Finding out more about yourself can lead to sanity...

Some people I know are afraid to find out more about themselves. "What if I don't like what I find?" they say. "What if there's something WRONG with me???!"

Well, "So what," sez I. There is something "wrong" with any of us... that's a definite feature of being human. Don't like something you find about yourself? You CAN change it. God did NOT create us as a group of helpless automatons!

The internet has a LARGE number of useful tools for finding out more about yourself, your likes/dislikes, what you're good at, your strenths and weaknesses, and so on. One such (free) tool is located here at "queendom" ... where you can find out more about your "emotional intelligence." You will have to register but it looks to be free (and well worth it!)

Whatever you do, don't use your results from any such tests as a method of beating yourself up. You can't hold me responsible for anything you find out, either. Just know that things can get better, and, in fact, they DO!

Self-Esteem, and where to get some

One of the things I've been shocked by in my adult life is the number of people who suffer from low self esteem--anything from mediocre self esteem to really non-existent. Not that I have the greatest self-esteem in the world, mind you, I've just been able to work on my own to where it's not nearly as low as it once was.

Low self-esteem is one of the most hampering, handicapping things that a person can endure.

It leads to difficulties in relationships, career, and even, sometimes to suicide or other self-destructive actions.

But what it DOESN'T have to be is permanent.

There are a multitude of resources out there that can help: one I recommend regularly is a book called "How To Raise Your Self-Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden. I've included a link to the book on the right, in case you want to purchase the book from amazon right away.

I also recommend "Feeling Good," A book by David Burns, and "You can't afford the Luxury of A Negative Thought."

Also, a blog called "High Self-Esteem" has some excellent ideas about how to build your self esteem...I've linked to some specific exercises that may be helpful. Take a look!