I am going to ask you a very thought provoking question.Hopefully a question that will give you a different perspective, a different method, that will empower you.

If someone does something to you that you believe is very wrong,hurtful,or disrespectful, is the answer to retaliate in the same manner? . Human behavior is simple. You do something to me that I believe is wrong, I get very upset, angry, mad, and want to inflict the same amount of pain on to you that you did to me.despite the fact that what you did was wrong? How can you sit in judgement of right or wrong if you turn around and do the same thing? Do you believe that you have justification for wrong doing just because someone did it to you.?

I have a different belief on this, and I am going to share it with you. It will be up to you wether or not you think this makes sense.

If you have a standard of behavior, you hold to that standard regardless of what someone else does to you. I'm going to repeat it again.   IF YOU HAVE A STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR, YOU HOLD TO THAT STANDARD, REGARDLESS OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE DOES TO YOU.

Let's break it down into more simplistic terms. I will use the example of name calling. I don't believe it is right to call people names. I think it is disrespectful, and at my core I feel it is abusive. Someone calls me a stupid idiot. I find that very hurtful, and it makes me angry.  Your immediate defense might make want to retaliate back and call that person the same thing or worse.That is human nature. If you belive calling people names is wrong, do you call a name back in response? How are you any different if you have allowed yourself to do this? YOU ARE NOT…

In order to fully enjoy life, and become non reactive to all of those outside influences, you must try to practice self restraint in this area, I can honestly tell you that you will enjoy a much more stress free life.,if you do so. I am sure you are asking yourself  how that can be. Imagine yourself being able to be who you are regardless of how someone else behaves towards you? To hold to your own standard despite the actions of another?  You gave yourself a certain power when you became non reactive. I am not saying that this is easy to do all of the time. We can't sit in judgement of what is right or wrong if that is going to alter depending upon what someone does to us. Does this make sense to you?

I would like you to claim your personal power and train yourself to behave in the manner and standard you hold. To be strong in the face of opposition. To remain, calm and communicative within yourself in order to be true to your beliefs. When you are able to do that, you are in touch with your authentic self, and not an out of control train wreck, reacting to someone else's behavior towards you. You have officially understood what it's like to be who you are in the face of attack.

You have personal choices everyday. You contain a power within. Claim it, own it, live it, as best you can everyday. Tapping in to this power will allow you to open doors to all things you would like to have, do or be. If you fall off that wagon, get up the next day and remind yourself of who you are, want you want , and how you want to treat others. You cannot control another, but you can control yourself. Know that you will be challenged, and overcome the challenge. The pride you will feel for yourself when you do, will enable you to understand the ability you have to create everything in your life that you want. It's like training yourself to ride the bicycle of life. Take it for a spin.

I am so disturbed at the amount of young people that I see falling by the wayside.

The traditional  educational system is failing our children. Even Bill Gates and his wife think so. We are failing our children. They are not being  taught what they should be taught. Do you agree or not?  Is it we as parents that hold the true responsibility? I believe that certain things need to be taught both in the home and outside the home. It would be a much better outcome if both came together to aid the younger generation, based on what we have learned ourselves. All needs a revamping. Pure and simple.

I have sat by and watched countless young people kill themselves, or claim they have "anxiety" and want medication. What the heck is going on, and how to we fix this? Where do we look for the answers? I know, having children myself, that we all want the best for them, I am not accusing or pointing fingers, I simply want to make this situation better, and take responsibility.  I want to empower our young people to do the same. Give them a power they, apparently, think they do not have. There are escalating amounts of children choosing to extinguish their lives at such a young age, it is alarming. If they are not doing that, they are drugging themselves to the point that they cannot  function.

When did this happen and how to we address this escalating situation?

I believe we need to teach our children differently. We have lost our way and need to get back. Take responsibility as the older generation and figure out what is going on. What are they experiencing and what do they feel. How responsible are we? We need to take hold, and fix it. Why are they so overstressed with life and what are we NOT imparting on  them, that they need to be taught?

Somehow we have lost the perspective about life. It is a new age, we need to observe, reflect, and get back to basics.  Are we showing a down trodden example to the extent that our offspring think life is so hard and they do not have the capacity to deal with these difficulties? Have we enabled them to the point of disabling them? I believe that we have, and we need to, take a good hard look at what we example. What subconscious thoughts are we planting? We should educate ourselves as to what they are encountering, and move forward. We have a responsibility to them to do so. Pampering is not the answer, teaching them better coping methods, and constructive ways to create their own life, that do not necessarily entail living a toiled life dictated by others.

Empowerment, Responsibility,Creation.  It starts with us.

I say wake up. We all need to wake up. This next generation, if not addressed, will only produce offspring with the same mind set if we do not make a modicum of effort ourselves first, take responsibility for all that surrounds us, and implement some change. We need to change, both, at home and in our educational system. It is a different time, a new era. If you are tired of living a life dictated by an outdated standard, then educate yourself, change yourself, and SHOW your children something different. This is not just simply about them, but us as well. No matter how old you are.

We all want more for our children then we have ever asked for ourselves. Let us begin to teach them differently. Embrace the belief that  we all hold the ability to live a life, full of abundance, beauty, and joy. That is the image we were created in. It is a choice, everyday. A power we hold within ourselves that transcends every imaginable circumstance. We see it day in and day out. People coming out ahead beyond the most horrific of circumstances. Focus on that. Teach your children that despite what life may dish out, they can find the positive and come out ahead. That is the true essence of life. Teach them inner power, example it, and let them learn from our mistakes and our beliefs. Awaken to different possibilities.

If it is broke, fix it.

I have recently been accused of believing in “everything.”  I ask you, what does that mean? I do not believe in everything, I have very specific beliefs. Not only do I have very selective beliefs, but to take it a step further, I take on beliefs that empower me and discard of those that do not.  I have a serious question for you. Do you?

Can you simply wrap your head around the fact that you have a choice as to the beliefs that you take on and own? If choosing your beliefs made life easier for you, would you adopt that train of thought? Do you realize that you have a choice?

I want you to understand that you contain a power that is honestly so incredible, your head  may spin off it’s shoulders. A power that most people do not even believe exists, because they are so busy being a victim of circumstance. You know, the mindset, the one that tells you that you have to accept whatever life throws your way. To a certain extent that is true.  S— happens. We don’t always bring forth circumstances that are favorable. The bigger issue is in the understanding that which we can control. Our personal  responses to what happen to us in life.  A death, an accident, perhaps the loss of a relationship. You name it it happens to us all.

What is the key factor in creating our life the way we desire.  There are a few things that need to come into alignment in order to overcome any obstacle that gets thrown in our direction.The first being the belief that life will throw you curve balls, aka, things that are not necessarily things we desire,. If you believe that life will only dish out good, you are in for a very rude awakening It does not, no matter how hard we try to create. The difference lies in how we approach what happens to us, and how we process it.  It is what you do with the curve balls that life throws your way that make the true difference.. this is where your true empowerment  lies. Here lies the answer to the negotiation of the hard times.

WHAT IS THE LESSON I NEED TO LEARN?  You read that right, when you start to question the hard stuff and examine why it is there,  that is where your answer lies. I no longer ask “Why God Me?” I ask “God what am I to learn?”What am I to learn and what is my plan to create what I want in my life.  Make no mistake that life with throw difficult times your direction.  That is the true essence of life, the good, the bad, the ugly. What do you do with that?  There are very basic modalities you can adopt that will aid you in this process we call life.

What you do with that is,  keep getting up. Have you ever looked at your life and then at an other’s and said to yourself, “And I thought I had it tough?” Why do you think that you have the ability to look at another persons circumstances and felt better about yours?  It is there to teach you how to control your responses to what happens in your life. The quicker you realize this, the better off you will be. I am not going to sugarcoat this for you. This is the truth. The truth no one wants to tell you. Get with the program, stand up, make your choices, and go forward. Plain and simple, understand? Be persistent, keep your focused energy on where you want to go. Take the time you need to allow this thought and vision and goal to permeate into your head. Your subconscious does not like change at all.  It will take time to make a differnet thought pattern to take hold, you will be in for an internal battle. Battle that with every fiber of your being. If you have not given a thought to where you want to go, trust me, you will be in the same old place that you have found yourself over and over again. Make a habit to keep your vision at the forefront of your mind. If you have found yourself distracted and not thinking of where you want to be for an entire day, go to bed and plant the seed, OVER and OVER again.

 The second belief,  that if you  maintain a certain perspective on the st— that life dishes out, you can prevail in any given stressful situation. When you stress , you simply nullify any possible good result in a bad situation. Stress is the signal that you are not in alignment. Make  the alignment your goal. Take  a deep breath and ask the infinite wisdom you have inside you, to provide the answers you need.This is the key to controlling your mind, as opposed to IT controlling you.  I beg you to try and challenge this belief. Why? I have tested it over  and over again.

 The universal law, is to provide you with that which you ask for. It does however need to be in a calmed  state in order for you to be able to hear and accept the answers.It  does not matter what the circumstances are, be it money, relationships,  loss, jobs,etc.  Any struggle you have is a sign that you need to evaluate. Alignment is the answer.   Evaluate and ASK. Why is this here and what am I to learn? When we understand that we were all put on this earth to learn and evolve, and grow  life unfolds itself and can be appreciated for every aspect, be it easy or difficult. This is where the joy in living unfolds. In the moment, whatever that moment beholds. Tragedy, beauty, ease, difficulty, and you become one with that moment. Your true acceptance of whatever comes your way is the key to life, and then asking the question, as to what the best way to deal with the situation. The answers will come, in a calmed state, all you ask for is there.

That is the answer. Do not waste your time asking “Why me?” Why anyone?  Ask how do I deal with this, or how do I solve this? How do I learn to accept? Be present in ALL the moments in your life, you will observe your body going in to a calm state of acceptance, even in the most difficult of situations. Is this an easy thing to obtain? Not always, so when you fall, get back up, look around and express the gratitude for the good in your life, and learn to accept, those life hurdles that will inevitably be there. Not one person does not face challenges in life. To truly love life, you need to embrace  all that comes your way. You do not necessarily have to love every moment, but you do need to ACCEPT all moments. It is what you do with those moments that makes all the difference.

I  had an epiphany many years ago. In my quest to try to always remain positive, when a negative emotion would enter my realm, I would quickly look to get it out and replace it with a more positive one. I came to the conclusion  that did not work. It kept coming back, over and over again. Ever wonder why that is?

I chastised myself for this for years. One day, I allowed the negative emotion to sit, this time the  difference being that  I questioned where it came from. I quieted myself and allowed it to simply be, whatever it was. I gave it an acknowledgement. I pondered it.I befriended it. I  sat alongside the emotion  for a while longer  and to my surprise, it went away. Sometimes sooner than later, that being totally dependent upon the disclosure of the fear it was based upon. It is my belief that most negative emotions are based around a fear.

In my own journey, I came to the conclusion that when we suppress a negative emotion, be it anger, fear, or jealousy, it keeps coming back to haunt you like a bad ghost. Now I question it’s arrival. I embrace the feeling sans any judgement of myself for having it in the first place. We are all human, and the true lesson is in the awareness, and ultimately the questioning of the negative emotion, pure and simple. It is almost always , based around a fear of some sort.  My advice to you, is to allow it. I know that sounds crazy, because we are taught to flush the negative down the drain as quickly as possible, yet not allowing yourself to FEEL it and QUESTION why it is there in the first place just gives it the power to come back, quickly and with more furor. That is the key, to FEEL it and then QUESTION why it is there.

The law states what you focus on expands, so we try to get rid of the negative by punishing ourselves in the first place for feeling it. Also in the fear that the more we are the negative emotion, the larger it will become. THIS does not work. To hold yourself to a standard like that is like punching yourself in the head, over and over again. It is basically unrealistic. I believe that process actually makes the negative emotion stay around longer.

The real beauty in this is that you can and do possess the ability to get rid of negativity, quickly, but not without some work. You can do what I say and feel it, embrace it and it will still come back. If it does, keep QUESTIONING where it comes from in the first place. It’s work, but work that is well worth the effort. IT IS BASED IN A FEAR. Find out what the fear is, and then understand what fear is in the first place. Fear is a state of mind, nothing more, nothing less. You have the ability to change your state of mind. Ponder this  and you will understand.

The cause of fear is doubt or worry, the effect is anxiety.If  you look at fear for what it is, which is simply a  state of mind, you will gain the power to stomp any fear out of your head. Thus, stomp any negative emotion dead in it’s tracks as well. Be grateful for the negative emotion because if you actually question it, and sit with it for a bit, it can be a wonderful disclosure for you. One that will help you become more aware of yourself and how you react.

This is what I know for sure, FEAR IS JUST A STATE OF MIND. I am going to repeat that, FEAR IS JUST A STATE OF MIND. I really want you to absorb that for a moment. I find the concept of fear fascinating. In attempts to dissect it's very nature, I have come to the conclusion that fear, if used properly, can actually propel you further if used constructively.

 The unfortunate part of that is when we experience fear, the result of that is anxiety.  Think about that. If  fear is nothing more than a state of mind, and then you experience anxiety, whether it  being in the form of something as simple as a nervous stomach or shaking of your hands, to a full out panic attack, you have very simply taken something that was nothing more than a state of mind, and turned it in to a physical equivalent. Bravo, you have now learned how to manifest. That's right, manifest. Wow, that was easy, wasn't it. You simply took a state of mind, backed it up with emotion, and then turned it in to a physical equivalent. That's what manifestation is. What if you decided to use fear in your favor?

There are six basic fears, poverty, ill health, criticism, loss of love, aging, and death. I have always told my children, to beware of what they fear, because it will head at you like a train wreck .If the fear is not looked at, dissected as to it's origin, and then pushed through, the only thing that remains is the FEAR itself.  I believe that to my core. At times that knowledge hasn't always kept me fearless. To the extent of such ridiculousness that I realized that I had started  to fear, fear itself. Sounds crazy doesn't it? It doesn't get much worse than that. If I felt myself being afraid of something I would immediately upon recognition of it shove it out the door like any other fear, but now with the added emotion of being afraid that I was fearing.  I realized this one day when I started to experience all the same physical equivalents, shaking, anxiety, nervous stomach I had to really sit down with myself and take inventory, because I had put such a circle spin on this whole concept, that I expanded it to a broader category as opposed to just individual fears.  So, I also had to get rid of my fear OF fear as well. Now I simply EMBRACE fear, because I know I am on to something. I accept the fear, and instead of being paralyzed by it, I move forward. I know the end destination is worth the feeling of fear.

 Nothing can be created first without an impulse of thought. Those thought impulses immediately begin to turn themselves in to a physical equivalent. I often smile when people use the word lucky, because there is no such thing in my book. Those who appear lucky have just taken thought and turned in into it's physical equivalent. Not luck, but obviously good thoughts, even if they aren't aware of  this fact. We are all  in complete control of our thought. Hence the statement, watch what you think. If you don't do that first and foremost, you cannot change anything at all. You'll just walk around with the chatter in your head and not even realize what you have been thinking for a while. WAKE UP!!!! You really won't be sorry, because when you really understand that you have control over your thoughts, and your thoughts turn into physical reality, there is nothing that you can't create.

Go ahead and claim the power. Replace fear with courage, and watch the results. The go practice, practice , practice controlling your thoughts. Any every time fear comes knocking, replace it with a different state of mind. You will be amazed, I promise.

    I have decided that my current state of perimenopause  has led me to be less “zen” than normal. I shouldn’t say I decided exactly, I should say I was told. An intervention with the other household members, four of the five(the youngest was excluded) .  A menopause intervention. Yep, you, heard me right.

I have always thought that the intervention process was a worthy one. But a menopausal intervention? You must be kidding me. An intervention is a confrontation for getting a loved one the help that they need, usually associated with addiction and destructive behavior. I guess they all felt my behavior was destructive enough to all assemble and confront me. Not an easy assembly to have, given the age ranges, schedules, and overall in and out buzz of a very busy household. They must have really been serious about this.

I was cornered in my kitchen while I prepared our evening meal. I must say I was a little upset, as cooking is a very therapeutic process for me, one that I enjoy and look forward to. They basically ruined that one. As they preceded to tell me what this was about, I started to laugh hysterically. No one joined in. Staring at their faces, I could see they were serious, and my laughter dissipated quickly. Another ruined moment. I told them this was dangerous water to tread in given my current emotional state, still no one laughed at my joke.Yet again, another ruined moment. I told  them I hoped they weren’t to hungry because if they continued on with this process, I highly doubted they would be eating anything. That didn’t even get a response. After I had pulled out all the stops in my repertoire, I finally gave in and sat down. All the while, I really at this moment wished I was in that picture.

 I have a new found respect for anyone who has to go through this process, it really isn’t so comfortable to be in the hot seat. I was suddenly humbled. But then something happened. I felt a wave of heat roll up from my toes all the way to my head. I was beat red. I know what your thinking, hot flash. No, I was flaming angry. Then I cried.  A moment later I dove into a long monologue telling them all how insensitive they were. After that I cried again.

Success! Thanks to my menopause, no one ever uttered a word.They scattered from my kitchen like flies. Intervention thwarted.Was it really the mood swings, or was it my ability to manifest?  I was able to manifest they exact thing I wanted, which was  for them not to be able to utter a word of their disapproval of my recent behavior and mood swings. That’s what they get for being such naysayers of all my philosophies and teachings. Countless years of being scoffed at and poo pooed, and guess who finally showed them all the stuff I believe in works.

So for all you women who think menopause has your zen mojo off balance,  think again. The  two together can actually create pure bliss. A quiet kitchen to cook my meal I thought we would not be having. A smile on my face, and gratitude in my heart. Gratitude for no one being able to open their mouths and speak. I am in a perfect state of pure bliss. At least for now, until the next menopausal moment takes hold of me. I’ll keep working on that, or maybe not.

The older I get, the more I am opposed to stress. I believe that stress is the root of all evil. All stress, when you look at it from this perspective, simply comes from resisting the present moment. And in reality it does not come from the situation, but your thoughts ABOUT the moment.

The stress comes from a desire for the moment to be something other than what it is.  I know how difficult that can be at times, and I am not implying that we can always walk around in a state of pure non stressful  bliss. What I am  proposing is that perhaps if you were able to look at the moment for what it is, and simply take a deep breath of acceptance, regardless of what it is, stress induced  TMJ might not exist, amongst a host of other health issues that stress can cause. You may also live a more content existence.

When you simply take that moment and accept it for what it is, even if  something you don’t like to do, or have to do. For instance change a flat tire, or go to that family function that you dread, when you simply accept, it shifts the whole paradigm. You do not have to like it, but upon your acceptance of it, a peace comes with that.

To truly appreciate life, we have to learn to take in all of it’s moments, the good, the bad and the ugly. If you can teach yourself to flow through those stressful times, with a true sense of acceptance, it only enhances the more beautiful moments you have..

We assign meanings to events that are meaningless. Read that over a couple of times, it’s one of the “huh?” statements.  What does that mean?  Follow me here, I’m on to something.

YOU ARE NOT YOUR BELIEFS. YOU ARE THE CREATOR OF YOUR BELIEFS. That is probably one of the most empowering statements I have ever heard.

To really understand this, let’s take the example of an exchange between two people. One person says something to the other and criticizes that person. What typically happens is that person becomes defensive. Why is that? It is simply because at some level, the person being criticized has decided that there is some merit to what the other person is saying, or simply may have a fear that there is some truth to the statement. You have assigned a meaning to the event. What if you assigned a different meaning to the event. Let’s say that you looked at the person criticizing you, and just decided they must be on the attack because they were having a bad day, or perhaps something happened to them that made them angry and they took it out on you. Did you see that just by assigning a different meaning to the event altered it’s meaning? Do you see that when we decide that an event has a meaning, it had no meaning prior to you giving it one?

YOU ARE THE CREATOR….  meaning is in your mind. YOUR MIND. Not already out in the world. This understanding can be life changing when you truly get it, and then realize the wonderful power you already have in you to create the world you want. Hold yourself accountable for what you have interpreted to be the truth about you, and when you do you can literally unlock the door to your own personal power. Our beliefs are based on the evaluation of something, and we always have the ability to reevaluate something that can create a different belief. The thing that I have learned is that so often we take on beliefs of ourselves that are negative and critical. Why in the world would we consciously choose to do this, when we have the ability to create any belief we want about yourself. That is just absolutely crazy. I believe that we are our own worst enemies at times. I want you to make a decision today to be very aware of this, stop and reevaluate something, make a practice of it. Think of it like planting seeds in a garden. Be very choosy over the types of seeds that you plant, because you want your garden to be beautiful and flourish. Not full of weeds.

This is the best gift you can give yourself, you are worth it. You are amazing. You are the only one exactly like you. That alone makes it worth the effort. We have a choice everday as to how to behave, and what we focus on. What is your focus today?

Your words are the power you have to create anything. A moment, a feeling, an honest shared communication. Your thoughts have the ability to inspire, manifest, create, and also destroy. The word is not simply just a sound or a written symbol, but a force and a power that you have to express yourself and communicate. If we gave this some more intense thought, would we choose our words more carefully?  Would we be more discerning, artistic and creative in choosing what we say and how we say it? Would we aspire to become better versed?  Words create thoughts, and on a multitude of levels when truly examined ,this can become quite a challenge. To expand the mind beyond thoughtless, mindless babble, to enter a world and realm of creativity and power.

In everyday communication, only 8% is based on the words we speak. 38% is based on the sound of our voice, 54% on body language.”

8%??  I ask you, how could this be? I find this so perplexing, really. I suppose I have always known the power of words, which is something I feel so grateful for. I am not saying that I always choose my words with such grace. What I do know is that always, if I have not given thought to my spoken word with caution, I am distraught.  Which is the catalyst that allows me to be tenuous and cautious when choosing them. It is the thought, and the knowing of the power of your word that allows you to sit in silence if even for a moment and “think” about what you want to say and how you want to say it. It needs to come from a place of peace, a place of harmony and balance, coupled with an extreme yearning to communicate impeccably your thoughts and feelings in order to be heard as well as possible by the other person. It is an art form to me. The more thoughtful I am, the more creative I am, the more I can impart my true and honest feelings on to another.” Speak not in anger, the words are muddled, speak not in haste, as the words may be spears that pierce anothers heart, speak not in judgement, as ye would not liked to be judged in return.”  So simple, yet so hard. But, is it really? I think not. Merely something to be conscious of. That is the key, be aware, be present, do not go unconscious in the process. It is there that your words can be default. It is there that you lack the ability to go back and say something a different way. It is there that you feel powerless in the moment and struggle to come out like you were in a deep pool of water and know, not how to swim.

In the area of manifestation, if you are not getting something that you think you want so desperately, you need to dig down real deep and find out where your blocks are. Now I know you are thinking , I am trying so hard and yet the results aren’t there. I am here to tell you it is due to the fact that you have counter intentions that you are not aware of. If those counter intentions are not discovered, you will continue to be blocked. You have to listen carefully to what you are saying to yourself, and at every level be concious of the thoughts and reasoning you have, because very simply, every dissaproval you have, uncovers a limiting belief, and hence a blockage.

The most optimal thing to do is to have a coach, someone that listens to you very carefully that can interpret any statement you have made from your heart, and present to you where your limiting beliefs lie. I listened to an interview between Joe Vitale and his miracle coaching programs coach of the year, and as I was listening, I myself had an ah ha moment. You may think that you are just being realistic so to speak in discussing what you feel may be the roadblocks to you living the life of your dreams, or manifesting things in your life that you would like to have. Be it wealth, health, the love of your life, the job of your dreams, somewhere if you do not have that, no matter how hard you have tried, there is a limiting belief that needs to be cleared in order to attain that. Sometimes it is just the simple awareness of that belief that allows it to dissipate, and sometimes it takes someone that you can bear your soul to that can uncover it for you.A sounding board in a way, to tell you what they have “heard” you say. This is why it is so important to have someone that has a vested interest in helping you move forward, listen closely to your dialog, those thoughts that run through your head, to help you uncover the thoughts that you have, that you are so oblivious to, you are not even aware of what you are truly thinking. It’s the BUT…. it is the I’m not this and I’m not that, and who would find me credible enough to come to and pay for my information. It is such an interesting component, and yet so simple when you really look at it. It is a complete energy shift, just in the recognition of it, that sometimes, that is all it takes to be able to move past it. It is really no different than doing something so naturally, that we do not even realize we are good at it. Your thoughts can create the same effect, because you are not conscious always of what you are thinking, and how that can effect your results in any area. It isn’t always someone disagreeing with you, or telling you what they think you can do, like a cheerleader. It is about someone, listening to your heart and telling you what they hear you telling yourself….

You are the most important component in all of this, not what someone else thinks you can do, but what YOU think you can do, Your dialog to yourself is the most important part that you need to pay attention to, which is why so many self help programs fail people. Sure we want to surround  ourselves with people that champion in our corner. But more than that we need someone to disclose to us, what WE are saying to ourselves in order to implement any real change. It all begins and ends with you. I am not saying that it is not worthwhile to surround yourself with people who believe in you more than you believe in yourself, but ultimately, it is YOU that has to have that belief in order to forge different paths for yourself. You are command central, your are the captain of your ship, fix that first and then you will only have people in your life that compliment that belief. It is imperative, it is the key.