push her buttons, test her boundaries, play games, just to test if she really is all that. Healthy men see her as an equal whether she dates them or not. They can respect her as a friend, a co-worker, and can be open and vulnerable with her. They know she doesn’t play games, mess with their emotions, and their feelings are always safe with her. Unhealthy men, will see if they can break her down, and when they can’t, they project their own insecurities onto her.

Women too are afraid because they see how easily she commands respect from their men. Most women are uncomfortable when the man they are fighting so hard for, bows easily to another woman. The more comfortable the Goddess is with her place, the less she gives a damn what people say. And one thing is for sure, where there is a Goddess, there are disgruntled, insecure, self-righteous critics around her.

It was obvious from the start that a lot of people had a problems with what I was saying about women, relationships, sex, dating and careers from the start. I found my power at a young age, and it always worked for me. The more comfortable I felt in my own skin, and spoke up, the more people had something to say about me, and it wasn’t always flattering.

It was also obvious that my words truly resonated with some, gave them a fresh perspective, and liberated a lot of men and women from relationship rules, traditional gender roles, and freed them from constrictive expectations. My first critics were women, my first fans and supporters were men. What I was suggesting was that women should find their personal power, approach relationships from a place of self-respect and personal pride, and disengage from men who don’t respect them. Rather than wage wars to snag a husband or strive to please a man, why not invest in herself and build some self-esteem instead?

Despite the snickers from a lot of female friends, guess who they came to when they needed a shoulder to cry on? My practical advice worked for many women, not because I believed in playing tricks to get men to respond like a trained dog, but because I understand men as humans who have the same emotional needs as we do. If you can’t approach a relationship with complete respect for the human you are dealing with, and allow him the same consideration you want for yourself, then the problem is you, not him.

I have always had a ton of attention from men, some wanted, but mostly unwanted. For me, men come in two categories, respectful and deeply insecure. Sure, I fascinate a lot of them without even trying. But every man sees me as a shiny object, something to attained, possessed then paraded around town like a trophy, so I say No to most of them. When they are respectful, healthy, self-aware, they are okay with it, and we develop a good friendship. When they can’t handle the rejection, they fabricate fiction with only one kind of conclusion: they are the victor, the real man, too much of a man for me to handle, and I, some four letter word from the back of the dictionary.

As I meet more and more Goddesses from our private network, I see that the more strong and unapologetic they are, the more likely they are to be under attack. There are stories and rumors about all of us. Somehow we manage to steal men who we aren’t even trying to get, and bruise egos of guys who take rejection as an opportunity to show who’s the man. The less we engage with drama, attention-seekers, and cat-fights, and the more we become comfortable speaking our truth, the more respect we get from our equals. Some people have a problem with that.

Inadvertently I get a lot of respect from men females are competing for. I view them as a platonic friend, nothing more, someone to exchange ideas with. Most of them like the way I think, and whether they agree or disagree, they like the fact that I always stand my ground, back up my ideas with facts, and never bend my position to please them. While the girls are swarming around him like flies on shit, I own his attention. The harder they try, the less I care. While they are stalking his social media profile, trying to figure out what party he will show up at next, the fuller my inbox is with requests for a drink or a chat. This isn’t because I am trying to steal someone’s man, it is because I am not trying at all.

But, this ability to connect genuinely with everyone comes at a price. Like I said, I see men as humans, not some prize to attain. While most women approach men with an agenda, I see all as a potential friend. If I like his mind and how it operates, I’ll make him a friend in 30 seconds or less. I am rarely, in fact, almost never interested in anything more. People like me because I discover quickly who they are on the inside, and I connect to that aspect of a human without a plan on how to hook him into wanting more. I don’t believe in hooking, manipulating, or obligating humans, and that is the main reason men are comfortable around me. I have no plan for them at all.

But if you are a woman in need of a boyfriend, and you have your eyes set on one whose attention I’ve got, it will be hard to divert his attention to you. It is fascinating, how many of my friends I have helped connect to people. I love introducing people, I consider myself a Cupid, and I credit myself with a lot of happy connections. But, any time a woman can’t get attention from a man, I am always blamed for it. One year, I lost 30 members from my social network in a week, simply because someone’s boyfriend was trying to talk to me a little too persistently.

Be prepared, once you learn how to command respect, you will be met with an equal amount of attacks. Respect is a power, and probably the only privilege you have to earn from another person. Once you have earned someone’s positive attention and respect, a noble person or a Goddess will treasure and protect it. I stand up for all my friends. The ones whom I can truly count on, can also count on me to be a lion when they are under attack.

But when you have that much power you are a threat to all the people who have not earned your good graces. Most men and women who haven’t attained that level of self-possession will be threatened by it. The women know I can raise an army of men in the blink of an eye. And the men know that as much as I value their friendship, I can afford to lose them. Once you have exposed your emptiness, insecurity, or disrespect, I have no reason to keep you.

So, the attackers come in two sexes, the women who can’t compete, and the men who cannot have me. Both spun tales that have cost me friendships, business, and relationships. I have too much pride to whine about it in public. If you hurt me, I will let you. I never consider revenge. Revenge is for amateurs.

I used to hide my pain, when girlfriends fabricated a story, then formed coalitions against me. The same girls who cried on my shoulder for years, wanted nothing to do with me when their men started reading and agreeing with TheGoddessPrinciples blog, or when they simply wanted to be my platonic friend. The men who couldn’t have me, started their own fiction, you know that story, when the guy concludes he was too much of a man for me, and I, every four letter word in the dictionary.

Last week, I was at a business networking event, when I saw an old friend in the crowd. I walked up to her, gave her a warm hug, congratulated her on her new baby, and the woman froze. She could not look me in the eye, stared at me nervously, replied curtly, so I walked away as I had better things to do. When I got home, I noticed she unfriended me from Facebook, as did 25 others in that professional network. Hmm…Did I steal someone’s man again? I can’t imagine whom. A little digging and I realized she had the baby with a guy I met 7 years ago. He asked me out 6 times, but I politely declined multiple times. He later offered me a job in his company, but I felt creepy working for him- somehow I felt the offer was just a different approach to own me. Who knows what he must have told her, or what the reason for the suddent coldness was. It could just as easily be something else. I really don’t care.

Today I don’t hurt, I smile. When rumors fly, I know I am doing something right. When there is a new story about me, I don’t even bother to find out what it is, and I certainly don’t cry anymore. I either attained something another woman had been stalking for years, or I said no to a man whose ego couldn’t handle it.

All Goddesses have been there, suffered through it, and learned to take those bricks thrown at them and build them into castles. But don’t worry, our castles aren’t empty. We have simply learned to sift and filter better. Rather than open the doors to anyone knocking, we only let a few exceptional people in. There are 350,000 members in my social network, 4000 digital social media friends, 45 people I can call on for solid advice or when I need real results, and 1 small handful of people I can truly count on as a friend. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I couldn’t afford to take good care of that many people anyway.

The best advice I can give you is to take your time and learn how to sift. You don’t owe your respect to anyone who hasn’t bothered to earn it. Nor do you owe anyone an apology. Sharpen your intuition, and learn to sniff out the fakers- they are usually in it to get something. They’ll come to you with an ailment and see you as a remedy. They’ll come when in need, then walk when they’re satisfied. Observe. Who are they loyal to? Who is their God? Most fakes insist on loyalty, in fact they will demand it well before they have demonstrated their worthiness. Most mortals don’t have the dignity to keep their own word. They will flake out with a sweet smile, then call you a friend. Just watch detached, and sooner or later, you’ll develop an instinct for people.

Keep your castle clean. It’s better to have only a few worthy friends, than a house full of charlatans. The more solid humans you have in your life, the more powerful you are, even if you can count them on one hand. And when your enemies start throwing bricks at you, don’t throw them back at them. Keep the bricks, treasure them, then build a taller tower.

S

Posted in Blog | Leave a comment

How to Engineer Magnetic Attraction

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Travel Clubs International

Why do experts treat relationships like a science project? Who do people believe that relationships are an achievement? We are born surrounded by billions of people, why do we feel exhilarated when we find just one who wants to be with us? Why do media harp on emotional and psychological inadequacies of people who are unattached? Who do some people pursue relationships as if they are a goal that must be attained? Why do others view marriage as if it is a business deal?

For years I have been observing that people who pursue relationships the hardest are always the most miserable. That’s not because they are unattractive to the opposite sex, it is because they believe in the mass hysteria that being without a significant other will leave them empty. So they buy books, sign up for 10-day spiritual retreats to reawaken their kundalinis and attract, attract, attract!

It’s hard to get away from the bull. It’s so prevalent that you can’t help but notice that if you are not a subscriber to some relationship self-help scheme, you must have given up on hope. My position is that if you are buying into any of these ideas, you are swallowing snake oil. People who are constantly pursuing relationships are the turnoff.

“Buy this, wear that, click here, wait 30 min before replying to a text, never say this to a man, 12 ways to turn a man off, follow these 9 steps to a guaranteed marriage proposal…”

Relationship experts would have us believe that there is a “trick” to getting the other person to like us. There isn’t. Any technique you implement to get a person to respond is a pathetic attempt at manipulation. We are not dogs, we don’t salivate just because you look like a treat.

“But I waited an hour before replying to a text! Now he should think I am a busy, high-value woman. He should have started chasing me by now!”

“But I do yoga, I have a significant social media following, I travel the world and I post about my awesome lifestyle. That shows, I have a full life, and a purpose?! Still, nobody wants me.” No, it shows you have way too much time on your hands. Who are you when you’re not posing?

Laughable, isn’t it? I can assure you I have NEVER fallen for a person who has attempted to make me like him, love him, be interested in him. It has never happened. I have never even accepted a friendship unless I had a genuine interest in that person. So no matter what book you read, and what technique you apply, I am only interested in you if I am interested in you. There is nothing you can do to make me. I don’t care if you if you have an impressive resume, what car you drive, how many degrees you collected, nor your IQ score. And I really don’t care that you did all the right things, you made effort, you spoke in complete sentences, you bought flowers, and you showed up on time. You proved you have manners, but I am still not going to be attracted to another human because they did all that.

Relationship gurus make us believe that if we are diligent enough to jump through a set of hoops, we will earn the prize. This person who is way out of our league, and completely disinterested, will fall in love with us immediately, and be unshakably loyal for eternity. Has that even happened to you? Not to me either.

Yet, the smartest men and women buy into this shit. Some of the most highly educated people I know, who pride themselves on their intellect, pore over relationship books endorsed by psychologists, statisticians, animal behaviorists, sociologists and sex experts to study, analyze, and find proof that there is a formula to mating success. There isn’t.

Have you ever noticed that some of the least educated people in the world, the ones with limited or non-existent access to relationship expertise, manage to find a mate and procreate without even trying? What are their secrets? Do nomads of the Gobi desert or the lost tribes of Amazonia know something about attraction that we don’t? They sure do.

They know yes means yes, and no means no. One means I am interested, the other, I am not. Yes means I want you, no means go away you smelly brute. You don’t score brownie points for trying. You don’t get a gold star for diligence and trying harder than everyone else. You don’t become more attractive, for responding to a text later. You don’t look more shiny or enlightened for striking the goddess pose or a downward dog in front of the whole tribe. In fact, you’ll look stupid.

So what is attraction? I don’t know. I have one useless degree in psychology, and thus far no one has ever been able to convince me they know either. Here is what I do know:

Only I know what is attractive to me. I will follow my own instinct towards what I find attractive, no matter what you do. You could shower me with rose petals, buy me diamonds, park the shiniest sports car in my driveway, but I will always follow my own desires toward the man I want, and he probably will not be you.
There is nothing I can do to make myself attractive to a person who is not attracted to me. No dress, no hair style, no gym membership, and no technique has ever helped me win over someone who is not interested in me. To prove I really believe this, I don’t pay for $200 blow outs, wear makeup, follow gurus, or manage a wardrobe. I am not an actress, I don’t need costumes, I have no one to impress. If you like me, you are here, if you don’t, you don’t. If I don’t want to see you naked, no amount of posturing will ever change my mind. No access.
Everything we have earned or qualified for in life does not add up to a relationship. It adds up to your personal satisfaction, an ego trip, or a pile of clutter in your space. Trust me, your certificate in geniousness will not be impressive to someone with an identical certificate in geniousness. That stretch you do in your skinny Lulu Lemons on a lawn at sunrise makes you look like a pigeon, ruffling its feathers for a mating dance.

So what do you do to attract a mate?

NOTHING. It’s amazing how many people I attract in a week, simply by doing nothing. I am not speaking from my ego here, I am speaking from a place of humility. The ego would say, I have graduated from a world class university with a degree in business, you have accomplished the same, therefore I now qualify for a relationship with you. You should be attracted to me. A humble human admits to having nothing, and is quite comfortable standing there with nothing for the whole world to see. What is shocking is that with all the nothing I have, people are very much attracted to me. I have hundreds of amazing friends all over the world, whose hearts I won with nothing but Me. I have a voice mail and inbox full of date requests, that I can’t possibly reply to- and I am a woman who doesn’t own a curling iron, a gym membership, nor a makeup bag. There is a lot about myself that I don’t like, and other people shouldn’t have to. I am comfortable with my piles of unaccomplished endeavors, I don’t hide them.

Most importantly, doing nothing helps me accurately gauge what the other is attracted to. Are they attracted to my social media persona, my designer outfits, my clean, spotless. mysterious dating profile they’ll never find online? Or are they looking at me, the real me, that person who truly possesses nothing?

I like people who have the ability to see. No one can fake that. So, I’d rather stand there with nothing to determine what exactly they want from me.

2. Drop your agenda. It is unattractive. I am not telling you to hide it, because you’ll never succeed. People can see through an agenda, and you’ll look desperate. I am fully aware when a man has an agenda. Regardless of whether he is lonely, eager, terrified of being single, shopping for a trophy, ready to close the deal and tie the knot, we are all transparent. No matter what dating technique you follow to not seem desperate, sooner or later, your agenda will be exposed. If you are pushing someone towards the altar, when you told them you’re cool being casual, you’ll be left at the altar and no, it’s not their fault. If I see you have a plan for me, I’ll make sure it fails. Why? I have plans for myself, and I will not fit neatly into the life you designed for me. If you have ever watched a woman lead a reluctant man toward commitment, marriage and a baby, you know how unattractive that looks. Men do exactly the same thing with their agendas.

3. Pursue yourself. When we pursue other people, they will do anything they can to remain free. I don’t want to be pursued by anyone other than the one I have my eye on. One of the most toxic ideas out there is the idea that relentless pursuit will win over the person we desire. It will not. Relentless pursuit is repulsive. I already said no thanks, so you harping on the subject will only make you look creepy.

An average woman is constantly bombarded by offers for sex, attention, a chance, and offers to get to know her. If women wanted to be pursued by random men everyone would be paired up by now. Men are pursued too by women who have plans for them, long before they are even aware. But unless the object of your desire has indicated clearly “I want you, I am interested in you” you are wasting your time.

Rather than pursue other people, pursue yourself. All that effort you put into attracting a mate should be placed on you. You shouldn’t pursue knowledge, interests, hobbies to become more attractive to the opposite sex, you should only pursue them if they satisfy you and only you.

4. Be genuine. There is nothing you can do to not be you. So what purpose is there to investing in special effects that will make you seem more shiny? You will never cover up your oddities, weirdness, nerdiness, or psychological disorders with makeup or a sexy costume. Instead, you’ll piss off the object of your desire for not disclosing earlier you are living on a diet of anti-depressants. Sooner or later, the real you will have to come out. And the real you will be evaluated and judged by a mere human who either wants that, or doesn’t. There will be nothing you can do about it.

I don’t have the magic formula for attraction. What I do know is that all this pursuit of relationships is backfiring on everyone. Relationships have become a national obsession, and there is an industry to answer every one of our burning needs, that we should be satisfying ourselves. Relationships have become a trade, and there is nothing more repulsive that a person trading themselves in exchange for a temporary high of being able to change their Facebook status to “In a relationship” for a few days.

I love to observe people, especially in a social setting. I run a big social network, and have been throwing parties for single professionals for almost two decades. What I have learned from watching people is what I already posted above: The people who pursue relationships the hardest, are the most miserable people on earth. Prior to any event I receive inquiries from attendees: Will so and so be there? Is he/she single? Was so and so seen talking to another woman at your party? When they get to the party, that so and so is making an effort to avoid them. They know they’re being hunted.

What is so funny is that people are being transparent when they intend to be most discreet. A while ago I was dating a guy whom I introduced to friends at a party, but I wasn’t clear with our relationship status. I simply introduced him as a friend. To this day there are three women, showing up to local events looking for him, trying to place themselves under his nose, when he is totally aware of what they are doing. He even jokes about how easy they would be, simply because he notices how much effort they put into looking great, walking past him multiple times, and acting nonchalant. So stop trying, you’ve already been noticed and it didn’t work.

Do you think I will be more interested if you ask me out one more time? It’s amazing to me how people think that if I recently got out of a relationship, that is a brand new opportunity to ask me out again. Some people even think that I must regret not saying yes before, because the man I chose instead was obviously the wrong choice. Do you want me now? No. Will I regret not giving you a chance, when I am 74 and still single? No.

Attraction is a mystery. It has been a mystery since the dawn of mankind, and so far, no one has been able to make sense of its random, chaotic, nonsensical mix of brain chemicals, physical traits, sex organs, mating dances, social aptitude, intelligence, or psychological profiles. If there was a formula, it would make dating predictable, painless and boring. Maybe that is the mark of a dullard, that person who is looking to check off a list of things they have done to earn our approval or score a relationship with us. That sap learning from a list of 101 qualities you must possess to find a mate, is the one posing as someone he is not. That woman enrolling in a course in awakening her inner dimwit for the third time, is the one who is looking for something that will never be there.

Attraction is supposed to be a mystery. How else would dating be fun and intriguing? Why spoil it will rules to follow, or trying to figure out the opposite sex? It is the unknown, the unquantifiable, the inexplicable that is attractive.

If you are exactly what someone is looking for, you fit their plan, their agenda, their equation, they will take you. Temporarily you’ll balance out a chemical equation and satisfy a need. But we all grow, we all move and we are constantly changing, so how long can you possibly be exactly what the other needs?

But if we accept the fact that attraction is chaos, there is beauty to the ever changing mess of human needs and a constant growth of wantingness, then we understand that it is okay for attraction to be random, inexplicable and undefinable. We become okay with being exactly who we are, and non-concerned about how we fit in.

If you need a mate before your deadline, one who fits your list of must-have qualities, by all means, sign up for a course, transform yourself, and become whatever the other needs. You’ll need a library full of books, dating and relationship coaches, financial and legal experts who will settle the agreement and tangle you into an unbreakable contract. But if you have a you, if you have a life, if you have a purpose and know how to enjoy it, then what difference does decoding attraction make?

There is nothing more unattractive than pursuing a relationship like it is a project and trying to be someone you are not. There is nothing more unattractive than investing in beauty treatments, signing up for courses, believing that your actions will amount to guaranteed interest. They won’t. You’ll turn off armies of people, and still not find the one. With that course of action you will find a lonely, desperate willing participant who also just wants to tie the knot and get it over with. Why not quit the mating game, and enjoy all the beautiful people who are in your life already?

Everyone you could possibly date is right in front of your face. But they too have their nose buried in the latest Dating for Dummies bestseller. Real people do not need to be deciphered nor decoded. If you’re sleepable, we’ll say yes, if you’re not, keep walking. People who value themselves, won’t compromise on someone who they are not attracted to. If you are looking to date out of your league, and trying to score a 10 when you are only a 6, well, there’s an entire profession for that.

This industry peddles mostly to people of low self-esteem, and narcissists who want a trophy rather than an equal. Don’t buy into that, and you’ll be just fine. Really, all you need to do to score a date is take a shower and brush your teeth every day, go out in daylight so people know you exist, and when asked out, show up and be present.

S

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