#17: BE YOU! THE WORLD WILL ADJUST! There is nothing in our society or probably our upbringing that invited us to honor and be our true selves. “Be more like your sister,” or “A (family name) never …….” or “That’s silly, you don’t need to be afraid,” or “Boys don’t cry, man-up!” The unimaginable gift […]

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I remember going to a self-help workshop, thinking for a long time about the idea that, “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” — Carl Jung “What you dislike in someone else is often what you dislike in yourself.” Although I challenged that idea with certain people, I saw […]

I moved to Idaho, had open heart surgery and down the road, turned 81. In the middle, I suffered some depression, feeling I had lost my purpose and was invisible. Prior to this, I had a “spotlight” life as a professional speaker, author and columnist. I decided that my new mission was to touch as […]

I once asked my father, “If you had one wish and you could wish for anything, what would you wish for?” His answer was, “Peace of mind.” Because I was young, I thought it was a silly response. Now that I’ve lived eight decades of life, I understand his wisdom. To live in the moment, […]

If you are a sponge, taking in every criticism, piece of negativity around you, you will surely drown. Who you really are gets lost in the fear of not being accepted, not fitting in to the norm. So we whittle away at our sense of self esteem until we live in a world of doubt, […]

Have you ever had a relative or friend who spends endless words talking about how irritating it is that someone is always the same way about something: (Is always late, promises to do something then doesn’t, always phones too late at night, drives me crazy with her laugh, doesn’t talk to you at a family […]

It was important in my family to be quick and to be right. My father would put a nickel on the table saying it belonged to the first person to say the capitol of Idaho (Boise). I have friends who are waiting like leopards to pounce on anything you say that could be corrected or […]

Since childhood, we have been taught to believe we are responsible for the happiness of other people. “You make me so angry!” or “You hurt my feelings!” No one makes you angry, it is a choice! You’re driving down the road and someone cuts you off—you choose to wave and say, “Careful there!” or you […]

IF YOU PROPOSE TO SPEAK ALWAYS ASK YOURSELF IS IT TRUE, IS IT NECESSARY, IS IT KIND. Have you ever regretted speaking before you thought about something? Words are like razor blades; they look small and harmless, and can cut to the core of one’s sense of self-esteem. Often what parents regard as coaching is […]

#SandysWisdom (8) YOU ARE ENOUGH JUST THE WAY YOU ARE NOW. I suffered from feeling that I was never enough. Endless criticism from my mother helped to chisel that feeling into my thinking and heart. Never being able to please is disheartening to a child, and can ignite stuffed feelings of anger—never mind destroying one’s […]