My heaviest weight was 145 pounds, and I was only twenty-six years old. I went from a size four to a size fourteen almost overnight. For some, 145 is not a lot of weight, but for my small frame, it was a lot of bulk to carry. And I got that way by design. It wasn’t a...
You are the artist in your life. You create the images and colors on the canvas called your life. Are you creating the picture you want? Does your canvas convey a life of fulfillment and growth? Or does your canvas convey chaos and despair? Sometimes we don’t like...
Pause. It’s an esteemable act to stop and smell the roses. For years I diligently and faithfully read my daily meditations. I worked them into my routine activities, just as I shower, brush my teeth, and press my clothes. After each reading, I’d stop and digest the...
Self-esteem comes from not letting obstacles get you down. Obstacles can materialize in many different ways. The appearance of a pink slip from your employer when your goal is to get pro- moted. A rejection letter from a literary agent when your goal is to get...
On the plane to Hawaii, I sat next to a man wearing a knit skullcap, sweatsuit, sneakers, and dark glasses. As I do whenever someone sits next to me, I said hello. But then I immediately thought, “He must be one of those hip-hoppers.” And because of my innate belief...
Self-esteem comes from letting go of victimhood. The unabridged version of the Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines a victim as “a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency . . . a person who is deceived or cheated . . . a...
Self-esteem comes from having the courage to tell your story. Everyone has a story. Regardless of what our lives look like today, we have a history. For many of us, recalling certain times in our lives is painful. We’d rather forget our history. We’d rather put a lid...
Good health is not a right, it’s a privilege. As a teenager, I was convinced that my body was indestructible, like those of the television characters I idolized: Batgirl and Wonder Woman. I lived on a diet of hamburgers, french fries, macaroni and cheese, soda,...
My friend Jack’s finances and his life are out of control. He’s got $36,000 worth of credit-card debt and a mortgage that exceeds his monthly salary, his kids are in a private school he can’t afford, he drives a current-year luxury car, he drinks lattes seven days a...