trust Archives - Kathleen Hassan

How Do I Learn to Love Myself?

Did you know that if you type, how do I learn to… into Google, the #1 searched skill is—you guessed it—love myself. Why is it that so many of us never learned this essential and vital ingredient to living a life of wholehearted happiness? Oftentimes, it’s the negative messaging that we received as kids that has become our conditioned and programmed response to life. Like an operating system that’s been running in the background, it affects our self-image and the way we see ourselves in relation to the world. My negative programming was installed and had been operating beneath the surface since childhood. My dad died when I was ten years old and my mother died when I was sixteen. The six years between their deaths were not happy times as my mother, a widow with five kids, suffered from a debilitating heart condition and a broken heart. She [...]

By Kathleen| 2021-06-07T13:37:50-05:00 June 7th, 2021|

Grace Under Fire: Turning My Mess into a Message

Over the past twenty years as a professional speaker, I’ve had my fair share of speeches that didn’t go my way. But last week’s presentation to the National Charity League in San Antonio was an epic disaster. I was so excited because the NCL’s mission aligns so well with my message of fostering the mother daughter relationship and developing confident young women leaders, and 250 mothers and daughters would be there for my talk. Never in a million years did I imagine that weather would be a factor in traveling from Florida to Texas, but that day 50 mph winds prevented us from landing in San Antonio and we were diverted to Houston. My speech was at 4:00pm and it was already 12:30. As we sat on the tarmac, I kept telling myself, “God makes all things come together for my good,” even though things didn’t look so good. Then [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:02:22-05:00 February 6th, 2017|

Create Dangerously: As If Someone’s Life Depends On It

The other day on Facebook I read the transcript of a speech delivered by a girl from York PA. Her name is her name is Devon Hornberger and she gave the Valedictorian Commencement Address at her high school graduation ceremony. I was blown away by her speech that began by recounting the abduction of 276 girls from their dormitories in Chibok, Nigeria. They were kidnapped because their abductors believe that girls should not be educated. Her message to her fellow classmates was about the privilege of their education and how young people around the world are risking their lives for that same right. In her speech, she also sited a quote by Edwidge Danicat, an award-winning Haitian-American author: “Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. This is what I’ve always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:44:34-05:00 June 2nd, 2016|

Want Peace? Think on such things.

My son got married last weekend and gave me the greatest honor by asking me to do the blessing and say grace over the meal at the reception. The moment he asked, I started to think about what I wanted to say and immediately thought about my favorite bible verse; Philippians 4.8. I wanted these words to reflect all that was in my heart and be a blessing to everyone there as well. But as with most things that begin with “I want”, it’s so easy to get caught up in self-will and lose sight of God’s will. And so, I paused and prayed. I wrote in my journal and asked that I might be a channel for God’s love and that he give me the right words to say. I turned the page and there on the very next page, was Philippians 4.8! Whatever is true, whatever is noble, [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T11:51:56-05:00 November 17th, 2015|

Destination Unknown

Some people think that a destiny is a place - somewhere you’re trying to get to. Like the word destination, the place you arrive at when you go on vacation. But your destiny is not an actual place or somewhere to get to, it’s more about finding out who you really are and simply becoming that. Destiny is the hidden power within you that controls what will happen in the future. So it’s not so much about getting anywhere, but it’s about discovering that hidden power - the God force within, that will help you and guide you through life. Know this... There is NO "there"... There is only NOW. Any time you are trying too hard to get somewhere, or think that you should be somewhere else besides where you are in that exact moment... You are Not Here! God's grace and power can only be accessed in the [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:20:37-05:00 May 21st, 2014|

Crawling to the Finish Line: I think I can… I think I can

I am so close. I can see the ribbon. You might imagine that I'd be sprinting full on with my goal in sight. I am almost finished writing my book. And I am crawling to the finish line. Since gearing up to come back to Boston for the summer, I have come up with a million excuses why I haven't been able to write. First it was closing up my condo in Naples. Next, figuring out what to clothes to pack for an entire summer (I kid you not, this kept me up several nights!) Arranging to have my car shipped up here was also on my to do list - I mean what's the point of driving a BMW convertible in Florida all winter if not to show off to all your friends up North in the summah? Then making the move up here and getting settled into a [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:51:01-05:00 July 12th, 2013|