Yes, You Can!

Today I am going to talk about self-esteem and feeling good about ourselves. Having a good sense of self-esteem is important today in order to feel a sense of greatness within. There is nothing on this earth that we cannot do if we put our hearts and minds to it. We must feel that WE CAN! At one time in my life I did not have a healthy sense of self-esteem because I felt that I was unable to accomplish anything and I had a negative view of myself and others. It was only after reading self-help books of wisdom and inspiration, going through therapy and doing some self-talk, that I was able to feel better about myself and others. If we feel good about ourselves, everything falls into place.

Feeling good about ourselves and saying that WE CAN, does not mean being self-conceited, it means being CONVINCED. We are convinced that we can excel in something that we are trying to achieve, we are thinking positive in our endeavors and we are indeed grateful that we can do so. Take for example my writing projects and goals. A person who really knows me will see that I am striving to do my best. I am convinced that with God's help I can do so and I am a positive thinker in that regard. On the other hand, a negative person who does not really know me, like those who reside around me or some of my "kinfolk" will say that I am conceited or that I think that "I am all that." That is so untrue. I don't think that, maybe that is the way they think. They don't know the real me. It is just that I have gained a newfound confidence in myself that others wish that they had. If anyone wants to learn how I got this way I will show them and be glad to do so, YES I CAN! and I will.

Jealousy gets you nowhere in this life. If Queen Mocha gets some good fourtune that has come her way, then we should be glad for her. If we find that we get some kind of bad vibes or feelings that we want the same for ourselves, guess what? We can. In our own way and time, for God does not make mistakes. Be happy and share the joys with that person, for you do not know the struggle that the individual has gone through to get to the success. Also, you don't know what kind of trials and tribulations the individual is going through despite the success. I am going to use myself as an example again for I am trying to share a point. To persons that see me on the outside, I may look like Queen of Sheba, for I make sure before I appear outside the door that I am presentable to the public as well as myself. However, because of illnesses that I am juggling for life, it takes me two hours to achieve that. Because of the conditions that are appearing in the building now all night long, it really takes me a while to get myself together in the morning. The conditions of overcrowding in the apartment has my mind ovecrowded and I am functioning at less than one hundred percent. And yet I continue to write. I continue to pray. I continue to meditate. That is where the gift comes in. Despite the inner and the outer circumference about me, YES, I CAN! You ask me why? CAUSE I CAN! You ask me why again. God says so! If it were not for the Creator, I could not stand, and neither could you. All of us are going through something and YES, WE CAN, despite.

The reason I have titled this YES I CAN, is because I found this book today that a woman doctor had given to me upon my discharge from Cooper Hospital back in 1995, a pocket-sized book. It has the title YES, YOU CAN! I would just like to share a few sayings from famous people. Try to hold on to the thought this week that you can do anything in this world that you want to if you put your mind to it and there is nothing beyond your dreams. Yes, you have the potential, don't forget that!

"I am just myself, and who I am is a lot." Phylicia Rashad
"They are able who think they are able." Virgil
"The learning provess is never-ending, and growth will continue if only you will allow it to." Arlene Francis
"I like to think that each of us has his own little destiny and we have to seek it- no one will hand it to us." Richard Chamberlain
"I'm happiest when I'm working, rising to challenges." Lucille Ball
"I must not only try harder, but be better...You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your linits, that is the real joy." Arthur Ashe
"No one has more potential for greatness than anyone else." Marianne Williamson
"I began to understand that self-esteem isn't everything; it's just that there's nothing without it." Gloria Steinem