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...
Imagine you’ve lived a long, full, and productive life. Now, you find yourself at the pearly gates waiting to gain entry. Upon arrival, the gatekeeper doesn’t ask how many pairs of cute shoes you have, where you went to school, how much money is in your stock...
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...
It’s an esteemable act to do the right thing at the moment. Have you ever done something you later regretted, but then found it was too late to make it right? Have you ever wished you had just one more chance to make an amend for harm done? One more opportunity to...
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...
It’s an esteemable act to treasure your friends. Our connection was immediate on our first day at law school. We now have a soulful bond that has spanned almost twenty years. Who would have thought the two of us, from such different worlds, eleven years apart in age,...