The Path to Blooming Began...

As a training consultant in 1995, I had an interesting assignment writing two management courses and then conducting train-the-trainer sessions on those management courses in eleven cities around the country.  Our client audience happened to be 98% women and conversations quickly followed around issues of self-esteem because in those train-the-trainer sessions, their confidence, courage, self-discipline, and personal self-worth were  necessary to make a successful presentation.

After the eleven-city tour was over, my colleague and I were determined to write a book about self-esteem.  Blooming Late:  Cultivating Your Self Esteem After Fifty was published in 1996.  Because the TODAY Show was doing a segment on people over fifty called Forever Young, our book yielded me an interview with Katie Couric.

In one of the chapters , “Planting the Seed of High Self-Esteem”, focuses on how to avoid the 10 self-sabotaging behaviors that keep us from high self-esteem.  I like to call these self-sabotaging behaviors the weeds in our personal garden. It also identifies 25 statements that show you have high self-esteem.  These statements were gleaned from over 50 interviews that were conducted with women over fifty who have high self-esteem.

In another solutions chapter, “Showering Yourself With Bouquets” I talk about the importance of rewarding yourself on a regular basis.  I call it becoming a “self-care provider”.  This means you find at least 30 minutes of time for yourself each day doing an activity you love, whether it’s meditating, yoga, taking a walk, or reading a book.  The benefit you reap from this activity is reducing your stress.

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