In a self-esteem program I was involved with many years ago, we spent a lot of time discussing our perceptions.

How do we see the world? This led us to an exercise in self-evaluation. That exercise opened my mind and allowed me to examine and change my thinking patterns.

How do I see myself? What do I like? What do I want to change? What about my attitude? How am I treating people? Do I know how to say I’m sorry, I’m wrong? How judgmental have I been, will I be in the future? Do I have the right to be critical of others? Do I gossip? What is my personality type? A victim, a bully? Do I know my human rights, how to set personal boundaries? That it is ok to say no! How selfish a person am I?

What, who, how did I become me? The questions just kept coming, do I think of others, or am I really ego driven? How was my compassion, my empathy level?

Wow, looking at this on paper it looks overwhelming, but I know it is not. I know today that my thinking shapes my day, my week, my life. I realized that growing as a person, and achieving a level of understanding me was a first step. I learned that, for me, most change is a decision, a commitment. To see the good, to forgive, to have a moral compass. To do the right thing. To understand that I do not know what is best for others, even if I think I do. I learned to let go of negative people, events, situations, even when others do not agree with me. I learned that today, like back then, I still have to ask myself the same questions, and keep working on me to improve myself. That in turn improves my relationships, my friendships, my life.

One of my favorite sayings is “nothing is as it seems to be.” I have always found this to be true. Change, I learned, starts with opening my mind to new possibilities. Change is about taking action to have a new result. It all seems to start with my thinking, my attitude, and my commitment. How the world treats me seems to be in direct proportion to how I treat myself. Helping the world solve world peace, as an example, just might start with my contribution to change.

As a publisher, working within the community has also brought me a huge opportunity to help make a difference. Please mark your calendar for Thursday, December 4, when Valley Integrative Pharmacy joins us for a special Christmas Networking Event. Stay tuned next month as we start to share the details.