Self Esteem Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Kathleen Hassan

Don’t Wait to Be Great – Do it Be it in 2008

Let’s face it; New Year’s resolutions just don’t work. Why? Some might say it’s because they were drunk when them made them! But the truth is, most resolutions fail because they focus on everything we don’t like about ourselves. This is the year I’m going to lose twenty pounds, join a gym, get organized, quit smoking… and the list goes on and on. So this year, instead of making another lame claim about what you’re going to do, or instead of focusing on what you didn’t accomplish last year, why not just stake a claim to be great – and then take action on it. I recently saw the movie, “The Bucket List.” Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play characters that are both dying of cancer and they made a list of things they want to do before they kicked the bucket. Well, in January 1990, probably before some my [...]

By Kathleen| 2008-01-01T11:41:57-05:00 January 1st, 2008|

The Breakdown of a Breakup – Towards a New Breakthrough

Nothing can throw a teen off course quite like a breakup. All the energy that goes into this real-life drama can thwart academic progress and derail athletic performance as well. But pretending it didn’t happen isn’t the solution, nor is wallowing in the “if only’s.” The Breakdown Boy meets girl. Lust at first sight. Hormones raging. Lips locked in marathon make-out sessions. Hating to be away from each other and anxious for the next encounter. Non-stop texting. Moved to #1 on buddy list. The Breakup The newness fades. Flaws and defects begin to rear their ugly heads. You feel powerless to control the situation and yet that only strengthens your resolve to try to fix it. Playing the victim brings you some relief as your friends rally to validate everything you’re feeling. Fear sets in and your self-esteem plummets as you internalize all of this as somehow your fault and [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-11-07T11:43:06-05:00 November 7th, 2007|

Everybody’s Doing It – Why Not Middle Schoolers?

Birds do it, bees do it Even educated fleas do it… But Middle Schoolers? Say it isn’t so. When songwriter Cole Porter penned his memorable lyrics in 1928 he was talking about “falling in love” not “making love.” Apparently peer pressure was a factor even back then as the song implies, everyone is “doing it” so why shouldn’t we do it too. Fast forward eighty years and peer pressure, although still a factor, isn’t the only pressure on today’s teens and tweens. Thanks to the hormones in our food and milk supply, girls are developing at a much earlier age. Thanks to our image-obsessed and sexually permissive culture, girls are apparently “doing it” at a much earlier age also. Middle Schools in Baltimore and Seattle are “doing it” and now Portland Maine is joining in. The New York Times reported that on October 18, 2007, the Portland Maine School Board [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-10-25T11:45:03-05:00 October 25th, 2007|

Save the Mask for Halloween

With Halloween just around the corner, it got me thinking about masks – not in the costume sense, but rather in the way we hide our true selves from others. When we were little, wearing masks was all about playing make believe and pretending to be someone else just for fun. But as we get older and the pressure to fit in gets bigger, we may wear a mask to try and get others to like us or accept us into the group. Before long, we get so good at fooling others that eventually we wind up deceiving ourselves because even we don’t know who we really are. We all have our roles in life; student, son, daughter, mother, father, teacher, friend. But there may be roles that we play and masks we wear that we may not even be aware of and that may be keeping us trapped in [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-10-04T11:48:52-05:00 October 4th, 2007|

Response Required – Don’t Miss an Issue!

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new website. I feel like I’ve just given birth! It’s truly been a labor of love and I can’t wait to share it with you and the world. Along with the new site, we are moving into a new state-of-the-art email program and are migrating our mailing list over to the new system. To stay with me and to make sure you receive all of the updates about the great new programs and materials we are creating, along with our monthly e-zine Shine!, you’ll need to go to my website and sign back up. It is simple and will only take a minute. But I promise you, it will be worth it! Simply click the HOME button above, which will take you to my new site. For starters, the minute you enter your name and email address you’ll receive a FREE copy [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-09-28T11:50:38-05:00 September 28th, 2007|

How to Make This Your Best Year Yet

Remember that lame assignment they always gave you at the start of every school year? “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” tolled the official end of summer and started every year off heading in the wrong direction. Just like you can’t drive forward while looking in the rear-view mirror, you can’t get ready for a brand new year by starting it off looking backwards. Summer is over – it’s time to look ahead. Spend some time thinking about how you want this school year to be. Just by shifting your thoughts, you will be creating your future and unleashing the power of intention. An intention is something that you plan to do or achieve. With focused attention and concentrated energy, anything you can dream you can achieve – as long as you believe. A belief is just a thought you’ve replayed over and over again and accepted it as fact. [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-09-04T11:51:38-05:00 September 4th, 2007|

Self-Esteem is Priceless

The Only Thing You Can’t Get at the Mall is the Most Important Thing of All The words back to school conjure up so many mixed emotions for parents and teens. The office supply superstore commercial portrays parents skipping up and down the aisles filling their baskets with pens and notebooks while “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” blares through store. But for teens, those words can often evoke a sense of fear and insecurity as they scurry to make sure they have the right stuff in order to be all that. The world-wide credit card company ad might go something like this… Abercrombie & Fitch jeans; $89.50, Nike Air Max sneakers; $150.00, the new LG Chocolate slide phone; $149.98, Coach Signature Soho bag; $218.00… Feeling as good on the inside as you’re trying to look on the outside? Priceless! Advertisers spend billions of dollars marketing to teens [...]

By Kathleen| 2007-08-15T11:54:18-05:00 August 15th, 2007|

Calling All Girls: Help Me Write My Book

Hey Girls… I’m writing a book for teen girls called “Loving the Girl in the Mirror: Reflections of Your True Self” and I NEED YOUR HELP! I could very easily write this book based on my own “self” and how I transformed my life from troubled teen to teen mentor, but I want this book to be about YOU. What are the greatest challenges you face growing up female in today’s image-obsessed world? If you had a magic wand and could wave it over a book and then that book would have the answers you need to help you – what would that book be about? Do me a favor and watch this video and then forward it on to every girl you know. Together we can and will change the world. Imagine a world full of girls who knew how to love themselves and find their true power from [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T15:01:56-05:00 August 7th, 2006|

My Purple Monkey – The Ravages of Low Self-Esteem

I have a purple monkey That sits upon my back Sometimes I call him Worry or Fear Sometimes he goes by Lack His presence is addictive Like booze or heroin I’m always looking outside myself When I should be looking in At first it was no big deal Just a way to get attention By putting myself down first I’d beat others with that intention To the world he is invisible Although they probably know he’s there No amount of jewelry or make-up hide him Not even ribbons in my hair To believe his lies is to feed him And every day he grows This weight on my shoulders is holding me back I hurt down to my toes This negative attitude is now a habit How can I put him down? Start my looking in the mirror And smile instead of frown It takes baby steps and courage To [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T15:02:12-05:00 June 17th, 2005|

Creating Your Sacred Space – Self-Worth

As I write this article, I am sitting in my own Sacred Space – my meditation room. People have often commented to me “You have your own meditation room?” My sacred space didn’t start off as a whole room. It began as a tiny corner of my bedroom that was dedicated to honoring my spirit and was a tiny place carved out just for me to sit and listen to the stirrings of my soul. I first read about creating a sacred space several years ago in Sarah Ban Breathnach’s beautiful book “Simple Abundance.” It was a time in my life when I desperately needed to slow down. I was traveling at the speed of life and had succumbed to our society’s mantra “Bigger, Better, Faster, More.” My break-neck speed pace had gotten me nowhere except on overload and in pain. Jack Canfield, long before he became famous as [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T15:03:14-05:00 December 6th, 2004|