There is nothing good or worthwhile about having a low opinion of oneself. However, positive self esteem improves one's health, sociability, and general attitude towards life. Negative self esteem is a habit, a highly addictive habit. Perhaps you can see what an enemy to your well- being this is, and have a greater willingness to defeat it.

We have all gone through life saying certain things about ourselves, such as: I'm a shy person, or I'm intelligent, or I'm stupid, or I'm clumsy, or I'm slow, etc. Once we understand the power of the word and of the mind, we come to the realization that all of these statements were simply creating self-fulfilling prophecies.

I have a policy: On Sundays, I don't allow myself to come within five hundred yards of the computer; the phone goes on voice mail; and the cell phone gets to snooze in my purse all day. My friends know how I am about Sundays, and they respect my need for solitude. This soothing Sunday routine means a lot to me...

I teach, speak, and write about joy, peace, power, ease, and grace because I am learning to bring them more fully into my own life, not because I have mastered them. And to the degree that I have been able to make them a reality in my life, part of my life's work is helping others make...

In the film Being John Malkovich, an unhappy guy named Craig discovers a portal into movie star John Malkovich's mind, through which he can live vicariously for fifteen minutes. Soon there is a long line of people paying $200 to enter the portal and be someone else.

We are complex beings. Within each of us there are many, many aspects, some of which seem to be at war with others. We all have an Inner Critic: that voice that nags at us, puts us down, tells us we're not good enough. When we...

When we look in the mirror we see “me”: a particular combination of features that matches our idea of who we are.

Some people feel that they are limited by their genes, by what is encoded in their DNA. Studies show that identical twins raised in different environments have some strikingly similar tastes and behaviors. While that may be true, one must be careful not to use that as an excuse...

When I asked the question -- How does it feel to be sixty? -- of my teacher at the Gurdjieff Foundation, she took her time to ponder it before answering. At last she uttered one succinct word: "Relieved." She went on, "In our teens and twenties, we are absorbed in educating ourselves and plotting our futures; then we are busy working toward realizing..."

We cling to so many things without which we believe we simply cannot be happy. Some of us find it difficult to part with objects and mementos of the past, and many of us are pack rats to one degree or another. This may seem like an innocent habit, but the clutter in our minds and hearts...

I would often say that I felt there was a party happening somewhere, but I wasn’t invited. Can you relate to that feeling? When with other people, I would pretend to be happy. I would pretend to have a good time. But inside, I felt a separation and a sadness that I couldn’t shake off. In short, I always felt I was missing out...

In an eight-month workshop, which I went on to lead, we asked ourselves four questions each day. What did I notice that had nothing to do with me? What did I do today that I respect myself for? What did I do to help another person today (anonymously if possible)? What bothered me today, if anything? The assignment was to stretch beyond who you normally are.

Each time you have told yourself, I am this, or I am that, you kept yourself limited. You have conformed to a particular way of thinking and a particular way of acting in the world. You have restricted yourself to a certain code of behavior, dictated not by true desire of the heart, but by outside influences.

Nothing is more important than feeling good, and it doesn't matter beans how you do it. If standing on your head in Times Square will do it, terrific. If smelling newly cut wood will do it, grand. You know when you're there; you can't miss it. Whether it's just a decision to feel good in the moment...

How can we achieve any sense of knowing with so many contradictory thoughts running around in our mind?

Remember that the goal of this teaching is to facilitate the lessons of unconditional love and acceptance. There is no possibility of accomplishing this toward others if you have not first learned how to unconditionally accept yourself. Here are seven steps to lead you in that direction...

Our understanding of the Emotional System today is still in the Dark Ages. This has its analogy to the time when people's understanding of our Solar System was based upon the belief that the Sun revolved around the Earth, as it certainly appeared that way -- however, just the reverse was true. The problem was, as long as we believed the Sun went around the Earth, we were limited as to how far we could go in the Solar System.

Our individual differences and unique expressions all fall into seven major categories related to the seven chakras. Indeed, each category defines a world unto itself comprised of tendencies, attractions, and passions. A closer examination of this principle convinced me that each of us identifies with one major chakra and, to a lesser degree, with one or two other chakras.

When we stop trying to make ourselves great and simply realize our greatness, it is easy to fall in love with who we are. The greatness that we try so desperately to conjure up is effectively buried beneath our best efforts to make ourselves acceptable.

We all have it ... those inner voices of pessimism and opti­mism ... an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. In fact, global religions throughout time have long attributed spiri­tual titles to these forces, often seeing them as external forces that affect our inner lives.

Many spiritual paths and religions teach you to draw energy from your mentor, guru, or savior. If you absorb positive healing energy, you will be healed. Yet eventually you must consider whether or not the healing energy is coming from outside you or from within you.

The search for love is one all humans, throughout lifetimes, have experienced. We search for those connections in each lifetime. It is our reason for being. We look for love believing we have to alter ourselves in some way in order to attract it, when in fact we need to be loved for who we are.

If you’re like me, you might be finding that you need a bit of a breather this month. It’s important to take time to rest, to let everything settle in, shake out, and shake down, and allow the inner and outer transformations that we have all experienced to take root deeply within our bodies, our psyches, and our souls.