A Worrier to a Warrior

By Tina Raked

We all have a past, present, and future. Although we generally understand that our past stories have shaped us to be the people we are in the present, we still sometimes judge ourselves or others harshly, compare our adversities to other people’s triumphs, and ultimately fall into a victim mindset. What emerges from these judgments and perceptions are worriers who pity themselves and feel anxious about an unknown future. Warriors on the other hand are those who turn pain into a powerful story, and an opportunity for personal growth. Are you a worrier or a warrior?

Life and leadership coach Tina Raked shares the inspirational journeys of 7 women from all walks of life, including herself, who bravely faced harsh physical, financial, or spiritual trauma and then overcame the pain and chaos by listening to the hero, not the victim within.

A Worrier to a Warrior offers the true stories of 7 ordinary women who became extraordinary after awakening their inner warrior in the face of unexpected challenges in life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Aug 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781982291464

Tina Raked

Tina Raked is a dental professional who is now a master practitioner in hypnosis, NLP, life coaching, and leadership. Today, she runs a consulting and coaching practice in leadership and management in dentistry where she guides her clients to grow personally and professionally.

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Copyright © 2021 Tina Raked.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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Book Cover

Photography by Melinda Hird

Hair by Lizzie Liros

Makeup by Samia Saud Malik

Graphic designer Rebecacovers

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9147-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-9146-4 (e)

Balboa Press rev. date: 08/06/2021

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1 My Story

Chapter 2 A Blossom in the Desert

Chapter 3 Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 4 Tahitian Pearl

Chapter 5 Make a U-Turn

Chapter 6 Dancing on the Tightrope

Chapter 7 Ray of Sunshine

Chapter 8 The Endless Beginning

Dedicated to you. You are a hero!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special thanks to Mariam Mehraby and Rojina Raked for walking with me every step of the way as I put this book together. Your valuable advice and support are treasured. I also want to thank every warrior in my book for courageously sharing their stories. I would love to give thanks to Noor Shirazi for her excellent talent that brought a beautiful touch to the book with her illustrations. I thank my beautiful family for their endless support and encouragement, especially my amazing parents, Amir Raked and Homa Raked. Thank you to all the amazing people who brought the cover to life with their talents: Lizzie Liros, Samia Saud Malik, Melinda Hird, and Rebecacovers Design. I deeply want to pay gratitude to my wonderful teachers, Dr Deejay Jackson, Jojo Jackson, and Grandmaster Hanshi Deena Naidu for teaching me valuable lessons and tools that changed my model of the world and empowered me like never before. Not only has their teachings changed my life in ways I never imagined, but it will allow me to touch more lives in an inspiring manner.

INTRODUCTION

During the tough times in life we always ask, Why me?

We may feel like we are the only ones in the world with difficulties or bad luck. A chain reaction of thoughts follow through that takes us back to the past, and we visit all the bad events that ever happened to us. We think about how cruel people are and recall all circumstances where we felt like victims. We then tend to move forward, thinking about a future that has not happened yet, and picture ourselves in the most miserable scenarios, convincing ourselves that this is how things will end up and that we have no control over what will happen. We affirm the limitations that we have created for ourselves or have allowed others to create for us. The turning point is usually the realisation that others have survived similar or even worse unwanted situations in their lives. That interrupts the thinking process and breaks all the linked uncontrollable thoughts that have formed a negative loop—taking us from a dark past to a dark future—that occurs in the mind. If you choose not to end this negative loop, then the same unwanted events perpetuate in your life on a number of occasions, regardless of all the minor changes you make. Unless you change the way you think and feel, all the exterior changes will be meaningless and temporary.

With challenges in life, you get the opportunity to build and discover strong characteristics that you never knew you had. So cherish them. They are always a blessing of some kind in disguise. But you must realise that it all comes down to a choice, and it does not happen by chance. Your good choices can bring you good luck. It is simply the small choices you make in different situations in life that create your future, which then becomes your past. Just calm your noisy mind, and tune out self-criticism, guilt, hate, and self-pity. Respect yourself, love yourself, and forgive yourself no matter what. This is the starting point to a better you and a better new life. A life you deserve.

Resistance is not strength. Pushing through is strength. In hard situations, if you resist or deny what is happening, you will only break down with time because every word, every reaction, and every emotion will only hit you hard. Allow the negativity of others to pass straight through you; do not allow it to get trapped inside of you. Filter it out. Keep only the feelings, words, reactions, and emotions that make you smile and feel alive.

In this book I will share with you incredible true stories of women who have thrived in their struggles by simply choosing to listen to the hero within and not the victim within. We all have a hero who lives inside us and a victim who lives inside us. We need to be careful which one we listen to the most as the lies of the victim try to be louder than the whispers of truth coming from the hero within. It is okay to feel down, it is okay to worry, it is okay to be upset and to be afraid. But the key is to see past the negative emotions and to move from the state of worry to look for solutions. By doing this, you move from the state of a worrier to becoming a true warrior. Arousing the hero within and listening to it is the biggest gift you can give to yourself. It will give you the freedom you deserve.

This is not a religious book, but our stories are true events, and some of our warriors got through their difficult times with faith in their religion. Therefore, there will be some religious references across some of the stories. I do not intend to promote any religion in this book but to show how faith in yourself, the right mindset, and taking action can change your life using real examples of ordinary people who became extraordinary, redirecting their lives from difficulty and pain to a beautiful world designed by them. Allow the pages of this book and the stories in these chapters to awaken the warrior inside you.

CHAPTER 1

MY STORY

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Courage fuels me.

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We all have a story that shapes us and makes us who we are. I begin the book with my story as I want to share with you the turning point in my life that made me the person I am today. The miracle I experienced changed my whole world, and it all started two weeks before my fifteenth birthday.

I was a teenage girl who took everything for granted, including my family, my friends, my good times, and most important, my health. I never thought that I would ever lose any of them. And I was hungry for more in life but not willing to give, just to take. Being a young teenage girl who felt out of place at