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|

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|

Mommy, I found your music box!

Happy Mother's Day! The word mother conjures up a vast array of reactions and emotions. For some, mother is synonomous with nurturing and uncondional love and for others (like me) the very mention of that word stirs up a deep longing for what we never got. One thing is certain, the relationship we have (or had) with our mothers has more than any other, shaped us into who we are today and affects every other relationship we have - most importantly - the one we have with ourselves. I never really understood my mother and she died when I was sixteen - long before I had enough life experience or insight to be able to see things from her perspective. But this past year I received a gift - a miracle that was 48 years in the making. We often think of miracles as something huge that happens to us, that is [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:23:14-05:00 May 9th, 2014|

Say YES to What’s Next

This morning I sat at Starbucks, sipping my soy latte with pen and journal in hand, (ironically, at that very moment I was writing about the desires of my soul vs. the demands of my ego,) when I glanced up and saw this message on the window: Say YES to what's next! It was the perfect writing prompt and got me thinking about the things that I want to conjure and manifest into my life from a place of pure desire rather than ego that only wants from a sense of lack and unworthiness. The very first thing I said "YES!" to was being open to receive... and with the pump primed, the pen started moving across the page, as if of its own volition and I could barely keep up with my own full-on voracious appetite for everything I desire. We're often taught that we shouldn't be too greedy [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:26:12-05:00 May 3rd, 2014|

ready… set… WAIT??!! Lessons learned from laying low and watching the world go on without me

Happy Belated New Year! While the rest of the world was celebrating, making resolutions and launching themselves full steam ahead into 2014, I was sick in bed with a chest cold and an injured back. It was a painful 1-2 punch combo in that every time I coughed, my back would go into spasm! Not fun. And it lingered on and on for nearly three weeks. But it was interesting to observe this annual, fresh-start, resolution-making-ritual play out before me and see it from such a different perspective of being unable to participate. My Facebook feed was taunting me with inspirational, starting-anew-quotes and partying pics of friends and family ringing in the New Year. In that moment I had a choice - I could whine, lament and push against it - or - I could let go and accept it as simply my time to just be. (My husband would [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:32:38-05:00 January 24th, 2014|

Ask Kat: I Broke Up With a Guy – So Why I Am I So Sad?

Just got this great question from a girl named Nikki and figured I’d share my response to her with other girls who may have been wondering the same thing. I broke up with my bf and I thought I would feel relieved bc I lost my romantic emotions for him, but instead I'm the one bawling my eyes out. It just sucks because I do care about him, he just wasn't “the one” and I feel empty and sad. I feel like I should feel so relieved. Is it normal to feel sad even if I’m the one who left him? Dear Nikki - Of course it’s normal - you're mourning a loss. Even when you make a choice that supports your best and highest good... that doesn't mean that there isn't a time of grieving. Not so much mourning the loss of him... but mourning the loss of what you [...]

By Kathleen| 2013-11-19T21:22:57-05:00 November 19th, 2013|

Asking the Right Questions

Many years ago, at the beginning of my speaking career, I created and delivered a workshop on creativity at a Toastmasters International Conference. In my research on the topic, I read a book called Five Star Mind by Tom Wujek, and it talked about the power of questions to give your mind focus. This story is an excerpt from the book: When the Rembrandt painting "The Night Watch" was restored and returned to Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, the curators performed a simple yet remarkable experiment. They asked visitors to submit questions about the painting. The curators then prepared answers to over fifty questions according to popularity... In a room next to the gallery which held the painting, the curators papered the walls with these questions (and answers). Visitors had to pass through this room before entering the gallery. The curious outcome was that the average length of time people spent viewing the [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:48:03-05:00 August 5th, 2013|

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|

All the Books I’ve Never Written

I have started and then stopped writing more books than I can count. Years ago, I was a member of the National Speakers Association and some of my speaker friends used to tease me and say “Why don’t you write a book called All the Books I’ve Never Written?” At one particular NSA meeting, the topic was on book writing. After raising my hand and sharing the fact that my problem was that I just had too many ideas and titles in my head, the woman sitting next to me, passed me a note that said “No, your problem is that you’re afraid of letting people see the real you.” “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” ~ Muriel Rukeyser I’m sorry in advance if I split the world wide open, but here goes nothin’... Seeing the Real Me I’m [...]

By Kathleen| 2017-03-07T12:52:56-05:00 May 7th, 2013|