Bruised But NOT Broken

By Duquesa D Dean

Bruised But Not Broken is a 21-day journey designed to help women overcome traumatic experiences in order to live their best lives. The daily journey focuses on self-discovery and inner healing. It encourages the reader to reflect, to be introspective and to create a blueprint to follow in order to achieve their dreams. Ultimately the message is that despite the challenges you may face, you can overcome them and live an abundantly successful life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781365903274

Book preview

Bruised But NOT Broken

Bruised But NOT Broken

This book easily allows its reader to identify with the same situations and helps the reader to understand every experience in life serves a purpose in becoming a thriving, successful loving individual.

Virgil P. Burrows

By drawing in the reader, the book facilitates a platform for profound self-reflection; the reader is able to compare and contrast their own experiences with that of the author drawing meaning conclusions

Ricquelle Leadon

Prepare to be inspired, regardless of the circumstances in your life. This book provides the framework to help women bounce back from setbacks. Additionally, this book also assists with personal growth through its respective exercises.  It’s life changing.

Zekinda Thompson

Bruised But NOT Broken

A 21-DAY JOURNEY TO LIVING YOUR

BEST LIFE

DUQUESA D DEAN

Copyright @ 2017 by Duquesa D Dean.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the US Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property.  If you would like to use material from the book, (other than for review purposes) prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [e-mail].

Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Visit the author’s website at www.duquesadean.com

Duquesa D Dean Group of Companies offers a wide range of services including but not limited to leadership training, a wide range of other specialized training, executive, career development, professional development & coaching services.  In addition, the Duquesa D Dean Group of Companies also specializes in youth development and youth leadership training by way of its Transition Mentoring Program.

Contents

Acknowledgements

My Journey

The Daily Journey

Day 1 Acceptance of Your Truth

Day 2 Being Aware

Day 3 Making Choices

Day 4 Facing Fears

Day 5 Affirming Yourself

Day 6 Being Courageous

Day 7 Forgiveness

Day 8 Loneliness

Day 9 Letting Go

Day 10 Purpose

Day 11 Reflections

Day 12 Inner Circle

Day 13 Trust

Day 14 Self-Love

Day 15 Gratitude

Day 16 Faith

Day 17 Love

Day 18 Failure

Day 19 Beliefs

Day 20 Seeing Your Value

Day 21  Intentional Action

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to the Almighty God for His grace and mercy. I am overwhelmed with gratitude that He kept and protected me. I am humbled that He chose me to live this vision of helping broken women, men, boys and girls heal from the traumatic experiences they have faced during their lives. 

My family has been a driving force fueling me as I chased my dreams. I am thankful for their support and love particularly my daughter, son and mom. 

Thank you to my amazing circle of friends who allowed me to bounce my ideas and frame my thoughts as I wrote this book. Thank you to Michelle Allen Ferguson for editing the book.

I am thankful for each experience that led me to this point. It is because of those experiences I am able to live my life’s purpose.

With all my love,

D

My Journey

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder where you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle, Twinkle little star

How I wonder where you are!

As a little girl, I sat outside many nights gazing up at the stars amusing myself by reciting that lullaby and wishing on stars. Now I cannot say conclusively if the falling stars I wished upon were stars, planes flying at night or if they were satellites orbiting the earth but what I do know is that I wished upon many stars.

My stargazing was even more intense after I watched the wedding of Princess Diana to Prince Charles. After all isn’t it every little girl’s dream to be a princess? I sat glued to the television along with 750 million other viewers around the world and watched what I now know was dubbed the wedding of the century. I watched as Diana Spencer arrived at St. Paul’s Cathedral in a glass coach, quite fitting for royalty. I am as amazed today, as I was then, that over two million people lined up along the route of her procession from Clarence House to the Cathedral just to see Diana. 

I sat affixed to the television and watched as Diana Spencer took her three-and-a-half minute walk down the red carpeted aisle with a 25 foot train trailing behind her. I was in awe of her beauty and poise. What a fairy tale wedding it was! After wedding vows were exchanged, I watched as Diana, who was no longer Diana Spencer but Diana, Princess of Wales, left the church with her prince.

Now you can imagine as an eight year old child, after witnessing a fairy tale wedding where a peasant married a prince and became a part of the royal family, my stargazing and wishing became more intense. I believed that fairy tales did come true.

My fairy tales, dreams and stargazing came to an end at the age of thirteen when I was faced with the greatest loss of my life at that time, the death of my great grandmother. You see my great grandmother had nurtured me from birth. I affectionately called her Mother. Mother was everything to me. She took care of me. She hugged me daily and told me she loved me often. I remember many nights when I did not want the dinner that she or my Grammy cooked for the family; while others fussed me and tried to force feed me, Mother would make my favorite meal, cream tea with bread pieces broken up in it. You see back then I had a real issue with eating. I certainly wish I had that issue now because this sister can put it down. 

After Mother died, I felt so alone. Ours is a big family and I do not know what made Mother hold me so close to her but I do know that after she left there was no one to help me get past the grief or to replace the love and validation she gave me every day.  I do not know if adults realize that children and teens grieve deeply when someone they love dies. I do not believe adults understand that children and teens have a full appreciation of what is happening and that they suffer as well as a result of the loss.

As you can imagine, without the continuation of being properly nurtured, loved and validated at this young age, I was confused, hurt and angry. My self-esteem took constant hits over those young impressionable years. I looked for acceptance, love and belonging sometimes in the wrong places. I remember being told constantly that I would never amount to anything and I would never get anywhere in life. 

Without Mother I felt lost.  At thirteen, I had just started the transition from childhood to womanhood. My body had just begun to form and things happened physically to my body that I did not expect. No one prepared me to expect the cramps or to expect the lifelong plague that causes cramps. So imagine my horror when just before 14 womanhood arrived. I was traumatized. Those responsible for my care brushed it off but I did not understand why it happened and no one dared to explain. It is funny how normal aspects of life such as womanhood issues, sex and life issues are taboo subjects in some homes.

During this time, I