Journey from Survivor to Overcomer: The L.O.V.E. Model

© 2012 Dr. Latrice Love. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 3/12/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5651-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5649-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4685-5650-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012903469

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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This book is printed on acid-free paper.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Love Redefined

L.O.V.E. Model

Learning

Observing

Visualizing

Evolving

Learning

Don’t Be Fooled By the Suit

True Beginnings

Survival 101

Am I Ready?

Observing

Calmdaph$ckdown

Communication

Does Your Life Add Up?

I Ain’t Never Scared

Visualizing

I’d Rather Crash and Burn Than Sit and Rust

I Believe

Really?

Recognize and Acknowledge

Evolving

Business vs. Personal

It Is What It Is

It’s About That Time

Now What?

References

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all the survivors who know this is just the beginning. Good luck on your continued journey to overcome!

Acknowledgements

I would first like to acknowledge my clients and friends with issues who have felt comfortable enough to share your most intimate thoughts, secrets, fears, and mistakes with me. Through our candid conversations, and your willingness to implement my suggestions and guidance, you alone made this book a reality.

Special thanks to my children Tajari, Nakithon, Zaia, and Kya for always smiling and providing words of encouragement, even though you felt that mommy was too busy all of the time while writing, rewriting, deleting, and writing again. You all are my reason to continue learning, observing, visualizing, and evolving.

Thank you Nakia for being more than a spouse could ever be. While you may limit the amount of words you choose to use in conversation, when you speak it is always refreshing and worth listening to. Your support with our children and my never-ending projects is bar none.

Thanks to my very special friend and brother Antoine for being you. You have always been supportive, open to new ideas, and my reality check when my brutal honesty or need to race through time became too much. Your ideas, questions, and subtle yet effective pushes gave this project life.

Judy thanks from the bottom of my heart for always believing in me since day one. Your support during the years has been immense and I will always remain indebted to you.

To my long twin that came into my life at a time least expected, and faded out of my life at a time even less expected. While I may never understand the chemistry that we shared, I will always remember the words of wisdom and the strength truly needed to never settle for less. You alone have challenged me in ways that I never knew possible. You allowed me to explore myself from a viewpoint that one can only hope to dream of. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, in which you will always hold a special place.

Love Redefined

Are you the type of individual who is always wondering how much more you can take? How many times someone will remind you how much you have been through? How strong you are? How you survived so much? Have you just wanted to overcome your past and live in and for the present? While this concept may be difficult to swallow, this book is written to offer some assistance at finding inner peace and a refreshed newer version of YOU. Dr. Love takes an easy-to-follow, simplistic approach to redefining L.O.V.E. as we know it… and how L.O.V.E. can be a guide for what you do, with whom you do it, and more importantly, who you are.

For quite a while, I found myself motivating others by my sharing my past—helping them to make sense of their misfortunes by sharing my motivation and dedication to make it through and accomplish my goals. Perhaps you are not quite ready to disclose such sensitive information regardless of the potential strength you can give to another. Simultaneously, you continue to live in a dark comfort zone as opposed to seeing the potential benefit of overcoming your past or dismal present.

This book appeared too clear after my eighty-third counseling session with a close friend. While I may have initially missed my calling and gave up the opportunity to charge for such sessions, people tend to turn to me with their most intimate issues, stories, concerns, desires, etc. Over time, I have embraced this role and actually begun a trend of assisting others to make sense of their mini- or mega-dramas to begin the journey from survivor to overcomer.

As a part of this process, I have managed to turn negative situations into positive situations primarily by using my life as a reference. In fact, I am at a point where I have helped so many people with their journey, this self-help guide has become the basic beginning for everyone I encounter.

The first question people ask once they learn a little about my life is: How did you accomplish so much? Or, what do you think makes you different or able to make things happen in the way that you have? My replies were, I just make it happen… thoughts are things… pressing toward the mark/perseverance… never giving up… setting goals and sticking to them… etc.

Over the years, now that I can reflect on my past, I can clearly see that my life has been filled with several opportunities to learn, observe, visualize, and evolve, hence the creation of the L.O.V.E model.

L.O.V.E. Model